With fall either approaching or winding down, you may be on the fence between choosing all-weather and winter tires. Yes, all-weather tires are suitable for all seasons, but they cannot handle extreme winter conditions as efficiently as the ones designed specifically for snow and sleet.
However, all-weather tires are low-maintenance and can keep you going on the road for a few good years. Alternatively, winter tires present maximum grip (and more safety) on snowy, slushy, rainy, and icy conditions. And if you can make those winter tires last longer, that’s even better.
So, depending on your locality, which set of rubber is best for cold winters? Here’s a look the pros and cons of all-weather tires in relation to winter tires so that you can pick the best one for yourself.
All-Weather Tires Vs. All-Season Tires: What’s the Difference?
Note: we have a similar story discussing whether all-season tires are good in the snow.
Before discussing the advantages and disadvantages of all-weather tires, you should know they are slightly different from all-season. You can use them in both warm and cold weather but their compound and tread favour the winters more than the all-season tires.
These tires sport the mountain-and-snowflake logo, signifying a winter tire, making them eligible for insurance rebates under various regions (like Quebec and BC provinces in Canada).
“The advantage of a 3-peak mountain snowflake (3PMS) winter-rated all-weather tire is that it’s still certified for winter use (think safety and insurance breaks) yet also helps avoid the costly and time-consuming seasonal tire switchover to a dedicated set of winter tires for just a few colder months of the year,” explains Mark Pereira, Director of Marketing at Sailun Tire.
The company sells an affordable all-weather, winter-rated tire with a unique directional asymmetric tread pattern and specially formulated compound, delivering responsive driving confidence and safety in various temperatures throughout the 12 months of the year. It’s ideal for drivers who “seek all-season performance from spring to fall and also encounter occasional snowfall and cold weather conditions in the winter,” Mark explains.
End of the day, the ideal all-weather tire combines the best of a brand’s summer tire with the best of their winter tire technology. In Sailun’s case, their 4Season is a true all-weather tire combining the best traits of the brand’s Atrezzo all-season performance tires with the winter-rated traction and grip from their popular Sailun Iceblazer tire lineup.
Pros & Cons of All-Weather Tires During Winter
Advantage: No Changing Tires
As mentioned above, the main benefit of all-weather tires over other kinds is that you don’t have to change them for any season. It would save you a lot of time and possibly money.
For those who use winter tires, properly storing them isn’t often feasible for everyone. Although some shops do offer winter tire storage for a charge, the idea of paying for something you do not use most of the year likely doesn’t fit well with most winter drivers.
Advantage: Quiet Rides
Typically, all-weather tires offer quieter rides since they offer less grip, thus less friction on the road. As these tires are softer, they are compliant to adjust to most road surfaces. It is highly crucial for those offering luxury limo services.
Disadvantage: Not Really All-Powerful
Keeping the subject of legality aside, all-weather tires could be totally impractical for you depending on where you live in the US and Canada. Living in areas where the temperature drops below 7 Celsius or the one experiencing snowfall often, all-weather cannot offer the grip you get with winter tires.
Moreover, if you are in an area with lots of rain, all-weathers are more susceptible to hydroplaning. Therefore, we suggest not installing all-weather tires in snowy, rainy, and icy surroundings.
Disadvantage: Lower Performance
While quieter rides are an advantage for some, they come with a compromise. The lesser grip translates to lower performance on the road. The summer and winter rubber’s reaction to changes in route and handling curves and turns is better than their all-weather counterparts. In other words, you can say all-weathers lie between the performance of decent winter and summer tires.
Besides, all-weather tires are cheaper to buy upfront, but depending on your locality and the vehicle, you may not enjoy a lower insurance premium with these.
Takeaway: should you buy all-weather tires for winter driving conditions?
Spending your hard-earned money on all-weather or winter tires ultimately depends on the driving conditions of your area. If you live in a locale with extreme cold, snow, and rain, winter rubber will provide safer drives. However, if you reside in a milder locality of America or Canada, all-weathers will do just fine.
Overall, we encourage winter-only tires during the snowy, cold season because of their performance advantages on the icy roads. As opposed to going for used snow tires, fortunately, buying new, less expensive winter tires is a viable option.
