4WD All Season vs 2WD Winter Tires - Do you need winter tires if you have AWD?

/ jonathan__benson
Do you need winter tires if you have an AWD (all wheel drive) / 4WD (4x4 four wheel drive) system and good american all season tires?
To find out, I test a 2wd pickup truck with winter tires, against the same truck with 4wd engaged and all season tires.
The tests in the video include acceleration and braking on snow, a snow hill climb and the important snow handling test to see whether AWD and all season tires can beat winter tires with RWD.
Note, I know I use 4x4 and AWD interchangeably in the video.
Winter tires are sometimes called snow tires.
The tires used in this video are the excellent General Grabber Arctic and General Grabber HTS60.
www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre/Gene...
www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre/Gene...
---
Instagram - / tyre_reviews
Facebook - / tyrereviews
---
Music by epidemicsound.com/

[@tyrereviews]

This is the start of a LOT of winter content coming, so make sure you've subscribed and hit that bell icon if you haven't already. It should be a new video every few weeks until December 🥳

[@olaf9198]

Yeah! IT is great that you do stuff we as subscribers ask! Since IT does make a difference, i like every video when the content is good (do every video with you :p)

[@nikolaystoykov9413]

Good stuff. Maybe do a snow/ wet performance comparison on the same make and model tyre, but with different tyre widths ( narrow vs normal vs wide). Also would LOVE to see a AT tyre snow/ wet performance test. ( maybe AT vs MT vs winter vs all season street).

[@Paul-pj5qu]

I really like these winter tire videos, very helpful. BI an hoping you will have some content that applies to climates and locations (I thing it would be mostly b large urban centres) where there is only occasional big snow falls, but mostly with temperatures between -8 to +5, with the roads salted (meaning roads are mostly either wet or clear and dry, not icy or snow packed). What is safer all seasons (which I assume will have better wet and dry breaking than snows) or snows, especially if you have all wheel drive. I know this is very specific, but increasingly in the northern US and southern Canada (I live in Toronto) these are the types of conditions faced. I have come to the conclusion that overall, all seasons are safer than snows more often than not in these mixed conditions. Cheers, it is a great service you provide!

[@NN-rd3mk]

All seasons/winter tires are obsolete for most people. All weather tires are suitable for most people in the snow. Better than some winter tires in snow and ice and can be left on all year. Far cheaper since no ugly rims, storage or changing twice a year. They qualify as a winter tire where it's required. Nokian WR G4 or Toyo Celsius. All seasons are obsolete now. Why would you put a tire on that's terrible in the snow so only really 3 seasons? Winter tires are also obsolete for most people. All weathers are rated to last 100K km and there is no noise like many winter tires.. Once OEMs put all weathers on new cars and people find out they are fantastic in the snow and ice most people won't bother with winter tires. Search KZbin for "Tip of the Week: All Weather Tires". Search KZbin for "New All-Weather Tires Outperform Some Snow Tires | Consumer Reports"

[@rondhole]

This it's exactly why American only buy all season tires in 90% case. All season is last much longer, grip well in summer and decent in winter. Only European are really finicky about changing to summer and winter. It's only relevant for people who drive in track or 300 kmh in summer with summer tires.

[@jackiejorpjomp]

Awd is good for acceleration. Winter tires are good for turning and braking, which is more important for safety.

[@josefavi2539]

I agree. Also I think there is so much difference in the acceleration because the pick up has no weight on the rear axle.

[@neilmurphy845]

The only problem is that only a mouth or 2 or like hear in Ireland where I live it very rarely snows so it's very tricky which tire do I buy

[@tyrereviews]

Absolutely

[@richardsmith5249]

@@neilmurphy845 I'm dealing with pretty much the same situation in Scotland here, although we do get more snow. I go for an all season tyre that's good in the wet, with snow performance a secondary consideration.

[@neilmurphy845]

@@richardsmith5249 ya that's the only thing you can do I guess or have separate rims for the winter and summer

[@johnhufnagel]

You've demonstrated something that, sadly, most Americans refuse to recognize: 4WD is GREAT for improving the GO in the snow, but HORRID for improving the WHOA. Soooooo many people drive WAY TOO FAST in the snow in their 4WD/AWD SUVs around here, and ditch (bin) them constantly because of it. NEVER DRIVE FASTER THAN YOU CAN STOP! That's a rule people just don't remember any longer.

[@wildbill23c]

Here in Idaho most of the vehicles you find in the ditches are 4WD and AWD vehicles for sure....and tires have nothing to do with those issues its 100% driver stupidity....it wouldn't matter in their case what tires they had, they plain just have no clue how to drive, they feel the 4WD or AWD system makes them invincible. The FWD cars, vans, etc. all just drive right on my all those ditched 4x4's and AWD's LOL.

[@montypizzle5780]

Indeed. They also don't understand the concept of tapping brakes. It really doesn't matter what you drive, just how you drive it. RWD is great in the snow, and very fun if you know how to have fun with it safely. The only time I almost got into an accident was when someone in a Jeep patriot nearly rear ended me when it was snowing lol.

