Advantages and disadvantages of all-season tires

For most motorists, seasonal tire changes are a common routine. Usually they are guided by an air temperature of + 7 ° C. When the thermometer drops to this mark in autumn or the air warms up to such a value in spring, it's time to change your iron horse's shoes. 

Summer and winter tires differ primarily in the composition of the mixture from which they are cast, and the tread pattern. Hard summer tires with a relatively shallow pattern give good grip on dry and wet road surfaces in the warm season, but at low temperatures it starts to tan strongly, and in severe frost it can crack like glass. Driving on such tires in winter means endangering not only yourself, but also other road users.

Winter tires, thanks to the special composition of the rubber, retain elasticity in frosty weather. A special deep tread pattern with a system of drainage channels provides fairly good handling on roads covered with puddles or wet snow. And numerous thin slots (lamellas) seem to stick to small bumps in the road, which is why such tires are often called Velcro. But in summer, the excessive softness of winter tires significantly impairs car handling, while the treads wear out quickly, and in extreme heat they even begin to melt.

Progress does not stand still, and now in the assortment of any tire manufacturer there are so-called all-season tires. As conceived by the creators, they should be used all year round and relieve motorists from the need to regularly change tires. But is everything as good as it seems at first glance?

What is all season tires

All-season tires occupy an intermediate position between winter and summer tires and must have qualities that allow you to ride them at any time of the year and in any weather. To match the opposites, all-season tires are made from a medium-hard rubber compound that will not tan in light frost while still providing satisfactory traction and acceptable handling in not too hot summers. One can hardly expect more. Modern technologies do not yet allow creating a material for tires that would be equally good in severe frost and in 30-degree heat. 

The situation is similar with protectors. Here also it is necessary to combine the incompatible. A typical summer tread pattern is completely unsuitable for winter conditions with snow, mud and ice - grip is too weak, and self-cleaning from slush and snow mass is practically absent. Winter friction sipes, which work well on snow and ice, impair handling on hard surfaces, increase braking distance and reduce lateral stability. Therefore, all-season tire treads are also nothing more than a compromise solution.

In summer, the speed limit is usually higher than in winter, which means that additional heating occurs during fast driving. Therefore, a special heat-resistant cord is used in summer tires to prevent carcass deformation due to overheating. This is another factor limiting the creation of all-season tires that are suitable for use in a wide temperature range.

Most users note the very low performance of all-season in the winter, but at the same time they are quite satisfied with how they behave in the summer.

Thus, all-season tires are suitable for use in areas with a temperate climate, where mild winters and not too hot summers prevail. Such climatic conditions are typical for most of Europe and the United States. The southern half of Ukraine as a whole is also suitable for all-season tires, but on hot days it is better to refrain from traveling on such tires.

About marking

All-season tires are marked with the designations AS, All Seasons, Any Season, 4Seasons, All Weather. Some manufacturers use their own designations, one way or another indicating the possibility of year-round use. The simultaneous presence of the sun and snowflake pictograms in the marking also indicates that we have an all-weather season.

Some other markings may be misleading. For example, M + S (mud and snow) is just an additional designation indicating increased cross-country ability, it can be present on both winter and all-season tires, as well as on tires designed for SUVs. This marking is unofficial and should be considered more like a manufacturer's declaration. 

European winter tires are marked with a pictogram of a three-headed mountain with a snowflake. But such an icon can also be found on all-season tires. And this adds further confusion.

Be wary of US-made tires with the M+S label but without the snowflake mountain badge. Most of them are neither winter nor all-season. 

And the AGT (All Grip Traction) and A / T (All Terrain) markings have nothing to do with the season of rubber use, although you can often find the statement that these are all-season designations.  

If the marking does not bring clarity, seasonality can be more accurately determined by the tread pattern. All-season tires have fewer slots and channels than winter tires, but more than summer tires. 

All-season benefits

All-season tires have some advantages that may be of interest to potential buyers.

Versatility is exactly what, in fact, these tires were created for. By putting such tires, you can forget about the seasonal changing of the car's shoes for a while.

The second advantage follows from the first - savings on tire fitting. 

All-weather tires are softer than ordinary summer tires, and therefore it is more comfortable to ride on it.

Thanks to a less aggressive tread pattern, all-season tires are not as noisy as winter tires.

There is no need to ensure proper seasonal storage of a set of tires. 

Disadvantages

All-season tires have average parameters, and therefore have lower performance compared to seasonal tires. That is, in summer they are worse than summer tires, and in winter they are inferior to classic Velcro.

In the summer, on heated pavement, all-season tires greatly reduce the car's handling.

In winter, insufficient grip. The main reason is the tread pattern. 

All-season tires are absolutely not suitable for icy conditions, heavy snow and frost below -10°C. In such conditions, riding all-season is simply dangerous.

The softer rubber compound compared to summer tires leads to accelerated wear in the warm season. Therefore, you can expect that one set of all-seasons will last a little less than a couple of seasonal sets. This will eat into some of the savings gained from less frequent visits to the tire shop.

All season tires are not suitable for aggressive driving. Firstly, because of the reduced handling, and secondly, because of the strong abrasion of the rubber.

Hack and predictor Aviator

Installation of tires is justified if three conditions are met simultaneously:

1. You live in a suitable climate zone, where winter temperatures mostly hover around freezing and summers are not too hot.
2. You are ready to give up driving your car on frosty and hot days.
3. You prefer a calm, measured driving style.

In other cases, it is better to purchase separate sets and tires. Especially if you are not a sufficiently experienced driver and you are embarrassed by some of the risks of using all-season vehicles.