Winter Tyres v Summer Tyres: the Truth! - Auto Express

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British motorists tend to run summer tyres on their cars all year round, regardless of the weather. However, as our exclusive comparison test shows, this can be very dangerous.
We headed to Sweden to compare the performance of summer tyres with winter tyres on snow ­ and the results were quite shocking.

[@jdzamora97]

Oh look, a young Mat Watson! Still as cool as he is today 😂

[@xhotweb]

Didn't expect that at all!

[@BaldVulture87]

in Quebec Canada the Law 42 was instituted 2007, which requires all motorists to install four winter tires on their vehicle from December 15 to March 15. As of December 15, 2014, all winter tires must be marked with the symbol of a snowflake and mountain on the sidewall. if you get pulled over and don't have the snowflake on sidewall it is 400$ ticket per tire. Best law ever passed if you ask me.

[@bramscheDave]

Yes, that makes a big difference. The German O-O is a recommendation, so you can drive in December on summer tyres, as long as the road isn't icy or snowy. But if you get caught out and it snows, before you fit winter tyres, it is very expensive. So the O-O is a good guideline to stick to.

[@joyjoyoo]

Bald Vulture kinda hoping Ontario does the same.

[@nyrockchicxx]

That's a very high priced fine.

[@sakispsinakis]

@@Ueberdoziz That is complete B.S. I rented a car in Germany from Hertz and had summer tires. I didn't check thinking it had winter. I almost got killed driving from Frankfurt to Stuttgart and back. Also in Germany no one cleans the roads and many cars speeding are seen on the side of the road recked. I thought Germany was the best place in the world to drive but Switzerland is dacades ahead of the game.

[@loveislife77]

I just spent $550 for new winter tires... that price tag hurts. This video makes me feel better about it

[@JonasGodwin]

Have you had the opportunity to test your tires in the rain or snow yet? I am contemplating getting winter tires...

[@yashpatel1431]

I paid $630, I've never driven my all seasons in the winter, so I can't really compare them to my winters, but I've never crashed and I'm a pretty shit driver so there's that.

[@Alex.AL_26]

$550 is nothing, Tires for my Mercedes cost $1200!

[@JonasGodwin]

Alex A all depends on what you buy

[@TheZXKUQYB]

Other option is buy some cheap rims so if you have 19in get 17in rim and size the tires up and go with a higher series. For example, 245 40 19 in 17 can be 245 50 17 or the cheapest version 225 55 17

[@nforne]

I've been driving in the UK for over 20 years and always drove on all-season tyres (or tires for those across the pond ;)). Then three years ago we had a particularly bad winter and there was this snow covered hill I couldn't get up. Several times I made it halfway then gradually slowed as I lost traction. I ended up turning back and doing a 10-mile detour, every day for a week. So I bit the bullet and bought a set of winter tyres. My... God... what a difference! Straight up the snowy hill like I was on tarmac! I was dubious before but as soon as I tried them... wow!! Now I may be a skilled driver, or I may not, but common sense tells me that anything that helps me stick to the road is a VERY good thing. So why are some people so against winter tyres, even after watching the compelling evidence in this video? 1. They haven't tested them for themselves (ignorance); and/or 2. They believe they're so skillful that nothing can improve their driving (over confidence).

[@DeltaCodex]

As someone who works for a major tyre company; winter tyres are worth the money when it comes to this time of year, especially here in Scotland. They are not designed solely for snow; as the video shows, they are also intended for any slippery surface including wet. The impact on fuel economy is barely noticeable and as long as you drive responsibly then they will last a decent amount of time. The only reason they are so expensive is because the rubber we use is somewhat difficult to manufacture and the process is slightly different- this is not really something that is likely to change I'm afraid, but come one, those extra few metres of stopping space might save someone's life; you can't put a price on that!

[@DataLog]

I don't think that chemistry is the main factor in higher prices. I think it's due to more complicated molds.

[@MarushDenchev]

I was actually impressed that in my country (Bulgaria) changing tires during winter/summer is a typical thing but for other countries like US/UK is something rather unusual.

[@TheMilenkata]

+Marush “Luci” Denchev да така е

[@johnmcquay82]

+Marush “Luci” Denchev It's something I'd do if they weren't so expensive by comparison.

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

+Marush “Luci” Denchev I know, I'm spend a lot of time in Sofia and come end of November, the Winter tyres go on. I suppose the UK doesn't get enough snow to justify the added expense.

[@MarushDenchev]

+Martin Jones Winter tires are not only for snowy conditions but when the temperature of the road is below 7 degrees celsius for a long period of time. That's what I know. The compound used to create the summer tire react differently with the road when the temp is below 7 and above 7.

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

Marush Denchev The problem is most British Winters are now around 7 degrees, it's just not cold enough. It hardly ever snows in the UK too, that's why 2cm of snow can shut down the country for a week. Last year was crazy in the Balkans. I drove to Belgrade, it was -24 and ½ m of snow on the side roads. It lasted for a long time too. Thankfully I had winter tyres on my car and had a 4x4 as well in the troupe.

[@jackrabbit5047]

When I was young I used to try to do it on the cheap and go through winter with my all seasons up here in Canada. It was my father-in-law who finally convinced me of the wisdom of springing for proper winter tires, when he reflected, "the cost of buying winter tires is pretty cheap compared to the cost of an accident". That pretty much did it for me, and I have dutifully switched to winter tires every November since that conversation many years ago. And I NEVER run with worn tires. Good tires are like good shoes: you can go "cheap" on many other aspects of life, but there are some things you just cannot compromise on. And that, my son, is my advice to you...

[@jackmccourt2648]

My philosophy is don't cheap out on anything that comes between you and the ground... so tyres, shoes, beds, seats etc...

[@jonnenne]

Casually saying the braking distance in meter while talking about the speed in miles per hour. Thanks imperial system!

[@RyanSargent]

Tell me about it. We lose out on so much instinctive information because the UK half arsed the metric system. Buy petrol in litres but use mpg to describe economy... etc.

