Winter Tire Prep | Video

Alex Hagan | 11/9/2012

Travel alerts have been issued all across the western and northern parts of the state. So, drivers will have to be careful if they try to make it down snow covered roads. Equipment is important as well, you should determine if your tires are adequate for a North Dakota winter.

Bismarck`s roads could potentially be covered in snow this weekend and drivers have already begun prepping for the snow storm. Residents are already changing out tires for better traction.

"Every day I`ve got about a 15 mile one way commute to work and back so it`s important to make sure my tires are in good shape," said Bismarck resident Randy Richter.

Business at Main Street Tires in Bismarck is starting to pick up. Employees say sales double every winter season.

"Every tire shop in town is this busy. I call it the avalanche effect, quite literally," said Dan Schreck with Main Street Tire.

The tread of a tire is one of the more important features of a car. If tires don`t have adequate tread, it becomes a problem when driving on an incline.

"That becomes a safety factor for themselves, any passenger and for any other vehicle that they might meet on the road," Schreck said.

Selecting a tire that has all-season tread is important during the winter season.

"That`s where you get your traction on ice and believe me, we`re going to have freeze again and so it is that condition on the road that you need to account for," Schreck said.

Schreck says one way to check to see if your tires are up to par is by sticking a penny into the tread of the tires and if you can see the top of abraham lincolns head, it means you need new tires.

Some residents ignore their tires because they are too expensive. However tire experts say it is something that has to be done.

"Nobody gets up in the morning and says, I get to go buy tires. It`s kind of like they have to go buy tires," Schreck said.

And some drivers understand that.

"If you don`t have the right tires on you don`t have the right traction. It`s just like trying to run in the mud, you don`t get nowhere," Richter said.

Taking care of your tires is important everywhere, but especially for the brutal North Dakota winter.

Main Street Tire in Bismarck will give a free tire inspection and let drivers know if their tires are wearing.

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