The myth is 7 °C... There is a test that proves even at -5 °C a summer tyre, on a dry surface, brakes about 5 m better from 100 km/h (winter tyre 40 m, summer tyre 35 m).
The most important thing is DO NOT DRIVE IN WINTER WEATHER LIKE YOU WOULD DO IN THE SUMMER, no matter if you have winter tires on your vehicle. Just because a winter tire will give you a bit more traction than an all season tire doesn’t mean you can now drive a little bit faster.
I plowed snow working for a local school district for 35 years and so many times I would be traveling between schools in the plow truck and people in their SUV would go flying past me and sure enough down the road they would be in the ditch, or in one case upside down. I know they were thinking, I have four-wheel drive, so I do not need to slow down. They may go a little better, but they do not stop or go around corners if you are driving too fast just like a regular car. Winter tires and sensible driving go a long way to winter driving.
Yes that is true, because with winter tires you can drive LOT faster ;) Here speed limit is 80 and some places 90km/h and we pretty much drive at the same speed summer and winter. Also here if you drive with summer tires in winter on snow and ice here you will loose your drivers license and get a huge fine for every summer tire on your car.
Winter tires are great. There's no two ways about it: they shorten your stopping distance by roughly 25-35%. A used set of winters is better than a brand new set of all seasons.
Depends on the tread depth and how old the used tires are. Once you see any cracks (i.e. the rubber has significantly lost its elasticity) or the tread depth gets below 4/32nds, you can be sure that a new set of all seasons will outperform the used winters.
They can reduce stopping distance by as much as 25% under testing conditions with brand new tires. Real world results aren't as dramatic. Never trust a salesman.
As a flat lander, all season tires seemed to be the best fit for me. My car was FWD and I had to put chains on in the snow regardless. They fared reasonably well, but when I put actual snow tires on, it was a game changer. Ironically even the dry handling of the car got better with these tires, which is generally the opposite with most winter tires. I then got a Subaru last year and put the same winter tires on the car, it was like a driving cheat code in the mountains. Never slipped once, even after an ice storm hit the lower elevation town that I was staying in.
I'm on my 3rd. Subaru and have always used winter tires for them. Here in Saskatchewan the tires are on my Forester for 7 months, minimum. I agree to the statement: AWD doesn't mean all-wheel stop.
Under 7 degrees C, even the dry/wet grip of winter tires will exceed summer/allseason tires. Anyone will notice the huge difference in ice/snow traction and handling, but it is also important for emergency braking/manouvering even on wet/dry surfaces (90%+ of the time in most places in the winter).
@@philojudaeusofalexandria9556Winter tires make too many sacrifices to wet/dry performance that there are still many all-season tires that will simply outperform a winter tire down to about freezing and even beyond. Summer tires on the other hand, absolutely, down around 7 degrees performance degrades and even starts to gets dangerous as that rubber hardens approaching freezing. For these reasons, I’m surprised an all-weather tire which can truly be used all year round was not mentioned. A tire like the Michelin CrossClimate2 is extremely well-reviewed and has the 3PMSF symbol but still works without excessive wear into the hot summer months. It’s very highly rated for its wet/dry performance in both cold and hot months. Sure, for extreme conditions in either winter or summer, a dedicated seasonal tire would be better but for the everyday driver who lives in a mild region year-round, like those of us in Vancouver, I think an all-weather tire is the best all-in-one solution, all without seasonal tire changes! Don’t take my word for it, there’s plenty of reviews that test the CrossClimate2 across different conditions and against dedicated winter tires, summer tires, and all-season tires. Likewise, plenty of reviews that show how a good all-season tire can outperform a winter tire in the dry/wet even when it’s cold.
Too many people don’t know how to drive properly, I’ve been driving for 42 years accident and ticket free and have to the conclusion that people are idi0ts
Tire repair technician here, one thing that is SUPER important that was not mentioned is the deference between an all season and a winter tire. All seasons are made to be more dense to get more mileage out of them, winter tires are made so that the compound is softer, making it not as easy to freeze ( think hockey puck density ) In hockey we freeze hockey pucks before games so they slide on the ice easier. Imagine driving on frozen Hockey pucks. Summer tires and all seasons will start to freeze at - 14 degrees Celsius. Also just because you have winter tires dose not mean you are invincible. when its - 40 out, i don't care what your tires are made out of it is going to freeze along with your seats, your suspension, your differential oil, your engine oil, washer fluid amongst other things. IF YOU DONT HAVE WINTER TIRES ON AND YOU GET INTO AN ACCSEDENT! you can throw your insurance coverage out the window. Don't believe that? call your provider and ask.
also... instead of just running the engine to circulate the oil and warm it up... drive slowly around a quiet block or parking lot for awhile to warm everything else up and get the vehicle ready for the road. Check tire pressure too, as a drop in temp is a drop in tire pressure... and a potential blow out.
Unfortunately m+s tires count S wonter tires here, but they are not winter tires by any stretch of the imagination. There is no comparison between tires marked M+S and the tirex with the mountain/snowflake symbol. Better yet, if you drive in an area that gets frequent freezing rain, studded tires are like driving on gravel instead of ice. No winter compound comes close.
Trouble is, you cannot get that through young people's heads. they see winter tires as a pain, and the sad thing is they will never know the massive difference they make. How much is your life worth? And think about the other people on the road. I think living where winter tires are mandatory from this date to this date would be awesome.
This needed way more information, especially for the temperate south coasties. Winter tires are designed for low temperature near freezing and feature a softer compound in addition to more siping and tread. This allows for more tire grip in lower temperatures, especially low temp wet roads and snow. The break-over performance trade between the All Season and Winter Tires is roughly 7C/45F in temperature (especially wet roads), yes it's that warm. Once the local climate starts to drop below 10C in highs, people should be rotating to a winter set. All-Weather tires are the new "All-Season" tires. They're winter rated with the 3 peak and can be used all year round but are the true compromise tire. All-Seasons are really meant for 7C and above and Summer Tires 10C and above, neither should be used in snow. If I'm honest, all Canadian drivers should be on a 3 peak winter rated from mid November to mid March regardless of where they live in this country.
Great response. Quick question... Can I use dedicated summer and dedicated winter only (no all seasons). It means I'll be putting my summer tires on in March and taking them off in November. Is that too early/ late to be using summer tires?