[@malachy1847]

Many Cars inculding ours show the Fuel Consumption in 'Real Time' in " Litres per 100 Kilometer's" and Countdown in Kilometers left in the Tank the next top up at Service Station...

[@americannotamericant1773]

jonnenne thank the Germans then the Americans for keeping it.

[@vinnieandbee]

Dodge ft in snow

[@americannotamericant1773]

Ryan Sargent well it’s because your so ingrained with the American system that you haven’t full heartedly gotten rid of it

[@lexafied3d]

This test is not fair the red car goes faster than the white car because red is a fast color

[@petrocelly]

red is Ferrari!

[@reubin13c]

lexafied3d But its winter and white is more privileged in winter, hence its faster.

[@TobyEarnscliffe]

Red wunz go faster

[@Sicklehead88]

it suprises me that there is no law in britain which makes it mandatory to have winter tires in the winter. I mean... there is a reason why winter tires and summer tires have their specific name....

[@Autoexpress]

+Sicklehead88 In Britain we have a very unpredictable climate, which is why many don't bother changing tyres. If it doesn't snow, then they will feel their money was wasted. It's also why there isn't legislation about it.

[@Sicklehead88]

+Auto Express thanks for the reply! Despite that, I would assume that between December and February, the temperatures are nevertheless generally quite low, especially at night. If the temerature is constantly below 7°C, winter tires are the safer option, it does not need to be snowing for that. That's why I originally assumed that there was a law concerning your tires. Personally i rather spend money on the tires and be on the safe side, than playing the poker game and hoping that my summer tires will be sufficient. Basically the same reason why you have certain insurances (although since I'm German, I don't know too much about what kind of insurances are mandatory in Britain and which are not).

[@Sbayo9]

+Auto Express And also... some people are on minimum wage.

[@Sicklehead88]

Puyo Chichkovitechervenotikvenichkovcheta no one ever said that winter tires are better in wet conditions. everyone knows that summer tires are better in wet contions. but we're talking here about real winter conditions with snow and ice, not 10°C and rain. on snow and ice there is just nothing better than winter tires

[@goldbgsf]

+Sicklehead88 ''no one ever said that winter tires are better in wet conditions" - actually nearly every journalist says that winter tires are better in wet conditions under +7 C, including those writing for Auto Express and that contradicts the test results published by the very same media they are working for. Example: Winter tyres They're not just for snow and ice - winter tyres hold an advantage over summer or all-season tyres in any weather once the temperature is below seven degrees Celsius. The rubber they’re made of is better adapted to work in the cold and the tread pattern helps shift water quickly, so the tyre can grip the road. pages.citebite.com/g4k7d5v8n8tps pages.citebite.com/a4p7k5h8f3kok It is all about quality of journalism not what you say.

[@michaelkennedy8573]

Could have shown us the Winter Tyres in the summer for comparison.

[@volundrfrey896]

+Michael Kennedy Why? You should definitely not use them in the summer.

[@aibel99]

why?

[@TheMonkeyFarted]

+aibel99 they are made of a softer rubber that doesn't last as long as summer tires compound. Let's say in winter the tires get 2000 miles. But in summer due to higher temps the rubber degrades faster leading to say 1500 miles. More money less distance. It's best to switch them or if it's a vehicle that doesn't drive much all year you can leave them on year round or get a all season tires. It's a compromise of both. Not best in either but better then the summer in winter conditions.

[@halflife103]

they handle better all around. ut they'll feel squishier and wear out exponentially faster. They will also over time slowly suck away fuel economy.

[@HenkkaWRC]

@Steven Stringer Winter tired don't handle better than summer tires at summer. When the temperature gets over 10 degrees celsius the winter tire compound becomes too soft. Also winter tires water dispersing abilities are much worse than summer tires because the thread pattern on winter tires is designed to grip on snow.

[@theoriginaljean3917]

Getting them this weekend. Almost had a scary accident today. Maaaaan my heart was pumping faster than a man running away from child support.

[@StephenButlerOne]

I'd like you to do the opposite test, how safe are summer there over winter ones on normal dry road.

[@TK42138]

A set of winter tyres will still be cheaper than your no claims bonus and policy excess. They should be mandatory over here in the UK.

[@jjfkm]

Actually they hardly cost anything. When you have winter tires your summer tires wear out slower. So you practically save what you spend on winter tires on summer tires.

[@tweeny55]

jjfkm Agree.I run Bridgestone A001's on both our cars as they are a great compromise.have done for years now and swear by them

[@MrSuperpancho69]

twe enyss

[@aconroy8]

i don't know about winter tyres really being mandatory on UK roads...it snows maybe a few times a year and even then it really is nothing

[@observingrogue7652]

I'm curious. I would like to see these tests done again, with the summer tires under inflated, like just enough air, to keep the rim easily hitting the ground. I'm also interested in the snow tires being the same way, and how much they would improve.

[@Breyden79]

Very well done video. I have been an auto accident investigator for many years. Tires can make all the difference between beiing in an accident and avoiding one. Of course you must also leave proper distance between you and the car in front of you, a good rule of thumb is a car length for every 10 mph you are going until you get to higher speeds such as freeway speeds, then more room is needed.

[@3vimages471]

wow I really didn't realise there was that much improvement with winter tyres!

[@Blueknight1960]

Now do one in the summer time with winter and summer tires.

[@Fordraptor12]

Snow tires don't help much if the people around you don't have them. That's why videos like this are IMPORTANT!

[@chippyjohn1]

glad we don't have winter tyre issue in Aus, but we do have offroad tyres that for a lot are required but most just usually have offroad tyres as a year round set if they go offroad. If you do a lot of driving it is highly recommended to have two sets of tyres, it doesn't work out any more expensive, if you store your tyres out of sunlight they will last a while.

[@TurboTization]

Bring on the snow! My winter wheels and tyres arrived today. That's all good and well, but I can't help thinking I'm now gonna get rear ended at by a plonker on summer tyres

[@BikeTrial1995]

your the dummy buying winter tyres mate, just drive slow like everyone else

[@TurboTization]

Brad Stead Try driving an Automatic rear wheel drive on summer tyres in the snow, and you'll soon see who's the dummy!

