Wheelchair accessible vans and many wheelchair trucks and suv's all have a lowered floor allowing greater access for wheelchair and scooter users. The lowered floor is great for accessibility but decreases ground clearance for winter driving. Although wheelchair accessible vehicles are front wheel drive they do not generally come with winter specific tires and paired with the low ground clearance they can have poor performance in snow & ice making it easy to get stuck. Below we will discuss the type of tires for wheelchair vans that come standard on a new wheelchair van, 3 peak winter tires that can be driven all year round and winter tires that need to be removed for summer. Do your current tires work for you but it's time to replace them? Locate a dealer near you at Blvd.com that is an expert on the tires best for your wheelchair van and driving conditions.
Chrysler, Toyota, Honda & Chevy wheelchair vans will come from the factory with a 4 season touring tire designed for best ride quality, road noise and traction for most driving situations. These vehicles will be shipped to sunny Florida which has nice smooth dry roads, they will also be shipped to Minnesota which has snow on the ground more months out of the year than not, they also deal with roads and grounds that freeze and thaw causing rough roads with large pot holes. Thinking these OEM tires are going to meet the performance for both Florida and Minnesota wheelchair van owners is unrealistic with the weather and road conditions being so different.
Pro's OEM Standard Tires
Con's - OEM Standard Tires
Wouldn't it be nice if you could buy 4 season tires that can be driven all year round but have great traction in the rain, snow and ice? All wheelchair vans that drive in snow need the best traction tires possible without having to swap out the tires from winter to summer. Goodyear, Toyo and many others offer a 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake certified tire which has been tested and proven to perform under extreme snow and winter weather driving conditions. More pliable rubber helps maintain grip in the bitter cold and tread patterns designed to evacuate snow combine for a true 4 season winter tire all wheelchair vans that drive in snow should have! Best of all, you can keep these tires mounted to your wheelchair van all year round without the hassle or cost of swapping them out from winter to summer.
Pro's - 4 Season Winter Tires
Con's - 4 Season Winter Tires
Driving through snow and ice on a regular basis is very difficult if not impossible in all makes and models of wheelchair vans. Improving the tire selection to a winter tire design can be one of the best purchases you make all year. Designed to be installed on all 4 wheels, these types of tires will provide you the best all around winter performance possible for your wheelchair vans traction and stopping distance. Because these tires have been built to travel through these harsh winter conditions, they will not perform well or have long tire tread life if you keep them on during the summer months. Removing these tires and replacing them during the summer months is strongly recommended as the hot heat of summer will wear out the tire very quickly. Best practice would be to purchase a second set of rims so you can keep the tires mounted and balanced making the swap back and forth so easy a family member or friend can complete it for you. If you need to mount and balance the tires to the rim both fall and spring it can become a lot of work and expensive.
Pro's - Ice & Snow Tires
Con's - Ice & Snow Tires
If you need help finding what tire is best for you and your wheelchair van visit BLVD.com to locate dealers near you that are knowledgeable and happy to help you learn what tires are best for you. Although tires are not the most important decision you will make this year, you could be happy you upgraded when mother nature is at her worst.