Snow Tires Vs All Season Tires – Are Snow Tires Worth It?

Are you currently looking at purchasing snow tires?  Are you wondering if snow tires are worth buying?  If you live in northern climates snow tires may be mandated in your area but for the majority of the US, snow tires are not mandatory in the winter months.  This leaves the option of buying snow tires up to the consumer in most cases.  So are snow tires worth it?  What is the better all around tires?  Snow tires vs all season tires which are better for you?

What are Snow Tires?

Snow tires are tires that are designed to be used in the winter months that have extra grooves and sipes built into the tread when compared to all season tires that provide traction on ice and in deep snow.

Snow tires are designed to be used in lower temperature ranges between below zero all the way to 50 degrees F. This article on tire rack recommends using snow tires once the weather in your area is consistently dipping to below 40 degrees F.

Snow tires have been tested against all season tires and have been proven to offer better braking and handling characteristics than all season tires on snow and ice.  You can expect the braking distance to be significantly reduced when using winter tires.  Snow tires will also provide better acceleration from a standstill on ice than all season tires.  This all comes back to the type of rubber and tread design used on the different tires.

If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow during the winter months you may want to look at purchasing a set of snow tires to help aid you in getting around during the winter months.

Snow tires may mean the difference between you getting stuck in a snowbank and you being able to get out and about in a snow storm.  If you live in an area that gets some snowfall each year but your roads are cleared quickly then you may make more sense for you to just use all season tires in the wintertime.

Studded Snow Tires

Some winter tires have studs integrated into the tread surface to provide better grip on ice.  The majority of snow and winter tires made today will come without studs.  Check your local laws before going with studded winter tires as they may not allow them to be used on your local roads.

One thing to keep in mind with snow tires is that you want to take them off once temperatures start to rise again in the springtime.  If winter or snow tires are used in warmer temperatures this will accelerate the wear on your snow tires.  That’s why it’s important to swap back to all season or summer tires in the spring.

What are All Season Tires?

All season tires as they are named are designed to be used in all seasons of the year.  They are designed to be able to withstand the hot summer temperatures while also being able to withstand cold winter conditions all while maintaining a long lasting tread life.  All season tires are designed to offer the best middle of the road experience in between summer tires and winter or snow tires.

All season tires are designed to be good in many different areas while not excelling in any one specific area.  Most all season tires have a rubber compound that is designed to last a long time.

Most people that buy tires that don’t know much about them are going to buy all season tires because they will typically have the longest treadwear ratings when compared to other tires.

Because of this tire manufacturers try to formulate their tires with a rubber compound that is going to last the longest while also being able to be used in freezing temperatures as well as temperatures in excess of 100 degrees F.

Should You Use Snow Tires in the Winter?

In some areas, snow tires or winter tires are mandated in the winter months.  In Canada, Quebec is the only province where snow tires are required in winter conditions.  The US doesn’t have any federal laws that require the use of snow tires but your local laws may require the use of them.  Always check your local laws and abide by them.

This means that for that majority of people living in North America snow tires are not required to be used in the winter months and it’s really up to you if you want to put winter or snow tires on your vehicle.

Are Snow Tires Worth It? 

That’s really up to you and where you live.  Obviously, if you live in Florida you probably won’t have much use for snow tires or winter tires.  If you live in Minnesota or North Dakota then you may see benefits from using snow tires in the winter months.

If you live somewhere in the middle of both ends of those spectrums like me, then it may be better for you to just go with all season tires.  I live in the Midwest and use all season tires during the winter months.

Related Questions:

Can You Use All Season Tires in the Winter?  Yes, I use all season tires in the winter months and don’t really have too many problems getting around.  When using all season tires in the winter tread depth is key.  You don’t want to be driving around on almost bald all season tires in the winter.  If you no longer have any tread left on your tires it won’t be able to bring you to a stop.

Are Snow Tires and Winter Tires the Same Thing?  Yes, snow tires and winter tires are pretty much the same thing.  Snow tires is an older term for tires designed to be used in the winter months.  Tire manufacturers have started calling their tires winter tires to elude that they are useful in not just snow, but ice as well.

Do you need winter tires if you have all wheel drive?  Some people think that if they have an all wheel drive car or SUV that they are invincible during snowstorms.  Well, I’ve got news for you, you may have all wheel drive but all wheel drive doesn’t help you stop.

Every car on the road has all wheel braking (provided your brakes are working properly).  Snow or winter tires can benefit your vehicle if you live in northern climates even if you have all wheel drive equipped in your car.  Snow tires will actually enhance the performance of your all wheel drive car in winter conditions.

In Conclusion

Depending on what sort of weather you get in your local area is a big determining factor on whether you should get snow tires vs all season tires equipped on your car.  If you get a lot of snow in your area frequently you should look at putting snow tires on your car during the winter months.

If you wanted even greater traction you may want to look at putting tire chains on your tires to increase their grip in ice and snow.  To learn more about tire chains and how many tires chains you need then check out my other article about how many tire chains you need and when to use tire chains.