The benefit of winter tyres: summer vs. all season vs. winter

[@timothygermann780]

From the video it looked like All seasons performed just moderately less then winter tires while the summer tires were much worse. My guess is that unless you live in a climate that sees snowy icy conditions all winter long, All-seasons will probably fit the bill.

[@alan-yd1jg]

Winter tires are made for lower temps than all-seasons. When you drive in temperatures below 32 you will feel a improvement over all-seasons.

[@ironbull2003]

All season tires put me into a very uncomfortable situation... lost traction going uphill, stopped and started sliding back toward a line of cars behind me. With winter tires, after coming to a complete stand still, I had no problem making it up the same hill in the same weather conditions a few days later. Don't be a cheapass, buy a set of proper winter tires. The $600 purchase will last you 4-6 seasons.

[@markwright3161]

@@ironbull2003 The fact you state price in $ makes me think you're in the US. All Season isn't the same there as here (speaking from the UK and I think I can speak for Europe too). I think you also have an all weather tyre classification over there which is more comparable to our all season classification. Your all weather tyres will have a winter symbol on them where your all seasons don't. Your all seasons are more just 3 seasons, I imagine they're just a sort of wet summer tyre, probably a bit better for dealing with standing water but no good in lower temps or snow, more of an all year round tyre for southern states, possibly how they are allowed to be called 'All Season'. I imagine the Michelin CrossClimate is an all weather tyre over there not an all season (or at least not far off all weather classification if it isn't), where it's an all season here where there's no all weather classification. Michelin CrossClimates are good for 99% of UK drivers all year round. I only mention those as that's what my experience is with, although limited I'll admit, I've not had any issues with them.

[@markwright3161]

@@alan-yd1jg I feel like you're American too (replied to ironbull first), assuming 32 is Fahrenheit. US all seasons are not the same as UK and Europe. Our All Season is more comparable with All Weather classification over there. As we don't get inches of ice and feet of snow, all seasons, or all weathers as they'd be known as in the US, would do 99% of us just fine and not compromise safety in the vast majority of conditions. Full winters in the winter conditions we have most of the time, dry/wet roads, no ice or snow, relatively mild (not often, or far below even when that is the case, the freezing point of water), they'd potentially be slightly less effective than summer tyres as it's direct contact with tarmac where a lot of sipes reduces surface area which will increase braking distances etc. Our All Seasons will be a compromise for severe winter conditions but over the course of our winters will offer an advantage with the lack of snow and ice, while being a better compound for the lower temps to then out perform summers.

[@panzerkiller13]

@@markwright3161 I've been really interested in those crossclimate tires, and I can confirm that here in the US they're marketed as a true all-season tire. They carry the 3 peak mountain with snowflake symbol which is a severe snow certification. They had just come out when I last got new tires so I couldn't find much info on them, but it seems that they're really living up to the hype! I ended up going with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ to replace the Continental DWS06s I had which would've been a little cheaper, but the Pilot seemed to edge the DWS in rain by a tiny bit and had a bit sportier handling. Considering it basically never snows or even gets below freezing where I live, the better snow performamce of the DWS wasn't needed, and I really couldn't justify spending a LOT more on the Crossclimates if I was only going to be dealing with rain and not able to appreciate their full capabilities.

[@AJ-qn6gd]

Well how about that winter tyres perform better in winter than summer tyres !

[@derbyjr]

Hmmm, yes, the floor here is made out of floor

[@RollingInMy5pt0]

I like winter tires theyre cute

[@AJ-qn6gd]

@@RollingInMy5pt0 I’m glad I’m not the only one with a tyre fetish 😜🇬🇧

[@mikaelafox6106]

Wait, what happened to the all season tires?

[@trevorshields7347]

Hood point. Maybe they didn't do as well as expected

[@DUMB_AND_DUMBERER]

@@trevorshields7347 OR BETTER...NO NEED FOR WINTER TIRES THEN.

[@jsdhillon6134]

@@DUMB_AND_DUMBERERfitting name

[@radiocontrolled9181]

​@@trevorshields7347It's actually the opposite. They did so well that they would've shown that you don't really need winter tires after all as the difference is minimal.

[@blankseventydrei]

@@radiocontrolled9181 it depends, in my area where we get light snow All season tirey wold be fine but if I go to the mountains with heavier snow fall, then all season will perform worse. just pick in the tires that fit your environment.

[@nickcastings1568]

1:10 they are both supposedly doing the same speed yet the two ghost cars seem to show differently!

