Looking for new tires? One of the first things you’ll contend with just might be tire type. Some of the most popular types include all-season tires, all-weather tires and winter tires!
Since there’s no shortage of possibilities, some customers find their heads spinning when the options often sound so similar. All-weather? All-season? What’s the difference? And are snow tires different from winter tires?
Deciding what you need can be frustrating, but we at America's Tire want to help you get the best option for your driving needs. We’ve got the skinny on how these tire categories compare to one another. With that, let’s compare some tire types: all-weather tires, all-season tires and winter tires (AKA snow tires).
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SHOP ALL TIRESALL-WEATHER VS ALL-SEASON TIRES
You’re probably pretty familiar with all-season tires, as they’re by far the most common tire you’ll see on the road. They’re designed to drive in most weather conditions, barring snow, ice and other winter conditions.
SHOP ALL-SEASON TIRESAll-season tires are versatile, offering dry grip, wet traction and braking power. They provide a good mix of treadwear, traction and performance for many driving conditions. Consider them as the standard, everyday tire choice.
Although they offer long-lived tread life, this typically comes at the expense of cold weather performance.
Some of our favorite all-season tires? We’re glad you asked: we tend to point to the Michelin Defender 2 and the Yokohama YK-GTX!
We explore the difference between all-season, summer and winter tires elsewhere but essentially they offer the best performance in the most driving conditions outside of extreme circumstances, like severe winter weather or high performance driving.
Check out our picks of the best all-season tires!
What is the difference between all-season and all-weather tires?
Here comes the confusing bit, and that’s in part due to tire naming conventions. After all, wouldn’t an all-season tire be kind of like an all-weather tire? But the truth is more complicated than that.
All-weather tires are an emerging tire category. In fact, they’re not an official category yet, but they’re well on their way. They’re essentially a hybrid tire that works in virtually every weather condition, during all seasons—including light winter weather. It sounds a lot like an all-season, so what’s the difference?
Think of all-weather tires as the olympic champions of the all-season category. Your typical all-season tire is made to handle the mildest conditions in any given season. But all-weather tires offer strong performance across most seasonal driving conditions, including foul winter weather.
What are some good all-weather tires to consider? Check out the Michelin CrossClimate2 and the Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady!
Since they aren’t a category yet, all-weather tires can be hard to search for. But, they usually come with the three-peak mountain snowflake severe weather designation, meaning they’re rated for extreme winter driving conditions.
That said, we highly recommend using winter tires if your region experiences true winter conditions with consistently freezing temps and driving challenges like, slush, snow and ice.
All-weather tires often utilize aggressive foul-weather-specific tread patterns, making them capable of handling dry, wet, ice and snowy driving surfaces. They also tend to come with tread compounds that perform better in cooler weather than all-season tires.
You may find all-seasons ride or handle better, and they also tend to have shorter stopping distances in dry conditions. All-season tires also tend to have longer lasting tread lives. On the other hand, all-weather tires offer dependable performance, year-round without sacrificing too much in terms of tread life or ride comfort, all while delivering enhanced winter weather grip.
Check out our picks for the best all-weather tires!
ALL-WEATHER TIRES VS SNOW TIRES
We’ve compared all-season vs snow tires, but what about all-weather vs snow tires?
Despite the name all-weather tires, winter/snow tires are superior in true winter conditions and should not be substituted for all-weather tires, unless you live in a region where the winter weather is challenging but not extreme.
When it comes to winter weather, all bets are off. Winter brings with it the most dangerous driving scenarios most drivers will ever face on the road. Wet, icy and snowy roads make traction a treasure.
A significant portion of this is because regular tires, even all-season and all-weather tires, do not work as well under 45F. Winter tires utilize ground-breaking rubber compounds that keep them flexible in low temps. This flexibility allows your tire’s tread elements, like siping, to continue functioning. Other tires without these specialized compounds become stiff, reducing their ability to corner or brake effectively.
Since the presence of snow isn’t the only determining factor, we prefer to call them “winter tires” over “snow tires” but you’ll find those two terms used interchangeably.
Dependable picks for snow tires include the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 and the Michelin X-Ice Snow.
While all-weather tires offer increased performance for a longer portion of the year, they simply won’t perform as well as winter tires when significant cold sets in. Winter tires also usually have deeper, more complicated and specialized winter tread patterns to claw through snow and bite into slick surfaces.
In short, all-weather tires are typically best for drivers who live in regions with moderate winter weather. They’re a great year-round option with tons of capability, but they’re no match for extreme winter conditions.
Even if you live in an area without regular snow or ice but do see consistent temperature drops below 45F, we recommend winter tires.
SHOP WINTER TIRESOnly want the best? Check out our picks for the best snow tires!
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Choosing the right tire is important in keeping you and your vehicle as safe and functional as possible. If you’re unsure what works best for you, drop by, give us a ring or make an appointment with us and we’ll get you taken care of! Customers who buy their products online and book an appointment ahead of time wait less time in-store!
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