Winter tires are a necessity if you traverse snow or ice-covered highways. Some areas like the Rocky Mountains and other mountain passes also require winter tires during winter months.
Winter tires aren’t an upgrade that you get for a marginal performance gain during the winter months. They’re a necessity so that your vehicle won’t slide and cause accidents on snowy or icy roads.
Winter tires allow vehicles to grip better during winter because they’re made with a special rubber compound that can remain flexible in cold temperatures. These tires also have deeper tread patterns with more sipes or slits, which gives the tire more grip when traversing over snow and ice. Some winter tires even have metal studs built into the treads, which will dig into snow and ice. Winter tires also have special tread patterns, which are designed to displace slush, rather than water.
You can do so, but it’s not recommended. The tires are made to remain flexible in cold environments, specifically below 45 °F.
There are downsides and risks if you use your winter tires for the whole year.
Can you use winter tires all year? If you continue running winter tires in warmer weather, the flexible rubber compound will wear out much faster. This can reduce the tire’s lifespan by as much as 60%.
A winter tire that’s driven through spring, summer, and autumn is going to have less grip come next winter because it’ll have insufficient tread depth. At that point, you might need to replace your tires because they won’t have much grip on snowy or icy surfaces.
Winter tires are softer than summer tires, making them deform more. Tires require some softness to soak up road imperfections. However, tires also need to remain hard and rigid so that they don’t lose much energy when they flex and regain their shape. A winter tire in warm weather will flex too much and create substantially more rolling resistance.
Winter tires won’t lose a significant amount of grip and they’ll still be able to corner and brake. That said, the tire will perform noticeably worse when it comes to steering, handling, and accident avoidance compared to summer tires.
In the long run, the cost of replacing your winter tires because of year-round use will outweigh the benefits of keeping them for a few extra months.
No, there aren’t. Winter tires are only meant to be used during winter or when temperatures are below 45 °F.
The tires that you can use year-round are all-season tires. They can be a good alternative for drivers in a place where temperatures only occasionally drop below freezing. These tires are designed to provide ample grip in cold and warm temperatures without wearing out excessively. All-season tires are a jack of all trades but a master of none. These tires won’t have good grip in heavy snow and icy conditions. Winter tires will still have better grip in winter conditions because they’re designed with freezing conditions in mind.
You should switch back to your regular set of tires once temperatures are consistently above 45º F. Similarly, you should also switch to winter tires when temperatures start going below 45º F.
Generally, it’s advisable to change to winter tires earlier rather than later. The last thing you want to happen is to get stuck on a snowy or icy road or lose grip because you forgot to switch your summer tires for a winter set.
However, determining the perfect time can be difficult when temperatures can fluctuate dramatically or if you drive at the warmest or coldest time of the day. You should anticipate the temperatures and change your tires depending on your expectations.
Switching to all-season tires might be an annoying inconvenience, but sticking to winter tires year-round will compromise your safety and it isn’t worth it economically in the long run.
Any information provided on this Website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a professional mechanic. The accuracy and timeliness of the information may change from the time of publication.