The right tires fitted to your vehicle for the driving conditions and road and weather conditions can make all the safety difference between staying on the road or ending up in a ditch alongside the road. In colder climates where there is snow and ice on the roads during winter, you may wonder if all-terrain tires will be sufficient to handle the conditions or if tires rated for snow would be the better choice.
Snow tires work best when the temperature drops below 44F or 7C and provide superior grip and traction and stopping power in cold, snow, and ice conditions, making them the best choice of tire in these conditions. All-terrain tires, even snow-rated, do not work as well in cold weather and snow.
There are differences between all-terrain tires and snow tires that can make a significant difference on road surfaces that are cold, cold and wet, or covered with snow and ice. All-terrain tires are designed to handle specific terrain conditions, but how do they compare to tires specifically designed for cold weather? We will take examine both types of tires so that you can decide which ones will better suit your road and driving conditions.
Snow Tires Vs. All-terrain Tires
When you consider that all that holds your vehicle on the road are 4 relatively thin strips of rubber, it should make sense that those 4 strips of rubber should be designed for the conditions that you drive in. This will maximize the chances of the rubber holding your car on the road since it is designed for those particular environmental and road conditions.
Despite this logic, many people who live in regions that have winter snow and ice still consider it unnecessary to change their tires to match the dramatic change in the weather. Others consider all-terrain tires to be sufficient for winter conditions because they have been designed for “all-terrain.”
Many people think that the snow tires are simply a marketing ploy by the tire manufacturers to make more money from the consumer. But is this really the case?
We will only know the facts if we take a look at snow tires and all-terrain tires and compare their compositions and intended driving conditions to establish the truth for ourselves. So, let’s examine each of these tire types to see what goes into their manufacture and how they differ to establish a baseline for our decision-making for the right tire for the conditions.
What Conditions Are Snow Tires For?
Snow tires are a bit of a misrepresentation of the purpose of these tires, which may lead people to believe incorrectly that they are only intended for snow conditions.
A more accurate description of these tires is the designation of winter tires rather than snow tires. This is because these tires are designed to cater to more winter conditions other than simply snow. Winter tires are designed to give better performance, grip, road holding, and stopping power in ice, snow, and cold temperatures.
There are a number of categories of winter tires, each designed for different severity of winter conditions.
- All-weather tires. These tires are kind of middle-of-the-road tires, where the temperatures range from slightly above 44F (7 Celsius) to just below 44F, with the occasional freezing and snow conditions. The tread of these tires are slightly deeper than normal road tires and are designed to push snow and light slush away from the contact surface of the tire.
- Regular winter tires. The tread patterns on these tires are deeper and more aggressive and designed to push snow and ice away from the tires. The rubber compound that regular winter tires are made from are designed to give better performance in temperatures below 44F (7 Celsius). They are designed for winters where the regular temperature is below this level rather than fluctuating around 44F. In these conditions, you would have extended periods of ice and snow on the roads.
- Studded winter tires. Studded winter tires have metal studs embedded in the rubber to crack the ice and provide grip in soft and hard-packed snow. In addition to the studs, the tread is even deeper and more aggressive than the regular winter tires to push away thick snow from the tires. These tires are intended for extreme winter conditions where the temperature is mostly below the 44F for most of the winter and where the temperatures are below freezing for most of your winter driving. Some states in the US only allow the use of studded tires in extreme winter conditions or between certain dates of the year, so you should check the regulations in your state before using these tires.
All-weather winter tires are generally intended as multi-purpose, mild winter condition tires, where the temperatures are not below freezing for long periods, and snowfalls are not particularly heavy. These tires are intended for regions where the winters are more temperate.
Regular winter tires are intended for use where the winter conditions are more severe, and there is more likelihood of deep snow and ice-laden roads. This is the most common winter tire used in locations that have this type of winter weather.
Studded winter tires are generally only required where the winter driving conditions are particularly severe. Where you have regular deep snow and regular ice on the roads, these tires will make a big difference in the road holding ability of your car in these conditions. Many states in the US only allow these tires during certain times of the year when the weather demands it since the tire have the potential to damage tar roads.
Most winter tires are characterized by deep treat patterns and softer rubber compounds that improve the tire’s performance in colds and slippery weather. The deeper treads are designed to push the snow, ice, and slush away from the surface of the tire when it makes contact with the surface of the road and to provide better grip in snow and icy conditions.
The softer rubber compound has been proven to handle the cold weather better than the harder compound tires and will even improve the grip of the tire on dry roads when the temperature drops below the 44F or 7 Celsius mark.
Do Snow Tires Really Make A Difference?
Harder compound tires have been shown to become even more rigid in cold weather, and this leads to the tires starting to slide on icy, slippery roads. The softer compound rubber tires retain their flexibility in the cold weather and increase the road holding of the tire in both cold weather and in icy and snowy conditions.
Winter tires have been shown to reduce a car’s stopping distance in winter conditions by as much as half in comparison to standard tires used in the same conditions.
So, yes, winter tires do indeed make a difference in cold winter weather, and it is not just marketing hype from the tire companies trying to squeeze additional sales out of the market.
