All Weather Tires

[captpierre]

Just recently learned about this tire class. Better in winter than All Season tires. Not as good as Winter Tires.  Sounds look like they might be the way to go here in the GTA  

Does anybody have any experience with them?  Do they last as long as All Seasons?

[OhioFisherman]

My vehicles have all been rear wheel drive, what worked best for me was a pair of studded snow tires on the drive wheels, I always had a spare set of studded snows on rims to change over to in season.

[John Bacon]

40 minutes ago, OhioFisherman said:

My vehicles have all been rear wheel drive, what worked best for me was a pair of studded snow tires on the drive wheels, I always had a spare set of studded snows on rims to change over to in season.

Studded tires are not legal in southern Ontario; and would be overkill for the Toronto area.

[OhioFisherman]

17 minutes ago, John Bacon said:

Studded tires are not legal in southern Ontario; and would be overkill for the Toronto area.

I did not know that John, LOL, it's nice to know the Toronto area is as tropical as it is here! Our lawmakers in Columbus tried to ban them here, they evidently had never seen the lake effect snow and ice storms we get 130 or so miles north of them.

[glen]

Hankook allweather.  Had some liked them getting more. They don’t last Long 60k   Way more grip than all season but not as got as winter.  

[G.mech]

I put Hankook Optimo's on my wife's CRV and they worked well for what they are; a compromise.  They certainly aren't as good as winter tires but are far better than all seasons so for people who don't drive a lot they're a good option.  They didn't last all that long (around 60k) and I just replaced them with Toyo Celsius which are far superior as far as noise and ride go but we'll have to see how long they live.   I really like not having to store and change another set of tires.  

[lew]

Just my opinion but use "All Season tires" spring, summer & fall but when the cold weather & snow gets here use dedicated "Winter Tires"

Costs more $$$$ but I think safety out weighs saving a few bucks.

[Dutch01]

I use BFG All Terrain K02's all year round and I love them. They are tough (LT) and snow rated, not as loud as you might think, and they're wearing well so far.

No good for a car but if you're driving a pickup I wouldn't use anything else.if you want to run only one set year round.

Edited October 10, 2018 by Dutch01

[GBW]

They don't last as when I was looking some up for customers (this time last year) they had not listed an estimated KM lifespan.  They look like a winter and sound like a winter while driving.  I'd rather my winter snow's on rim's in my shed while my all season's are on the car any day.  Oh and they give you (well at least my old customer found this) worse fuel / KMPG / MPG in the warm months vs all season's.  Like with any product some with love it and stick with it forever and ever and some hate it and won't make that 'mistake' again.  I'm a fan of two set's of tire packages as you can tell...  But I hate tire-season at work...  

[captpierre]

Sounds like a bust to me. Last half as long and worse mileage 

[woodenboater]

13 hours ago, lew said:

...Costs more $$$$ but I think safety out weighs saving a few bucks.

^^ exactly this !

[skdds]

We use them on our suv-its an old vehicle soon to be traded/sold and did not think it made sense to purchase winter tires for one or two seasons. We are in T.O and streets are well plowed. Worked well last year.

[Canuck]

I put Hankook Optima’s on the Ford Fiesta we bought for our kids to use.  they were much better than the all seasons, but when my son worked for a year in Kitchener we bought a set of true winter tires and they were even that much better than the All Weather.  So they are a compromise.  I think cost wise having a separate winter tire set will make your summer tires last longer which saves money, so the extra cost is just the winter rims and the cost to swap them out each year if you cant or wont do it yourself.  

[John]

Being a tire dealer I`m going to try to stay impartial here.

There are distinct differences. The All Weather tire is really a hybrid of All Season and Winter.

All Season tires have a relatively straight uniform tread pattern designed to provide a good ``all `round`` performance in dry and wet weather. The tread pattern also helps to keep down road noise. These tires have the hardest compounds and longest life.

All Weather tires are relatively new to the market, perhaps 5 years. They have a much `blockier`tread pattern, and softer compound. The blockier tread and softer compound provides better steering and stopping performance in wet weather (and slush) however the compromise is they are noisier and have shorter life.

Winter tires, I think most are familiar with. They have in general a uniform block tread with a much softer compound. They offer significant improvement in grip, steering and stopping distance in ice and snow  however they are noisier and have much shorter life. If you are buying Winter tires spend a few hundred dollars more and get a set of dedicated rims. Your tires will last longer not being taken on and off twice a year but the changeover is significantly less expensive. Just a note on Winter tires. It is not the air temps that kill them it`s the temp of the road so get them on when the road temps have had a chance to cool down and more important get èm off before the roads heat up! I have had customers drive to Florida on Winters stay for a few months and complain when they get back that their tires are wearing too fast...

[crappieperchhunter]

I have had 2 winters now with snows and am glad I made that decision, only wish I had done it sooner. To me these relatively new "All Weather tires"  sound like a lose/lose decision, no disrespect meant for those that have chose them. Your driving circumstances might be far different then mine.  But they wear faster then All season and they don't perform as well in the winter as dedicated snow tires.  

