Winter Tires vs. All-Season Tires

Many people are often quite confused when faced with the decision of whether or not to purchase winter tires or all-season tires. The main source of confusion is in the fact that people do not understand the advantages that both can offer, as well as their disadvantages. With that being said, check out the following comparison in order to have a better idea of which one is right for you.

Winter Tires

The main advantages to winter tires are:

• They are able to provide better braking performance in conditions that are snowy, slippery, and icy.
• They are capable of performing extremely well in any type of winter environment, whether it's in the snow, slush, rain, ice, or sleet.
• They have specific tread designs in them to be able to handle these elements that are present during the winter.
• Unlike with some other types of tires, their specially-created tread rubber material doesn't become rigid or less flexible at extremely cold temperatures. This allows for you to have better handling performance.
• In most cases, they allow for better handling and steering in harsh winter conditions, such as a snow storm. There is a greater sense of control for the driver.
• There is less snow build up than would normally occur with other tires because of its special tread.

All-Season Tires

The main advantages to all-season tires are:

• They are created for the purposes of providing more traction and better grip in conditions that are either wet, such as during a summer rainfall, or snowy, such as during the winter.
• They have handling that is stable, as well as good tread wear, in conditions that are wet or dry.
• They offer above-average traction in multiple conditions, though not as good as with winter tires in snow and ice.

Which Should I Use?

First off, if you don't live in an area that has cold winters, there's really no need for winter tires. However, if you live in an area where temperatures can drop below 41 degrees Fahrenheit, then you may want to consider getting winter tires for that season. That's because, even if the ground remains dry, a winter tire will perform better than an all-season tire at temperatures below that.

Overall, you should know that all-season tires do what they say, which is to provide stable and safe performance during all the seasons. However, they are not the best choice for harsh winter conditions, as they do not have the same materials, tread patterns, tread sipes, and open tread block pattern.

The tread design in winter tires are able to move water, snow, ice, and slush out of the way, leading to your vehicle performing better in terms of handling, braking, steering, and transient response.

Make sure you know what you're buying and please, stay safe!