Winter Tires Vs. All-Season Tires: What’s The Best Option When Temperatures Drop?

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is fast approaching, with rapidly dropping temperatures and, in some cases, snow falling. This is the time of year when drivers, especially those who have long commutes or live in remote areas, need to get their car ready for winter driving.

While some drivers use two different sets of tires throughout the year, swapping over at the start of winter and back again at the start of spring, others opt for all-season tires for convenience and financial savings. However, in some cases, winter tires can be unavoidable: if you live in an area where weather conditions are particularly unfavorable, they may be the best option to stay safe on the roads. Let’s break down the different types of tires available, and which ones could be the best choice for your driving needs.

What Types Of Tires Are Available?

Choosing a set of tires for your car can be overwhelming, with a wide range of options available. There are four main categories of tire on the market, each built for different weather conditions.

Winter

Winter tires, also referred to as snow tires, are specifically optimized for low temperatures and icy or snowy weather conditions. They are marked with a symbol depicting a three-peak mountain and a snowflake: this means the tire’s rubber compounds are designed to work in colder temperatures. This symbol can usually be found on all-weather tires as well.

If you attempt to drive winter tires in warm and dry conditions, they will wear out very quickly and not function as well, with a reduction in efficiency, safety and comfort. It’s recommended you make the switch to winter tires when temperatures have dropped below a certain level (usually 45 degrees Fahrenheit).

Summer

Summer tires are built primarily with performance in mind, and are sometimes referred to as performance tires. Summer tires have a shallow groove pattern and a solid rib, characteristics that make them ideal for performance but bad for harsh weather. They also have the highest speed rating, and are the most common type of tire used when evaluating a high-performance car.

They perform well on dry, sunny days and rainy days alike, as long as the temperature is warm enough. One might think that a tire which offers good grip in rain might also work well in the snow. However, that is not the case: these are very different road conditions, and good performance in the wet does not make a tire safe on a snowy, frozen road.

All-Season

All-season tires offer a good balance for drivers who don’t live in exceptionally harsh climates, and want a tire that will take them safely from A to B all year round. They have a deeper groove pattern, which means they continue to function at a wider range of temperatures right down to around freezing- but no lower. All-season tires will also be able to cope with a light dusting of snow. When the weather is warmer, however, they do not offer the same level of traction on dry roads as a summer tire will do: they are built to achieve a compromise between performance in warm temperatures and safety in colder ones.

All-Weather

The last category of tire on the list is also the most recently introduced one: essentially a variant of the all-season tire that’s geared more towards winter. The main difference that sets all-weather tires apart typically lies in the type of materials used: an all-weather tire will contain rubber compounds that perform best in cold weather, more similar to the ones found in winter tires. For this reason, you are likely to encounter the mountain-and-snowflake symbol on all-weather tires as well, although all-weather tires are usually not marketed as winter tires, but rather as a halfway point between winter and all-season.

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Are Winter Tires Right For Me?

Ultimately, the biggest factor that plays into your choice of tire will be the climate in your local area. In places where winter is mild, with freezing temperatures rare and rain more common than snow, an all-season tire could be the best choice for you. In slightly harsher climates, where snowy days are infrequent and only result in a light dusting, an all-weather tire is a good next step up. Last of all are snowy, very cold climates, where winter tires are the ones to go for: these will provide you with the optimal level of safety on frozen roads.

Do I Still Need Winter Tires If I Have AWD?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is: all the general rules for choosing the best tire still apply even if your car is equipped with all-wheel-drive, so if you live in an area where it snows frequently, winter tires are a must. If you live somewhere with a milder climate, you can get away with all-weather or all-season tires, but it’s still not safe to use summer tires year round, even if you drive an AWD car.

A 2WD vehicle equipped with winter tires will perform much better than a 4WD one with summer tires on all fronts, including driving on an uphill or downhill incline, handling around corners, accelerating and braking. When it comes to winter driving, a 4WD drivetrain is no replacement for the right tire.

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Other Ways To Get Ready For Winter Driving

Choosing the correct tire is very important, but it’s only one part of the equation when it comes to safe winter driving; there are lots of other steps to take when making sure your vehicle is ready for the change of seasons. Here are some of them:

Defrosting your car: make sure snow and ice has been cleared from your vehicle before you set off on your journey. A clear windshield, windows, and side mirrors are a must to be able to drive safely. Don’t forget the roof: a thick layer of snow or ice on your roof can be dislodged and fall onto your windscreen, impacting visibility.

Checking the condition of your tires: so far we’ve focused on choosing the right kind of tire, but once you have made your purchase it’s important to regularly check your tires’ condition, to reduce your risk of having to change a tire at the side of the road in the freezing cold. Make sure the tread depth is at a safe level (check out this helpful guide for legal limits and ways to check), and that there are no visible signs of damage including punctures, bulges, or cracks. This is a good time to check your tire pressure as well.

Keeping your fuel tank and fluids topped up: running out of fuel is bad enough on its own, but in freezing conditions it becomes exponentially worse. This is a good time to keep an even closer eye than usual on your fuel levels, and if you have an EV, keep in mind that both mileage and charging times may be affected by very cold temperatures.

When it comes to fluids, wiper fluid is the biggest culprit during winter: as usage of de-icing wiper fluid goes up, you will need to fill up the reservoir more often than usual. An oil change and antifreeze top-up are also good maintenance practices at the beginning of winter.

Stocking up the emergency kit: if the worst does happen, and you end up stranded at the side of the road in wintry weather conditions, you want to be prepared with everything you need to keep yourself and your passengers safe. This includes items such as blankets, water, essential medication, a first-aid kit, a flashlight and a phone charger.

Sources:
Pirelli
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NHTSA
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FEMA