Winter tires vs all season vs summer tires...

[cpaharley2008]

You may want to check your tires before towing this winter, interesting test results....Testing the Benefits of Winter Tires | Edmunds.com

[Borden]

We run only winter tires on our car in winter; do not think winter tires are available in ST as yet we at least can get ST radials.


When you live in a snow belt Winter tires make a logical choice in fact; my work will help pay for winter tires under health and safety.

[Mike Magee]

Tulsa doesn't get enough winter weather to justify winter tires for me. But I did buy some for my daughter's Jetta a few years back, when she was still living at home and was a relatively inexperienced driver. On glare ice in a parking lot, the all season tires just spun; Blizzaks with the same type of ice dug right in and moved the car.

For me, I compromise by running All Terrain tires because they have somewhat more grip than All Season, but still have decent tread life. (Blizzaks used just during winter are done after two, or at most three, winters.)

[Carol H]

Here in BC it use to be that you could get away on most highways with using All Season Tires and just carrying chains in your car during the winter months and put the on when the lights on the highway were flashing telling you to chain up.

That all changed this year. You can still get away with just carrying chains on some of the highways but most of the major highways through the province you must have actual Winter tires (snow flake on them) or S&M tires and the tires must have at least 3.5 mm of tread. All Season tires are not legal from Oct 1 to March 31st on many of the highways. Actually went through a tire check in December of this year & yes they were measuring the treads as well. Having used All Seasons, S&M's and dedicated winter tires, I have to agree that winter tires are better even when driving a 4x4.

[Glenn Baglo]

My all-season tires were on their last legs, so I had the winter tires mounted in 2013 and just left them on. I was spending $250 a year swapping back and forth so I'm calculating that the extra wear will be compensated for.
I plan to wear these winter tires out and replace them with all-weather ( not all-season ) tires. Cost more, but again, I won't be swapping back and forth. And, I won't be driving around on ugly steel rims for half the year.

[Bobbie Mayer]

What I'd like to know is, what happens when it is warm and you have your winter tires on? It might be 60 one day and 20 the next (or a few days later.)

[Don in Calgary]

I found the more you dig into winter tires the more things you have to consider related to your own driving situation. Ice, snow, bare road driving, how much cold and how much warm weather driving, how cold it gets in the winter, wear, skill of driver.....While most are aware that winter tires have a softer tread etc which gives better traction and braking at the lower winter temperatures, what I found was that above 6C (about 43F) winter tires not only wear faster but also have less traction than all seasons or summer tires and they get a little squirrely feeling. So changing them out at the end of winter not only saves the accelerated wear at higher temperatures but also gives you much better traction. I have heard of people who drive very little and just left the winter tires on through the summer but for my situation I change them over when the temps get around 6C. When I first tried winter tires a couple years ago I couldn't believe the difference with all seasons.

[Glenn Baglo]

I'm going over to All Weather tires once I wear out these winter treads. I've got 72,000 kilometers ( 45,000 miles ) on my 2008 RAV4 so it could take a while.
If I have to buy a new vehicle in the future, part of the bargaining is going to be an extra set of rims with winter tires mounted.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I'm going over to All Weather tires once I wear out these winter treads. I've got 72,000 kilometers ( 45,000 miles ) on my 2008 RAV4 so it could take a while.
If I have to buy a new vehicle in the future, part of the bargaining is going to be an extra set of rims with winter tires mounted.

Yup the extra rims to leave the winer tires mounted on are the answer.... been searching Craigslist hoping someone has a nice set to get rid of soon...

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Bobbie Mayer

What I'd like to know is, what happens when it is warm and you have your winter tires on? It might be 60 one day and 20 the next (or a few days later.)

Unfortunately that is the reality here in Vancouver for most of the winter but if your a skier such as myself you need to leave the winter tires on for those week-end trips. Not much happens, other than they can be a little louder than regular tires.

[Jared J]

I put winter tires on my subaru this winter, I've never used them before. My god, what a difference they make. I will never be without again. I bought a second set of aluminum wheels to put them on.

