Seasonal or all season tires?

Drivers often opt for a set of all-season tires rather than replacing them with winter or summer tires, mainly for cost reasons. While this seems like a reasonable solution in theory, it can be even more costly in practice.

All-season tires certainly have advantages. Firstly, they are cheaper than seasonal tires, and besides, we do not need to change them before the summer or winter season. Also, don't forget that instead of buying two sets of tires, we only need one set that will last you all year. Thanks to this, you can save some money, time and nerves.

However, in the case of all-season tires, the adage that if there is something for everything, then it is in vain. Seasonal tires are made from the right materials and therefore offer much better performance. A summer tire primarily has a tread that provides better traction, resulting in shorter braking distances.

In turn, winter tires are made from a more elastic compound, so they work better at temperatures below 7 degrees Celsius, and the aggressive tread provides better traction and better removal of snow and slush. “All-season tires are for customers who have smaller cars with lower performance, who don't drive long distances and use the car mainly for city driving,” says Philip Fischer, account manager at Oponeo.pl.

All-season tires are a compromise between summer and winter tires, which means they will never be as good as seasonal tires. In summer, all-season tires wear out faster, and in winter they have poor grip and, consequently, longer braking distances. If safety is important to us, seasonal tires can certainly be the only choice.

It is also worth remembering that savings on multi-season subscriptions can only be apparent. All-season tires, as their name suggests, are used all year round, which means they will wear out faster, also due to the compound used, which should also perform well in winter conditions. Thus, the tires will have to be changed much more often. In practice, buying two sets of tyres, one for summer and one for winter, can be a solution at a comparable or slightly higher cost. Also, let's remember that security is much higher.