All-season vs. Winter tires.

[alphanumeric]

For the first time in my life I'll be required to buy all-season or winter tires come October 1. I was wondering what people think about the performance of each and Pros/Cons. Immediately I'm drawn to the all seasons for their price and the possibility of having a nice clear day and being able to have more traction to play. The roads here are normally salted ahead of time so the most snow I'll be driving through is about 2" at very slow speeds before reaching any kind of main road that will be well maintained.

 

[LilPartyBox]

I just can't bring myself to drive on snows when there's no snow. feel like it will be a waste as they burn up quicker on dry pavement. And I'm not going to swap wheels on and off for every time it snows heavy.

So I've always run all-season UHP's in the snowy northeast without issue. never got stuck anywhere. I'll just drive slower if conditions require it.

 

[jdubs]

I love snow tires. What a huge difference they make. Starting, Turning, and Stopping! Buy a decent dedicated set and you're fine. Driving on snows in the winter without snow isn't a terrible thing because the roads are usually still cold.

I've ran snows on a older car over summer once a long time ago and they survived ***NOT RECOMMENDED*** But you get the point.

 

[BRGT350]

From the instructors at the Team O'Neil Rally School; "All-seasons suck in all seasons"

The last time I drove on all-season tires was for a month in 2000 before I ordered snow tires. I have been using dedicated snow tires ever since and never have problems. As for wear, either Road and Track or Car & Driver did some testing with all-seasons verses snow tires on a dry race track. Interestingly, they wore about the same. I also know a number of people that run snow tires all year long and have done so for years. The snow tires don't wear that much faster than all-seasons. One exception may be some model Blizzaks that have a layer of really gooey rubber for ice traction and that does wear quickly. I have been running General winter tires on all my Fiestas and they show very little wear after a few years. I wear out summer tires vastly faster than winter tires. Actually, I have never worn out a set of winter tires. I sell the car before they are worn out and the next owner can get another few years of life out of them. The traction for braking and turning with snow tires is vastly better than all-seasons, which is critical for safe winter driving.

 

[Joker328]

For me, the decision about whether to get winter tires comes down to a couple of things. Of course, if you get a lot of snow or the roads aren't well salted and plowed around you, it's a no brainer. For the rest, it comes down to how cold it is in winter (and/or how long your winter is) and whether you actually want the superior traction of summer tires the rest of the year. Winter tires are not just for snow, but they have a compound that is designed to remain softer (and therefore grippier) in freezing temperatures. All-season tires are a compromise in both winter and summer, but they will probably be fine if you don't drive the car too hard. If it doesn't get too cold where you are and you don't feel the need for a summer tire, you can probably get away with running all-seasons year round and avoid having to swap them. But if you are going to have a summer tire anyway most of the year, why not have a dedicated winter tire? You get better performance and peace of mind when it snows, and it will probably still be fine if it gets a bit warmer for a day or two. It's also worth noting that winter tires vary in terms of their focus on snow vs. ice vs. clear road handling. I have the Michelin X-Ice's and I found their snow/ice handling to be solid, but I particularly enjoy the fact that they are very quiet and comfortable on the potholed winter roads around here (going to 15in wheels helps a lot too). Hope this helps.

 

[BRGT350]

[video=youtube;avwOcNXCXm0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avwOcNXCXm0[/video]

Anything under 45'F is the cutoff to go from summer tires to a winter tire due to the compound.

Even if you plan to drive carefully on all-season or summer tires in the cold, you can quickly find yourself in a situation where an accident is unfolding in front of you. It may be a deer running out, car crash, spinout from another car, or some other event that will require maximum traction out of your tires. With a winter tire, you will have the traction you need to avoid the accident. An all-season may not give you the best traction and you become part of the accident. To me, winter tires are a no-brainer. Even when you drive easy, you don't know what may come up when you need 100% out of your tires. Why compromise on tires and end up with bent sheetmetal?

 

[TUX15ST]

Winter tires are far superior in the snow, but i hated driving on my blizzaks except when it was snowing lol

 

[BRGT350]

I would agree about the Blizzaks, which is why I have not used them again. The General tires I use have really good on-highway manners and good snow traction. Ice traction is best with Blizzaks, but on-highway traction in the dry is a little off. They feel very squirmy in the dry. My wife has Goodyear winter tires on her Escape and they feel just like her all-season Continentals in the dry, but are vastly better than the Conti's in the snow. Even with AWD, she struggled for traction on the all-seasons where my ST on winter tires would just grip and go. We did one winter on all-seasons before she had enough of that and we installed the Goodyears. We wanted the same Generals, but they were sold out already. I love the ice and snow traction of the Blizzaks, but the cost and dry behavior has me looking to other tires. Again, it will depend on your location to what is the best tire.