[@stevendensmore4646]

Try all season tires vs winter tires

[@RocketRaven]

isnt all season tires just winter tires without those metal spikes?

[@alexandersok128]

No it is the rubber compound that is a big difference. The metal studs is what they are actually called. Those are mainly for ice but they "can" be illegal depending upon where you live because they destroy the road.

[@FlyingCircles]

The tread design is also different. It's shaped to be able to grasp snow and ice better (more rugged design compared to the smoother design of non-winter tires)

[@roguetorino]

All season tires really should be renamed to no season tires. They generally perform worse than summer tires in warm temps and nowhere near as good as winter tires during the cold seasons especially on snow and ice.

[@mexykpietrov]

Rogue Racing sorry, but it's bullshit. Did you ever had all seasons tires on your car? Sure I woudn't use them for my pretty fast bmw, but they are doing great all year and in all conditions on my renault, used generally in the city and not agressive.

[@SeijuroRen]

In the state of Georgia the snow we get here melts in the day and then turns into ice at night. I wonder if we should get winter tires for that as well.

[@flintlights]

Thanks. This helped answer questions I was thinking of

[@SamNBCA]

Why aren't they comparing All Season vs Winter Tires, seems like a better comparison. It would be pretty stupid to expect summer tires to perform in winter.

[@StalePhish]

Agreed. I wish someone would do this same test with those conditions.

[@Gobtik]

Sam Robichaud - because most (probably 99%) of drivers have summer tyres and that is the standard option a fitter like Halfords or Kwikfit will offer (these are UK generic non-dealer car repairs/tyre sales companies). I just whacked my car details into an online provider of tyres but the 3 recommended tyres that come up are all summer from £114.99 to £148.99 with ratings from A-C (from a scale of A-G) for wet grip even though it's December. You have to choose a separate option for the winter tyres - which come in at £153.99 a pop

[@StalePhish]

Gobtik Here in America, at least in the Northeast, all-season are the standard tire. Decent winter tires probably start at £85 per. If you go into a tire store this time of year, the front of the store is all winter tires. But most people still run all-seasons and then slide around all winter thinking it's normal.

[@Gobtik]

StalePhish Not sure whether the UK separates "all season" and "summer" - they just have to meet a certain tread depth and shops don't sell them as such, just normal and winter. My car has wide low profile tyres (came with, wasn't chosen :) ) hence the cost being higher - if we got enough bad weather to make it worth it, I would get winter tyres but it's simply not worth it here

[@StalePhish]

Gobtik Summer has less tread depth but is better on dry or wet pavement in the warmer weather. The downside is that they don't last as long as all-season and are pretty terrible in snow. All-season is like the "jack of all trades, master of none". Low profiles are probably summer, but I'm not sure. I don't really know many people that have summer tires in this part of the USA.

[@EasternExplorer]

I've gone 6 years on a set of winter tires so at 75 dollars per tire you get your moneys worth. They never lose there tread and most times have to be replaced due to weather cracking. That's my experience here in Canada. Obviously if you spin the hell out of them and drift and do burn outs you will be lucky to get a year out of them. Summer tires last about 3 years with normal wear.

[@huzygaming7216]

+The440plymouth it all depends on how much you drive, if your winter tires survive 6 years you probably don't drive that much. For someone like me, who drives 70,000 km per year.. the tires gets worn pretty fast.

[@shombrerow]

+The440plymouth You don't really want to use winter tires for more than 4 maybe 5 seasons. Even if the tire isn't cracking yet the rubber has still hardened and lost much of its effectiveness. Most winter tires make it to around the 40,000 mile mark. Summer tires last much longer up to 90,000 miles and up to 6-7 years and the tire's softness does not have as much of an effect to its performance. All season tires are in between and are good year round especially if your car is AWD.

[@balcerbalcer3193]

Adam Miller hhip

[@amalgeevarghese6867]

Woah! Been a Carwow subscriber for so long and now KZbin recommends this video. Matt is as good as always!

[@adyandrey23andrey]

In Romania it is mandatory by law to have winter tyres if there is snow or heavy mud on the road (even if you are in august and travelling in a mountain area). It is also recomended to have them installed if the

[@DanniV8]

I participated in a time attack at a local track last spring. Light rain, wet track, no more than 5°C outside. I just arrived on my daily 150hp 2 liter BMW, nothing special about it, and had my "all season" tires on (what these guys would call winter tires). The tires made such an amazing difference, it was unbelievable really. Another guy got there on is M3, same model, almost 200 more hp. He had some racing performance tires on. The end result was he managed a 0.7 second faster lap time on a ca 1.10 minute long track than I did. I just had grip all the time, and he couldn't get the power down at all.

[@PalfraDK]

All season and winter tires are two different things.

[@Dobermann.Kennel]

Dr. Jay Nothing special at all!

[@Digi20]

thats the first time i really noticed that - you guys in the UK use miles per houre for the speed, but the metric system for the distance? how unlogic is that? ;)

[@moosejaw50]

+Digi20 When I was there in the 90's I noticed they also used miles on the highway signage too. Talk about confusing.

[@800Viffer]

@@moosejaw50 It is not confusing for us Brits. There is nothing wrong with imperial measurements and imo have only started mentioning metric measurements for the benefit of others. Imperial has been perfectly OK throughout all of my 58 years on the planet.

[@MidNightRyder1000]

General question as i live in a place where it doesnt snow much. Maybe 5 times a year. When switching to winter tires, do most places you go take or give back your summer tires to take back home to keep and re-switch in half a year? Or do you fully trade in the tires for a new 4 set of winters?

[@LG-kl3co]

With respect Sniktun1, I don't know where you have spent the last 3 winters ! I first fitted winter tyres to a Golf Estate and just the fact that the car will actually stop in the snow and slush is good enough for me.

[@alexanderchand1669]

If you can't afford winter tires for your car, buy a cheaper car. Otherwise you are basically just risking your safety as well as whoever is in/operating your car. Not to mention whatever vehicles you plow into.

[@sweet1j]

why not just make all tires with the extra tread pattern it would save alot of time.