People should be forced to watch a video where they compare stopping distances of each type of tire. Summer, 4 seasons, all weather, snow and studded tires.
@@Cyberdine.Systems.Model-101 Yes, you can. Summer tires are likely just as good as all seasons in low temperatures. Where summers lose out is on ice and snow. My insurance provider requires my snows to be on from Nov 20th to Apr 15th (CAA) and my biggest concern is the snow tires. They wear out incredibly fast if the ambient temperature is warm. I would normally not put them on until December and remove them by the end of March, but CAA had significantly better rates than any other provider.
@overkill1340 OK thanks. I think I'll go with CAA also. I did a quick online quote and they were a lot cheaper! Are you a CAA member also, for additional discount? My car is brand new so I don't think I need to join.
@@Cyberdine.Systems.Model-101 CAA offers a discount, I cannot remember the % off hand, if you are a member, but membership is not required. They have a lowest tier membership which doesn't include any car assists/tows but does get you 1 assist on a bicycle and 3cents off on Shell gas and a few other random discounts. More importantly, the low tier membership was less money than the % reduction on my insurance, so I signed up for that. Have a look and see if it make sense for your quote.
As a mechanic, I'm pleased CBC actually referenced someone from the industry. It's pretty obvious folks, you want security in all conditions? Only a dedicated tip quality winter can provide that.
Winter tires make a HUGE difference! I more enjoy driving my 2wd 8th gen Civic with Blizzak WS90 winter tires over my FJ Cruiser with Duratrac tires (a winter rated AT / MT tire). Yes, the FJ is non stoppable, and better because of the 4wd and lockers. BUT, if the snow isn't over the bumper, the Civic is so much more fun to drive in snow and ice. Feels so connected. Can do little slides around corners and be in complete control. If you have never had winter tires, do not say you don't need them. You'll be amazed if you try them. But, I did get some Falken Aklimate All weather tires for my CIvic now. We'll see how these all weather do in the winters.
Nothing beats good quality winter tires for winter driving. I am using high quality winter tires on my vehicle. BIG difference from all season tires. Winter tires make winter driving a lot safer.
Winter tires use 'Soft Rubber', that's 75% of the advantage they have over all-season tires right there. The other 25% is the extra little cuts that they have to provide more 'bite' into the snow. Even a worn-out 10-year-old set of winter tires will stop you on snow or ice much better than even the best brand-new all-season tires will on a -10C winter day where the roads are covered in 5 cm of snow. However, winter tires do get 'harder' as they age, so newer tires will always work better.
Even my well used (8+ years) old winter tires were night and day difference compared with bags new and seasons in Alberta winter weather. It should be mandatory for rental cars to supply winter tires too.
Rental car companies have done the math. Winter tires are unnecessary and might provoke customers to drive like hell. On all season tires they might just slow down a bit just because they don't know the difference. Did you know Michelin Cross Climate tires are lower rated than their Pilot Sport A/S, the pilots handle wet roads better.
A good set of Winter Tires can be the different between an accident and not. I'm an excellent driver and have not had an accident in the 1M kilometres I've driven primarily for work and I wouldn't date drive without Winter Tires. They have saved me from other drivers hitting me because I was able to avoid them in really icy conditions where an all-season wouldn't have fared as well. You can't put a price on safety and you will be glad you have it if you ever need it.
I have a 2005 Blazer 2 door 4x4 with studded tires all the way round , I have pulled a lot of cars out of snow banks with winter tires on, here in Alberta .
I got religion about snow tires about twenty years ago when I nearly went into a ditch. I finally got myself a pair of Bridgestone Blizzaks and it felt like an entirely different car in the winter. For anyone who thinks that it doesn't make much difference, you're just wrong. Putting winter tires on your car makes more difference than 4 wheel drive, especially for stopping.
There are some all season tires that have the mountain snowflake mark such as the Michelin Crossclimate line. In Québec, winter tires are mandatory for the season, and many of us who live in rural areas will install studded tires which can track well even on ice, but they are noisy on highways and overkill in many places.
Studs are an awesome choice for Winnipeg but for those living on the coast where they get a lot of slush they’re better off without studs. Winter tires are a must no matter where you live in Canada.
i live in quebec and i only recently knew that winter tires are not mandatory in other provinces, very surprised i think it’s not even a question in most of canada
@@elizabethheinrichs7187 the designation M+S (all seasons) is accepted in BC which is not a real dedicated winter tire like the 3 spike snowflake designation
@@elizabethheinrichs7187 From reading the comments, we have at least Quebec (where I live), Alberta and BC where winter tires are mandatory. Are there provinces where they are also mandatory? Edit: I just checked, and not mandatory in Alberta, only Quebec and BC.
As a person who has driven Alberta winters for the past 25, and has driven on summer tires in winter and winter tires in summer (both with poor and sometimes expensive results). I approve this message. This is all good advice. Summer tires are for warm (& hot) weather; Winter Tires are for Cold weather (not just snow/ice, but cold); All Season tires are okay, especially for the budget conscious, but should only be used by experienced drivers that have good instincts developed; All weather tires are a little pricier at first, but will save mony in the long run, they are as good as Summer and Winter tires, but mainly in areas that clears roads on a regular basis (Cities and Highways); if you're out in the sticks a lot, get winter tires for winter.
35 years oilfield, first 17 years in Subaru. All season tires. I did have on season of Sears winters which were the worst tires ever, but did teach me how to recover from 4 wheel slides. Every bush road was skid school. I trashed them before they trashed me, an exceptionally bad tire. I bought a used vehicle years later with another brand of useless tire, nice and fresh but trash. after the first trip into the bush they got swapped for Michelin A/S LTX? No problem. I always said it is the nut behind the wheel that ditches cars. How many PU where in the ditch between CAL and GP. Entertainment on a long drive.
You can be the best driver in the world, driving a 4x4, but if a lunatic drives/slides towards you in a cold winter the winter tyres are your best friend to avoid a collision. All-seasons? - tyres good in the average temperatures that suck during extreme temperatures in the winter or the summer.
For fifteen years in Denver, I drove a Fiat Spider. I had a set of four studded Pirelli snow tires on steel rims that I could swap out in the garage in twenty minutes. The night before a predicted snow storm, on they'd go. Front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, all-wheel-drive...al the really matters is the right tire.