 

[FatGuyInALittleCar]

For me, the decision about whether to get winter tires comes down to a couple of things. Of course, if you get a lot of snow or the roads aren't well salted and plowed around you, it's a no brainer. For the rest, it comes down to how cold it is in winter (and/or how long your winter is) and whether you actually want the superior traction of summer tires the rest of the year. Winter tires are not just for snow, but they have a compound that is designed to remain softer (and therefore grippier) in freezing temperatures. All-season tires are a compromise in both winter and summer, but they will probably be fine if you don't drive the car too hard. If it doesn't get too cold where you are and you don't feel the need for a summer tire, you can probably get away with running all-seasons year round and avoid having to swap them. But if you are going to have a summer tire anyway most of the year, why not have a dedicated winter tire? You get better performance and peace of mind when it snows, and it will probably still be fine if it gets a bit warmer for a day or two. It's also worth noting that winter tires vary in terms of their focus on snow vs. ice vs. clear road handling. I have the Michelin X-Ice's and I found their snow/ice handling to be solid, but I particularly enjoy the fact that they are very quiet and comfortable on the potholed winter roads around here (going to 15in wheels helps a lot too). Hope this helps.

What he said. Exactly.

 

[GAbOS]

I've driven in snow and temperatures below 40 in both and will always go with snow now. The braking alone will scare you into using snow in really cold temps.

 

[cbass717]

I was in a similar position debating on a set of winter/summers or a set of "nice" all-seasons, and opted for some Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's. I had them put on literally yesterday after moving away from the stock Bridgestone's. For me, it snows maybe 3-5 times at most during a winter, so I felt like I couldn't justify a set of second wheels and tires. So far I'm pleased with the tires, they're more comfortable to ride on and are quieter. It may be me, but I feel like I lost a slight bit of grip. Again, haven't had them long so I can't really give a review. We'll see how they perform/hold up.

 

[Manta Ray]

I skipped all the comments to come say, I always opt for winter tires for winter and summer otherwise.

Just my opinion, all seasons are unreasonable, might as well get a Toyota Camry, they are pretty all season... if you get what I mean.

 

[neeqness]

I'm in a warmer climate but have a few road trips that might catch me in an unexpected cold or snowy situation. It doesn't seem practical to drive around in winter tires if on one of these trips just in case. I'm leaning towards possibly getting some quality A/S tires. Was already planning to try out the Michelins and it seems they dont seem make high performance summer tires to fit our wheels anyway so for me it's virtually a no-brainer.

Even so, I was wondering what people thought of the X-Ice tires in drier weather.

Sent using Tapatalk

 

[Zormecteon]

The tests of the Michelin Pilot Sport A3 show them to be nearly as effective as Summer only tires in the dry. Do I lose grip? .. .a tad.. do I track the car? No. Do I drive at the limits of adhesion on the street--- 10/10ths? No. Do they work in snow? Not great but acceptable.. Do we get a lot of snow here? Not usually... (they don't salt the roads at all, ever).. Do I ever drive in heavy snow? Nope....

I put them on when I had fewer than 100 miles on the car, and at about 35000 miles replaced them with another set. They stick in the dry, they stick in the wet, they work in the snow... .. .. If I HAD to drive in snow more than a couple of inches I might do something different. ..

My 2?

 

[neeqness]

The tests of the Michelin Pilot Sport A3 show them to be nearly as effective as Summer only tires in the dry. Do I lose grip? .. .a tad.. do I track the car? No. Do I drive at the limits of adhesion on the street--- 10/10ths? No. Do they work in snow? Not great but acceptable.. Do we get a lot of snow here? Not usually... (they don't salt the roads at all, ever).. Do I ever drive in heavy snow? Nope....

I put them on when I had fewer than 100 miles on the car, and at about 35000 miles replaced them with another set. They stick in the dry, they stick in the wet, they work in the snow... .. .. If I HAD to drive in snow more than a couple of inches I might do something different. ..

My 2?

This is exactly why I've been considering them. The price is the only downside.

Sent using Tapatalk

 

[Zormecteon]

This is exactly why I've been considering them. The price is the only downside.

Sent using Tapatalk

Yeah,...... Not cheap... This last set was $800, mounted and balanced.

 

[neeqness]

Easily twice my last set

Sent using Tapatalk

 

[M-Sport fan]

The tests of the Michelin Pilot Sport A3 show them to be nearly as effective as Summer only tires in the dry. Do I lose grip? .. .a tad.. do I track the car? No. Do I drive at the limits of adhesion on the street--- 10/10ths? No. Do they work in snow? Not great but acceptable.. Do we get a lot of snow here? Not usually... (they don't salt the roads at all, ever).. Do I ever drive in heavy snow? Nope....

I put them on when I had fewer than 100 miles on the car, and at about 35000 miles replaced them with another set. They stick in the dry, they stick in the wet, they work in the snow... .. .. If I HAD to drive in snow more than a couple of inches I might do something different. ..

My 2?

Thanks for that review!

Now I don't feel so bad about ordering them on the car from the factory.

The only thing I really need for them to do fairly well is to NOT freeze, and turn into blocks of ice, when the DRY temps fall way down below 20*F and STAY THERE for a while.

If last winter in this area was any indication, or predictor, of this year's winter, I will not even have to worry about that. LOL

 

[GAbOS]

It really is easier to have two sets of wheels and swap them every season.

1. If you use a shop that does free seasonal swaps.. BONUS!
2. You can rotate at the same time.
3. Safety

 

[alphanumeric]

I skipped all the comments to come say, I always opt for winter tires for winter and summer otherwise.

Just my opinion, all seasons are unreasonable, might as well get a Toyota Camry, they are pretty all season... if you get what I mean.

Hahaha I have a 2016 V6 Camry but my wife drives it most of the times as it's about 100x more comfortable and quiet. Also cruises at high speed better. The FiST is the toy.