[@Autoexpress]

sweet1j You can buy all-weather tyres, but switching to summer tyres for the warmer months is still important: the extra contact the rubber has with a dry road increases grip by a significant amount.

[@purrability]

Auto Express which are rubbish during summer and even worse during winter. Top gear top tip: AVOID!

[@hotspur666]

+purrability ...All seasons are utter garbage in winter and slippery as teflon on ice...fact, it is criminal to call them winter tires, they will kill you just like totally bald tires.

[@adodoes8770]

+sweet1j they cost more. with them you use much much more fuel and get worse performance. in summer winter tires also get used very fast so they wouldnt hold for very long. thats why at least i recommend to use winter during colder/winter times and summer during warmer times. and fuck the all season tires srsly

[@nigahiga6400]

+sweet1j Rubber compound matters almost as much as, if not more than tread pattern. All season rubber that lasts long in the summer won't be compliant enough in low temperatures. The compromise would mean lower mileage overall which people would complain about, without much gain in terms of winter traction. Not to mention the added noise that results from having a snow tire pattern. Most people won't know the difference a set of snow tires makes, but after directly comparing snow vs "all season" in sub zero temperatures I can definitely say the snow tires give far superior grip.

[@dr-sy1fs]

Very good and informative video. Potential test alternative: If a car with summer tires takes 85m to come to a full stop, instead of a drag race to see who gets to 35 miles per hour from a stop, you/they should do a race to see how many seconds it takes to clear out 85m from a stop... ...If you have stopped on an icy intersection and see an incoming car behind you sliding fast and sideways in your rear view mirror, the last thing you want is your tires spinning in the snow and staying there (brace for impact captain!). I can tell you, each fraction of a second it takes to move forward seams like an eternity.

[@ChronosCooper]

Nice video. But do you have another for the same test the other way around. I mean how useful is summer tyres?

[@riotwarrior]

Wow, I just cannot comprehend you people complaining about winter tyres? Let me ask you this, you have a child, who gets out of your vehicle and drops a ball and steps out to get it without thinking as kids tend to do. A driver coming one direction stops because they have winter tyres, a car coming the other direction cannot stop or steer and plows into your kid killing the child.... now tell me how much those tyres are worth? I live in Canada specifically in BC where I carry chains for all four tyres and run an extremely siped snow tread myself. I cannot imagine running on summer treads in the winter! NOT EVER... If not for me...for someone else!

[@schumannresonanceswithverte]

Al McCormick Some people just come over here to argue. Common sense is not for everyone, ya know...

[@tinglydingle]

Sounds like they got rid of an expensive parasite for me.

[@fmseba]

Winter tires are for under +6'C. Than are beter on wet snow and dry than a summer tire. If temp is over +6'C than a allweather or summer tires are beter on wet and dry.

[@Tewthpaste]

i was skeptic about winter tire because tire was just tire to me, but when i bought a set of 4 winter tire this year.... i am a believer. driving a rear wheel sports car in the winter with winter tire is like driving an all wheel drive in the winter except it is 2x better then an all wheel drive because i can just floor the car and speed in the snow like it was nothing. out speeding all the all wheel drive car people and when turning on a corner, your car wont even do a 360 spin out because the winter tire grip on the snow is so good it wont even let your car spin. it makes winter driven so much fun. Winter tire is highly recommended for rear wheel drive in the winter if its your only car all year round and winter tire does not kick all the snow up into your car and form a big chunk of ice under your car in between the wheels like *All season tire* do.

[@gr8o2h2o]

Right, well the key point here is the tire compound you are using along with the tread pattern. How does the tire perform when running softer compound during the summer in mileage results?

[@VinaX2R]

but how many days there is snow on the streets? where I live maybe two days a year, so I would rather take a bus on that day then spend 600 $ on tyres

[@04smallmj]

But winter tyres aren't just for snow...

[@ronaldderooij1774]

In my country (the Netherlands) there is hardly any snow and the temperature in winter rarely gets very far below freezing. If there is snow, the roads are salted. Combined with the fact that winter tyres perfom worse without snow than summer tyres (in wet and dry), the conclusion is here: no winter tyres here for me.

[@Sicklehead88]

+Ronald de Rooij hello my dear neighbor ;-) here in germany winter tires are a must have since a couple of years. before that, it was not a must have but if you caused an accident in snowy conditions while having summer tires fitted to your car, your insurance would not cover anything and you might also get legal trouble. Personally i think when the temperature falls constantly under 7°C, it is way safer to have winter tires fitted to your car.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

+Sicklehead88 OK, I just repeat the test of a Dutch car magazine. I do not have first hand experience. It is up to you who to believe, of course. I know about the German court ruling saying that people must have tyres "fit for the conditions". However, last year I was in Bonn, it was freezing and snowing, and half the cars were on summer tyres. It was very amusing. Many could not even get up the hills. So, I think even the Germans do not all see the need to obey, haha. Ah well, I don't want to get into German internal affairs, of course...

[@Sicklehead88]

Ronald de Rooij well, the law says you have to have tires fit for the conditions, that's correct. most people change to winter tires at the end of october or beginning of november. and yeah, sometimes the temperatures can drop quite fast and unexpected. just happenend 4 weeks ago, i also didn't have my winter tires fitted, yet. situations like that are rare, but they happen. i personally don't know anyone who doesn't change tires for the winter. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule. but the people i know also did it before the law existed.

[@foppo100]

+Ronald de Rooij The same in the UK.People won't go and spend the money on wintertyres.Climate is similar to the Netherlands.I used to drive a old VW Beetle on remoulds still got me everywhere in snow just drive to the conditions.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

+Sicklehead88 Yeah, but it was february and really I think half of the people in Bonn did not have tyres "fit for the conditions". Fortunately I was driven around in a four wheel drive Skoda Octavia with winter tyres. No problem.

[@b57ecv]

one of the best ways of improving grip for bad conditions is to simply air down the tyre to a much lower psi, this gives a wider tread pattern and a more pliable tyre that grips much better, and of course a reduction in speed helps considerably as well.