Having to buy a second set of rims and storing the extra set of tires when they are not being used most definitely costs more money than using a single set of tires. You can of course save money by changing the tires yourself and storing them yourself but, this is often not an option for many people.
@@NotExpatJoe Winter tires are mandatory in Québec and everyone find a way to store them. If people can do it here I'm sure they can in your province too. Also, a small FWD car with winter tires is better in the snow than a AWD SUV with all season tires. Most people think that buying a larger vehicle make them safer in winter but it's not the case. It would actually be cheaper for them to buy a small car, but with very good winter tires.
@@NotExpatJoe But as the OP said, it's actually not that expensive relatively to the price of a car. Also, tires devaluate extremely quickly. You can get one year old winter tires for less than 1/4 of brand new ones...
Good advice. As someone in the lower 48, snow is only about a 3 month thing at most(am in Iowa). I can’t justify the extra expense of extra rims and tires for my FWD vehicles. I handle by switching to my AWD vehicles in snow. Winter tires are loud and do not handle well outside of cold weather.
I used all season tire for 12 years and had absolutely no problem (and I live in Ottawa driving in really bad snow storms as well as freezing rain during the "temporary January thaw"). I switched to winter tires when they announced that the ploughing services for streets would be reduced. I went through one winter with this reduced service and bought winter tire the next. It's an absolute pain.
In North Western Ontario, winter tire are not mandatory but highly recommend. We can have -40 temperatures and feet of snow. Winter tires help in all these situations immensely.
I got one minute and thirty seconds in before I remembered something, I've been doing tires for ten years in a winter country. why am I watching this? lol
Eh, it's good to challenge your own assumptions from time to time. You never know when you'll learn something new. For example, I didn't know until watching this video that tires are date stamped with the week/year of their manufacturing.
@@Alex-js5lg it’s very important to look at the manufacturer date when buying used tires. Most people selling them don’t even realize they’re selling super old and unsafe tires. The general rule of thumb is after 6 years a tire is at a higher risk of hidden damage and potential blow-out at high speeds. Anything close to 10 years and that risk goes waaay up, even if the tire is in good shape, it can deteriorate quickly when exposed to harsh elements or rough driving, and you never know when you’ll need to perform an emergency maneuver
For anyone reading here: the biggest difference between winter and summer tires is just the compound being used. As temperatures get lower, rubber gets harder and which lowers grip. Winter tires uses much softer compounds which are more effective at temperatures below 7C.
Tread block design (as noted in the video) is also a key difference. Difference in compound *plus* the tread design work hand in hand. True summer tires of far fewer cuts and sipes (the extreme being high performance/racing tires that effectively are just flat rubber). All season is really the mid point between Summer and Winter.
There is a test which shows that even at -5 °C, on dry beton, the summer tyres are still better ... braking from 100 km/h and have about 5 m shorter distance (40 m vs 35 m). Also at +1 °C on wet asphalt the summers are still better.
I've never bought winters and have been a winter driver in Manitoba for over 20 years. What I have done is researched my tyres and bought ones that tested well in winter conditions. There are lots of manufacturers and models out there. Some all season tyres are actually designed and built on our continent. If you look, you can find some all season tyres that actually out perform some (or even a surprising amount of) winter tyres. Most importantly, drive to conditions.
Confused why Ontario doesn't have winter tires mandatory like Quebec does from Dec 1 to Mars 15. I mean, you basically have harsher winter storms in Toronto than we have in Montreal. Now it's true, many drive on fairly worn winter tires but still overall, I feel safer knowing nobody around is having fun with all seasons in 2 inches of fresh snow.
Good information but should have mentioned all weather tires and that consumer reports does testing on tires. Some winter tires do not perform as well as some all weather tires under some conditions.
@speciallevo3170 all weather are slightly better than 4 seasons but never like good quality winter tires. If you're in Canada, it's winter tires in the winter.
@@Osprey23-o8lno one is talking about Chinese winter tires, all seasons tires will never be as good as winter tires for the same quality. On average you have only 1 square foot of rubber touching the road!
Dedicated winter tires even lets a rear wheel sports car drive very well in the snow & ice. Being changing out the performance tires for 6 years. The warmer days up around 60 make the winter tires lose performance.
Failed to mention that the key fact that the rubber compound is different for winter tires, it is not just about the tread pattern and sipes. Winter tires remain pliable, and able to do their job, at far lower temperatures than all seasons. All season tires start drastically losing performance below about 7 degrees Celsius, as the rubber hardens due to the cold temperature.
First of all, there's no replacement for being a skilled driver. Second, that tip about the manufacturing date printed on the sidewall of the tire is a good one. Third, I have no issue with those that choose to changeover their tires twice a year. But given that winters are gradually becoming warmer, perhaps save yourself some money and consider a top quality all season. Personally, I've never used winter tires and I've driven approximately 1.5M miles with no issues.
I forgot to add that his comment about M+S [Mud & Snow] and the Snowflake on the sidewall is a relatively recent change in the tire industry. Therefore, tires designated as M+S are still fine for the winter, but obviously not necessarily better for the winter than tires designated as Snowflake.
I started my driving with bias ply tires never had an accident. Then when all weather tires came to be popular, Still never had an accident. After 50 years of driving.My advice: Try learning how to drive and don't depend on your tires,you are in control.
tires are one thing I splurge on - usually goodyear or michelin as a poor student I'd just get the cheapest tire, and while it's almost half the price of a brand name, its LESS than half as good. I'd get two seasons out of my summer and winter tires. Now with Goodyear or Michelin, they last 5-6 years.
you can have all the fancy names about tires , al season , all weather , all year round , in fact there are only 2 type of tires to use , either it’s summer or it’s winter , drive with caution and no such thing is 1 fits all !
Some people run beaters in the winter with tires that old or have some weather cracks is what it is, mine are going on 18 years lol keep a space tire ready to go!
Anyone who’s ever driven in a snowstorm can easily see who doesn’t have winter tires. They’re the cars in the ditch. New York City in a snowstorm is nuts. Every car sliding all over the place except those with winter tires trying to avoid getting hit.
There's a glaring omission that I cant believe was not covered. Speaking to the benefits of winter over all seasons , the rubber compound remain more pliable when the temperature drops therefore offering better traction. The compound is much softer. Hopefully I missed him speaking of it but wow - thats one of the biggest differences b/w summer/all seasons and winters.
