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Winter Tires vs. All-Season Tires vs. All-Weather Tires: Which is best for your car?
With Canadian winters lasting for what feels like almost half the year, it's a time when we can enjoy the holiday season and fun winter activities. But with lots of snow, the risk of black ice, below-freezing temperatures, and unpredictable road conditions, it's crucial to have the right tires for these winter months so that you can stay safe when you're on the road.
So, what's the difference between winter tires vs. all-season tires vs. all-weather tires? If you've wondered whether or not you can use the same tires all year round or if you need to invest in winter tires, we're here to help you differentiate between the different types of tires and provide you with potential discount details, so you can make an informed decision about the best tire option for your driving needs.
What types of tires are available for my car?
Depending on where you live, choosing the right tires for your car can make a big difference-especially when the weather changes. Whether you're dealing with sun, rain, or snow, there's a tire suited for the job.
Let’s break down the three main types of tires, so you can pick what’s best for your driving needs.
- All-season tires. The go-to tire for many drivers, all-season tires are designed to handle a variety of environmental conditions, including dry roads, wet roads, and light snow. They can be a good choice if you live in a part of Canada that sees milder winters.
- Winter tires. Winter tires are specifically designed to give you better grip and control in cold temperatures, and are built to handle snow, ice, and slush, so you get the traction and stability you need on slippery roads.
- All-weather tires. All-weather tires (also called 4-season tires) can handle more severe weather conditions than all-season tires, including snow and icy roads, so they’re versatile enough to use year-round if you live in an area that sees harsher winters—but they won’t perform as well as winter tires in extreme winter conditions.
What's the difference between winter tires, all-season tires, and four-season (all-weather) tires?
There are a lot of misconceptions out there about winter tires, all-season tires, and all-weather tires-with the most common being that all three types of tires are relatively the same. This may lead you to think, if they both offer similar protection, why should you choose one over the other? Here's what you need to know about the differences between these tires:
All-season tires
雖然全季輪胎在大多數氣候條件下全年都適用,但在極端溫度下時,其耐用性和有效性確實開始有所下降。 Because the tread rubber on all-season tires isn't designed to withstand temperatures below freezing, colder temperatures will cause the tire to harden and lose the proper traction needed to drive safely.1 So, while all-seasons are capable of powering through light snow, they aren’t the ideal choice for more severe winter conditions.
Winter tires
Winter tires are marked with the mountain-and-snowflake Alpine symbol, to show they’re certified for driving in severe snow conditions. They have special tread rubber compounds that are designed to stay flexible in colder temperatures.2 This gives you better traction, so you can stop up to 40% sooner when compared to all-season tires.3
In fact, winter tires have better traction at -30°C than all-seasons do at +4°C. They also feature deeper tread depths and patterns, which are designed to help you drive through snow and slush without any snow building up in your tires.4 So, if the road is snowy, slippery, and/or icy when you hit your brakes, you'll be able to stop at a faster rate than you would with all-season tires.
All-weather (4-season) tires
All-weather tires are a hybrid tire that strikes a balance between winter and all-season tires, making them a Jack-of-all-trades capable of providing a good performance in a variety of conditions. Like winter tires, they’re marked with the Alpine symbol,5 which means they’ve been tested and proven to handle heavier snow conditions,6 although they won’t deliver as good a performance in extreme cold as winter tires do.
Made with a special rubber compound that stays flexible enough for winter driving but also won’t wear out quickly when the temperature gets warmer, they offer good traction and enhanced cold weather performance while still being suitable for year-round use.7
What are the benefits of snow tires vs all-season tires vs all-weather (four-season) tires?
Let's start with all-season tires. Depending on where you live, they may be the superior choice for driving for most or even all of the year:
- All-seasons are designed to conquer most road conditions (including wet and minimal snow).
- They have a longer life span since they're designed for longer usage as opposed to one specific season.
- 它們能帶來最平穩的行駛體驗。 8
Winter tires, on the other hand, are the option that will give you a better and safer winter experience on the road:
- Winter tires offer better braking performance in slippery conditions.
- They have a unique tread designed to help reduce snow buildup in tires.
- They’re made of a specialized rubber that offers better traction in colder weather, allowing for better vehicle control.9
Finally, the benefits of all-weather tires provide a blend of the best features of both all-season and winter tires:
- All-weather tires carry the mountain-and-snowflake symbol, mean ing they’re certified to meet the standards for winter driving.
- Warmer temperatures don’t cause them to wear out more quickly.
- They can be used year-round in areas that see weather conditions that range from warm to more severe — but not extreme — cold.10
While all these types of tires have their benefits, winter tires offer drivers a level of confidence when driving in all winter conditions – whether it's slush, ice, heavy snow, or freezing rain.
