Winter tire packages vs changeovers: which one you need
· Just Auto · Tires & Winter
If your winter tires are already on their own rims, you need a changeover. If they are loose rubber, they need mounting and balancing every season. If you have no winter tires yet, a package on a second set of rims makes every future season a straight swap.
Book a winter appointment in Edmonton and the first question is which job you are actually booking. The words get used loosely, and they are not the same amount of work.
Here is the plain version, so you book the right one the first time.
What is a changeover?
A changeover swaps one set of wheels for another. Your winter tires are already mounted on their own rims, so the wheels come off, the winter set goes on, and the summer set goes home with you. Nothing is unmounted from a rim, and nothing needs balancing unless a wheel weight has come off.
This is the fastest of the three jobs, and it is the one that gets cheaper every year you own the second set.
What is a mount and balance?
If your winter tires are loose rubber with no rims of their own, they have to be taken off your existing wheels and the winter tires fitted in their place. The wheel is then balanced on a machine, because moving a tire changes where the weight sits.
Two things follow from that. It is more work than a changeover, every season, in both directions. And your tires are broken off the rim twice a year, which is harder on the bead and on the tire pressure sensors if your vehicle has them.
What is a winter package?
A package is a set of winter tires fitted to their own rims, bought together. From that point on every seasonal visit is a changeover, not a mount and balance.
Steel rims are the usual choice for a winter set because road salt and gravel are hard on a finish. If your vehicle has tire pressure sensors, ask whether your package needs a second set — some vehicles want a sensor in every wheel.
Which one do you need?
- Winter tires on their own rims already — a changeover.
- Winter tires as loose rubber — a mount and balance, twice a year, every year.
- No winter tires yet — a package, if you plan to keep the vehicle more than a season or two. It costs more the first year and less every year after.
We quote tires from brands including Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear, Continental, Pirelli, Toyo, BFGoodrich and Hankook through the tire finder on our site, and seasonal packages and installation are booked online. Tire purchases can be financed, subject to credit approval.
When should you book?
The same answer as the changeover timing: late September or the first week of October, before the first snowfall fills every shop in the city for weeks. A package takes longer to arrange than a changeover, because the tires and rims have to be ordered and fitted, so give it more lead time, not less.
Questions
Is a winter tire package worth it?
It is if you are keeping the vehicle. The second set of rims is a one-time cost, and every seasonal visit afterwards is a straight wheel swap instead of unmounting and balancing four tires twice a year. Over three or four winters it is usually the cheaper way round.
Can I just put winter tires on my existing rims?
Yes — that is the mount and balance. It works, and plenty of drivers do it. The trade-off is that you pay for that work in both directions every season, and your tires are broken off the rim twice a year.
Do I need new tire pressure sensors for a second set of rims?
It depends on the vehicle. Some need a sensor in every wheel and will warn you if one is missing; others do not have them at all. Tell us your year, make and model when you ask for a quote and we will tell you what your package needs.
Do steel rims or alloy rims matter for winter?
Steel is the common choice for a winter set. It stands up to salt and gravel better than a finished alloy, and it is cheaper to replace if one gets damaged. Alloys are not wrong, they are just a nicer wheel to expose to an Edmonton February.
How far ahead should I book?
Late September or the first week of October for a changeover. Earlier for a package, because the tires and rims have to be ordered before anything can be fitted.