Winter tires are not immune to winter conditions and will not allow you to travel at high speeds on icy roads. Winter tires will definitely perform better than any other tire in the snow, but extreme icy conditions are a different story.
Winter tires will still slide on very icy roads and if you drive too fast. They will give you better traction than normal or summer tires, but they are no guarantee that the vehicle will not slip and slide over the ice, particularly in extreme icy conditions. Traveling too fast on icy roads, even with winter tires installed, is a recipe for an accident waiting to happen!
Thus, even with winter tires on your car, you should not look at it as a license to travel at faster speeds than with other tires. You will still need to exercise caution driving in the snowy, icy, winter conditions, no matter what tires you have on the car.
The main advantages that the winter tires will give in snow, cold, icy conditions are better cornering, traction, and stopping than other tires, but excessive, inappropriate speeds will negate these advantages.
Do You Need 4 Winter Tires On Your Vehicle?
In the snowy and icy winter conditions, you will want to maximize the additional grip and traction of your vehicle.
As a result, only putting 2 winter tires on the vehicle will not give you much advantage. The conditions will cause the two wheels that do not have winter tires to be ineffectual in providing traction for driving, cornering, and stopping. Combined with the weight of the vehicle, you will end up spinning out in corners, taking longer to stop, and not having enough traction of slopes and hills.
Thus, it is recommended that you fit 4 winter tires to your car and not try and skimp out and only fit 2 to the vehicle.
Can You Use Winter Tires All Year?
It is not advisable to use dedicated winter tires in warmer weather or in the summer months. The softer compound will cause the tires to be too soft under heavy braking in warmer conditions. They will offer less grip in warm rain conditions, and they will suffer from more rapid wear in warmer conditions.
This is the main reason why people who live in places where winter tires are required for driving will also have a set of warm weather tires that they will fit to the car once winter is over. The summer tires, if you will, will provide enhanced safety and performance in the warm summer months.
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What Conditions Are All-Terrain Tires For?
All-terrain tires are not designed specifically to perform well in winter conditions. They are rather intended to provide better all-round traction over a wider range of terrain types, from sand to mud, to gravel roads and paved roads.
All-terrain tires offer performance on-road and off-road and depending on the type of tire, they offer this to varying degrees.
By their very design, all-terrain tires are designed to be multi-purpose, so how do they fare in winter conditions? Will they perform the same as dedicated winter tires?
As with winter tires, there are a couple of different types of all-terrain tires intended for differences in driving conditions.
- Standard all-terrain tires. These are tires that are intended to work on-road, off-road, in the wet, and in temperatures ranging from 100F (38 Celsius) to 20F (-6 Celsius). Some all-terrain have limited sipes (the little grooves typical of snow tires) but not enough to perform well in heavy snow or icy conditions. The rubber compounds used are also too rigid for effective use in extreme cold conditions.
- Snow-rated all-terrain tires. There are snow-rated all-terrain tires available on the market that have a much higher density of sipes on the road surface of the tire. These tires are an improvement on the standard all-terrain tires for winter conditions, and the rubber compound is slightly softer. However, due to the multi-purpose nature of the tire, for off and on-road application, the compound cannot be made too soft without compromising some of the all-terrain nature of the tire. These snow-rated all-terrain tires will do a better winter job than the standard all-terrain tires but will not perform as well in winter as dedicated winter tires will.
Standard all-terrain tires are designed to be rugged, able to withstand rough terrain, resistant to puncture from thorns and rocks, stronger sidewalls to cater to the rough ground, and generally harder wearing. It is these very built-in characteristics that make them great all-terrain tires that count against them in cold winter conditions.
The rubber used to give these tires the robustness required for the rough terrain and crossover driving between on and off-road conditions is a harder compound rubber. This rubber tends to become more rigid as the temperature drops, which makes them slip over ice and snow, losing traction in these conditions because the rubber is unable to flex sufficiently.
The sipes on the tread of these tires are also limited, which makes these tires fairly ineffectual in cold, icy snow conditions.
Snow-rated all-terrain tires are made of a softer rubber compound, but the compound is not soft enough to compare with that of dedicated winter tires. They will definitely perform better than standard all-terrain tires in the snow and cold but will not perform to the same level as dedicated winter tires.
These tires will operate better in colder temperatures than standard all-terrain tires, but once the temperature drops below freezing, the dedicated winter tires will certainly and quite significantly out-perform snow-rated all-terrain tires.
One thing to remember about all-terrain tires is that they are designed as a crossover tire, which means they will give average performance on-road and average performance off-road. This means that they will not be able to perform as well on-road as a dedicated on-road tire, and they will not perform as well off-road as a dedicated off-road tire will.
This stands to reason that they will also, therefore, not perform as well in winter conditions as a dedicated winter tire will perform.
This by no means indicates that all-terrain tires are simply no good in any winter conditions. If you have relatively mild winters that only have occasional snowfalls, then the all-terrain tires may be well suited to the conditions that you mostly drive.
