Winter tires are necessary for drivers in regions with harsh winters, as all-season tires do not provide enough traction on snow and ice. Snow tires are designed for cold weather and perform better in extreme conditions. Upgrading to a complete set of winter tires is recommended for safety on the road.
Drivers who live in regions without harsh winters or brutally hot summers may only need one set of tires year-round. For the rest of us, the transition from summer or all-season snow tires to winter will continue to be an annual ritual. Those designed for rainy weather or dry pavement generally do not provide the level of traction needed to traverse thick snow and grip icy roads. Alternatively, snow tires are designed for cold weather conditions and don’t always perform well on hot or dry pavement.
Some drivers may be confused by the “all-season” tire designation. While the name may imply equal levels of performance during rain, sleet, mud, or snow, the truth is that many aren’t built for extreme conditions like heavy snow. There is no real substitute for snow tires when it comes to handling the most brutal driving conditions of winter. Snow or winter tires are made from compounds designed to perform better in colder temperatures, while standard summer types tend to stiffen as they approach freezing.
If you don’t plan on staying indoors during extreme winter conditions, many experts suggest upgrading to a complete set of winter tires. Just fitting two to the powered wheels would be better than nothing, but the car could also get a bit schizophrenic on the highway, with some gripping and some not. Some auto shops in snow-prone regions will offer to store a customer’s summer tires during the winter season, so it may be easier to mount the winter ones on your own tires and allow mechanics to make the change just before before the winter weather arrives.
The main concern with different types of season tires is traction and stopping power. There is no law requiring drivers to switch from summer to winter, but there is a noticeable difference between how those tires perform on snow and ice. Snow tires can be narrow to allow the car to traverse deep, unturned snow, or they can be wide to maximize the size of the tire patch, the actual area that contacts the road. Summer tires do an admirable job of channeling rainwater, but their tracks can fill up with snow and ice and become treacherous. Those designed for snow have different tread patterns that cling to the road and resist snow buildup.
Individual drivers who live outside of a snow belt are always free to decide whether a set of winter tires would be a good investment, but safety on the road should always be an important consideration. As one auto expert explained, a $400 US dollar (USD) investment in quality snow tires can help a driver avoid paying a $500 (USD) insurance deductible after an accident that could have been prevented.
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