[@chaserdotcz]

If someone still believes that summer tyres will do just fine in winter if roads are dry, you should try riding a streetbike when the temperature drops below 7 degrees Celsius. The effect of a thread pattern on these is pretty much non-existent naturally, since there almost aren't any threads. The summer tyres compound turns into something that resembles a hockey puck when it's cold, just try leaning into the curve and see for yourself how confident you feel! I think that the only reason why so many car drivers don't notice the difference is because modern cars can compensate for the lower traction with various ride stabilization systems (and of course because cars are inherently more stable than bikes from the very beginning). But when an emergency situation comes and they have to push it to the tyres limit, it's already too late.

[@senecal9157]

Have used winter and summer tyres on rotation on my BMW since living in Germany for several years. For £140 I still do now I am back in the UK. Undoubtedly safer in colder and wetter conditions from Nov to Mar and proper rotation helps the tyres to last longer. Summer tyres will degrade more quickly if there is a consistently cold spell. Well worth the investment in the long run.

[@chbrules]

Southern Californian here. LOL WTF IS SNOW

[@SLYSPYHIWAY90]

Lucky you (haha)

[@LordGryllwotth]

I think I have size 195/55 wintertires with spikes on my subaru. It might be to large, I got some brand new 165/xx in the garage on some peugeot iron casts. I wonder hos my car would react to the change. I feel that I go on the top of the snow a bit to much and the steering isn't responding then. Its fun to drive on deep snow.

[@0000kris0000]

How well do they wear on dry tarmac at all varying uk winter temperatures though? If they’re a softer compound I’m guessing they don’t last long at all, if we were guaranteed a few months or even weeks of constant wet and snow then I’m sure more people would use winter tires, but it’s currently February and after a while of pretty warm spring weather we’re now hit with the worst snow and cold weather for years and nobody’s going to swap their tires around like that.

[@timothygermann780]

A better comparison would be winter tires vs. all seasons. Almost all tires sold are all-seasons not summer or winter.

[@player101player101]

That depends on where u live.

[@russfleming3169]

Timothy Germann I live in northern alberta Canada, believe me, winter tires are necessary. There is no comparison between all seasons and winter tires. Its common knowledge in Canada friend.

[@timothygermann780]

Russ Fleming Yeah I use winter tires too, but most cars where I live come with all-seasons and most people never change them. Summer tires will be slick as hell in the winter even on dry pavement because they are so hard. on snow they are useless. But trying to convince the average user of all seasons to upgrade to winter is trickier because AS tires work decently enough for typical mild lower 48 winters (unless you live in the mountains or Vermont/Maine etc.)

[@nigahiga6400]

+Igor K The problem is in rubber compound. Standard "all season" tires today are often Low Rolling Resistance designs with harder rubber. This isn't an issue in warmer weather and often returns great tire life and improved gas mileage. However, when the temperature drops to below freezing, these tires become harder and give less grip. It won't matter in everyday driving, but in emergency situations or panic stops grip is everything, especially if you add snow and ice to the mix. AWD doesn't help much for stability in the winter. AWD with "all season" tires and an overconfident driver is asking for trouble. Tires play a far more important role in braking and cornering than any AWD. All seasons could work for milder winters with little snow, but in places such as Colorado where the winters are brutal, snow tires are a must.

[@eabaendallbeall7959]

massive difference

[@mrdeath2128]

are the summer tyres still better during the warmer days when they get a chance to heat up some?

[@yettistorm2414]

don't forget the UK has wet snow mainly, which is far more slippery, not dry like northern areas. any winter tyre would help but the best advice is to have new tyres in the late autumn so that you have plenty of tread depth when needed through the worst weather

[@AsianYugioh]

did anyone catch him saying 85 meters when the video measured 58 meters at 1:14?

[@AndrewSchmidt608]

58 meters is the distance between the two cars after they had each stopped.

[@AsianYugioh]

but he says it takes 85 meters to stop. so.. which is it?

[@TomYnysMon]

its both, car 2 took 85M to stop which is 58M more than car 1

[@TheOnlyToblin]

Oi! Sweden isn't freezing cold! ... At least not most of the time... *desperately tries to forget last winter's -34 C*

[@roughryder5]

Toronto got to -45 (with wind chill) 2 years ago.

[@VikramKrishnan404]

For the below 7 degrees test, were the tires cold? What would happen after they've both been driven for about ten minutes and warmed up a bit before the test?

[@a64738]

Very good point. Summer tires specially high performance ones need to be driven until they warm up for them to have grip.

[@Swansen03]

because it doesn't generally get cold enough to freeze, generally a few weeks out of the year is it under freezing all day. Like the pacific northwest in the US, mostly rain(or, freeze at night, thaw during day)

[@bullmonster23-rblxandmore10]

in texas there is no such thing as winter.

[@htalan5975]

Bullmonster23-RBLX and More! I’m not sure if it snowed where you live but it sure did with me

[@AymanRSaleh]

I do have a question for you Brits, do you guys just call all season tires summer tires or do you really try to drive on summer tires in the winter? The reason I ask is because it seems to me like all seasons would be all but a requirement anywhere that gets a reasonable amount of snow.

[@OllieW501]

Fair question, yes Summer tires are the same as All Season effectively. Winter tires are solely the specialist tires shown in this video. Most people in Britain never change theirs in the Winter, and then complain that the roads are un-driveable. It's dumb i know. To make it law probably wouldn't work (we don't tend to accept new laws with much grace here), but perhaps insurance providers could lower your costs slightly if you can prove you are using winter tires in the colder months. Not sure how that could be be kept legit but it's just an idea. Hope that answers your question :-)

[@Ozoom1337]

But all season tires are just a bad compromise, at least her in Sweden were we have both hot summers and really cold and snowy winters. Ah all season tire is to soft for the summer and to hard for the winter.

[@micheals1992]

***** you wouldn't have to prove it... if you didn't change your tyres in snowy conditions and you had an accident they could refused to pay out if you agreed that you would use winter tyres in the winter! if insurers gave the option which would "Lower the cost" they'd probably save allot of money because allot of people never change there tyres for the bad conditions and they'd have a reason to deny there claims!