[@ilikerealflight]

Felt that the other day when I caught with my pants down and drove home on ice with my old worn AT's (last drive for those tires, replacing next year). Had traction control turned off, main roads were salted so I was fine in 2WD, I then turned off the main road onto a side road. Touched the gas in second and just about spun out. Regained myself, straightend out and tried again. Almost spun again. Seeing no-one was a round (2:30 am), I decided to test the braking. Was shocked how poorly it reacted, don't think I've ever felt my abs kick in like that before (second winter with truck). Swapped to 4WD, acceleration felt like a whole new vehicle, but braking was still tragic. Swapped on my Hakkpelitta R3's the next day

[@Beary98]

@@wildbill23c I lived 13 miles off the highway on a winding, hilly road for a long time up around sandpoint here. Constantly stuck behind subarus, suvs and bug trucks on shitty tires.... I drove a 2000 ford taurus at the time then later 98 grand prix, on blizzaks both were damn near unstoppable. Anywhere i couldn't go forward, I could go backward :p!

[@JackOfHearts42]

Here in Canada, i drive in the county to work. It's always SUVs and trucks in the ditch i see, very rarely cars. I think it's totally and overconfidence thing, and all-season tires probably.

[@xman21196]

I’d love to see a FWD vs AWD with all season and winter tires

[@baohoaily]

For parity vs the previous video, absolutely.

[@upstandingkam]

Yea that’s what they should’ve done

[@LTVoyager]

It would be much closer, but I still put my money on AWD/4WD, particularly if you have a locking rear diff as I have in my pickup.

[@scottwhitley3392]

Yeah RWD in a pickup that has absolutely no weight over the rear axle is useless in the snow.

[@Ichibuns]

That's tough to test. There is a huge difference in how each AWD system works. A few barely work at all. Others work extremely well. I think we need to test different AWD systems first

[@youtubeviewer2919]

Have no snow in my country.. but I’m still watching this

[@neilmurphy845]

Me to

[@glenpearce3883]

No snow? How boring. Come play in the snow somewhere soon, it’s a blast.

[@montypizzle5780]

@@glenpearce3883 Especially if you have a Crown Vic to do some Norwegian style drifting hehe.

[@SPACEMIKEB]

I live in Florida and really like watching this.

[@Northbound_I95]

​Yo yo 😎 @@iknowbinary

[@Insert_Coin_Here]

Of course you need winter tires for awd. Awd is only helping for the starting movement. Still need to steer and brakes which so much safer with proper winter tires.

[@ecospider5]

If you want to go fast get all wheel drive. If you want to get there safe get winter tires. If you want to get there fast and safe get both.

[@dazdbog1063]

What about 2wd + all season tires?

[@Xanthopteryx]

The only difference between AWD and 2WD is that you get further out in the terrain with AWD (a known saying for all the tow people during winter).

[@gogmorgoaway]

@@Xanthopteryx Yup. 4x4 just gets you twice as stuck.

[@snapdragogon69]

Don't forget, proper 4x4 (probably not the modern garbage) also helps when decelerating not just accelerating. e.g. a RWD will oversteer when you lift off and a 4x4 will not.

[@2007MXV]

Everytime it snows here, the first vehicles in the ditch (either buried to the axles, on their sides, or upside-down) are 4WD pickups.

[@wildbill23c]

4x4's and AWD's every snowstorm are the ones you find in the ditches in Idaho. They think that 4x4 or AWD makes them invincible....tires don't matter when you have a moron driving. I love my snow tires, Blizacks this year again. Never any problems regardless which vehicle I drive.

[@iamrambo99]

It's because of all that big dick energy, they drive too fast

[@johngaudet6316]

Because to heavy to turn and stop safely and the rear to light. Small cars with winter tires much safer.

[@car24dude]

That’s because they think they own the road.

[@johnrustad8540]

Its cuz they leave it in 2wd all the time

[@EthanWainland]

Finally! The test I've been waiting for!

[@sergioserramusic]

This channel should have 10 times the subscribers, its content is on point!

[@mieszkooracz7370]

This was cool! You can't even imagine how many questions you have answered!

[@tyrereviews]

Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@volodymyrzakolodyazhny7740]

That is a test I wanted and waited for long time!

[@kevincraftsbcs4488]

Splendid test! My new favorite channel.

[@squangan]

In North America’s far north I had always driven full size 4x4 pickups with good all season tires on them year around because those were the tires available to us at the time.When dedicated winter tires starting gaining in popularity I was firmly in the ‘who needs winter tires’ camp. Finally about 10 years ago more out of curiosity than anything I finally put a set of winter tires on my truck of the time and was quite shocked at how much better the truck handled. I no longer had to subconsciously gauge sliding and drifting distances from experience while driving as the vehicle mostly started, stopped, and steered just like it did in the summer. I haven’t gone back to all seasons in winter since then.

[@NJRD977]

The point about cornering and braking is absolutely key - near me there is a long steep gently curving main road and every time we get the English 2 days of snow, you will see stranded big 4X4s on 'all season' tyres where their owners have discovered that their 4x4 can start but gravity and compacted snow decides their direction of travel and when they get to stop

[@darrenbaker2955]

I've been looking for a video like this. Every video is 4wd summer vs 2wd winter so it's good to see this comparison. Great vid, looking forward to your upcoming content!

[@tyrereviews]

Glad you liked it!

[@alltheboost8016]

As always, great content and we appreciate all your hard work that goes into making these videos

[@tyrereviews]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@TranceFur]

Great demonstration. Makes sense, because my VW R32 on A/S tires always was surprisingly effective on snow.

[@tyrereviews]

I bet that's good fun!

[@Snadzies]

There was a 2 year period where I had an AWD WRX with all season tires and my mom had a FWD Saturn with snow tires and if I had to choose which one I wanted to drive in some ugly winter weather it would be that FWD Saturn with snow tires. The WRX could get going fine but braking and cornering got rather sketchy at times where as the Saturn felt completely stable and in control.