[@Patrycjusz-qr2rd]

Reading the comments is always fun,so many opinions from the "smart" guys. I live in place where we have a proper summer and propper winter and i have 2 sets of tires summer tires for aummer and winter tires for winter. For me the changing point is snow on the road or around 7° C. No point to overcomplicate. I also have a reserve emergency car for whole family with the set of snow tires just in case

[@adisharr]

Why no all-season comparison on all tests? That's a bit of fuckery.

[@markwright3161]

@marc henry If even the AS is outperformed by the winters then show it. They're trying to sell winters as an alternative to running summers all year, but including AS in accelerating and braking suggests they're trying to say having separate summer and winter sets is better than running 1 set of AS. I imagine the difference between winter and AS wasn't enough to justify paying for 2 sets of tyres and instead just sells AS more for providing a much better all year round average, especially for the UK climate. They're also exaggerating the numbers for braking distance. There's no way the AS is stopping anywhere near 179% further than the winter. 1:37 Winter stops in 2.5-3 car lengths, AS in 3.5-4 car lengths. That's at worst 40% further than winter but more likely only 33.3...% further, not near 79% further.

[@DigitusDei]

cuz it was to good to show it i guess :)) consumer must buy MORE tires :D

[@tomashons90]

For me is interesting how winter tires handling cornering hydroplaning better than summer tires. Consider that I have summer tires almost whole year and it is raining lot during spring a autumn it could be better choice allseason tire.

[@eestaashottentotti2242]

Rolling resistance and possibly durability must be better in summer tyres. Maybe there are summer tyres with better hydroplaning?

[@cyunczykg]

They campared old generation of all-season to newest winter. I wonder how would perform modern all seasons like Michelin CrossClimate, Goodyear Vector 4Seasons G2 or Continental AllSeasonContact. What about wet conditions with temperatures slightly obove 0 degrees?

[@noudialp]

Nokian's All Season tires are almost as good as their winter tires. Maybe even better. My 4x4 is running on winter tires and my wife's Ford Fiesta is running on all seasons. This winter I was so impressed with the performance of all seasons that I decided not to buy winter sets anymore.

[@wileycoyote556]

@@noudialp I just watched an ice test of both and the winter version was far better. Maybe the vehicles aren't equal

[@noudialp]

@@wileycoyote556 Yeah, there are a lot of variables. Even the same brand of tyres in different sizes do no perform the same

[@oldschoolchannel7402]

Exactly the new 4 seasons are amazing uniroyal one are doing an amazing job and can keep under the hot weather in Spain the summer no problem.

[@SarcasticComments23]

I went from Blizzaks and upgraded to CrossClimate2’s and will never go back

[@the_batmobile0.4]

The road I'm Canada are usually worst than than this where u test, from slushy and freezing in -12c here Canada

[@dg115]

funny how the all season tyres didn't do all the tests. Seems to me unless you live above the artic circle all season would be best. plus you wouldn't have to buy 2 sets of tyres for the year. How thick do you think people are bridgestone.

[@DanielSadjadian]

Djg yeah I really don't see what's wrong with all season tyres. They do the job just fine.

[@gpurger]

Why weren't the all season tyres shown in the handling section?

[@wastelander6341]

Is this the fwd version of the a3 or the awd?

[@jongiant]

Someone needs to go back to school and retake their mathematics! No way did that all season tyre have a braking distance of 179% of the winter tyre!!!!! The cynic in me thinks someone is trying to scare the public into buying more tyres!!!!

[@QiuyuanChenRyan916]

Depends on the surface temperature. 179% seems a bit more but not surprised to me.

[@ercanmanias]

PR

[@hirokomlm131]

What's the benefit of summer tires vs winter tires in hot weather?

[@Crottedenez1000]

The difference between winter and summer tires is not only the profile pattern but also the composition of the rubber. Winter tires have much more soft rubber in order to “stick” better on cold surfaces, whilst summer tires behave almost like some “plastic” since their rubber mixture is much harder. But this means also that winter tires are too soft in warm/hot conditions and they erode much faster under these circumstances ! Sports cars also loose grip in cornering when the too soft winter tires are deformed during narrow high speed turns. Under normal driving conditions, I used to “finish” winter tires during the summer when their profile isn’t deep enough anymore to guarantee a good grip in our snowy winter conditions for another winter. I never was a fan of all season tires since they still perform worse in winter rather than true winter tires, while still being used off too quickly during summer. Thus, all season have to be replaced more often than the winter/summer combo, yet not providing the same effect. Only disadvantage is that you need to change tires twice a year, but if you have two complete sets with rims, it takes less than ten minutes to change them by yourself and you’re good again for the next six months !

