Remember that old questions everybody ask every winter: Should we get winter tires or all-seasons tires?

Keep in mind that colder months require not just changes to your driving habits, but also some extra thought put toward your car equipment.

One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that winter tires are for snow. The fact is that once the temperature gets below about 5º C, winter tires begin to really outshine all-season tires. Unlike all-season tires, sever-condition winter tires (easy identified by mountain and snowflake symbols on their sides) have tread patterns and rubber that are tailored for colder conditions. That feature helps them perform better than all-season tires once temperature plummet, whether or not they have to dig through the snow.

In contrast, all-season tires can turn into four round black rocks when cold hits. Even on dry pavement, at balmy 5º C, a severe snow rated tire outperforms an all-season tire. There are studies on the market showing that proper winter tire can improve braking by up to 25% over an all-season radial and can improve collision avoidance by about 38 percent (Quebec Ministry of Transport study).

Drivers should also not be tempted to skimp and buy only two tires. Two winter tires will just help you to slide off the road forward or backward, depends where you put them. Four winter tires are necessary to maintain proper handling and balance.

NOTE: Regardless of where you drive and what tires you choose, you need to keep a close eye on the condition of your tires. Make sure that your tires still have deep treads to help with snow traction. You also need to pay attention to their inflation. In winter, temperatures in North America drop rapidly. Tire pressure varies by approximately 1 p.s.i. (pounds per square inch) for each 5º C rise or fall in air temperature.

During the winter temperature can easily slide from 5ºC to - 15ºC overnight, dropping the tire pressure as much as 4 p.s.i. In an already under inflated tire, that could put you into the danger zone. Check your tires monthly and keep truck of the pressure of your tires when winter's chill sets in. This is very important especially if your car has been siting out in the cold or you plan to travel during the winter.