Winter Tires VS All-Season Tires

Remember the heavy, clunky, noisy “snow tires” or “mud grips” that were on the back of your dad’s Buick wagon? Those are a thing of the past today.

Modern winter tires rival the best all-season or touring tires in terms of handling, road manners, noise level and ride quality…except they can deliver real traction in snow and slush when the going gets difficult. They’re designed with a pattern of sipes, tiny slits that offer hundreds of extra biting edges to dig in and claw through snow and slush, as well as a more aggressive, deeper tread that helps evacuate slush and snow away from the tire’s contact patch to avoid hydroplaning. More importantly, though, winter tires are designed with a tread formulation that stays flexible in cold weather…unlike all-season tires or other designs that harden and stiffen up in sub-freezing temperatures, and can’t connect and deliver traction on snow and ice.

If you have occasion to drive in really severe conditions, you might want to consider a set of studded tires. Studded tires are pre-drilled with small holes so that it’s easy to hammer in a couple of hundred tiny metal studs that can help traction on ice, heavy snow or slush. Studs, of course, are designed to be removed once the temperatures rise and the ice melts.

All-season tires are great for most situations, but like the name implies, all-season tires are a compromise at best. They might be great in wet weather or light snow, but when the going really gets tough you can’t always count on them to get you through.

Shop Winter Tires in Toronto, Ontario

At the Tire Terminal near Toronto, ON, we’re a proud member of the Goodyear Tire & Service Network. That means we carry winter tires from the Goodyear/Dunlop/Kelly family and are a certified service center for the network. Do you have a good set of winter tires for your vehicle? You know it’s going to get rough this winter. Give us a call, make an appointment and we’ll get you set up with what you’re looking for…and at a price point that’ll treat your wallet right.