[@OllieW501]

***** Good point :-) Let's hope they introduce that, i would relish getting the Subaru on some winter tires and seeing what;'s what when the other folks can't go out :-)

[@paulvallance4970]

There's no legal requirement to change to winter tyres in the UK. In the last 20 years (living south of London) it has only snowed about 5 times. But when it does snow the roads are total chaos with lots of accidents. Living in Lithuania now and winter tyres are mandatory from 1st Nov to 1st April. Temperatures are down to -25C and it snows all the time. Only problem is the natives are kamikaze drivers so even with the winter tyres its more dangerous here in winter than in the UK on summer tyres!

[@stephendoherty8291]

Is there any metrics to show that there are less accidents on UK roads for those with winter tyres from October to May. And if so why would insurance companies not offer a cheaper insurance cover if such tyres are fitted. The only issue I would see is how the insurance industry would know if you were using such tyres unless you had a claim. Higher level of thread needed for summer tyres for MOT? Lower level of thread required if Winter tyres fitted? Also what about all season tyres vs winter tyres?

[@cliaremkeavney7639]

Insurance is funny here. some insurance providers will void your insurance if you crash on studded winter tyres even if E marked and fully compliant with the law and safety regs and standards. I get by fine on summer tyres in the snow at the moment though I am going to order a set of winter tyres. Drive in second gear and avoid going over 25mph and use the gearbox to slow down whilst using the brake to the point before abs comes on. not skidded, struggled to stop or failed to climb a hill yet! admittedly i'd rather be able to go 40mph than 25mph on the back roads but thats life

[@john-rm2bm]

The thing is the snow comes down and gets cleared but the temperature stays low. So does the winter tyres perform better in cold temperatures or just the snow

[@takarlor12]

0:48 When our drivers reach THIS CONE they will do a full abs emergency stop...

[@dashcam26]

Umm...This a good idea, especially for stopping quicker...but what about the guy behind you and his half-used under inflated summer tyres??

[@sven3541]

Well, you're gonna check your mirrors before stopping quickly, but of course, in situations where you have to stop really quickly to avoid an situation you have to stop anyway. The guy behind should know that he uses shitty tires and therefore should keep enough distance to the car in front to stop if anything happens. In the summer there is the 3 second rule. If a car in front of you passes and object, it should be three seconds before you pass that same object after the first car. In the winter more seconds should be applied and if you got shitty tires, well, then add more seconds on top of that.

[@dchawk81]

I'd rather get rear ended because that means it's the other guy's fault and his insurance is the one that pays out, not mine.

[@babybirdhome]

It's better to be rear-ended at a lower speed than to crash into something at a higher speed.

[@steve00alt70]

@@dchawk81 your no claims would be scraped then

[@dchawk81]

@@steve00alt70 Indeed it would but it's certainly the lesser of two evils, especially since I'm not at fault.

[@NewYorker79924]

Very clear info, easy to grasp. Thank you for the video. Summer tires with cheap chains? I know, what a pain lol.

[@tylhunt]

Well lets just hope you never have to avoid an accident in the winter then. Good luck to you, and whoever shares the road with you.

[@stubones]

Why not test on a tarmac road in cold temperature? That is more relevant to the UK where only a small percentage of time in winter there is snow on a few roads.

[@FSXgta]

+stubones they are called WINTER tires for a reason my friend

[@stubones]

FSXgta Does WINTER mean the roads are automatically covered in snow and ice my friend? :) Like I said, more relevant to the UK is wet, cold tarmac, because in most areas it doesn't snow much, if at all. Winter tyres are also designed to be used on dry tarmac in temperatures below 7 degree Celsius due to the softer rubber compound, not just on snow.

[@Snooker-cn3dm]

Did you even watch the second half of the video...

[@pepelepew2724]

Clearly not snooker147.

[@TheMx5Channel]

I drive on michelin super sport and if it is -10 degree celsius i have way more grip then anyone with alle seasons, but when it starts snowing the grip is gone.

[@HyeL]

Your "summer" tires are performance racing slicks. Normal car summer tires have much more blocks in the profile.

[@jjfkm]

No they are not. They are regular summer tires, looks like the Conti EcoContact3.

[@mrman17]

They are "normal" tyres, but the tread pattern is optimised for dispersing water quickly than for gripping on to snow or ice.

[@gman248]

I just watched the carwow snow drag. I clicked to this video to see a different perspective. Oh well, hello again, Matt! :D

[@Petriefied0246]

I live on the west coast of Scotland where it rains all the time. I keep winters on my car all year around because the climate is never really warm enough to need to take them off. The handful of days that it goes above 25C are not worth changing for, I just take it easy.

[@shahsmerdis]

Um better review would be High rated all seasons vs dedicated winter tires.

[@A42yearoldARAB]

Bardia Ghajari the results would be the same

[@masus81]

Summer tiers are great in the summer. Bad at winter. Winter tiers are great in the winter. Bad at summer. All season tiers are decentish... all year. Not good at anything but not bad at anything either.

[@stana.281]

This is comparable to shoes: do you have any shoes that are good both in summer and in winter?

[@freibier]

All seasons are "meh" all year round. I'd rather spend a couple hundred Euros and have tyres which are very good in summer and another set of tyres which is very good in winter. "Meh" can be the difference between crashing into something or not, and when you do, it will cost more than a couple hundred Euros.

[@jeroen3657]

All seasons are good, because even during summer it can be cold with heavy rain. I would even argue that All season is a solid choise for Western Europe(UK, Netherlands, Belgium and Danmark.) That area. If there is actual snow and ice on the road you should be aware of that and don't get over confident. Also the test here was all about profile, wich the all seasons have just the same as the winter. So in this test on snow results would be the same I imagine. On a cold road winter are prob the best. I doubt the all seasons are being outperformed on a hot summer day(wich is rare were I live) if you drive normal.

[@Juuul89]

You're leaving out the fact the summer tires would beat or equal the winter tires in the second test if the road was dry at the same temperatures. So are they really better for the entire winter? No not really, only when it's wet. To be honest the winter tires have a larger lead over the summer tires in the wet, then the summer tires have over the winter tires in the dry.

