Winter Tires vs. All-Season Tires

 

Winter Tires vs. All-Season Tires

 

In the beginning, there was only one type of tire, a strip of rubber wrapped around the steel wheel. With the advancement in tire technology, you can get tires that are designed for specific cars or particular climatic conditions. Winter tires and all-season tires are two types of tires that always spark a debate in the consumer’s mind. Here we have compared features and characteristics of both tires for your better understanding.

What is an All-Season Tire?

An all-season tire is designed to provide durability and traction performance in a variety of road conditions like dry, wet and moderately cooler climate. However, they cannot provide good traction performance on icy and snow-laden roads. In fact, all-season tires stop performing below 45°F.

The reason for their decreased traction performance in cold conditions lies in their material. All-season tires do not have a special rubber composition. All non-winter tires are made of rubber that hardens at temperatures below 45°F and all-season tires are no exception. For better traction, the rubber of the tire should be flexible enough for the treads to make strong contact with the ground. In extremely cold weather, the all-season tire is similar to a hard plastic ball rolling on the snowy surface. Without good traction, the chances of skidding increases.

The all-season tire has greater width that makes it unfit for driving on snow-covered roads. Also, the treads and the channels that run across the tires are narrower. The tread design of all-season tires is good for moderate wet conditions where the narrower channels help expel water and reduce the hydroplaning effect. The narrower tread design causes problems when wading through snow. The channels get clogged with snow and slush which reduces traction. Also, wider tires increase the contact surface and the all-season tire cannot cut its way through the snow.

What is a Winter Tire?

The winter tire is specifically designed for better traction performance on winter road conditions. A winter tire is made of a special rubber composition that stays flexible even in extremely cold temperatures. This means the tread of the winter tire does not turn hard and is able to make maximum contact with the ground.

The winter tire is narrower which helps it make its way through the snow. Some winter tire manufacturers also fix metal studs on the tread design to increase traction performance. The channels that run along the circumference are wider which helps in expelling snow and slush on the wet roads. The tread design of winter tires also has narrow slits in the tread blocks that divide the tread blocks and increase traction performance.

Auto experts suggest people living in colder regions should use winter tires during the winter season. Winter tires reduce braking distance of the car on icy roads. The traction provided by winter tires enhances the performance of vehicle assist, traction control, anti-braking systems and all-wheel drive in winter conditions. According to industry data, the use of winter tires on winter road conditions reduces the danger of a collision by 40% in comparison to all-season tires.

Now that you know the main differences between all-season and winter tires, you can decide which one is right for your vehicle.