Seriously?! At about 1:30 in the video when he's describing what worn rubber looks like on the side of the tire... dude, you work in a shop with all sorts of tires = find one to SHOW as an example. If you're really trying to inform people who aren't aware of some of the important factors about tires, then why wouldn't you just show it? This kind of content comes across as someone who just wants to be seen on youtube instead of someone who really wants to inform people.
Also worth mentioning the tire’s grip at a specific temperature. Summer tires don’t perform well under 15 C and all seasons will struggle below 0 C. This varies a lot so worth looking up the operating temperature range for your specific tires.
Winters and AWD. Thankfully we were out test driving and got hit with snow and got to feel the difference between AWD and FWD. Well worth the cost difference.
AWD only helps during acceleration and on-throttle turns. It does nothing in the most important situation: braking. And it will often have you driving faster than you should since you overestimate the amount of grip you have on the road. It will help prevent you from getting stuck (or get out of a ditch), but not from getting into a collision or ending up in the ditch in the first place. Tires, ABS, and electronic brakeforce distribution (standard on most cars these days) are the only things that help in the most critical emergency braking situations. And only tires help during emergency collision avoidance. So get winter tires!!
@@philojudaeusofalexandria9556 "Winters" = winter tyres. Like I don't know all the rest? 😀 I still would pay the extra for AWD because the front end goes where you point it when pulling into traffic instead of sliding into the gutter. Safety is cumulative, not either-or.
@@unclemick-synths Oh. I misunderstood your comment. Thanks for the clarification - 100% agreed. I thought you meant "AWD and [Canadian] Winters" are the perfect combination (winter tires not necessary).
The real value of winter tires varies depending on what type of vehicle you have. In our front wheel drive and/or AWD hatchbacks, they’ve been a life saver - night and day difference. My wife’s BMW always gets real winter tires. In my Jeep, however, when it’s in four wheel drive, there’s absolutely no difference. An MT or AT is every bit as good as a dedicated snow tire. I usually split the difference and get snowflake rated all-weather/all-terrains.
Without winter tires, your Jeep might be good at accelerating in the snow because of 4WD, but when braking and handling corners it will be very dangerous. You cannot go against the laws of physics. The only way of having a good handling and a safe braking distance on snow is to increase the coefficient of friction, and the only way to do so is to have winter tires that will remain soft even when it's very cold outside. Every single year I see tons of highly confident people in their large truck in ditches for the simple reason that they don't have winter tires
@@PatG-xd8qn People say this all the time, but they do not know what they are talking about. There is a night and day difference in traction, even when stopping and cornering, when 4WD is turned on. A much bigger difference than you get with winter tires on a 2WD car.
@@bsenka It's not about your feelings nor about what clueless people have to say about it. It's about facts. Your statement is complete nonsense. 4WD or AWD only allows you to accelerate faster in slippery conditions. It has zero impact on braking and handling performances. I can tell you never opened a physics textbook of your life... In the end, if you get homologated all weather tires with the snow peak symbol, it's totally fine since these tires are designed to remain soft when temperatures are below the freezing point. The only problem with these tires is that fuel consumption in summer will be significantly higher. Also, these all weather tires still aren't as performant as dedicated winter tires.
@@PatG-xd8qn Again, simply not true. I have 2WD, AWD, and 4WD vehicles. I've gone with and without winter tires on all of them. Winter tires made a noticeable difference on the 2WD and AWD, absolutely. They categorically do not make any difference on the 4WD. I have snowflake rated winter tires on my Jeep right now, and there is zero difference when I'm actually in 4WD from when I had all-seasons on it. None whatsoever.
The rubber in winter tires is specially formulated for colder weather. While you can use them in the summer, they will wear out extremely fast in hot weather, so it's not really worth it for most people to leave them on all year long. With that said, I kept winter tires on my Ford E350 based camper van year round because the tires were also good offroad, and it wasn't a daily driver that I put a lot of miles on.
Winter tires can be damaged quite easily and they are not cheap. You don't want to replace it every 3 years. I mean if you drive it all year round it may it burnt in one year.
Breaking distance of a summer tire is quite less than a winter tire in hot conditions. The soft rubber of a winter tire is a is a bad factor in high temperature.
Mind your speed, mind your distance and pay full attention on the road. I'm on my Toyo AT3 and having no problem at all. I don't need two sets of tires and needs to be changed two times a year. Drive safe and God bless.
Make sure the winter tires you buy have sipes that go the full depth of the tread. Some do not, and winter tires lose a lot of their traction when the sipes wear away.
@@MM-tf5gg Well if everyone could they probably would. But there are some very good alternatives to them that are more affordable. Been driving in snow for 55 years, Plowed snow working for a local school district for 35. Many of those years were with RWD cars going to plow at one am. So, I have tried a few different brands over the years.
@@scrambler69-xk3kvPlease would you share those brands that you find comparable yet more economical? I need new winters and would love some advice on a solid set from a knowledgeable driver without a sales incentive. For context, I live in an often cold and icy major city with a good million sketchy drivers so driving defensively is key.
Anyone who's had to deal with winter here in Canada knows that "all seasons" are No-seasons. If you live in Canada, you're going to need 2 sets of tires. Dedicated winter and dedicated summers. I always find it funny how people are willing to dish out 50g's + on a vehicle, but when it comes to replace tires, they're looking to skimp out on them?? How do you think the car makes contact with the road?? 🙂 Also, check the tires out for wear and age. So many vehicles out there lately with tires that are older than 7yrs. Dry rotted and cracked all over. But they see a tiny bit of tread depth and they think they're good for another season or 2?! 😮
"All weather" (with the alpine snowflake) tires are now available that will work year-round in Canada. ("All season" tires are designed for California).
@@jamesphillips2285 But they still won't be as good as proper winter tires and during summer, your vehicle will be far less fuel efficient with them. In other words, you'll pay in gas what you saved by not buying winter tires...
@@jamesphillips2285 If cost matters so much to you, winter tires actually devaluate extremely quickly. You can get one year old tires for less than 1/4 of the price of brand new ones. As I said, you'll pay in gas what you saved by not buying winter tires. And your all weather tires still aren't as safe as actual winter tires
I can't believe this "expert" didn't mention the other category of tire we now have, called "All Weather" tires. These have the mountain/snowflake icon, and are a great choice for year-round use.
If you want maximum performance, Nordic winter tires are the way to go and will outperform "ANY" all-weather tire. Don't put too much faith in that 3PMS.
