Winter Tires vs All-Weather Tires: What's the Difference?


"Do I really need winter tires?" 

This is a question we hear all too often in our service centers and the answer is "yes!" If you live somewhere that the temperature regularly dips below 45 degrees, you should invest in winter tires.

Why Aren't All-Weather Tires Good Enough?

All-weather tires have somewhat of a misleading name. Yes, they are suited for all types of weather: rain, sunshine, light snow. But they are not the best option in every weather condition. 

 All-weather, or all-season, tires are designed for wet roads, dry roads, and light snow. Since we live in Colorado where icy roads are prevalent these days, winter tires will give you the best traction and grip. Their treads are designed differently from all-weather tires with specially formulated rubber that stays flexible at low temperatures for better vehicle control, yet still reduces snow build up. Additionally, in our area where Traction Laws can be put in effect, the Severe Snow Conditions Symbol on the sidewall of a winter tire indicates that you're in compliance if Traction Laws are active. 

Since this season has been particularly warm and dry, one could argue that winter tires are not essential this year. But what if next year is different? If you're able, make the investment now so that you're prepared when the snow does hit. 

You Need Winter Tires Even If Your Vehicle is AWD

All-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive vehicles improve traction on the road by distributing the power to all four wheels. That doesn’t help you once you put on the brakes, but winter tires will.

Match Your Tires

If you have two winter tires and two all-season tires, your vehicle is not able to work cohesively. Changing out just the two front tires will increase the likelihood that your rear tires will skid. Additionally, if you were to just add snow tires to your rear wheels, the front tires would lose traction and make it impossible to steer your vehicle!

Stay With the Season

We know it can seem like a lot of work, but your safety is of the utmost importance. When Spring rolls around (or the snow clears, whichever comes first...) be sure to replace your winter tires with all-season tires. This will keep your winter tires in better condition for next winter as gravel and warm, dry pavement will wear them down faster.

Consumer Reports compiled test data to show the advantages of winter/snow tires. Their advice:


  •      Always use four matching winter/snow tires for the best balance of handling and grip to stop, start, and take a corner on snow-covered roads.
  •       Look for the mountain and snowflake symbol indicating the tire meets an industry-defined level of snow traction. 
  •       Winter/snow tires will wear more quickly than all-season tires, and their performance in winter will decline as they wear. As a best practice, replace winter/snow tires before they are worn out, and if you remove them at the end of each winter, you may get three or four seasons of good use out of them.
From Consumer Reports

From Consumer Reports

Safe travels! Remember that Stevinson Automotive is here to help! Visit any one of our seven dealership locations across central and northern Colorado for advice on prepping your vehicle for icy road conditions or a long road trip. 



Find a Stevinson Dealership in Your Neighborhood


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Prepare Your Vehicle for Rainy Weather

Image
You and your car survived the cold mornings of the winter, and while we're not all driving with the windows down quite yet, spring is well on its way. Before breathing that sigh of relief and going on your way, spend some time preparing for the road ahead. The following steps are crucial in keeping you safe on the road during spring rains.  Inspect Windshield Wipers During the winter, windshield wipers can stick to the windshield and tear before breaking free, and even if your wipers look fine, the rubber is easily deteriorated in warmer weather. Don’t let damaged wipers catch you off guard when the spring rains hit. Inspect your wipers and replace them if they look damaged or worn. If you need help with this, stop by any Stevinson Automotive dealership in your area for assessment, parts, and installation. Inspect Tires Your tires were fine before winter. Several months and possibly thousands of miles later, your tires may not be in such good shape now...
Read more

Stevinson Automotive + the Denver Rescue Mission

Image
It was a bitter cold Wednesday morning in Lakewood, Colorado when Stevinson Automotive hosted two individuals from the Denver Rescue Missio n, Blake Nauman and Jordan Smith. They have both dedicated their careers to serving people who are experiencing homelessness, and they visited Kent Stevinson and the Stevinson corporate office to conduct an interview for their newsletter featuring Kent Stevinson, a donor to the Denver Rescue Mission. It may seem an odd coupling; a family-owned automotive corporation featured in the newsletter of the Denver Rescue Mission, but the Stevinson family has actually been involved with the organization for decades, since around 1970. Before diving into the interview questions, we reflected on how awful the past weekend must have been for those without a home, considering we experienced about five inches of snow across Denver. Denver has experienced an almost four percent rise in homelessness since the last count in 2016, according to a new repo...
Read more

Ask a Technician: What Should I Do When the Warning Light on My Dashboard Comes On?

Image
Q. The warning light came on my dashboard, should I panic and drive straight to the mechanic? A. First, don’t panic. The “check engine” warning light is simply a general alarm. How it looks and what it means varies from car to car. It might be a yellow or red light or just a little engine symbol. No matter what it looks like, all it lets you know is that the computer that monitors your car has determined that some component of your car is not working properly. That problem can be a minor one or a major one. It could indicate something as simple as a loose fuel cap, especially if you’ve recently refueled. Stop the car in a safe place, turn off the engine, and tighten the gas cap until you hear two or three clicks. Sometimes, that does the trick. But if it doesn’t, you need to take your car in for a diagnostic evaluation. Don’t worry; they’re generally painless. As a Stevinson general rule of thumb, if your check engine light comes on and stays on, you should take your...
Read more