The difference between all-weather, all-season tires
Lately, there’s barely any snow on the roads and temperatures are above freezing; this year’s winter season has been a bit of an anomaly. But we’re still the Great White North and it gets cold and snowy here. Even so, many Canadians still don’t equip their vehicles with winter tires because they believe it’s too expensive.
Canadians are generally well versed in the differences between all-season and winter tires. For those of you who want vehicle safety but don’t want to switch between two sets of tires, take heart: all-weather tires are a good option.
Here are a few examples to show the variations:
IMG NOKIAN ALL-SEASON eNTYRE
The Nokian eNTYRE’s all-season tire’s treads are relatively smooth and straight, which help with gripping the road in moderate to hot temperatures and repel water when driving in the rain.
IMG BRIDGESTONE WINTER BLIZZAK
The Bridgestone Blizzak tire has blocky treads with grooves (known as sipes), so it can move water more efficiently when snow is melting or on slushy roads. The winter tire is also a softer tire, so its biggest advantage is that it can remain flexible even in cold temperatures. But if you run winter tires in the summer, they won’t last very long because the rubber just can’t handle the heat.
IMG NOKIAN ALL-WEATHER WRG3
In terms of all-weather tires, think of these as a hybrid that combines the best of both worlds. All-weather tires look like a cross between all-season and winter tires. A part of the tire has treads that are straight, while other parts resemble the blocky winter tire treads.
All-weather tires perform well in both summer and winter, and save you from the tire changeover and storage hassles. According to the Kal Tire study, all-weather tires stopped 77 centimetres sooner on wet pavement and 33 cm sooner on dry pavement when compared to all-season tires.
Of course, a winter tire outperforms an all-weather tire in the cold season, hands down. But allweather tires are much better than all-season tires in the winter, while performing significantly better in the summer when compared to winter tires.
All-weather tires also have the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol on them, which means that they are recognized by Transport Canada to be specifically designed for use in snowy conditions.