Are All Weather Tires Really Different?

Tires are a compromise.  Performance tires are designed to grip the road as the tires heat up.  This doesn’t work in cold weather, as these tires become as hard as plastic below 32 degrees.  The average long wear tire is built with rubber composites and tread patterns that are designed for long, even wear.  Even some all weather tires are meant to be driven year round and are not specifically designed for deep winter traction.

All Weather Tires

What exactly are all weather tires?  The easy answer is that they are tires that help keep your car on the road in any type of weather.  Rain, sleet, or snow can make it difficult for your tires to keep traction.  All weather tires are designed with certain features that increase traction and channel water and ice out from under the tire, reducing the chance of slippage.  All weather tires often feature deeper, wider treads in specific patterns for this purpose, but some tires meant for driving in heavy snow or ice have studs on them, similar to the cleats on golf shoes.  Most all weather tires are meant to be used year round; however, studded tires should only be used in winter conditions, as the studs can get worn down too rapidly on bare roads and can damage road surfaces.

Which Type?

The type of all weather tire you choose depends upon the types of conditions and terrain you expect to encounter in your area.  A good all weather tire meant for every day driving will work fine for you, if you are in an area that experiences heavy rains.  The tread pattern for all weather tires is designed to channel away the extra water and help the tires keep traction.  However, most all weather tires are meant specifically for dealing with snow, and that’s where the differences come into play.

Which Brand?

The sheer number of options when it comes to tires can be daunting.  Of the dozens of tire companies, nearly all of them offer an all weather tire, so choosing can be a bit overwhelming.  Fortunately, there are a number of magazines and websites that do the work for you by reviewing tires and publishing the results.

According to ConsumerSearch.com, the best high-performance all-season, wet climate tires are the Bridgestone Turanza LS-H.
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/automotive/tires/index.html

“Turanza LS-H tires get excellent scores for resistance to hydroplaning and wet-road cornering ability; experts say the tire's water-evacuation channels work very well.  As a touring tire, the Turanza is meant to ride a little better than a high-performance tire like the BF Goodrich Traction T/A, which is optimized for cornering and quick maneuvers.”

The best all season tires, according to ConsumerSearch.com, are Yokohama Avid TRZ.

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/automotive/tires/index.html 

“Among standard all-season tires, the T-rated Yokohama Avid TRZ gets excellent ratings in reviews for wet and dry acceleration and braking, along with a comfortable ride and low noise.  A new silica tread compound has improved traction in snow, allowing the tire to remain pliable at lower temperatures.”

The results from http://www.tirerack.com/ confirm that these are the two top tires for all weather travel, listing the Yokohama Avid TRZ as the top rated all weather tire, followed by the Bridgestone Turanza LS-T.

You can check out the full list here:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ST

The results for winter tires were a little different from the all weather tires.  Of the performance winter tires, the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D came out on top, with the Dunlop Winter Sport M3 and the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 following.  For studless ice and snow tires, the top three were the Michelin X-Ice, Bridgestone Blizzak REVO 1, and Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 respectively.  There was only one studded tire that made the list.  The Pirelli Winter Carving studded tire received the highest rating in this category; however, it is unclear how many studded tires were tested.  Results seem to indicate that the Pirelli was the only one in the running.

Check out the full results here:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=W&VT=C

Do I Really Need All Weather Tires?

This is probably the first question on a person’s mind when considering purchasing all weather tires.  The answer will be determined by your driving needs and often by your location.  If you drive in an area with regular heavy rains such as Florida or the Northwest, which combines heavy rains with steep terrain, then you would definitely benefit from owning good all weather tires.  Standing water can cause your car to hydroplane and lose control if your tires are not designed to keep traction in heavy rain conditions.  If you drive anywhere in areas that experience heavy snow, then a good all weather tire is almost imperative.  Snow combined with icy conditions, especially in steep terrain, requires winter tires, possibly ones with studs.

The choice of whether to buy all weather tires is up to you.  When you consider that your car is a large investment, it is important to protect that investment by having the best equipment for safe driving.  More importantly, your passengers are precious cargo.  Your car has a lot depending upon its performance, and your tires are the only things keeping your car on the road.