If you live in an area that experiences severe winter conditions, you may want to consider studded tires or chains.

However, before you rush to buy them, there are a few things you need to know. These traction devices are for situations where a regular tire just can’t hack it, not for driving to the corner store in mid-January. In most cases, all-season radial tires or snow tires can handle anything you’d like to throw at them.

Traction devices are for severe winter conditions, when the roads are so snowy or icy that driving with only tires becomes dangerous, if not totally impossible.

If driving conditions require you to use a traction device, you should definitely do some serious research before making your purchase. Chains come in so many different types that it is essential to examine your options and determine which product is best for you and your vehicle.

Before you can use chains, they must be pre-installed on your tires. Tires that are the same numerical size to each other can, in fact, be of different sizes depending on the manufacturer.

Some of the products called chains are actually “cable traction devices”. This basically means that they are not made of steel links like a normal chain. One of the great advantages of these is that if they break, they are much less likely to scratch your paint job than a steel chain.

If you decide you need chains but want to economize, then it is possible to get away with just two sets of chains. They must be installed on the drive tires, which means that a rear-wheel drive vehicle must have the chains attached to the rear tires, while a front-wheel drive vehicle must have chains installed on the front tires. For maximum handling, spend the extra money and get chains on all four tires.

Dowels are a completely different ball of wax, or in this case, rubber. Some winter tires have studs molded directly into the rubber of the tread, which increases traction. Depending on where you live, you may be required by law to have studded tires in all four positions, if you have them.

Speaking of which, the legality of traction devices varies greatly from one jurisdiction to another. For example, many places have seasonal restrictions on when tire chains can be used. Be sure to check local laws before purchasing or installing traction control devices.