Winter Tires VS. All-Season Tires

WINTER TIRES VS. ALL SEASON TIRES: WHICH ARE BEST?

We've all been there, first day of winter or after a sudden change in weather, driving down the road white-knuckled and turning down the music to concentrate harder. It's terrifying, slipping around, and spinning out. The solution? Winter tires. 

Winter tires have big blocky treads with fine slits that grips snow and pushes water and slush away more efficiently, and have a softer rubber that maintains flexibility in cold temperatures. (Below 7°C) 

The biggest drawback for winter tires is the additional costs of storage and installation twice a year.  It's also worth noting that, in some places in Canada, winter tires are required by law. 

All-season tires offer optimal performance during spring, summer, and fall. Some places have begun renaming all-season tires to "3-season tires". Unfortunately, all-season tires are not an ideal tire for cold, snowy, winter conditions. These tires tend to lose grip at temperatures below 7 degrees Celsius.

The treads on all-seasons are often smooth and straight, repelling water when you're driving in the rain and gripping the road better during warm to hot conditions. However the finer tread is not suitable for snow or slush. 

Note:

 However, DO NOT mount winter tires on JUST the front or just the back of your vehicle. You need to have all four tires done or none. Changing only the 2 to winter tires increases your risk of oversteering or fishtailing around corners or while applying brakes, even at low speeds. The same rule goes for using studded tires.