Your car is a massive amalgamation of what automotive ingenuity has accomplished. It includes some of the most advanced technologies in history. Modern cars are speeding computers, routinely using more than 100 microprocessors. But your safety while inside a car depends on a few square inches of rubber.
The friction of your spinning tires against the road surface is how your car keeps from sliding out of control. Weather also matters. So, engineers have developed special tires for different weather conditions.
Most cars leave the dealer lot on a set of jack-of-all-trades all-season tires designed for varying temperatures. Except for a few sports car models sold with summer tires (more on those below), every car sold in the U.S. ships with all-season tires. But they may not always be the right choice for you if you live where winter gets serious. Special winter tires may provide a safer ride during the coldest months.
This guide will explain the differences between snow tires and all-season tires and help you decide which kind is right for you and why. Use our jump links to skip ahead.
- What Are All-Season Tires?
- What Are Snow Tires?
- Snow Tires vs. All-Season Tires
- Winter-Biased All-Season Tires
- Identifying Winter Tires
What Are All-Season Tires?
Rubber is not the main ingredient of a tire. A tire is made from layers of rubber, steel, nylon, and other materials designed to distribute load and hold their shape against bumps and potholes. But the outer surface of a tire is a rubber-based compound, and its pliability changes in different weather.
Engineers have formulated a happy mixture of rubber compounds to perform relatively well in most conditions for inclement weather. This recipe is the formula used in all-season tires. They have a tread (the geometry of channels and grooves on the outside of the tire) that grips well in most weather and can push routine amounts of rain and light snow out of the way.
They’re also durable, designed to wear away slowly to provide long-lasting tread life. But in icy weather, the rubber compound in all-season tires stiffens up. Like hard-soled dancing shoes, they can then slip and slide easily.
If you live in an area with moderate winters, all-season tires will suit your needs year-round. If you live in a place where the temperature remains below 45 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks at a time or where snowfall is heavy, all-season tires are only appropriate in spring, summer, and fall.
What Are Snow Tires?
Snow tires use soft rubber compounds. Their outer layers often contain silica compounds that help keep the tread pliable even after weeks in extreme cold.
RELATED: Snow Tires Guide: All You Need to Know
Winter tires are not suitable for year-round use. The material used in snow tires cannot handle the same friction when the weather is above freezing. In the case of moderate temperatures, a car runs more heavily than the tire can support. They also wear away more quickly in warm weather than the material of all-season tires. But, like a rubber-soled hiking shoe, they provide grippier traction on slick surfaces.
Winter tires are a safer choice if you live in an area where temperatures stay below 45 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks at a time or where heavy snow is routine.
We’ve covered a variety of snow tires in this guide, including studded winter tires, studless winter tires, studdable winter tires, and winter-biased all-season tires. Depending on your needs, one of these tire types could work for you.
Studded Winter Tires
Metal or hard rubber studs designed into the tires provide added grip on thick snowpack, but not all snow tires have them. Another type of studded tire has deeper grooves in its tread and sharp edges to bite into snow.
Studded winter tires are not legal everywhere. Some states forbid them. Others allow them only at above certain latitudes or on certain highways.
Studded tires were a more typical winter solution in earlier eras but have grown rarer as the performance of studless winter tires has improved. Studded tires perform better on unplowed surfaces than studless winter tires.
Studless Winter Tires
Other winter tires have no studs and rely on softer rubber compounds and tread patterns designed to push snow away from your car’s track. Studless winter tires often perform better on ice than studded winter tires.
Ice is a particular concern on highways in northern states. Plows can clear heavy snow from the road but leave a thin layer of water to refreeze the road surface.
Studless winter tires are the best choice for those who routinely drive on plowed surfaces in winter.
Studdable Winter Tires
The third category of winter tires is designed to perform without studs but has holes that allow drivers to add studs for driving on unplowed surfaces.
Studdable winter tires require added labor, as adding and removing studs is a time-consuming process. But they give drivers the flexibility of adding and removing studs in response to conditions.
Summer Tires
Just as there are special tires designed for winter use, there are summer tires. Summer tires are smoother than all-season tires, designed to provide maximum road-holding grip by putting as much tire surface in contact with the road as possible. They have shallow treads.
Summer tires are generally found only on high-performance cars and are not safe in winter weather. If you plan to drive a sports car or high-performance sedan in the winter, you should switch to winter tires in the cold months for safety reasons.
Snow Tires vs. All-Season Tires
In most states, at most times of the year, all-season tires are the best choice. But in places where the temperature routinely stays below 45 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks at a time or where it regularly snows, drivers should buy snow tires for the winter.
That means removing one set of tires and putting on the other at least twice a year. At the start of winter, when temperatures start to fall, you’ll want to install your winter tires. In spring, when the weather begins to warm up, you’ll want to switch back to your all-season tires.
If you lack storage space for a spare set of tires, many tire shops will rent space to you for the tires you’re not using, which saves you from lugging heavy tires back and forth to the shop twice a year.
It is possible to store your off-season tires at home safely. To keep them in the best condition, clean them before you put them away and store them flat in a place protected from the weather.
Some drivers find it easier to keep each set of tires on its own set of rims. By doing this, you will save higher up-front costs but will be able to switch them out faster and easier.
Which Tire Type is Right for Me?
Which tire type you choose should be based on the climate you live in, the road conditions you typically drive on, and your individual driving needs.
Consider your weather first. If you live in an area with harsh winters and heavy snow or temperatures below freezing for weeks at a time, snow tires are a safety necessity. If you live in an area with a warm climate year-round or where snow comes intermittently but rarely lasts more than a day, you may never need snow tires.
Also, keep your regular driving habits in mind. Long highway drives in winter are safest on winter tires because of the risks posed by black ice.
Winter-Biased All-Season Tires
In recent years, tire engineers have developed all-season tires with a slight bias toward winter performance. Unlike pure snow tires that lose tread quickly in warm weather, these tires are durable enough for year-round use. But they provide a bit more grip on snow and ice than typical all-season tires.
These are an excellent choice for drivers who can’t accommodate the expense of owning two sets of tires and switching between them regularly. Winter-biased all-season tires are safe at mid-latitudes, but they do not match the cold-weather performance of genuine snow tires. Drivers in northern states, places where severe winter weather is commonplace, and those whose jobs keep them on the road no matter the weather, are still better off with proper snow tires.
Identifying Winter Tires
Manufacturers imprint tires with two different symbols denoting cold-weather performance.
Some have a symbol on the sidewall that reads “M+S.” The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association applies this symbol. It is given based on a visual inspection. Tires earn the M+S badge if they have a tread designed to perform well in the winter. Earning the M+S badge does not require any testing.
The American Society for Testing and Materials imprint a symbol shaped like a three-peaked mountain with a snowflake logo. The society conducts tire road tests, verifying safe acceleration, braking, and cornering before awarding the badge.