[@Opinions4Free1]

Proof? I don't think that's true. At colder temerpartures the winter tyre rubber will be softer than that of summer tyres, and therefore grip better even in the dry.

[@kottyking]

You are correct. Winter tires arent just for snow. It's about the temperature as well. If its colder out they perform better regardless if its dry out.

[@ashscott6068]

You're forgetting how fast winter tyres wear out on dry roads. There's more to life than lap times

[@kottyking]

Ash Scott this isnt true and why winter tires should be called cold air tires. It has nothing to do with the roads being dry and everything to do with temperature.

[@ashscott6068]

Ryan No Thanks Actually, it IS true. They are made from softer rubber. When the road is dry, they wear out faster than "summer" tyres, no matter how cold it is.

[@pedrocarvajal3166]

very nice video but question. At 1:23 there is footage of the red car passing the white car at 25 mph.... if both of the break at the same time and the red car is slower to break then at no point should the red car be behind the white car? am i right? this is literally not possible

[@heathfiedler]

quick question im not sure if the tires i got are winter or summer as far as i know they are whats called all season tires. would these be in the middle or would they just be considered summer tires for you guys?

[@Mouzourakism]

An all season vs winter tires would be a better comparison. Who has summer tires other than expensive sport cars. Majority of cars come with all season tires.

[@duffyt26]

all season tires (M+S in the US) are for Mud + Sand mostly which means they're similar to normal summer tires except with much deeper grooves and much more offroadlike patterns. For traction on gravel and in sand mostly. On asphalt they're worse than regular summer tires. There is no comparing "All season" tires (offroad summer tires) and winter tires because of rubber softness. All seasons are still much too hard to perform on snow/ice during cold temperatures and you'll skid regardless. Winter tires are soft, hence the grip on cold surfaces and in cold temperatures. I'm from sweden and in sweden "all terrain M+S" tires are illegal during winter because they aren't winter tires or even close. :/ We have to use softer blends of rubber, iow special winter tires, by law.

[@mannick16]

Toni Radanov Pretty sure mike was talking about the poor comparison in the video and wasn't asking for any definitions. Its pretty obvious in the video that the "summer tire" in the video is not made for anything but dry pavement. To me it looks more like a high performance tire. I agree with mike and think comparing an all season to a winter tire would be best. So the tread patterns are similar and it would be a test of rubber softness. I live in Minnesota and an all season does do better in snow than a touring tire or "summer tire". Also... All season is not an "offroadlike" tire. You are speaking of all terrain tires possibly. All season is just a tire optimized for year round usage and have tread that works well in more than one category.

[@skagerstrom]

All season tires are worse then summer tires in the summer and worse then winter tires in the winter. Why do people use them?

[@mannick16]

Roger Skagerström When making comparisons you should use "than" not "then". THEN your comment might sound a little less redundant THAN it already does. Because they work great in all seasons Roger. People don't want to switch out tires twice a year. They are expensive as well.

[@skagerstrom]

No they don't. They give crappy grip in the summer and crappy grip in the winter. They are to soft to give good performance when warm, and they miss the special tread that gives traction in the snow. I'm from Sweden, here wintertyres are mandatory from december to the end of march. Why? Because it saves lives. All seasons are allowed but everyone knows they're crap. People don't want to do alot, even if it saves their life. You spread the miles over the tire sets so its not that much more expensive. Especially if you concider the added wear of the soft compund all season tyres in the warm summer.

[@rkr894able]

Why summer tires vs winter? Why not ALL SEASONS tires? All most everyone uses all winter tires and barely anyone uses summer tires during winter.

[@roughryder5]

I was going to say the same thing. Seems very biased.

[@eamh2002]

All season tires are damn slippery on wet if worn even a little. I was impressed at the wet braking of winter tires though, they should test the difference on +15c conditions where the summer compound is softer than at +5c The biggest difference with summer vs all year is the tyre composition. Summer tyres are almost like rock hard plastic when it gets cold but winter tyres are like silicone which doesnt get much stiffer in cold :) You could make winter tyre material slicks and still get better traction than new summer tyres :D

[@leerman22]

All seasons are no replacement for winter tires. I live in Ontario and I almost got into an accident with all seasons, the grip is still awful.

[@eamh2002]

My girlfriends volvo has all season tyres on it, I always laugh how people say FWD has better grip on ice and snow. Its bullshit and only down to tyres. Then I get walked by BMW's and mercs all day when trying to pull from the icy traffic lights :D Its all about the tyres.

[@GodKing804]

eamh2002 would still take BMW

[@trje246]

so do you guys have/recommend a whole different set of wheels to change out? or just change the tyres themselves over each winter? in my mind i'd rather just change out 4 wheels with appropriate tyre, than 4 tyres on the same rims. not that i've ever had to do this or ever see myself in a position where i'd have to.

[@georgewashington5365]

Thanks for this video test, it should save lives if people have enough sense to take your advice. I've ordered winter tyres on a BMW 3 series with 18 inch alloy wheels (I mention this as I've heard some dealers try to force a 2nd set of rims on you) and the dealer will store the standard summer tyres for me. Over the longer term it doesn't cost anymore in tyres just a fee to swap them.

[@Pinzpilot101]

Be nice to know if any tire companies/organisations paid for this?? Hmmmmmm?

[@__7878]

get ultra-high-performance all-season tires and be done with it. I love my Michelin Pilot A/S3

[@DaddyEric222]

I was a little confused what that white powder stuff was on the ground.... I only ever need summer tires here in Florida :)

[@TheCat86]

The final shot was epic

[@MRSLAV]

Americans: THERE ARE WINTER TIRES???

[@cvve8f]

in norway the police can take your licenseplates if you dont drive with good wintertires.. and you have to be pretty fucking stupid to drive on summertires in the snow.. :P

[@electronpusher604]

Great video, quite an eye opener. Subscription fully earned. I do note a discrepancy though; first of all, the tests were done on fresh snow(Presumably a frozen lake?) that was dry. Snow itself isn't slippery, it's slippery when it becomes lubricated by liquid water. When driving on the roads, the slipperiness is mostly due to other drivers melting the snow/ice. Driving on that freshly cleared snow is much easier than on snowy roads, source people who ice fish and ice road truckers .

