Home » Winter tires or all season tires? Here’s how to choose the best solution

Winter tires or all season tires? Here’s how to choose the best solution

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In the winter season, in areas where the climate is colder, changing tires is a positive practice, but not mandatory. In fact, the winter tires option to alternate with the summer ones can be replaced by that of moving towards the All Seasons, which are good all year round. However, the choice must be made carefully considering the areas in which you move the most, the mileage and the type of car, since the two types of tires offer different performance and durability.

Winter tires, two different species

To meet the legal obligations, simply M + S branded tires born for Mud and Snow are also sufficient, the thermal ones are recognizable by the symbol in which the silhouette of a mountain encloses a snowflake. The so-called Three Peaks Mountain Snowflake pictogram. The former have less suitable characteristics for driving on whitened surfaces and even less on slightly icy ones, while guaranteeing good traction and valid safety parameters on surfaces that are not excessively snow-covered. The latter are decidedly more specialized for use on low-grip surfaces, because they combine the tread pattern that ensures high grip, thanks to the grooves that allow the wheel to cling to the snow, a structure consisting of a compound that offers a optimal taken when the temperature is low. Precisely for this reason they ensure high safety standards even when the road surface is not whitened, but the temperature drops below 7 °. In these situations they not only offer better grip but also smaller stopping spaces. In addition, on wet surfaces, thanks to the tread pattern, they remove the risk of aquaplaning.

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Opting for rotation between summer and winter tires involves costs, which go beyond that of tires which, in the long term, can only be considered an advance payment of the normal tire change imposed by wear. In fact, the life cycle of the summer train is extended. The costs to keep in mind are the possible choice of a set of dedicated rims and, alternatively, those related to assembly and disassembly at changes of season, the calibration of the Tpms (the inflation pressure detector) and the storage of the set. of tires that temporarily hibernates. For safety purposes, even if it is not mandatory, on two-wheel drive cars it is advisable to mount winter tires on all wheels and not only on traction ones, while on all-wheel drive ones they must be mounted on all wheels.

All Season tires

Assuming that some models, in particular SUVs, are equipped as standard with four-season tires that can be used all year round, we must ask ourselves if the All Seasons are really convenient for everyone. In fact, at first glance many factors suggest that they are the right choice. In reality, this option is not generally applicable because four-season tires are convenient when on average 15 thousand kilometers are traveled per year and are used in temperate climate zones, where only in exceptional cases the road surface is covered with snow or ice.

It is no coincidence that they are technically defined as weakened winter tires, even if the Three Peaks Mountain Snowflake pictogram certifies that they have passed specific homologation tests for use on snow-covered and low-grip surfaces. On the other hand, the All Seasons are not ideal for those who on average travel more than 20 thousand kilometers a year, live in cold areas or often frequent mountain areas in the winter. In fact, especially with two-wheel drive cars, in case of heavy snowfalls, they do not guarantee the same performances as thermal tires. To assess whether all-season tires are the right choice, we must also consider that with high temperatures they tend to wear out more quickly than in summer. In fact, their rather soft compound is inspired by that of thermal tires.

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