[@nothinglike1586]

Going out on a limb: FWD with winter tires on this pickup truck with all the weight in the front (or RWD with a weighted down/full truck bed) would have outperformed the AWD all-seasons.

[@perakojot6524]

It depends a lot on type of A/S tyres. American A/S tyres are usually more winter tyre oriented than European A/S tyres.

[@sdrubaa]

@@perakojot6524 i use european all season tyres and have no problem on snowy conditions. Currently living at Auvergne in France at 950m altitude with snowy roads between December and March. Can actually say i prefer my all season's to the blizzak's lm001 i had before.

[@michaelluttmer2486]

When I owned an 04 STI and snow crossed that car on some Toyo All Seasons (stupid because I was 24), that was SO much fun because of the controllable slip Jonathan enjoyed in the truck. That car could anywhere, even on low profile all seasons, never realized how close I was from getting stuck until I got snow tires on the car and was like..Oh My.

[@goaliedude32]

I put a set of good winter tires on my stock rims for my 5 speed impreza and bought aftermarket rims that had my nice summer tires on them. absolutely worth it to switch to winter tires when there's decent snow planned

[@evansisgreat]

Really interesting stuff as usual. Not entirely what I expected either, I guess that's why you do these things! Food for thought after the all season comparison you did.

[@battlement]

Thanks for doing these winter tests. Extremely helpful!

[@tyrereviews]

Glad you like them!

[@chrisjxn]

I love your channel and this is a test I've been waiting for. I would have really liked to have seen more on turning and braking (including things like "winter tires + 2WD stopped x feet / meters sooner than all-season tires + 4WD"). This video confirmed what a lot of us already intuitively understood: AWD provides a traction advantage under acceleration that is far greater than the advantage provided by winter tires. The vast majority of Americans -- even those who live in winter climates -- don't seem to understand that AWD does nothing to help you stop or turn and they feel like AWD is all that's needed for driving in the snow. I live close to Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, and Solitude in Utah. We have a traction law in the canyons leading to these ski areas that requires (a) AWD and M+S (i.e. all-season) tires or (b) 2WD and three-peak mountain snowflake (i.e. winter) tires. Seems like a miss to me, but I guess by the time these vehicles are coming down (when tires are way more important than AWD), the roads are pretty clear and plows are doing their thing...

[@ProjectExMachina]

"Editing magic"

[@tehblizz]

lol

[@M.TTT.]

uh yeah?

[@Bournefort]

That was a cool drone shot. I was surprised that the DJI drone was able to stay in the exact same spot for both runs.

[@ProjectExMachina]

@@Bournefort it prolly didn't thus editing magic

[@ozgurunaldi]

So, you decided to wear properly for winter this time! :) Love your comparisons, thanks a lot!

[@baneblade48]

Awesome, thanks for the vid! I've been on the lookout for this since the H/T vs A/T vs M/T video. I'm proud to say I have the HTS60s on my 2014 Sierra 4x4 for the Canadian winter.

[@tyrereviews]

Great choice :D

[@BiggMo]

This test is relevant for us here in the NW US. Thank you

[@javabeanz8549]

places like Redding and Portland can be quite entertaining in a snow storm, if you can find a safe place to watch the roads from.

[@BiggMo]

I grew up in Portland OR. Snow there is usually barley frozen and as a result cars quickly polish it to an ice. The colder snow like up at Mt. Hood or Eastern Oregon is actually easier to drive in.

[@theroyalcrownedtiger2946]

My early 90's Cavalier does surprisingly well, even in deep snow, with set of 4 winter tires on it.

[@iamthecheese2737]

That's really most fwd "small" cars of that size. Cavaliers, Neons, Focus etc, (Step up from compact). They were lighter, but what weight there was was almost 75% on the front. Where all the "get going" and "stopping" components are.

[@rm0234]

Been waiting for this for years.. finally

[@GMCGUY-]

Because of you I bought the right tires because of your videos about a year ago thanks man you save me a big Headache and you save me money from not buying the wrong tires

[@matthewmosca3984]

Great comparison! Once you drive through a nasty winter storm on ice all you’ll ever want is 4WD/AWD with winter tires. Trucks are great but transfer case binding and low weight on rear tires make them tricky. Still drive one though!

[@tyrereviews]

Great point!

[@Xanthopteryx]

Studded, Nordic winter tires. Those are the best. In the world!

[@procerator]

I am waiting for this year`s "Best 2020 winter tyres" video :)

[@tyrereviews]

I'm working on it :)

[@reinulf656]

@@tyrereviews yayyyy :)

[@ertsec]

I’ve never been more excited to watch this

[@tyrereviews]

I hope it was worth the excitement!

[@SkyboundMar]

Your videos are just so relaxing and informative. I can watch all day!

[@tyrereviews]

Glad you like them!

[@william_hartman]

Excellent video! I think this helps prove that unless you live in a place where snow is covering the roads for multiple months of the year (as in not plowed or melted quickly), a 4wd vehicle with good all season tires is more than adequate to keep you safe and in control.

[@ms-jl6dl]

How about "all weather" tyres instead?

[@frank3722]

This only shows the affect of weight bias. There was no weight on the rear wheels so of course they will behave poorly

[@clintsmitheman6512]

4x4 with all season tires okay as long as you're only driving on flats and in light powdery snow. I live in the Central Sierra of California . . . . difference between the "Flat Landers" who drive up the hill to ski on weekends and the locals are the difference in tires. Flat Landers drive with All Seasons and they are the ones always sliding off the road when the conditions get challenging regardless of vehicle or drive. The locals that put on their snow tires (and also know you have to drive slower and use the engine not the brakes to slow down) and the ones plowing ahead through a foot of fresh in a 2wd.

