If you’re going to be driving in wintery weather, whether during a skiing or snowboarding holiday or just in everyday life, it’s important to know that conventional or summer tyres won’t work as effectively when the temperatures drop or if snow or ice appears. That’s why anyone driving in wintery conditions should take the time to consider what are the different types of tyres for winter and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each.
The whole debate of winter tyres vs all season tyres vs snow tyres vs normal tyres can be quite complicated, so this guide to what type of tyres are best for snow will try to simplify the options on the market, meaning you’ll be able to drive and park in winter weather with less stress.
Winter tyres vs all season tyres: What are winter tyres and how are they different?
Put simply, winter tyres are tyres that are designed to provide more grip during wintery weather. The way they work is they have a high percentage of natural rubber, giving them a softer structure that never gets too hard, even in cold temperatures.
Winter tyres are not to be confused with snow tyres, even though they work great in the snow. In the past, snow tyres were more common and people used them a lot because there was a significant snow tyres vs normal tyres benefit. However, snow tyres would often get very hard in the cold and didn’t work as well on slush or ice. With the technology behind these different types of snow tyres evolving over time, the modern winter tyres are able to work well in all kinds of winter weather conditions, whether it’s wet or dry or snowy or icy.
Then, there’s the winter tyres vs all season tyres debate. All season tyres do what the name says, and they work fairly well for all seasons. While they do perform better than summer tyres when used in wintery conditions, all season tyres in snow or ice aren’t as good as winter tyres.
Winter tyres vs all season tyres: How much do winter tyres cost? Is it worth putting winter tyres on?
There is, unfortunately, no simple answer to the question of how much do winter tyres cost, because it’ll vary a lot based on your car and wheel size. But, it is a fact that having good quality winter tyres will cost more than just having good all season tyres.
The main reason for the winter tyres difference in price is that you can’t use them all year round, so you would also need a summer or all season tyres set in addition to the winter tyres. That, logically, costs more.
The advantage of having all season tyres vs summer tyres plus winter tyres is that the all season tyres don’t need to be swapped out. The disadvantage of all season tyres is that they’re not quite as grippy in the most severe wintery driving conditions.
So, the answer to the question of ‘Which tyre is best for winter?’ is quite obvious, as the answer is winter tyres. But, each person will make their own evaluation as to whether that extra grip and security is worth the extra cost and hassle or are all season tyres worth it because they’re simpler.
How to fit winter tyres: Do you need all four winter tyres?
When fitting winter tyres, or other different types of snow tyres, it is recommended that you buy and fit them on to all four wheels of your car, no matter if you have rear wheel, front wheel or four wheel drive. That means you’ll have that extra grip all across the vehicle, just like is the case with snow chains on your wheels.
As for when is the right time to substitute out your other tyres in order to fit on the winter tyres, it is recommended that you do this whenever the temperature drops below 7°C. If you live somewhere where the temperature is often below this level, that could be another reason to make you think about what are the different types of tyres and whether it would be worth investing the time and money in quality winter wheels.
Ultimately, a lot of the above comes down to budget and to personal choice. Once you’ve considered all the options on the market and set up your car the way you want it for winter, you can then set off and have some fun, and know that if visiting Grandvalira then there will always be parking spaces in Andorra available for your car and its tyres, winter tyres or not.