When to put on winter tires in Ottawa
Ontario does not require them, Quebec does, and your insurer has to offer a discount for them. Here is when to book the swap and what it costs.
The 7°C rule is about rubber, not snow
An all season tire is made from a rubber compound that stiffens as it gets cold. Below about 7°C it stops conforming to the road the way it does in summer, so it grips less and takes longer to stop, even when the pavement is bare and dry. A winter tire uses a softer compound that stays pliable in the cold, with deeper tread and many small slits (sipes) that bite into slush and packed snow.
That is why the snow forecast is the wrong thing to watch. Watch the temperature on your morning drive. In Ottawa the overnight lows start sitting near freezing in late October, and the first frosty morning on a 417 ramp is when a lot of drivers find out their tires are already past their best for the season.
Are winter tires mandatory in Ontario?
No. Ontario has no law that makes you put winter tires on a car, SUV or light truck. You can legally drive all winter on all season tires.
Legal and sensible are different things here. A city with hills, freezing rain and long stretches of slush on side streets is hard on an all season tire. The difference shows up at the bottom of a hill at a red light, or the first time you brake hard on the Queensway in a squall.
If you drive to Gatineau
Quebec does require winter tires. From December 1 to March 15, vehicles registered in Quebec must have tires marked with the three peak mountain snowflake symbol, or studded tires. All season tires do not count there.
The law is written for Quebec plates, so an Ontario car crossing the bridge is not what it targets. Still, if you work in Gatineau or cross the river most days, you are on the same roads in the same weather as drivers who are all on winter tires by law. Plan your swap as if the rule applied to you, and have it done well before December.
The insurance discount, and what your insurer wants
Ontario requires auto insurers to offer a discount to drivers who use winter tires. The rule does not set the amount, and each insurer writes its own conditions. The ones that come up most often:
- A full set of four winter tires. Two on the drive wheels does not qualify.
- The three peak mountain snowflake symbol on the sidewall. A tire marked only M+S usually does not count.
- Installed by a date the insurer chooses and left on until a date in the spring. These dates vary from one company to the next.
- Some insurers accept all weather tires that carry the symbol and some do not.
Check your own policy or ask your broker before assuming a date. Keep the invoice from your swap, since it shows when the tires went on.
Book before the first snow, not after it
Tire season in Ottawa is lopsided. Most people wait for the first real snowfall, then everyone calls in the same week, usually sometime in November. If you book in mid or late October, you get a time that suits you instead of whatever is left.
The booking page is open 24/7. Choose the seasonal swap, pick a time, and bring the car with the other set of tires in the trunk or the back seat. If your wheels have locking lug nuts, bring the key, because without it the car cannot come off the ground. Last drop off is 4pm, Monday to Friday.
What a swap costs at Unit 112
The prices on the board are labour, before tax:
- Tires on rims, $60. Your winter tires are already mounted on their own wheels, and we swap the wheels over.
- Tires off rims, from $120. You have one set of wheels, and the tires have to be taken off and the other set mounted and balanced onto them.
If you are paying for the second job twice a year, a set of steel or alloy rims for the winter tires is worth pricing. It is a one time cost, and every swap after that is the cheaper on rims job. It also spares the tire beads from being pried on and off twice a year.
If your winter wheels do not have tire pressure sensors, the warning light on the dash will stay on all winter. Some drivers live with it. Others get sensors for the second set.
Check the winter set before it goes back on
Tires sit in a garage or shed for six months, and nobody looks at them until they are on the car. Before swap day, take a minute with them:
- Tread depth. A winter tire’s grip in snow comes from deep tread that can clear slush. A set that was marginal last March is worse now.
- Age. Rubber hardens with time even when the tread looks fine. The last four digits of the DOT code on the sidewall are the week and year the tire was made.
- Cracks in the sidewall or between the tread blocks, bulges, and nails picked up last season.
If the car pulled to one side last winter, or the steering wheel sat off centre after the spring swap, say so when you book. With the wheels already off, it is a good moment to look at the wheel alignment and the steering and suspension parts that potholes and frozen ruts wear out. More on tires, flats and mounting is on the tire services page.
Questions people ask
When should I put winter tires on in Ottawa?
Once daytime highs are staying below about 7°C, usually in late October or early November in Ottawa. Below that temperature an all season tire firms up and loses grip, even on dry pavement. Book the swap a couple of weeks before the first snow, because that is when every shop in the city fills up.
Are winter tires mandatory in Ontario?
No. Ontario has no law requiring winter tires on passenger vehicles. Quebec does, from December 1 to March 15, for vehicles registered in Quebec. Ontario insurers are required to offer a discount to drivers who use winter tires.
How much does a winter tire swap cost in Ottawa?
At Scorpion Auto Tech on Blackwell Street, swapping tires that are already on their own rims is $60. Taking tires off one set of rims and mounting and balancing them onto another starts at $120. Both are labour prices before tax.
Related work
Book it tonight
Pick a time on the booking page whenever it suits you, describe what the car is doing and add a few photos. Drop it off on the day you picked, before 4pm.