And, as an added bonus, many insurers offer province-dependent winter tire discounts. If you're a TD Insurance customer in Ontario or Newfoundland, for example, we offer many ways to save, including a winter tire discount when you fully equip your car with four winter tires from December 1st to March 30th. Just contact TD Insurance to see if you qualify for this winter tire discount.
Cost of winter tires vs all-season vs all-weather (four-season) tires
Winter tires usually have the highest price tag because of the specialized construction that makes them optimal for tough winter weather conditions. But the added safety they provide comes with some additional costs. You'll also need to budget for the seasonal installation costs twice a year as well as storage space if you don't have space for them at home.
All-season tires are the most economical option, but since they lack the grip and reliability of winter tires, they won't be your best choice if you live in an area with harsh winter conditions. All-weather tires offer a good middle-ground option, if you need a tire capable of handling heavier snow, as they're more expensive than all-seasons but not as costly as winter tires.
Best all-year-round tire choice
If you don't want the hassle of switching tires with the seasons, all-weather tires will likely be your best option, since they're designed to work well in a wide range of conditions, offering you more reliable winter performance than all-season tires without the installation and storage needs of winter tires.
Are all-season tires good for winter or should I invest in winter tires, too?
如果您全年都使用全季輪胎駕車,那麼考慮購買一套雪胎仍然很重要。即使您採取了所有在冬季安全駕駛的額外預防措施,雪胎仍將至關重要,具體取決於您居住的地點。
For example, if your area experiences heavy snow, freezing rain, and temperatures drop significantly below zero all wint er long, you'll want to look into investing in winter tires. But if you live in an area that experiences minimal snow with temperatures that consistently sit around zero, all-season tires may still work for you.
Am I legally required to change to winter tires?
Most provincial governments recommend you install winter tires for driving during the winter season. In Quebec, however, it’s mandatory to have winter tires between December 1st and March 15th.11 And while British Columbia doesn’t require motorists to have winter tires installed during the winter, you will need to have either winter tires or chains installed to drive on many BC highways from October 1st to March 31st or April 30th.12
Can I use winter tires all year to avoid changing them?
While you might be tempted to leave your winter tires on all year long to avoid the hassle of changing them when winter's over, it's not a good idea. Here's why: Winter tires provide good traction and work so well in cold weather because they're made of a softer rubber compound that stays flexible in low temperatures, which means they're able to better grip the road in snowy and icy conditions than all-season tires.
But the flexibility of the softer rubber means they will wear out faster in warmer temperatures13 and become more resistant as well, leading to reduced fuel economy. There’s also the safety aspect, with research indicating it takes longer to come to a stop in the summer when driving a car equipped with winter tires instead of all-season tires.14
什麼時候是更換輪胎的最佳場合?
If your province doesn't require you to change your tires by a certain date, then ideally you should change your tires when temperatures are consistently hovering around +7°C or lower.
Why that number? With all-season tires, grip starts to become compromised once temperatures start dropping and the roads become wet.相比之下,隨著溫度的降低,雪胎的抓地力實際上會增加,從而使橡膠能夠更好地附著在道路上以防止打滑。 So, around the seven-degree mark is when winter tires start to grip better and outperform all-seasons.15
The same applies when you need to change your tires back to all-season tires. Once the temperatures start warming up to +7°C and higher, it's time to change from winter to all-season tires, to avoid wearing out your winter tires.
Whether or not your province requires you to install tires that are rated for winter driving during the winter season, it's important to understand the differences between winter tires, all-season tires, and all-weather tires. While winter tires and all-weather tires tend to be more expensive, they offer a return on your investment that includes better safety when driving in more extreme weather conditions. Depending on where you're located, this may make them the right tires for your needs.
Additional FAQs
Is it better to get winter tires or all-season?
Winter tires are an excellent choice if you'll be driving in heavy snow or ice conditions. If you live in an area with moderate winters, all-season tires may be a more convenient, budget-friendly option.
What is the disadvantage of all-season tires?
All-season tires provide less traction on ice and snow than winter tires, making them less effective for driving in severe winter conditions.
1https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/tire-guide-all-season-vs-winter-vs-summer-tires
3http://www.ibc.ca/pe/disaster/winter-weather
5https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/tires/best-all-weather-tires-a8621335540/
8https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/tire-guide-all-season-vs-winter-vs-summer-tires
9https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/tire-guide-all-season-vs-winter-vs-summer-tires
13https://www.quebec.ca/en/transports/traffic-road-safety/winter-road-safety/requirements-for-winter-tires#c196569
14https://tirf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2012_Winter_Tire_Report_7.pdf