@@4x4gear33 I have a set of all weather nordic tires. Of course you don't want too much confidence in them but they handle much better than all season tires which in reality is only 3 seasons. Where I live, we get the occasional snow fall that last only 3-4 days and it turns back into slush. All weather fits my needs without having to waste time swapping out tires.
The great white north calls for winters. I was tossed in the fire with winter driving at 16 with all seasons. I do not recommend that at all, winter tires help you stop in an appropriate amount of distance. Provided you're not hooning around. Spend the money on winters, you will thank yourself when you're able to stop or take a corner.
0:25 you can see dry rot on that tire right in the center, the kind that goes all the way around the tire no little cracks, long ones, happens when you drive to aggressive with low tire pressure, those are bad
This was CBC .. they should also mention that in Quebec (as of 2008) it is m a n d a t o r y to have winter tires : the one with the mountain + snowflake. I would prefer a slightly used winter tire to a brand new all-season especially below -10C.
practically the rubber is also much more soft so it won't become hard ( LOL!) during the extreme cold days, I purchased a car from New Your with brand new winter tires, on January 2023 but purchased it in SOUTH TEXAS! LOL! so I procrastinated to replace the tires for "normal" Texas tires.. so around 6 months later they were completely bald! all tread was gone! THERE I understood the difference since for us in South Texas winter tires are practically non-existent
This didn't debunk any myths. This was an ad for winter tires. If you really want to stay safer in the winter, don't drive like it's summer, and leave for everywhere earlier than you would in summer.
Winter tires have been around since 1934. First for commercial trucks and a few years later for passenger vehicles. People mostly used "regular tires" year round until some governments started enacting winter tire laws.
No rubber works on ice or on wet ice. Soft winter tires are effective only on a snowy or wet asphalt road. Winter rubber is also not effective on country roads with frozen soil. You can take a piece of winter tire and use it like a hockey puck, but if you screw it into it a couple of self -tapping screws this will change it all. If you studied physics at school, you should know that the ice is slippery not by itself, but due to a thin layer of water on the surface. And this layer is only a few molecules with thickness, surface tension forces do not allow it to be squeezed out, moreover, it is instantly replenished from the ice itself. And only the bite into ice with the help of solid spikes can change.
Sadly I find if you make a car 10%safer people drive 25% worse, having good winter tyres is a must but dont be over confident that you have them you still need to slow down keep a good distance, the minimum tread depth on a winter tyre is 4 mm.keep them inflated correctly, Now try this. place you hand on the floor draw round it with a crayon and picture the small shape you have just made. now remember that you have 4 bits of rubber that size attaching you to the road, I was shown this many many years ago and it has always stuck in my mind, drive to the conditions and all will be good. as for this video debunking myths not a single myth was mentioned. so here are a few, ABS makes you stop quicker total myth it was designed to enable you to steer the car with your foot on the brake. winter tyres enable you to drive faster in winter again total myth what they do is give way better traction but you should reduce speed and drive smooth, no sharp cornering no hard acceleration etc drive smooth. and lastly cheap tyres are just as good as expensive ones, also a myth, the compound in cheap winters only just meets the required standards, it is a minimum standard and should not be considered as the same as a good quality winter tyre.
Whoa whoa whoa... This is from a Canadian news agency. I know we share a continent but the US has kinda tainted the term "American" and we'd rather not be lumped in on that.
There was no mention of traction on ice. I don't buy winter tires for snow; I buy winter tires so I can control the vehicle when on ice. How many times have we seen cars spin out or fail to stop when they hit ice?
Problem with Winter Tires is they wear out in a couple of seasons. A good set of M+S tires will last more than 5 years of continuous use. Winter tires means you have to buy a full set of Summer and Winter tires and rims. I've been driving for over 60 years, a lot of it in winter and even a few years of Ice Road driving.
Most winter tires are good for 4-5 years of usable good traction - as long as you swap out to your all seasons in the summer. Also, by having a set of winters, this will extend the time period your all seasons will be good because they are not being used in the winter. And lastly, its not mandatory to get a second set of wheels for your winters but i would recommend it as its less wear and tear on your tires due to the mount and dismount and usually cheaper to swap versus a full changeover.
I got about 70,000 km on each of my last 2 sets of winter tires. Summers last a bit longer but it isn’t a huge drop. Unless your vehicle is near the end of its life they make a lot of sense to me. M+S grip fairly well in the snow but they leave a lot to be desired on roads when it gets cold.
I see comments from people saying “drive safely, you won’t need winter tires”. Sorry to those folks but do us all a favour and stay off the roads. Any tire can be over driven and I do believe winter tires are over hyped but there is no questions they give better traction on icy and slushy roads.
Just do it. Your summer and winter sets will last twice as long because they're on the vehicle half as much. What would just 1 accident cost? More than a set of mounted winter tires.
it’s just a shame that we need videos like this, instead of every province requiring a comprehensive driving course before issuing a driver’s license, like many other places. Since Canadians rely so much on driving and because of our poor weather, it’s crazy that we still learn to drive from our (unqualified) parents
Most tyre manufacturers say that when a tyre is 10 years old the rubber is not good anymore.... I'm surprised it's only 10 years... I thought they would say 10 months.
Hockey pucks fly on the ice.....So do alot of tires You want to look for the class of tire for winter rating These are a softer compound like the video said The down side is they wear out if you driving them after winter....On my own truck which is 4x4 i have firestone winter tires with studs And my tips to new drivers Dont go cheap There are bridges and turns out there And people like me that can infact stop sooner infront of you than you can with what you have on now .....Most rear end hits where you are at fault is because of poor tires
Winter tires are just plainly better in temperatures below 10C; people who doesn't think so haven't used them. They're not magic, but far, far better than all seasons when the temperature drops. I always have a seperate set of winter wheels and tires, same diameter as stock, but on a smaller wheel with a taller sidewall tire. With a fwd I often drive around 4x4s spinning their tires up hill, or past 4x4s in the ditch, every winter.
It was funny a few years ago when the media went on about tire shops selling tires that were a few years old. All of a sudden most places started mounting tires with the date code facing inwards lol
@@4859carcar unless they are directional tires all four can be mounted with the date code on the inside, genius, which is what tire shops started doing after the media ran stories about how they were selling tires that were a few years old.