[@clintsmitheman6512]

@@ms-jl6dl "All Weather" - a little better than "All Season", not as good as a dedicated winter tire . . . as far as snow and ice traction. Personal experience.

[@LawrenceAbramoff]

When you are watching a video with zero relevance to you because you like the channel.

[@TheTallRaver]

Thank you for this interesting test! As always - great content!👍💪

[@AnthonyJ350]

Great video and demonstration! I run General Tire G-Max on my 350Z and Grabber ATXs on my Silverado and I do notice in the rain both vehicles have a good amount of grip. I think when it comes to compound and siping General Tire really knows what they're doing and probably why those all season tires did pretty good. I would still prefer to run a dedicated winter as I tried the ATXs in the winter last year and even with the snow flake rating, they don't feel as sure footed as a winter tire does when braking and cornering as explained in the video.

[@maciejsuchecki7653]

It's not fair for winters, with all that weight over front axle. Something like 3 series estate rear driven vs xdrive would give us more idea about differences, I reckon.

[@GravelGuerrilla]

Americans don't drive wagons. I'd like to see a limited slip rear. Not so dependent on traction control

[@JulitoPapitoo]

Pretty sure a similar test has been done on this channel last year or the year before.

[@tommy4862]

That is true, but I think this test is relevant for US market where people actually drive these pick up trucks.

[@kristiaan1]

or some bricks in the back

[@myslecinaczej8674]

But then it would not be relevant for so many front driven estates with AWD option (e.g. Audi, Volvo ). It was a great back to back test. And AWD rules! With good tires. 😁

[@ColinMill1]

For me, living in the High Peak of the UK and doing a modest 3k miles/year good all-season tyres on a Subaru with the backup of carrying a full set of chains and a shovel is the solution. I think the marginal benefit of the winter tyre has to be measured against their (generally) inferior performance outside of snow/ice conditions especially as wet conditions are so much more prevalent in most of the UK. As you demonstrated you are not reliant on keeping up momentum with the AWD + All-season combination so can take it easy and compensate for the slightly lower stopping and cornering performance of the all-season vs the winter tyre for the small proportion of the time we are driving on snow and ice.I should say that people outside the UK tend to laugh at our winter conditions but when we get a decent fall of snow followed by a few days of partial thaw and re-freeze we get the snow packing down and forming a polished ice surface that would not disgrace a skating rink. This is the point at which the people with summer tyres start to form Torvil & Dean appreciation meetings in the bottom of all the dips on untreated roads. Perhaps countries that insist on 3PMSF-rated tyres in winter have it right, at least for parts of the UK.

[@TheSWIMBEAST1]

This channel is THE tyre authority. Thanks for another great video!

[@tyrereviews]

Wow, thanks!

[@TheSWIMBEAST1]

@@tyrereviews Yes you are. I was always looking for 'independent' tyre reviews and comparisons. They just didn't exist or were really hard to find. The few that existed were from German media, but they tend to prefer German products. There were some US publications but many US tyres aren't available here. Enter Tyre Reviews, and my search ended. This is my go to source now and has been since maybe 3 years. Thanks very much.

[@tyrereviews]

@@TheSWIMBEAST1 :D I'm glad I'm useful

[@blacksaxcam]

Great info, Jonathan. Looking forward to more winter content (I live in Canada...)!

[@tyrereviews]

Thanks :)

[@abyssalguy]

Conclusion : rear 2 wheels drive is shit on snow when the engine is in the front.

[@jonup321]

In shit to drive vehicle like pickups and SUVs

[@dumahim]

Seems like a shit test vehicle and shit driving. He seems to be trying to take off too quickly so the tires are spinning to much. "Deep snow" looks like 3 inches. We just had 8 drop today and they're not going to plow because it might melt in a couple days. I've been in similar snow with my fwd car and winter tires and was pulling away from awd SUVs with their tires spinning. Rear lightness aside, I can't imagine a truck with good winter tires getting stuck in that.

[@Hans_Holt]

Hmm can’t follow you conclusion. As a BMW driver, I’ve always a lot of fun, when it snows... DSC Off ;)

[@wildbill23c]

My 84 Ford Ranger 4x2 did just fine in snow, managed through 18" of snow without chains only weight on the bed was a camper shell which provided plenty of weight to keep the truck moving. Chained up once in 22" of snow to get my 14' travel trailer about 3 feet up a steep driveway. That truck did great still miss that little pickup, although I have a somewhat close replacement, without the camper shell and a 7 foot bed VS the 6 foot bed on my 84 Ranger my current 87 Ranger does quite well also and more fun to drive as my current Ranger is a manual transmission equipped truck. Nice thing with my 84 Ranger was the automatic transmission design allowed you to manually select 2nd gear and it would remain in 2nd gear, worked great for taking off in low traction conditions.

[@stinkycheese804]

No, RWD is inferior no matter where the engine is. Extra weight for traction still does not matter as much as having the front pulling the vehicle rather than the rear pushing it, having traction in the direction you are steering too.

[@leeku7768]

Really really interesting results. I always assumed that a 2WD in winter tyres would destroy a comparable AWD with all seasons. I’ll be keeping the Audi S3 with the Michelin cross climates for the feb ski runs! Cheers mate. Excellent video as always.

