5 Ways to Keep Your Car Out of a Snowbank

1. Put on the snow tires
What can make a Hyundai Sonata handle a snow-covered road as well as a Volvo wagon? A decent set of snow tires.

Unlike their more sensitive sibling, the all-weather tire, snow tires rely a lot more on real rubber and don't stiffen up as much when the weather turns chilly. There's also a lot more tiny tread on the tire surface to take away winter moisture more quickly. The downside is that winter tires can start at $100 a pop, can cost as much as $1,000 to $2,000 once a driver invests in a new set and wheels and require both storage space and some seasonal labor when they're switched out. The upside is that those tires can stop a car up to 50% faster than their all-weather counterparts.

"Generally, the difference between the best all-season tires and the best winter tires is about 30% to 50% in traction," Cox says. "Snow-tire engineering has taken a quantum leap over the last decade, and most people don't realize what's really available out there and how much difference it can make."

If Cox's Bridgestone connection seems a bit of a conflict of interest in this area, consider that Michigan Technological University's Keweenaw Research Center in Houghton, Mich., also strongly suggests making the switch to snow tires before the season begins. Not only do they provide more traction and stability, but they're saving both of your sets of tires a lot of wear and tear.