Many tyres can only rotate one way. Many are marked outside and inside. Some people aren't fussy about their tyres and buy the cheapest. If only they had neon sign on them saying caution cheap tyres avoid me.
Sipes offer several advantages but the most impactful advantage, when driving on snow, is that the sipes collect snow in between each groove which improves traction. This is because snow on snow has FAR better traction than rubber on snow. More below average reporting from CBC unfortunately...
What myths were there? These are all great facts. The video is fantastic but the title is misleading.
Media sensationalism... at least this particular segment isn't based on ideological favouratism, unlike everything ELSE the CBC puts out.
The myth that all-seasons are just as good was mentioned.
Typical cbc it’s all about generating fear so you click.
0:52
The myth is 7 °C...
There is a test that proves even at -5 °C a summer tyre, on a dry surface, brakes about 5 m better from 100 km/h (winter tyre 40 m, summer tyre 35 m).
The most important thing is DO NOT DRIVE IN WINTER WEATHER LIKE YOU WOULD DO IN THE SUMMER, no matter if you have winter tires on your vehicle.
Just because a winter tire will give you a bit more traction than an all season tire doesn’t mean you can now drive a little bit faster.
It’s not about how fast u can drive, it’s about how fast u can stop. This is what people still don’t seem to understand after god knows how long
I plowed snow working for a local school district for 35 years and so many times I would be traveling between schools in the plow truck and people in their SUV would go flying past me and sure enough down the road they would be in the ditch, or in one case upside down. I know they were thinking, I have four-wheel drive, so I do not need to slow down. They may go a little better, but they do not stop or go around corners if you are driving too fast just like a regular car. Winter tires and sensible driving go a long way to winter driving.
@@scrambler69-xk3kv Agreed, this folks do not know the difference between ability to go and stopping/traction.
Oh God save us......what are your statements based on?
Yes that is true, because with winter tires you can drive LOT faster ;) Here speed limit is 80 and some places 90km/h and we pretty much drive at the same speed summer and winter. Also here if you drive with summer tires in winter on snow and ice here you will loose your drivers license and get a huge fine for every summer tire on your car.
Winter tires are great. There's no two ways about it: they shorten your stopping distance by roughly 25-35%. A used set of winters is better than a brand new set of all seasons.
100%
Depends on the tread depth and how old the used tires are. Once you see any cracks (i.e. the rubber has significantly lost its elasticity) or the tread depth gets below 4/32nds, you can be sure that a new set of all seasons will outperform the used winters.
They can reduce stopping distance by as much as 25% under testing conditions with brand new tires. Real world results aren't as dramatic. Never trust a salesman.
As a flat lander, all season tires seemed to be the best fit for me. My car was FWD and I had to put chains on in the snow regardless. They fared reasonably well, but when I put actual snow tires on, it was a game changer. Ironically even the dry handling of the car got better with these tires, which is generally the opposite with most winter tires.
I then got a Subaru last year and put the same winter tires on the car, it was like a driving cheat code in the mountains. Never slipped once, even after an ice storm hit the lower elevation town that I was staying in.
I'm on my 3rd. Subaru and have always used winter tires for them. Here in Saskatchewan the tires are on my Forester for 7 months, minimum. I agree to the statement: AWD doesn't mean all-wheel stop.
I was the same. Always thought all-season tires were fine.... Until I got a set of winter tires. It was a game changer
Under 7 degrees C, even the dry/wet grip of winter tires will exceed summer/allseason tires. Anyone will notice the huge difference in ice/snow traction and handling, but it is also important for emergency braking/manouvering even on wet/dry surfaces (90%+ of the time in most places in the winter).
@@philojudaeusofalexandria9556Winter tires make too many sacrifices to wet/dry performance that there are still many all-season tires that will simply outperform a winter tire down to about freezing and even beyond. Summer tires on the other hand, absolutely, down around 7 degrees performance degrades and even starts to gets dangerous as that rubber hardens approaching freezing. For these reasons, I’m surprised an all-weather tire which can truly be used all year round was not mentioned. A tire like the Michelin CrossClimate2 is extremely well-reviewed and has the 3PMSF symbol but still works without excessive wear into the hot summer months. It’s very highly rated for its wet/dry performance in both cold and hot months. Sure, for extreme conditions in either winter or summer, a dedicated seasonal tire would be better but for the everyday driver who lives in a mild region year-round, like those of us in Vancouver, I think an all-weather tire is the best all-in-one solution, all without seasonal tire changes!
Don’t take my word for it, there’s plenty of reviews that test the CrossClimate2 across different conditions and against dedicated winter tires, summer tires, and all-season tires. Likewise, plenty of reviews that show how a good all-season tire can outperform a winter tire in the dry/wet even when it’s cold.
@@philojudaeusofalexandria9556 All weather tires (with the snow flake) work better below freezing.
Sure winter tires are great, but if you still have bad driving habits they won’t save you.
winter tires with bad driving habits is a lot better than all-season tires with bad driving habits.
It’s not what u drive but how u drive.
@@nrfnrd ok then drive a one wheeled bike with polished wooden wheel on ice and lets see how far you go without an accident then
Too many people don’t know how to drive properly, I’ve been driving for 42 years accident and ticket free and have to the conclusion that people are idi0ts
@@Sweetwater20120 You are not wrong sir. The level of stupidity does vary from person to person though.
Tire repair technician here, one thing that is SUPER important that was not mentioned is the deference between an all season and a winter tire. All seasons are made to be more dense to get more mileage out of them, winter tires are made so that the compound is softer, making it not as easy to freeze ( think hockey puck density ) In hockey we freeze hockey pucks before games so they slide on the ice easier. Imagine driving on frozen Hockey pucks. Summer tires and all seasons will start to freeze at - 14 degrees Celsius.
Also just because you have winter tires dose not mean you are invincible. when its - 40 out, i don't care what your tires are made out of it is going to freeze along with your seats, your suspension, your differential oil, your engine oil, washer fluid amongst other things. IF YOU DONT HAVE WINTER TIRES ON AND YOU GET INTO AN ACCSEDENT! you can throw your insurance coverage out the window. Don't believe that? call your provider and ask.
also... instead of just running the engine to circulate the oil and warm it up... drive slowly around a quiet block or parking lot for awhile to warm everything else up and get the vehicle ready for the road. Check tire pressure too, as a drop in temp is a drop in tire pressure... and a potential blow out.