[@Spike20101000]

Still waiting for a real test. How do winter tyres fare in the typically moderate temperatures of the UK aka above 7c. And how many miles can they typically last for? And once the tread is worn down 1mm to legal minimum how much of an effect does that have on traction? And how does it affect fuel economy? And, being a softer compound how much tread do they loose in an emergency stop?

[@carminefast77]

learn to drive in the winter. and use all seasons all year.

[@kerry5101971]

The morons in my area spaz out & haven't figured out that a lower gear = better control & traction, even in an automatic. I have a road rocket & have driven past dipshits in behemoth SUVs. So remember wingnuts & dingleberries, no matter what tires you have, drop into a lower gear (1st for 0-15 mph, 2nd for 15-35, etc.) & if possible, shut off the overdrive! P.S. Put down the farkin' phone too!

[@babybirdhome]

I've always used all season tires on my cars until this year when I bought snow and ice tires for the winter. I have to say, there is no comparison between the two. All season tires are a little better than summer tires, but they don't even begin to compare to winter tires. I have yet to get stuck with my winter tires, and I'm even selling my all wheel drive car that I kept for driving in the winter because they're so much better. And I always bought the best all season tires available, not just whatever was cheap. It's a staggering difference switching from one to the other.

[@carminefast77]

babybirdhome i agree snow tires are better. but for my driving style all seasons work just fine. we get 150-200 inches a year but only 6-8 inches at a time so all seasons will work. now for someone who isnt used to driving in snow for 6 months a year they should have winter tires.

[@babybirdhome]

Yeah, experience is more important than tires. People who rarely drive on snow suck on snow, people with plenty of experience do just fine in snow that would put other people in the ditch. That's a fair point. :)

[@carminefast77]

babybirdhome true people that drive in snow for a total of a few hundered miles a year are not experienced. the bad thing is here where i live we drive the speed limit which is 70mph and people with less experience see us going that fast and think they can also. and most times they find out the hard way.

[@TheRealFOSFOR]

Whats with the "miles per hour" ?!?!?! I thought you Brits were using the metric system?

[@XxscootskatextremexX]

that is the only thing we do not use it for

[@TheRealFOSFOR]

Bruce Lee that must be confusing. if you at least used swedish/norwegian "miles"* :D (*1mil = 10km)

[@yetanothermotherf]

The metric system is just confusing. I weight a stone. Depending on the mood, a little rock or a mountain. I'm must be 2 feet tail, as I have 2 legs. I'm not sure, but the unit of velocity in imperial units is measured in pints? And even that is not constant around the world. Correct me if I'm wrong. Ounces of greetings, but prefer winter tires and metric system.

[@Aleksitusasd]

yetanothermotherf I don't think stones and feet are part of the metric system?

[@james4v261]

He Ka uk uses miles

[@markandrach]

well i concur,i can tell by that reply you are a driving god who is so good your car actually floats along the road with little clouds under each tyre.xxx

[@cdawg4391]

They are great. I use them here in NEPA and never had a problem on these twisty, sometimes unplowed mountain roads.

[@sacco1775]

how stupid driver can you be, to not make any difference between winter and summer tires? If you can not feel/see/make the difference, i can not Imagine how are you handling with more strict laws... Jesus, now i am scared for driving in Winter, because someone might crash with summer tires and try blaming the other people... i saw a lot of comments i this video and its sad to watch

[@yr1183]

I am first time driver, and also first time driving in winter climate this year. And I learnt my driving in Singapore, which is summer all year round. So this knowledge is not really used there. So I find this information extremely useful.

[@sacco1775]

YR You I understand. But on your license test, The teachers should have teached you about this, no matter in which country you are.

[@GranVlog]

then you should not be allowed to drive in traffic anywhere else where snow and ice is present. You should be obligated to complete a x number of tests.

[@Georgeqaws]

You floored it on the acceleration test with the summer tires. Of course your not going any where. Also the summer tire driver either sucks or this video is just trying to make a point (which is what i'm betting). You know what is unsafe? Bad drivers not knowing the limitations of their vehicles.

[@Fs88]

what if it was summer and we did the same test? what would the results look like?

[@the77eltigre]

I love how the red car is fitted basically performance tires compared to a true m+s tires.

[@nathan_middleton_]

+Eltigre OneNineSevenSeven You've clearly never owned a performance real set of tyres before...

[@the77eltigre]

+Nathan Middleton where do you live? have you never seen real all season tires?

[@davidpaterson8056]

Did Continental pay for this video? Of course they did!

[@IceXiao]

It has a lot to do with whether its all wheel drive or not. The computer in the car also plays a significant role in stopping the car properly, and managing that ABS.

[@mbingham10]

Whilst stopping you will have to hope the chap behind as also fitted winter tires if he's still doing 25mph

[@johnazhderian5734]

Most Americans in the northern states run all season radial tires. If you drive a high performance car with summer tires you keep your car garaged until springtime. In the southern part of the US you can drive with either of course.

[@EternalRiderAK]

Agreed, same with here in Alaska. Summer tires in the winter, here in Alaska, you can't even get down the street most of the time in the winter months.

[@magnoliei]

Hey! I need some advice and I hope you can help me . I recently bought a Ford Fiesta EcoBoost 100 hp and want to buy my winter tires . What do you recommend between 195/50/15 size "vs. 195/55/15 " ??? I was thinking to choose 55 . what do you think? Thx.

[@LysanderLH]

What about AT tyres (eg General Grabber AT) vs Winter tyres on a Landrover Freelander 2? I have a Freelander 2 with Conti Cross Contacts on 19" rims and a set of 17" Grabber AT's for when it gets a bit iffy. I'd like to know how my AT's perform under general, wet and wintery conditions vs any Winter tyre under the same conditions.

[@xavierbrown525]

*****

[@fpm1979]

I was rather surprised how big the difference was in wet conditions. But how do winter tires perform in the summer?