Tires and Wheels: Guides from The Car Doctor
Your tires are the only part of the car that touches the road, and in a Toronto winter that matters more than horsepower. These guides cover when to switch to winter tires, how to read the code on the sidewall, what pressure to run, which type of tire you actually have, and what wheel spacers do.
Every number in these guides comes from sources we checked twice. If you are shopping for a vehicle, ask about the two years of free tire storage that comes with every CDD6 deal, or see the current deals.
-
How Wheel Locks Work, and Are They Worth It?
A wheel lock swaps one ordinary lug nut on each wheel for one that needs a matching key. Here is how they work, what police advise, where they fall short, and how to avoid getting stuck at the tire shop without the key.
-
What Should My Tire Pressure Be? Placard, psi and kPa
The right tire pressure for your car is printed in the driver's door frame, and it is a cold reading. Here is how to check it, how to convert psi and kPa, how much a Toronto cold snap takes out, and what the TPMS light is telling you.
-
How to Read Tire Size: Every Sidewall Code Explained
Every number on a tire sidewall means something. Here is how to decode the size, the load index and speed rating, the four-digit date code, the winter symbols and the UTQG grades, and what must stay the same when you buy new tires.
-
Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake Symbol: What It Means on Tires
That little mountain with a snowflake inside is the only winter marking on a tire that comes from a real test. Here is what it proves, what it does not, and why it matters more than M+S.
-
Tire Wear Patterns: What Each One Means and How to Spot It
Your tread keeps a record of how the car is set up. Here is how to read centre, edge and one-sided wear, cupping, feathering and flat spots, and how to tell a repairable puncture from a tire that has to go.
-
Types of Tires and How to Tell Which Ones Are on Your Car
Not sure whether you are on all-seasons, all-weathers or winters? The sidewall tells you. Here is every common tire type, the markings that give each one away, and what makes sense for a Toronto winter.
-
What Are Wheel Spacers? Safety, Torque and Ontario Rules
A wheel spacer moves the wheel out by its own thickness for a wider, flush look. Here is how slip-on and bolt-on types differ, what they do to steering and bearings, how to torque them, and what Ontario's safety standard says.
-
Where Is the Spare Tire? And What If Your Car Has None
Most spares sit under the cargo floor, trucks and minivans hang theirs underneath, and some cars carry none at all. Here is where to look, how far a donut will take you, and how sealant kits and run-flat tires work.
-
When to Put Winter Tires On in Toronto: 2026 to 2031 Dates
Toronto drops below 7°C around the last days of October. Here is the weekend to book your swap each winter to 2031, the dates Ontario insurers want your winter tires on for the discount, and the rules on studs and all-weather tires.
