All Season Tires vs. Winter Tires
Learn about all season tires, winter tires, the differences between them, and which might be better for your vehicle and your style of driving.
What Are Winter Tires?
Winter tires are tires that are specifically designed for winter driving. As you probably know, winters in a place like Hamilton can be pretty brutal. The conditions are often stressful for our vehicles. Because summers and winters are so different in this part of the world, it only makes sense that your tires should be different, as well.
These tires are specially designed to handle cold weather, snow, and ice. To achieve this specialized performance, tire engineers design winter tires with special tread patterns that can really grip surfaces. They also use different compounds and siping to give you the traction you need even in extreme cold.
What Are All Season Tires?
All season tires are designed to handle all weather conditions. You can drive on winter tires in winter and summer tires and summer, but some drivers find the changing of tires tedious. Autumn and spring also offer different weather conditions that might not be ideal for winter nor summer tires.
All season tires can give you good traction on hot asphalt and give you the stopping power you need on slick roads. There is no type of weather that is bad for all seasons, but these tires might not be the best option for each specific condition.
Do You Really Need Winter Tires In Winter?
Yes, you really should use winters in the coldest months. If you drive on all seasons, you’re certainly not alone. As many as 49% of Canadian drivers try to use all seasons throughout winter.
Nevertheless, at Putney’s, we advise against this. Winter tires are specially engineered with the right rubber compounds, tread designs, and tread patterns to handle winter driving. All season tires are remarkable products, but when the snow hits, you should switch to winter tires.
What If You Don’t Have To Drive In The Snow?
Some drivers don’t have to use their vehicles every day, so they can simply stay home if it’s snowing or if the roads are icy. But snow and ice aren’t the only conditions that can hamper all season tires. We may call them “snow tires”, but winter tires are excellent for reasons beyond just snow.
The temperature itself is a big factor. Once the temperature gets cold, even cool, the compounds in all season tires stiffen. When this happens, all seasons lose traction, so they cannot stop as quickly and they become more prone to slipping. Once the temperature dips below 7°C, you should come to Putney’s to have winter tires installed on your vehicle.
Contact Putney’s For High-Quality Winter And All Season Tires.
Whether you want all seasons or winters, Putney’s has all the tires you could want in Hamilton, ON. To book an appointment to have all seasons or winters installed on your vehicle, please click here. To learn more, you can contact us via our website or call us at 905-523-7535.