[@vilkku792]

That pickup had a pretty light back so there wasn't much traction. A FWD front engine car would probably do much better. I drive a bmw and while it's fun, the RWD is definitely a disadvantage in acceleration in winter.

[@Xanthopteryx]

Depends on the type of tires. Studded Nordic winter tires are the best ones. Especially on ice, the all seasons stands no chance.

[@ms-jl6dl]

Those were american all seasons,not comparable to your michelins. European all seasons are "all weather" tyres in US. By adding 2 extra wheels (50% +)for traction you'll destroy any winter tyres in 2wd,all seasons are about 10% poorer. Audi S3 and you're driving cross climates all year round? Me - seat ibiza FWD-dedicated winter tyre + summer tyre.

[@lyletregoning4717]

Yesssss. The video we’ve all wanted this winter. Thank you!!!!

[@tyrereviews]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@lyletregoning4717]

@@tyrereviews I did. Finally confirmed if all seasons on my old rangie would be good enough for the Max 3 days snow we get here in Oxfordshire a year.

[@Cylisar]

Love this video! For a couple of reasons... Good question asked, european pickup, thorough tests... but I do enjoy Most Tyre Reviews films... Well it is nice to see someone is also enthousiastic about tires. Cheers to the entire TR team

[@Zanmiester]

i would've been intrigued to have seen a fwd car added into this too

[@therealtoine5038]

It's in the video...

[@Zanmiester]

@@therealtoine5038 idk it’s been 5 months since I watched this but I’m pretty sure it’s AWD vs RWD and not a FWD edit: just re-watched and yep nothing about a front wheel drive (FWD) even mentioned. although it would take more time and money, some of these videos would be very interesting if you added all types of drivetrains (AWD, 4WD, FWD, RWD). As I have experience driving both FWD and RWD with snow tires I can personally say I think FWD is better, unless you add weight for traction in the back of the RWD, although I would still say I like the control of the car being "pulled" with FWD as opposed to "pushed" by the RWD (although I prefer that in summer as well).

[@epiccheese911]

People that argue about all seasons being better are people that don't experience regular snow fall every day of winter, winter tires are not worth it for many in the US which is why people will argue, and they have a point. Winter tires are generally much more expensive than regular A/S or A/T tires.

[@Stephen06GT]

Thanks for the video. My new “winter tires” are going on my new F150 4x4 tomorrow. Happy motoring.

[@tyrereviews]

Well timed :)

[@peter_ry]

Great video. Keep them coming.

[@bikingmoments]

This is really my FIRST time seeing a VW pickup truck!

[@tyrereviews]

They're REALLY good

[@MOUNTY100V]

And probably the last time... next Amarok will be Ford Badge engeneering Pick up...

[@jonup321]

They are really tiny. They get lost in Texas.

[@ms-jl6dl]

You are not really a car guy. Why are you watching this?

[@mcplutt]

I drive a VW pickup truck almost every day at work.

[@Paul-pj5qu]

Having driven all wheel drive Audi's for all but 3 of the last 20 years I knew that all-wheel drive with all season tires would blow away rear-wheel drive with winter tires, and I thought they would probably be noticeably better when turning than the rear-wheel drive with winter tires, albeit requiring more attention and skill. Breaking would be the only area where the winter tires had an advantage, however, it's not clear to me that it's a total advantage because avoidance might be better with all-wheel drive. However, all-wheel drive with winter tires on all four corners is definitely the best.

[@tyrereviews]

Exactly :)

[@Xanthopteryx]

You stand no chance on ice (and especially wet ice) if you have all season AWD and compare it to studded 2WD.

[@Ktheodoss]

Superb video. Two big thumbs up!

[@tyrereviews]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@barrymccaulkiner7092]

This is the video I was asking for.

[@tyrereviews]

I hope you enjoyed!

[@666dynomax]

I'll throw another loop. Here in North America, it is very common for pickup owners to run an all terrain winter rated (3PMS stamped) tire. Theres lots of them out there that still perform very well in snow/ice and also in summer on gravel and mud. Goodyear Duratrac, BFGoodrich KO2, Toyo Open Country AT3, Faulken Wildpeak, etc etc, these are becoming a lot more common (even as factory tire options) on some larger SUV (Subaru included). Here for us they are a very good option, because "snow tires" typically go on in October and come off in April. I do not run two sets of tires nor will I ever on my pickup. Don't forget in North America pickups are the best selling vehicle here... almost 1/4 of new sales are pickups... add SUV in to that ... throw in SUV/Crossovers and you're talking nearly 3/4 the market is NOT cars/sedans/minivans. probably the opposite to almost anywhere else in the world.

[@ThreeDee912]

Nice video, maybe you could have also did a braking test to emphasize the safety between the all-season and winter tires. I'd bet the all-season would take far longer to stop as AWD doesn't really help with braking.

[@vipermoon_]

Thanks! I am deciding between these exact two configurations, in a pickup too.

[@tyrereviews]

Glad I could help!

[@kenleach2516]

What a great test! Thanks

[@tyrereviews]

Thank you!

[@Petunia31]

Trying to survive my first winter in the PNW of the states with a RWD truck (it’s not going well) Was hoping this test would have gone differently so I could have just justified buying better tires and not a whole new vehicle, but alas...

[@lehoff]

Ultimately Winter Tyres + 4WD is the ultimate combo, but a good compromise is a good All Season tyre. Personally I prefer changing tyres depending on the season, in a lot of European countries (especially around the Alps) you have to change to winter tyres in the winter legally. i.e. if you have a crash with summer/sports tyres in winter you'll get a fine / points etc... That said for something like a pickup truck where summer performance is less important, an all season tyre makes perfect sense.

