Toronto and most of southern Ontario has been enjoying warmer temperatures but it’s approaching that time of year when you need to start making the switch to winter tires.The staff at OK Tire in Etobicoke said they are already ramping up for the peak of getting winter tires installed.“We’re about 65 per cent busy … once the snow starts flying and that cold weather hits, we’re at full capacity,” said General Manager Sean Cooney-Mann.He said by around 7 C or below, you should have a winter-approved tire on your car.The top question Cooney-Mann has been getting is about installation and whether drivers can avoid the rush by putting winter tires outside of the ideal time frame.“If I’m a heavy commuter, I’m going to wait. If I’m a casual weekend driver, no problem putting them on now,” said Cooney-Mann. “As long as you have good tread compound in there, you got good tread depth, it’s an absolute safe tire to drive on. Excessive driving in these warmer days will cause more tire wear on a winter compound tire. Unavoidable, but this temperature can change overnight.”He said all-weather tires with winter-approved snowflake rating can work just fine in cities, but winter tires are the best choice for better braking and control.Cooney-Mann added on average, those can last five to seven seasons but that varies depending on usage, saying some tires coming in now are in rough shape, pushing up to 12 years.He showed off two different examples of tires in rough shape.“Some of the rubber starting to come apart [on this tire] …. That tire is not going to do anything in that cold weather. It’s going to turn into a hockey puck,” said Cooney-Mann. “The other tire was clearly out of tread. A lot of the siping was gone, it wasn’t pushing or slushing any of the water or dispersing any of the water out of your way.”While at the garage, Cooney-Mann said other things should be looked at as well.“Confirm air pressures on the appropriate tires on the vehicle. Confirm wiper blade condition; they’re not torn, and that they’re sweeping the glass. Confirm fluid levels: oil, washer fluid, transmission fluid, power steering fluid.”“We could see lots of fluctuations in the temperatures, so that means we can get a lot of snow, and then it can warm up and melt and cause havoc on the roads,” said Nadia Matos with CAA.When it comes to being winter-ready, you also need to think about more than just the physical condition of your vehicle. Experts say there are a number of supplies you should keep on hand in case of an emergency.Matos also suggested checking your vehicle battery and keeping an emergency kit in your trunk.“An emergency kit will have a warm blanket. It’ll have tools like an ice scraper, maybe a towel, and it has some charging cables and also things like tea lights. You can find them here. Tea lights will keep you warm for a good period of time while you’re waiting to get help,” said Matos. “A shovel is always really important.”She added kitty litter or extra mats are good for traction along with an extra pair of socks, toques and other things that will help you keep warm until help arrives if you get stuck.