With the first snow of the season upon us, it may be time to start thinking about winter tires.

While it is possible to make it through the winter with all-season tires, most safety experts do not recommend it because they don’t grip ice or snow enough to help stop efficiently.

Winter tires, studded or not, increase grip on snow and ice which improves stopping distance. The reason their grip is better is that they are made from a softer rubber.

When it comes to deciding between studded and studless winter tires, it’s all a matter of preference.

Jason Kindlein, the Manager of Denray Tire in Dauphin, says that he, personally, likes studded tires because of the little bit of extra traction they provide.

“If you put a good winter tire on, it’s definitely going to be better,” said Kindlein. “If you’re doing lots of highway driving, where you could be hitting that black ice, I think the studs are definitely an advantage.”

Just because the snow has already fallen, it doesn’t mean that it’s too late to install winter tires. Kindlein said that any time after the beginning of October is a good time.