[@hirokomlm131]

@Crottedenez1000 yeah, the only downside of having multiple sets of tires/rims besides the cost is that commitment to keeping that car/truck. The last thing you want is to lose the car in an accident or theft, and now you have 4 sets of tires in your garage that won't fit your next car.

[@Crottedenez1000]

@ you mean: 2 sets ? And nobody forbids you to replace the lost car by a similar model ! Beside that, if your wheels are not in too bad condition, they still have some value on the used parts market. As well as, if you want to sell your car, you also can get a better price for it when the second set of tires is part of the deal. At least that’s the use where I live. I see more of a problem when there is no storage space available or one has two left hands and is afraid of doing the exchange himself…

[@hirokomlm131]

@Crottedenez1000 True. I say multiple sets because I can think of at least 3 conditions when I would swap tires: Long highway drives where I want quiet tires with good rain grip and good cornering without hopping, deep snow, and rocks and mud in the summer.

[@Crottedenez1000]

@ wow ! That’s very specific then ! 😉 You presumably aren’t American then, the cliche says they have most likely a different CAR for each purpose ! 😉 Best wishes and always safe driving !

[@Trisa8]

If u look closely the vehicles look like ghost 👻 going through those cones😂😂😂

[@elmannyperez3780]

It was a comparison of both cars' run at the same time

[@MarijanOlic]

Bridgestone is the best tire, but it is VERY HARD to find it. I am sorry for that.

[@leloch8660]

Why didnt they compare best Bridgestone tyres in all 3 categories? That will propably show not many benefits for winter tyre.

[@stephenjones8928]

Does that mean I can drive like a maniac with winters on?

[@sinmoto1220]

In the summer winter tyre spend quickly.

[@brennanleslie850]

As someone who lives in Upstate New York I will never buy a Summer Tire because summer doesn’t last that long and sometimes it downpours like crazy in the summer.

[@Itsme-vo4fx]

Why are there no “ALL WEATHER” tires in this comparison? There are 4 tire types, 1) Summer 2) All Season 3) All Weather 4) Winter It would have been more informative to see all 4 tire types being compared.

[@codincoman9019]

Even if the braking distance of the all-seasons/weather tyres in the winter would be only 9% bigger than that of the winter tyres, I would still purchase winter tyres for my family (and others in the traffic) safety. I tested the Michelin CC2 when launched and they are good for places where it's not freezing during winter (like Africa, Cyprus etc.), but nowhere better than the Michelin Alpin 5 (there was not yet Alpin 6, which is better, ofc) in winter conditions. I never bought such a "2 in 1" product (that is always inferior to the 2 specialised products for the extremes), even an idiot can understand this. Nowadays Bridgestone Potenza Sport and Race tyres (for street and light tracking; RE-71RS for heavy tracking) are excellent UUHP tyres for the summer (being the best in braking and wet) and the Bridgestone Blizzak 6 Enliten is the best for my (normal, not tough) winter conditions.

[@lakshya2008]

In final brake test, how come summer and winter both are running parallel on same speed, since in first test you mentioned summer was lagging behind due to less traction? Or I missed something?

[@lezhu6856]

The summer tires' lag is in acceleration, not speed. Even with reduced acceleration, there is nothing stopping the summer tires from reaching speed.

[@Lafoochen]

You missed practical reasoning lol

[@6920-n4d]

My God mahendra🙁

[@bigbro8270]

how is all-season 179% in the brake test, give me the number and math pls...

[@Thmyris]

if %100 stops at 10 meters %190 stops at 10+9= 19 meters

[@radiocontrolled9181]

​@@ThmyrisHe didn't ask for a generic example. He asked for the math and real figures of this particular test.

[@joeldecastro5380]

michelin all season tire is the best i have crossclimate its best tire for me michelin

[@gwine9087]

Put some on a few months ago, waiting to see how the perform in the snow.

[@Maciejbsbg]

My winter tires are worse than the summer ones shown in the vid

[@gwine9087]

I finally gave up on winter tires, for one big reason, cost. As I do not have the room, I have to have mine stored, by the dealer. Twice a year, I have to pay for storage and mounting. Over the years, that money could have bought me 2 sets of tires. So, this year, I am going with the Crossclimate 2's. We will see how that works out.