[@tyrereviews]

A lot of our new all season tyres do qualify as winter legal :)

[@lehoff]

@@tyrereviews absolutely - so it's a good way of saving money, Great review as usual Jon - gutted no 'guns' on show today, but it was a little cold it seems ;)

[@MarthaMansbridge]

Already bought Hancook for one of our cars based on your videos, having had a puncture on a fairly new, summer tyre, and having recently moved to the Moors in Northern England (where steep hills, wet weather and snow is pretty much guaranteed from about now until March, I had a choice to either replace the £150 SUV Summer tyre or swap them all for all-season - I went for Hancook Kinergy because they were top 3/4 for all tests rather than excellent in one and terrible in others. Your videos are exceptional, so well explained, detailed and dare I say, geeky! - there are no others like them. Huge thanks and congratulations on your channel, bit of a google of you and your channel - massively impressed with your story and your hard work on the website and the channel! really appreciate the effort!

[@tyrereviews]

Thank you for the kind words :)

[@rarelyaccurate6252]

Great video as always.

[@tyrereviews]

Thank you!

[@blumix5441]

Hey, can you (next time) do 4 versions, these + 4wd with winter + 2wd with all season.

[@lfsracer79]

2:55 7:59

[@jorbjorb1]

I wish we had that Amarok in North America.

[@KF1]

That's exactly why I clicked. Then oh, a Brit is going to tell me here in Canada all about snow driving? Well, have at it, then.

[@daoyang1562]

Really interesting thanks for doing this test! I was almost done with the video when I started to ask the question, how much better would the winter tires be in 4wd, and then you answered my questions right at the end. Thank you sir!

[@tyrereviews]

:D

[@RCproject18]

That's a good test and I'm not surprised that the 4x4 system on all seasons gave better acceleration. A test that is like to see is a fwd car on winter tires vs an AWD car on all season. I have winter tires on my fwd car and I've never driven a car with that much grip in the snow.

[@ouch1011]

As an American that has used many different "American" all season tires, my experience is that at least for the weather we get around here, all season tires are downright dangerous in the winter weather we get here. When it snows here, it will often thaw a little during the day, and freeze again at night, so we end up with compacted snow with a layer of ice on top. If it snows overnight, it's snow on top of ice and compacted snow. There is no combination of all season tire and drive train that will navigate these road conditions safely, which is why anytime it snows here (not that often), it is like Armageddon. Very few people have proper winter tires, most people are driving around on bald versions of the cheapest tires they can get. For me personally, my Subaru and my Chevy Bolt have dedicated winter tires, because I my job expects me to be at work everyday, regardless of weather.

[@tyrereviews]

Not going to argue with your experiences :)

[@georgejohnson7591]

Pretty much sums up the UK too, all of what you said!

[@robi4387]

As @George Johnson says, sad but true. A For Sale ad reads: 'Good tread on all PingPong tyres' - like they are a selling point.

[@RichardStefanits]

Oh there are people around here who are confident that summer tyres could be fine on winter. Now, there is only a thin layer of ice/compacted snow/ice of compacted snow/ fresh snow on ice of compacted snow (which here is not that uncommon) is needed to lose your grip and crash your car and even a tiny touch of damage on the car can cost you all the savings you made on tyres. On a miscalculated turn here and there and your savings on tyres goes out of the window. I don't really understand these people. They spend a fortune on new cars then they cheap out on tyres and service and risk all their investment.

[@georgejohnson7591]

@@RichardStefanits It's why the UK grinds to a halt with a light dusting of snow, very few gears up for it.

[@sekopiski]

0:01 I see proper nordic winter tyres on the Amarok. Why didn't you test them too?

[@TopiasSalakka]

I think they're testing that in an upcoming video.

[@RdVortex]

Would have also loved to see a comparison to those ContiVikingContact 6's.

[@Paratyphi]

I didn't watched it yet, but i have already liked it. I keep it for my evening tea.

[@tyrereviews]

I hope you enjoy it :)

[@Paratyphi]

@@tyrereviews Enjoyed it from the first second to the last!

[@robertodelisa1544]

Thank very much for this review... I was undecided whether to change my all-season in my 4x4 before going to the helps but having a lot of motorway to do....

[@JaZoN_XD]

I wonder how much difference the drivetrain is when in different modes. Looks like open rear diff TC cuts all power all the time, whereas the center diff lock mode lets you actually spin the wheels

[@M.TTT.]

hm, good point. Should use a more basic vehicle with less electronic crap to test or turn off all of it.

[@JCintheBCC]

@@M.TTT. Yes, but this is a pretty accurate representation of most modern AWD/4WD cars and the way they behave. If you run the test with locked center and rear diffs, the test is irrelevant to even most AWD/4WD vehicles. Also, the vehicle slips backward when the TC lets the wheels spin. More spinning probably wouldn't help.

[@tyrereviews]

All electrics were off for both configs for testing

[@snek9353]

@@tyrereviews But you said traction control was doing it's thing in the vid?

[@snek9353]

This is a very complicated issue in modern vehicles, most of all AWD drive ones. With every parameter computer adjusted and so many different kinds of AWD systems no two are alike and the systems are never really off. My AWD car I can force it to do RWD only and have two stabilty/traction control settings a partial off and a full off. However even full off the computer has a winter mode based on outside temps that cuts power, slows throttle response, softens the shifts, etc. It takes a lot of tweaking with pricey aftermarket software to really turn all the nannies off.

