Time For a Summer Tire Swap?

Blog Feb 25th, 2025

Warmer days are coming our way and you know what that means: it’s finally almost time to switch out your winter tires. When life gets busy you might find yourself wondering whether this ritual is worth the hassle, but don’t be tempted to cut corners–different types of tires have been designed specifically to handle the respective road surface types of each season, so for the sake of car performance and your own safety it’s best to swap them as needed throughout the year. Luckily, Heffner Toyota’s dedicated Tire Centre is here to help. Let’s take a look at why it matters and when you should think about making the switch.

Why Summer Calls For New Tires

You’d be forgiven for thinking that all tires are the same, but there are actually quite a few varieties including winter tires, summer tires, and all-season tires:

Winter tires: Engineered to handle icy roads, push away snow, and endure temperatures that are Canadian-cold, winter tires provide a deeper tread and lots more grip to keep your vehicle from slipping. Because they are constructed from a softer rubber compound than other tires, winter tires perform best in temperatures under 7℃ and get very soft in temperatures above this threshold, posing a risk to both your safety and mileage if left on beyond the winter months.

Summer tires: Firmer than winter tires and outfitted with a wider, more flexible tread to prevent hydroplaning, summer tires provide optimal performance in dry temperatures above 7℃. In colder months with worse weather they will harden and won’t withstand the slippery conditions we are accustomed to in Canadian winters.

All-season tires: All-season tires are effectively a jack-of-all-trades tire but despite their wet-repelling tread designed to grip in some amount of snow, these tires are not designed for deep snow, ice, or built to withstand the cold. They will serve you well for most of the year, but can’t compete with specialized summer tires in terms of dry weather performance.

As you can see, summer tires provide second-to-none performance for the warmer half of the year. That’s why it’s best to switch them in as soon as temperatures climb above 7℃ so you can maintain the kind of mileage you expect while staying safe on the road.

When to Swap in Your Summer Tires

We’ve seen that summer tires perform best in temperatures above 7℃, but when should we make the switch? It’s hard to give a definitive time window as sometimes winter’s end can be a bit unpredictable in Ontario. Our advice is to monitor the weather forecast and watch for when temperatures settle consistently above 7℃. This should account for any unexpected cold snaps that have been dragging their feet. Alternatively, if you want to be as safe as possible, consider swapping to spring tires first in anticipation of any last snow showers before the return of the summer sun. This clever move will keep you stable on the road and provide better fuel economy as the roads get warmer, and our Tire Centre is more than happy to help you make the change.

Why Choose Heffner Toyota?

Heffner Toyota’s dedicated Tire Centre is your one-stop shop for everything tires. Our qualified team won’t just swap your seasonal tires; we’ll store the off-season ones in our dedicated climate-controlled facility so they won’t get accidentally damaged or lose their shape.

We care about the general health and longevity of your vehicle, which is why we also offer a range of helpful services such as express oil changes to keep your car in top condition. We even offer a complimentary shuttle service for locations within 30km of Heffner Toyota, so if you’ve got errands to run, you can keep moving while your car is in the shop. Why not give Heffner Toyota a call today or make an appointment with our qualified service department? Using industry standard practices and OEM recommendations, our highly trained technicians will get you back on the road again in no time.