[@codincoman9019]

Some people are dumb enough to prioritise money over safety.

[@gwine9087]

@@codincoman9019 Let's see. A - you have no idea where I live or the weather, here. B - you have no idea if I need to drive in heavy snow. But don't let that stop you.

[@codincoman9019]

@@gwine9087 Let's check how low your IQ can go: A - As long as you believe (without checking tests' measurements) that CC2 (now third in the AS ranking, the latest #1 being Pirelli AS SF3, still far inferior to my Blizzak 6 Enliten) makes for a good performance in the winter, it is obvious you know little about tyres or you don't give a sh!t on safety; B - Winter conditions include snow, but not necessarily. The most important indicator that you need winter tyres is the temperature going below 7°C. Other indicators would be some cold wet, slush, ice etc. If you have the temperatures going low (not to mention freezing) then "congratulations" for choosing money/convenience over safety, Mr. Scrooge!

[@Crottedenez1000]

@@codincoman9019fully agree with your statement, but why being so rude and insulting ?

[@codincoman9019]

@@Crottedenez1000 There is nothing insulting in the truth. Some people's feelings may get hurt by truth, but this is their problem, not mine. Moreover, even I can be perceived as rude, how do you perceive an idiot that hits your car because he prioritized money over safety?

[@jerms08]

Tyre or Tire?

[@ABa-os6wm]

Pneus

[@dupajizsolt4875]

4 season tyre is the best tyre all day, every day.

[@johnnyoost1144]

Except when it's icy out right??

[@dupajizsolt4875]

@johnnyoost1144 😅🤣😂 I have used 4S tyres sience 2010. 😉 The Winter tyres don't save you one ice.

[@dupajizsolt4875]

@johnnyoost1144 I know. I used them on ice and I can drive 😉

[@codincoman9019]

Congratulations! 🎉 You know better than the experts like Tyre Reviews, that have videos with measurements that clearly show that winter tyres are better than all-seasons/weather tyres in winter conditions. I guess you also have unicorns farting on you.

[@dupajizsolt4875]

@codincoman9019 🤣😂😅

[@Marcin-lp4qi]

Go to school. Take a look at 1:49 - so it's 100, 179 and 233 and now look at cars - "all season" is 1 meter in front of "winter" and "summer" is like 10 meters in front of "all season". If your engineers are as stupid as you marketing department workers, that god bless users of your tires...

[@michaelmurphy337]

is percent there talking about not meters or feet and the summer tires does look like it took 2 as far to stop

[@redguard128]

@@michaelmurphy337 If the percentages are correct, and if the winter tire stopped the car in 10 meters, then the All Season stopped it in 18 meters while the winter tire in 23 meters. Judging by their position the All Season is closer to the winter tires than the summer ones ( even though 18 is closer to 23 than to 10 in reality). Judging by the footage, the All Season were 5 meters ahead while the summer tires were 15 - 20 meters ahead (based on the length of 4 meters for the cars).

[@ChilliPlantOwner]

That doesn’t look like 80% longer to stop to me.

[@drakekennedy2353]

This sounds like the guy who did the Lego City commercials.

[@MA-ik8bh]

I like how he didn’t show all season tyre on the obstacle avoidance test, which means all season is just as good as winter tyres, unless you are in most of year round heavy snow even then you would need tyres with spikes or chains. Should mention tyre rubber farming slavery by Bridgestone and other big brands. Video where does tyre rubber come from or how they’re made. Must watch. I find mid range are good enough unless you’re driving a very high performance car. And they are all made in china same factory as other tyre ranges.

[@claudiocorleone7856]

Give me a break if you know how to drive especially in winter four seasons is all you need.

[@GG-cn6es]

imo if it's not studded it's not a winter tire. Winter = snow and ice. If you want maximum traction on snow and ice, you need studded tires.

[@MEdGrant]

Most North American jurisdictions prohibit the use of studded tires because they tear up the road surface. AFAIK, only the northern areas of Canada permit them.

[@ghitaciprian]

If it's rubber it's just fine !

[@gwine9087]

You have never driven on ice.

[@Doodookakadoodoo]

Cheap commercial

[@almazen4145]

In summer, winter tyres are too slow

[@codincoman9019]

If you are so dumb to use winter tyres during the summer, then you get a stupidity prize.

[@shiftyshamsk]

Be more interesting if they tried condoms, ribbed VS smooth.