What about 'all-weather' tires? (With the mountain snowflake symbol)
@@c.s.herman860 3 peak is considered winter tire
There's also a difference between All Season versus All Weather isn't there ?
And they start to lose their grip around 7 degrees Celsius.
My FWD car with winter tires 100% out performs my 4X4 truck with all seasons.
around here ( northern BC) winter tires are absolutely needed. In fact it is the law. All season tires will take you right to the scene of the crash!
Unfortunately m+s tires count S wonter tires here, but they are not winter tires by any stretch of the imagination. There is no comparison between tires marked M+S and the tirex with the mountain/snowflake symbol. Better yet, if you drive in an area that gets frequent freezing rain, studded tires are like driving on gravel instead of ice. No winter compound comes close.
Winter tires are a must in our home here in Ottawa. Makes a huge difference.
Ahh yes Ottawa, the left wing dump of Canada.
It does indeed 👍
Trouble is, you cannot get that through young people's heads. they see winter tires as a pain, and the sad thing is they will never know the massive difference they make. How much is your life worth? And think about the other people on the road. I think living where winter tires are mandatory from this date to this date would be awesome.
Only because you are a lousy driver. Don't throw your shade on good drivers.
This needed way more information, especially for the temperate south coasties.
Winter tires are designed for low temperature near freezing and feature a softer compound in addition to more siping and tread. This allows for more tire grip in lower temperatures, especially low temp wet roads and snow. The break-over performance trade between the All Season and Winter Tires is roughly 7C/45F in temperature (especially wet roads), yes it's that warm. Once the local climate starts to drop below 10C in highs, people should be rotating to a winter set.
All-Weather tires are the new "All-Season" tires. They're winter rated with the 3 peak and can be used all year round but are the true compromise tire.
All-Seasons are really meant for 7C and above and Summer Tires 10C and above, neither should be used in snow.
If I'm honest, all Canadian drivers should be on a 3 peak winter rated from mid November to mid March regardless of where they live in this country.
Great response. Quick question... Can I use dedicated summer and dedicated winter only (no all seasons). It means I'll be putting my summer tires on in March and taking them off in November. Is that too early/ late to be using summer tires?
People should be forced to watch a video where they compare stopping distances of each type of tire. Summer, 4 seasons, all weather, snow and studded tires.
@@Cyberdine.Systems.Model-101 Yes, you can. Summer tires are likely just as good as all seasons in low temperatures. Where summers lose out is on ice and snow.
My insurance provider requires my snows to be on from Nov 20th to Apr 15th (CAA) and my biggest concern is the snow tires. They wear out incredibly fast if the ambient temperature is warm. I would normally not put them on until December and remove them by the end of March, but CAA had significantly better rates than any other provider.
@overkill1340 OK thanks. I think I'll go with CAA also. I did a quick online quote and they were a lot cheaper! Are you a CAA member also, for additional discount? My car is brand new so I don't think I need to join.
@@Cyberdine.Systems.Model-101 CAA offers a discount, I cannot remember the % off hand, if you are a member, but membership is not required. They have a lowest tier membership which doesn't include any car assists/tows but does get you 1 assist on a bicycle and 3cents off on Shell gas and a few other random discounts. More importantly, the low tier membership was less money than the % reduction on my insurance, so I signed up for that. Have a look and see if it make sense for your quote.
As a mechanic, I'm pleased CBC actually referenced someone from the industry. It's pretty obvious folks, you want security in all conditions? Only a dedicated tip quality winter can provide that.
Winter tires make a HUGE difference! I more enjoy driving my 2wd 8th gen Civic with Blizzak WS90 winter tires over my FJ Cruiser with Duratrac tires (a winter rated AT / MT tire). Yes, the FJ is non stoppable, and better because of the 4wd and lockers. BUT, if the snow isn't over the bumper, the Civic is so much more fun to drive in snow and ice. Feels so connected. Can do little slides around corners and be in complete control. If you have never had winter tires, do not say you don't need them. You'll be amazed if you try them. But, I did get some Falken Aklimate All weather tires for my CIvic now. We'll see how these all weather do in the winters.
So what winter tire myths were debunked in this video??
Click bait.
That winter tires aren't needed and that all seasons are sufficient.
@@SentinelIXK That myth has been debunked for decades. If you don't know it by now, you should give up driving.
Every year I do the swap to my studded Hakkapelittas and those beauties have never let me down 🙂
My son's first winter tire purchase was the Bridgestone Blizza WS90's and his safety was my FIRST priority and not how much the tires cost!
I use those same tires on my Honda Odyssey and they have served me very well in in Alberta weather for many years!
you might protect your son but what about the other drivers who think because the vehicle has awd or 4wd this gaves them a lic to drive like maniacs
Great tires, I prefer them to the Michelin brand.
Nothing beats good quality winter tires for winter driving. I am using high quality winter tires on my vehicle. BIG difference from all season tires. Winter tires make winter driving a lot safer.
Winter tires use 'Soft Rubber', that's 75% of the advantage they have over all-season tires right there. The other 25% is the extra little cuts that they have to provide more 'bite' into the snow. Even a worn-out 10-year-old set of winter tires will stop you on snow or ice much better than even the best brand-new all-season tires will on a -10C winter day where the roads are covered in 5 cm of snow. However, winter tires do get 'harder' as they age, so newer tires will always work better.
BS
Even my well used (8+ years) old winter tires were night and day difference compared with bags new and seasons in Alberta winter weather. It should be mandatory for rental cars to supply winter tires too.
Rental car companies have done the math. Winter tires are unnecessary and might provoke customers to drive like hell. On all season tires they might just slow down a bit just because they don't know the difference. Did you know Michelin Cross Climate tires are lower rated than their Pilot Sport A/S, the pilots handle wet roads better.
I have a Subaru suv.
I have a set of new winter tires.
When there is a blizzard, I go outside for fun driving.
A good set of Winter Tires can be the different between an accident and not. I'm an excellent driver and have not had an accident in the 1M kilometres I've driven primarily for work and I wouldn't date drive without Winter Tires. They have saved me from other drivers hitting me because I was able to avoid them in really icy conditions where an all-season wouldn't have fared as well. You can't put a price on safety and you will be glad you have it if you ever need it.
The dumb drivers do not understand this and will praise you the all-seasons/weather (compromised) tyres.