[@benediktgartinger7465]

It would be interessting if you compare 4WD Winter vs. 4WD All-Season Tires. It is hard to compare 2WD on back axle against 4WD drive, because the whole energy gets to the back at 2WD and at 4WD you balance the energy at the whole drivestrain. And Volkswagen takes much of the engineering of 4WD from the old quattro from AUDI. :) Stay Safe and greeting from Germany :)

[@gery4870]

Already subscribed !!! Amazing content !! Keep it up !! Greetings from Barcelona !!!

[@tyrereviews]

Awesome, thank you!

[@johnscaduto9332]

THANK YOU FOR TRYING ALL CONFIGURATIONS!

[@tyrereviews]

You're welcome!

[@FredrikWS]

It would be interesting to see how it turned out if tested on ice.

[@tyrereviews]

Maybe one for another video :)

[@Xanthopteryx]

@@tyrereviews And on wet ice!

[@graememaclean7197]

I'd like to see this too. I bet that in lots of countries there are more crashes due to black ice than there are due to snow

[@k0ppit]

@@graememaclean7197 In snow you have some grip, on ice you have none. Would be a good test for studed tires.

[@TheWeakLink101]

Id love to see this exact same test done with a FWD car, I suspect a very different outcome

[@tyrereviews]

Coming soon

[@TheWeakLink101]

@@tyrereviews yes! Oh I'm looking forward to it!

[@ff4444]

Great review and beautiful video!!

[@tyrereviews]

Thank you so much!

[@Nskawtea1]

I driver my Lexus SC400 in the winter and have snow tires on it. Lovely drifting, total control, turn in is amazing, and braking. Compared to All seasons, well it’s sketchy really x) great review!

[@CalebBaker500]

I'm wondering what the results would be in a FWD configuration vs awd. Everyone claims that fwd is better for snow.

[@PavelPavlov1]

Compared to AWD? I don't think everyone claims that

[@ProjectExMachina]

@@PavelPavlov1 RWD

[@tyrereviews]

Honestly much the same, just less oversteer and potentially even less traction because of weight transfer

[@brileri]

@@tyrereviews in winter conditions weight transfer is minimal and having more mass (engine in this case) over the driven wheels is the more important factor. Easily provable if you compare RWD with light rear (like a van) to a similar weight FWD car (video idea?). Can even put them on all season tires to emphasise the differences more. Also, braking traction in snow slows you down (i.e. TC shouldn't be triggered for the fastest 0-100). Using the torque of the low RPM will get you off the line quicker, or up a hill.

[@AzNightmare]

*I can't imagine anyone would claim FWD being superior over AWD in snow... Maybe you are getting mixed up FWD vs RWD.*

[@MattWongPsyD]

If you’re going to play with a truck in the snow why didn’t you include adding weight to the bed in 2wd mode?

[@tyrereviews]

Maybe a did and that's a whole different video ;)

[@MattWongPsyD]

Can’t wait till it shows up in my feed!

[@opera93]

Thanks, that is what I do: actually about 100 LB , (Ballast near tailgate)IN MY GMC Canyon 2007/TWD/ auto/TOWING PACKAGE/LE: and the Studded winter tires here in Helena Valley, MT( interestingly HANKOOKS ON this Truck,Nokians in my JOURNEY FRONT Wh . Drive) : somehow missed getting all Wheel Drive last two Car purchases ( one here in MT),......

[@n0steeze]

I was going to say, trucks when not towing are usually front heavy. Trying to drive an empty truck up a hill with fresh snow in RWD? From a stand still?? dreaming lol

[@andrewmcnally1569]

Yes, it's not a fair comparison of your not using front wheel drive.

[@supernova1976]

Excellent test welldone

[@tyrereviews]

Thank you

[@frankfranky7410]

on an AWD and snow tires ,the winter is fun up north!

[@georgehuser4711]

Damn I'm first lol. I'm guessing the all season 4wd will win acceleration but the rest winter tyres

[@muumuumu]

winter wins on both

[@-Burb]

@@muumuumu Did you even watch the video? The 4WD all seasons destroyed the 2WD in acceleration every time. Obviously winter tires 4WD would be better but this video was about 2WD winter vs 4WD all seasons

[@zaidkidwai7831]

Me who lives somewhere where it never ever snows and I’ve only seen snow once in my life: Also me: wow this info is very useful

[@GrnXnham]

I find this interesting because there is another video on youtube showing that a front wheel drive sedan vs an all wheel drive sedan using winter vs all-season tires is a totally different animal than a rear wheel drive pickup. With their light rear end, pickups simply need 4WD much more than a front wheel drive sedan does to do well in the snow. The other video showed that a 2WD sedan with winter tires did better in the snow than an AWD sedan with All season tires. Not so with the pickup but not a surprise given that with a sedan much of the weight is up front with a front wheel drive. Still it's awesome to see someone test this. Thank you for this.

[@Jordaneal]

Thank you for this. -from the NW of USA

[@rpvnwnkl]

This is a bit of an atypical scenario since pickups have so little weight in the rear, biasing the result to favour the front wheels being driven. I know you chose the truck to have the same vehicle and be able to select 2WD vs 4WD, but it’s a caveat nonetheless. Perhaps with significant weight in the back the result would be different?

[@davidellis1355]

I thought the same thing

[@tyrereviews]

There's a video about weight in the back coming soon :)

[@alxace]

It's not an atypical scenario for pickup trucks - they mostly drive around with and empty rear, no additional weight on the rear axle.