So my pick is all seasons for spring summer and fall and true snow tires for winter.  And as has been mentioned get dedicated rims for your snows.  Also to save yourself some coin buy your tires at Canadian Tire. They have good tires in stock and if you flyer watch like I do you can always get a deal. Plus Canadian Tire will change your tires for free when you swap out your tires in the spring and fall as long as you purchased the tires from them.

Edited October 11, 2018 by crappieperchhunter

[Sinker]

I'm with Lew. Get a set of dedicated snows, and switch them for 4-5 months of the year. Your all seasons will last much longer, and your snows will last 4 or 5 years. Its no more expensive than buying 2 sets of all season tires, and running them all year round, plus you get the safety of good tires when you need them most. 

Dedicated snows are night and day difference in bad conditions. I swear by them and wouldn't even hesitate to buy the best ones you can afford. Even on a 4x4 truck, dedicated, quality winter tires can save your life. All seasons suck in snow, even with 4wd.  I can't wait to install mine.....

 

S. 

[Rattletrap2]

I would definitely agree with having a set of dedicated snow tires on a set of extra rims for winters in the country especially. That is what we do with my Wife's car.

In my case, I drive a 15 year old Rav4 to work only and I do not have an extra set of rims. I didn't think it was worth the investment at this stage in it's life. I have been running Cooper Discoverer M+S snow tires year round and am on my second set. I easily get 75k out of a set running them year round. They are noisy for sure, but in the case of this vehicle, any tires you put on will have tread cupping in no time and be noisy too! I guess it is a fact of life with this particular suspension system. As far as the noise is concerned, that is what the volume control on the radio is for! lol

[glen]

Yep.  All weathers are great.  No extra rims.  no changing tires. You don’t  get caught with the wrong tires on.  Perfect on cars that you drive less then 20k a year. 

If they cleared the roads all season tires would be good enough.  

[GBW]

Think of the math this way for tire season; tires on rim's cost less TIME and $ to change over.  If you plan to have said car/truck/suv longer than 3 years the steel wheels are paid for in the change over cost saving's in that time.  

I will always run snow's on a dedicated set of wheels to provide better savings to me in all aspects, fuel, change over, life of tire, it all works out less cash out of pocket with good products in the end I've found.  

[dave524]

17 hours ago, glen said:

Yep.  All weathers are great.  No extra rims.  no changing tires. You don’t  get caught with the wrong tires on.  Perfect on cars that you drive less then 20k a year. 

If they cleared the roads all season tires would be good enough.  

I resemble that remark, 1 vehicle since I retired 10 years  ago, a 2006 Jeep 4 wheel drive Liberty with 84 K on it,  the Goodyear Wranglers on it get me around just fine the days we go out in the winter. Barring a medical emergency we wait for the roads to be cleared in winter, I refuse to blow out the driveway until the plows go through and it stops snowing, not clearing the end of the drive twice. ?

[buckhorn250]

Winter tires real dont cost anything...here is my thinking. 

if your going to keep you car for 120k or more...your going to have to buy a set of new tires. 

Buying a set of winter tires at the beginning  means you split the mileage over both sets of tire. 

So over 120k...go through 2 sets of all season tires or 

...go through 1 set of all season, 1 set of winter tires. 

I recognize its more money up front...but for a small cost difference at the end, you'll have the benefit of winter tires...not to mention some insurance companies give you a small discount if you have winters. 

[Fisherman]

What buckhorn 250 said,  the most annoying people on the road with their all season or all weather yet not really good for any season,  can't get around the snowflakes or up the hill yet are bound and determined to make life miserable for others on the road.

[dave524]

Big problem with this thread is that winter varies so much with your location, here, I feel it was a bad winter if I have to fire up the snow blower more than 3 times.

[Jds63]

On my last truck i switched to Goodyear Duratrac after my stock tires were done, great tires in the snow I ran them year round but found they were pretty noisy in the heat of the summer. I don't know if they are considered all weather tires as the OP was asking.

On my new truck i bought a set of Blizzak DM-V2's to run as winters only. They are also excellent in the snow, especially driving north in cottage country back roads.

[DanD]

1 hour ago, Fisherman said:

What buckhorn 250 said,  the most annoying people on the road with their all season or all weather yet not really good for any season,  can't get around the snowflakes or up the hill yet are bound and determined to make life miserable for others on the road.

It's not always the people with the summer/all season tires fault. A lot of low income families just cannot afford two sets of tires; hell a lot of of young families cannot afford to replace their all seasons; that all but worn out. Being a mechanic and shop owner for 30+ years, I can tell you it can be a real struggle for some to keep the car (that they need to get to work with) on the road. They don't have the luxury of buying boots for the kids and tires for the car; they make due with what they have and can afford. I know if Ontario ever went with a snow tire law, like Quebec has; there'd be a lot a bald snow tires on the roads. The law says (in Quebec) between Dec. 15th and Mar. 15th winter tires must be on the vehicle. There's no legislation saying that you must remove them or a law that says when they're worn out. They do make a recommendation that at a certain tread depth and below "you may be compromising your safety".  So run them until the cords are showing; but you sill have the snowflake symbol the sidewall of the tire.

Dan.

Sorry I forgot to add. I agree 100% that winter tires are well worth the money. I was just looking at this from a different angle of why some people cannot get them.

 

Edited October 12, 2018 by DanD