I grew up in North Dakota driving rear wheel drives in winter with all seasons, all wheel drive and winter tires is unreal.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Jared J

I put winter tires on my subaru this winter, I've never used them before. My god, what a difference they make. I will never be without again.

Jared your experience is the same as mine. I ran All Season tires on my 4 full time all wheel drive Subaru's in winter for years and went through some pretty crazy snow storms without issue... loved the car in the snow.

When they changed the law saying that we now had to have actual winter tires I was not happy about having to spend the extra money on another set of tires and having to find a spot to store them etc. for car that does just fine in the snow. But once you have used actual winter tires you do indeed get that there is a BIG difference.

[Borden]

Originally Posted by Jared J

I put winter tires on my subaru this winter, I've never used them before. My god, what a difference they make. I will never be without again. I bought a second set of aluminum wheels to put them on.

I grew up in North Dakota driving rear wheel drives in winter with all seasons, all wheel drive and winter tires is unreal.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

We used all-season tires for years then one bad year for snow I put on snow tires and wow.
At one point we both had identical cars mine had snows and my wife’s had all-season her car had to go into the shop; after driving with the snows she wanted snows and I felt no amount of money was worth her not having every safety advantage available. Have been using snows since the 70's

Todays snows are even better than the early types.

[Doug Mager]

...part of our fall winterization involves wheel/tire swap out to pre mounted winter tires, wheels are a second pair of rims gleamed from a Mazda pick up. Summer tires are ALL (trailer and tow vehicle) all season type.

[Ken C]

http://youtu.be/mfuE00qdhLA
Winter Tyres or 4x4: which is best?

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Ken C

http://youtu.be/mfuE00qdhLA
Winter Tyres or 4x4: which is best?

Interesting, but I would have preferred to see such a comparison between 2wd with winter tires and 4wd with all season tires, rather than summer treads. Not many people are likely to try running summer tires in winter; if they have a decent stretch of winter weather, they'll have all season tires to begin with.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Interesting, but I would have preferred to see such a comparison between 2wd with winter tires and 4wd with all season tires, rather than summer treads. Not many people are likely to try running summer tires in winter; if they have a decent stretch of winter weather, they'll have all season tires to begin with.

Problem with All Season tires is they are not designed to be running in temps below 7C (45F) which is when the real winter weather starts to kick in. They are designed for more wet rainy conditions.

I have run all season tires on a full time all wheel drives as well as S&M's on a 4 wheel on demand without issues in heavy snow conditions .... but I can also say that based on experience that actual winter tires are *very* noticeable better on both vehicles.

[Mike Magee]

But Carol, they... they... they're called "all season" tires. Winter is a season!


I have no doubt you're right about winter tires doing better than all season tires, given the same number of drive wheels. I just would have enjoyed seeing an actual comparison of 2wd and winter tires against 4wd and all season tires. The all seasons might have a fighting chance; summer tires just aren't going to do a thing in snow!

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

But Carol, they... they... they're called "all season" tires. Winter is a season!


I have no doubt you're right about winter tires doing better than all season tires, given the same number of drive wheels. I just would have enjoyed seeing an actual comparison of 2wd and winter tires against 4wd and all season tires. The all seasons might have a fighting chance; summer tires just aren't going to do a thing in snow!

Well Mike I suppose in some parts of world it never goes below 45F so they may well be "all season" in some places, but not many in these parts


Not sure if this video is actually what you are looking for but it is a rear drive car with winter tires taking on the full time 4wd Subaru Forester which according to the video has summer tires on it which I find a bit odd as here in NA the Subaru's come stock with All Season tires.

[Andrew Gibbens]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Not many people are likely to try running summer tires in winter; if they have a decent stretch of winter weather, they'll have all season tires to begin with.

That test was run by a British motoring magazine and it is normal for British motorists to use summer tyres all year round. I am one of the very few (<1-2%?) who use winter tyres and that's only because my job takes my regularly onto ungritted country roads in winter. As we only get maybe 1-2 weeks of snow on the ground and most major roads are ploughed and gritted, it is unusual to not be able to get by on summer tyres.