[@kristiaan1]

it's been proven many times that good all-season is almost as good as a good winter tire, and better than cheap winter tire. what I want to know is how quickly am I gonna run down those all-seasons (which have to be softer with more thread 'cause of winter conditions) in hot summer. Isn't it better to have 2 sets just for durability in continental climates (hot summer/cold snowy winter)?

[@drazgul1]

Yeah it is, I’m Spanish and most people in Spain drive summers all year round but living in Germany having 2 sets is the norm. Workshops even keep them for you all year so you can just go in April and October (November for me, I don’t think it’s that bad in October yet) to switch them out for a small fee.

[@davidhicks4420]

Some top-end all seasons like the Michelin CrossClimate supposedly last a long time. Actually, even central European winter tyres, like the Conti TS850 last a long time if driven year-round somewhere like the UK. I think the TS850s on our A3 have something like 60,000 miles on them over 8 years, and haven't been switched to summer tyres since at least 2016. I think this is a lot down to the huge amount of tread depth on winter tyres.

[@davidhicks4420]

Also, I came to the conclusion that European all-seasons are now so good that having separate summer and winter sets in most of Europe is pointless, unless you drive regularly in the mountains or the Nordic countries (in which case you probably want some Nordic winter tyres, different again). From the test results I've seen, it appears that the latest all-seasons do almost as well as summer tyres on dry or wet roads while providing decent handling characteristics, and still do almost as well as standard winter tyres on cold wet or snowy roads. It appears that the only area that most winter tyres still have a big advantage over the all-seasons is driving on ice, but in most of Europe this is fairly rare and thus generally avoidable anyway. And again, if you live in the mountains or Scandanavia you probably just get full winter or Nordic winter tyres.

[@drazgul1]

@@davidhicks4420 I have to agree, I have a 300hp SEAT Leon Cupra now so I'd rather have all grip possible depending on season but I had a 150hp car before and didn't bother with having 2 sets, I just used the all year tires from Michelin and they lasted 4 years, 50k kilometers in all types of weather before I sold the car. I loved them and saved me a lot of hassle. They are probably still being used since they had some tread left (more than legally needed anyway).

[@stinkycheese804]

Nope, better (for most people driving an average # of miles yearly) to put a normal amount of wear on tires and replace with fresh new rubber. Old rubber hardens with age, typically no more than 5 years is best and with a typical 15K/yr drive cycle that's 75K mi, less than you should get from two pairs of summer and winter tires.

[@hooty78]

As the saying goes, a jack of all trades is a master of none

[@mussim2919]

Great video!

[@tyrereviews]

Thanks!

[@koga014]

"I'd recommend snow drifting a pickup truck to...." SNOW DRIFTING, YOU SAY?

[@nielsdebakker3283]

So conclusion: 2wd with winter tires is safer(steering and braking) than 4seasons with awd. So the best combination wil be winter tires + awd.

[@tyrereviews]

Yep :)

[@clarda1]

The difference was not as great as most people proclaimed it would be The HTS 60 is a decent all season in the snow but it is far from the best. We have all season tires that also get the server snow service rating... which almost renders the dedicated snow tire irrelevant. The Goodyear assurance weather ready is a great example of this. All season tire, 80K tread warranty, Severe snow certified.. absolute beast in the snow. Had a set on my last vehicle. 10/10 on the ice also.

[@diamondfilms5227]

Thanks Really helpful for this aussie in Canadian winter.

[@coalieroller5663]

AWD helps you go, Winter tyres help you stop. A tyre cant stop in time is still shit.

[@Huso9922]

Winter tires help with grip, awd helps with better traction.

[@gavincregan7892]

Now to really be American throw an old engine block, transmission or a half dozen sandbags in the back to show what weight in the back of a pickup does to winter performance. (Do europeans do that kind of stuff?)

[@tyrereviews]

Already done, coming soon :)

[@KeenxLimit]

Don't forget a US flag, "I love Jesus" stickers and a trump banner.

[@kps84094]

Thank you! I will be excited to see how much of a difference extra weight in the back of the truck helps with traction.

[@tyrereviews]

That video is already done :) I'll be out in a few weeks

[@myslecinaczej8674]

Those reviews would be realy great and also very useful providing that an update was given for each comparative test, considering tires material degradation with time. Is is especially important for these so called all seasons tires which looks so great when new but so much worse when used in hot summers and freezing winters. So keep the good work guys but please add such test to revel more truth!

[@tyrereviews]

Wear testing is incredibly expensive, I'm trying my best to work it in

[@rsk6882]

4WD + WT >>> 4WD +AT >>> 2WD + WT >>> 2WD AT

[@ShowMeWhatINeedToKnow]

'Murica!

[@n-da-bunka2650]

Great review. I have driven 4x4 with All season DWS06 for about 10 years and now also have an Audi S7 upon which I am placing the PS 4 All Seasons as swapping for dedicated Winter tires is not reasonable for North Carolina. Good to see that All Season 4x4 can perform so very well without having the complexity and additional expense of separate seasonal tires. #worthy

[@tyrereviews]

Good choice!

[@MrRatFinkster]

Good video. With the all season tires on my Ram, I won’t drive it in my Canadian winters. Once we get any snow or ice they’re useless and I have to go to snow tires. Maybe a good set of ATs could do it all year but definitely not the stock all seasons.

[@HorizonFarming]

"American car" most used pickup in Europe...

[@tyrereviews]

It's close enough 😅