Also, if the temperatures stay above the 44F (7 Celsius) level most of the winter and only occasionally dip lower than that, then all-terrain tires may be sufficient for the environment.
Likewise, if your snowfalls are light, then snow-rated all0terrain tires may do a better job for you since they also retain most of the all-terrain features that make them a more rugged tire for rough terrain than dedicated winter tires.
Pros And Cons Of Snow Tires And All-Terrain Tires
Unfortunately, there is no tire that is suitable for all conditions all year round, and that stands for all-terrain tires and snow tires alike.
Both these tires have aspects where they provide advantages and aspects where they have disadvantages, and as a safety-conscious motorist, you should be aware of these so that you can use the best, most appropriate tire for your driving needs and conditions.
Snow Or Winter Tires
| Pros | Cons |
| Stay pliable in cold weather. | The compound is too soft in warm weather. |
| Grip the road better in cold temperatures and in snowy and icy conditions. | Don’t provide good grip in warm, wet conditions. |
| Provides better cornering and stopping in cold icy weather. | Single-purpose tire. |
| Provides superior performance and less wear in cold conditions. | They cannot be used in warm conditions due to unsuitability and excessive wear. |
| Cost-saving in damage repair and insurance premiums. | Expensive |
| Need an extra set of wheels for summer conditions, which require fitment and storage when not used. |
All-terrain tiresPros Cons Rugged and durable in many terrain types. Tires become hard and rigid in cold weather. Provide great grip on-road and off-road in warm temperatures. Do not provide good grip in cold temperatures, deep snow, or icy conditions. A multi-purpose tire that offers many advantages in many different terrains. Multi-purpose means average performance in many conditions but not great in one condition. Works well across a wider range of temperatures, even down to occasional 22F. Does not operate well in cold winter conditions. And the tire will deteriorate faster in cold conditions. Less expensive Can cause costly accident damage in cold, snowy, icy weather. Need an extra set of wheels for cold winter conditions, which require fitment and storage when not used.
When Would You Opt For All-terrain Tires For Winter?
In some instances, the more sensible option would be to opt for all-terrain snow-rated tires instead of dedicated winter tires.
If you do the majority of your driving in rugged terrain and very little on the highway at higher speeds, then the additional off-road features that an all-terrain tire will give you may be more to your benefit.
Dedicated winter tires do not offer much advantage in the snow and the ice at low speeds where the vehicle is easily controlled. Their benefit is mostly seen at higher speeds than you would normally see on main roads and highways.
Therefore, if you are a farmer or live in a remote area where the roads are rugged and generally gravel roads, your speed will generally be slower than for an urban vehicle. In this instance, the additional durability, resistance to puncture, and stronger sidewalls of an all-terrain snow-rated tire would probably be more beneficial on your truck than a dedicated snow or winter tire.
In rugged terrain, the rough roads are still there, they are just hidden by the snow, so it would make sense to still have a tire on your vehicle that is capable of handling this type of terrain, rather than one that is intended for paved road driving.
Another instance where you may want to opt for all-terrain snow-rated tires over dedicated winter tires is if your winter temperatures seldom drops much lower than 44F or 7-degrees Celsius. The softer compound of the dedicated winter tires only really offers an advantage once your temperatures are consistently below this point.
When Should You Fit Winter Tires?
Winter tires should be fitted when the air temperature is consistently at 44F or below. This is when the winter tires will offer you the greatest benefit, and the winter tires will suffer less wear and tear.
Likewise, once winter has begun to abate and the temperatures are consistently above 44F, you should change your tires back to summer tires or your normal all-terrain tires.
This will save unnecessary wear on your winter tires since, above this temperature, they do not offer any advantages over standard tires.
Some areas that experience severe ice and deep snow may require the need for studded tires, but you will need to clarify this depending on the state that you live in. in certain states, you are limited as to the time of year you can use these tires, and in some USA states, it is illegal to use them at all.
Conclusion
Dedicate snow or winter tires will, without a doubt, out-perform both all-terrain and all-terrain snow-rated tires on the road.
Winter tires do not become rigid and hard in the consistently colder winter temperatures and can therefore provide better grip and traction in snow and icy road conditions. Their superior performance is seen particularly when cornering, driving on inclines or declines, and in the all-important task of stopping the motor vehicle.
If you have winter temperatures that are consistently below the 44F mark and you have heavy snowfalls and icing of the roads, then your only option is a set of winter tires that will give you additional safety in these conditions that could prevent an accident.
The additional cost of a set of winter tires will certainly pay for itself if they can prevent damage to your car or even save a life on the cold, slippery roads. Many insurance companies will even consider giving you a break on your premiums should you opt to fit winter tires in these conditions.
Winter tires definitely offer advantages for driving in cold winter conditions, but they should never be a reason to drive faster in cold wintery conditions. Winter tires have their limits, and if pushed beyond these limits, you will still end up off the road and in a ditch or sliding into the car in front of you if you drive too fast in these conditions.
Always drive with the appropriate care in dangerous conditions and drop your driving speed and fit winter tires if your winter driving conditions require it.