Winter or All-Season Tires?
Introduction
The first thing to take into consideration when deciding if you should use winter or all-season tires is: What kind of winters are where you live? Winter tires are made for heavy snow, while all-season tires are made for both summer and winter weather.
If you live in a region with heavy winters, then snow tires are the only option for you. You might even need snow studded tires that are even more hardcore for winter. Safety is not something we should play with.
Winter tire have more sipes (cuts in the tread) to “bite” through the snow. They work better in snow, ice, slush, and on cold, dry pavement. These tires are made for heavy winters.
All-Season tires, on the other hand, are great for MILD weather changes. They offer versatile performance and are made to do well on both wet roads and light winter driving.
All-Season tires cannot provide the right winter performance on heavy snow. They’re designed to perform alright during both winter and summer. And for that, these tires compromised a great deal of their winter capacity.
What are Winter Tires?
Winter tires, also known as snow tires, are designed for use on snow and ice. They have a higher natural rubber content which gives them a softer structure. Winter tires’ especially compound guarantees flexibility, even below 7 degrees C.
Nothing grips snow like snow. That’s why winter tires fill their tread grooves with snow. This way the grip on snow is greatly increased and the winter performance enhanced.
The extra-deep treads reduce aquaplaning and improve handling. They also wear down slower than most tires, therefore they are more cost-effective.
What are All-Season Tires?
The first thing to know about all-season tires is that they’re basically “no-season” tires. They’re a mix of everything and don’t excel in any weather condition.
Despite their name, they can’t be used in areas that have continual snow and low temperatures. They’re specially designed to provide “OK” and safe driving for all types of weather.
All-Season tires are specially designed to provide a relatively quiet ride, good tread life, and year-round performance. That’s why they are so used world-wide.
If you live in an area with very light winters, all-season tires might be the only tires you’ll ever need. But in heavy winter areas, they lose some of their most important abilities.
Conclusion
If you have heavy winters, then the answer is clear: winter tires. But if you barely get any snow, then all-season tires are much better. Check out more articles about All-Season Tires on AutobyMars.