In Ontario your insurance company will ask directly if you put winter tires on. Better rates when you do.
It's like a 2% discount or something... don't worry, they'll make up the difference on you elsewhere!
I have a 2005 Blazer 2 door 4x4 with studded tires all the way round , I have pulled a lot of cars out of snow banks with winter tires on, here in Alberta .
Even with extra weight in my truck the all season tires still sucked in slush last year. Finally going to get winter tires
I got religion about snow tires about twenty years ago when I nearly went into a ditch. I finally got myself a pair of Bridgestone Blizzaks and it felt like an entirely different car in the winter. For anyone who thinks that it doesn't make much difference, you're just wrong. Putting winter tires on your car makes more difference than 4 wheel drive, especially for stopping.
There are some all season tires that have the mountain snowflake mark such as the Michelin Crossclimate line.
In Québec, winter tires are mandatory for the season, and many of us who live in rural areas will install studded tires which can track well even on ice, but they are noisy on highways and overkill in many places.
Winnipeg driver here. Switched to studded snow tires some 15 years ago and have never looked back.
Studs are an awesome choice for Winnipeg but for those living on the coast where they get a lot of slush they’re better off without studs. Winter tires are a must no matter where you live in Canada.
@@orcamist Agreed. Studs are good for biting into ice. Not so good for slush/non-icy conditions. 100%
My Dad was a mechanic he uses too say . No tire stop on ice . But use winter tires . For snow .
Studs for ice they work great
not true
studs or chains
i live in quebec and i only recently knew that winter tires are not mandatory in other provinces, very surprised i think it’s not even a question in most of canada
Yes, im in ontario and always remebered quebec being the only one to mandate. I would say atleast 80% of people get winter tires on here
Winter tires are mandatory in BC.
@@elizabethheinrichs7187 the designation M+S (all seasons) is accepted in BC which is not a real dedicated winter tire like the 3 spike snowflake designation
@@elizabethheinrichs7187 From reading the comments, we have at least Quebec (where I live), Alberta and BC where winter tires are mandatory. Are there provinces where they are also mandatory? Edit: I just checked, and not mandatory in Alberta, only Quebec and BC.
As a person who has driven Alberta winters for the past 25, and has driven on summer tires in winter and winter tires in summer (both with poor and sometimes expensive results). I approve this message. This is all good advice.
Summer tires are for warm (& hot) weather; Winter Tires are for Cold weather (not just snow/ice, but cold); All Season tires are okay, especially for the budget conscious, but should only be used by experienced drivers that have good instincts developed; All weather tires are a little pricier at first, but will save mony in the long run, they are as good as Summer and Winter tires, but mainly in areas that clears roads on a regular basis (Cities and Highways); if you're out in the sticks a lot, get winter tires for winter.
35 years oilfield, first 17 years in Subaru. All season tires. I did have on season of Sears winters which were the worst tires ever, but did teach me how to recover from 4 wheel slides. Every bush road was skid school. I trashed them before they trashed me, an exceptionally bad tire. I bought a used vehicle years later with another brand of useless tire, nice and fresh but trash. after the first trip into the bush they got swapped for Michelin A/S LTX? No problem. I always said it is the nut behind the wheel that ditches cars. How many PU where in the ditch between CAL and GP. Entertainment on a long drive.
You can be the best driver in the world, driving a 4x4, but if a lunatic drives/slides towards you in a cold winter the winter tyres are your best friend to avoid a collision. All-seasons? - tyres good in the average temperatures that suck during extreme temperatures in the winter or the summer.
Simple to understand and to the point. East of the Pacific coast winter in Canada requires winter tires.
Studded winter tires are recommended in Newfoundland and Labrador due to the rugged terrain, harsh winters, and slippery road conditions.
living in norway, i can attest. winding mountain road and slushy hills are common.
They should have talked more about tread depth. A lot of people are selling worn out used ones that are “like new “
yep, I believe 5/32 for the treads is the minimum. If you're buying used, bring something to measure!
And they still are asking a lot for bad used tires.
Caveat emptor
For fifteen years in Denver, I drove a Fiat Spider. I had a set of four studded Pirelli snow tires on steel rims that I could swap out in the garage in twenty minutes. The night before a predicted snow storm, on they'd go. Front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, all-wheel-drive...al the really matters is the right tire.
Those who know know. Winter tires transform a vehicle and they really don't cost any extra over the length of owning the vehicle.
@@musiccalgary Incorrect. But I don't have time to argue this. I've been living with two sets of tires for years.
Having to buy a second set of rims and storing the extra set of tires when they are not being used most definitely costs more money than using a single set of tires. You can of course save money by changing the tires yourself and storing them yourself but, this is often not an option for many people.
@@NotExpatJoe Winter tires are mandatory in Québec and everyone find a way to store them. If people can do it here I'm sure they can in your province too.
Also, a small FWD car with winter tires is better in the snow than a AWD SUV with all season tires. Most people think that buying a larger vehicle make them safer in winter but it's not the case. It would actually be cheaper for them to buy a small car, but with very good winter tires.
@@PatG-xd8qn My argument is that it costs more to have two sets of tires.
@@NotExpatJoe But as the OP said, it's actually not that expensive relatively to the price of a car.
Also, tires devaluate extremely quickly. You can get one year old winter tires for less than 1/4 of brand new ones...
Good advice. As someone in the lower 48, snow is only about a 3 month thing at most(am in Iowa). I can’t justify the extra expense of extra rims and tires for my FWD vehicles. I handle by switching to my AWD vehicles in snow. Winter tires are loud and do not handle well outside of cold weather.
I used all season tire for 12 years and had absolutely no problem (and I live in Ottawa driving in really bad snow storms as well as freezing rain during the "temporary January thaw"). I switched to winter tires when they announced that the ploughing services for streets would be reduced. I went through one winter with this reduced service and bought winter tire the next. It's an absolute pain.
Best winter driving tip ever. SLOW DOWN!!!
In North Western Ontario, winter tire are not mandatory but highly recommend. We can have -40 temperatures and feet of snow. Winter tires help in all these situations immensely.
I got one minute and thirty seconds in before I remembered something, I've been doing tires for ten years in a winter country. why am I watching this? lol
Eh, it's good to challenge your own assumptions from time to time. You never know when you'll learn something new. For example, I didn't know until watching this video that tires are date stamped with the week/year of their manufacturing.
@@Alex-js5lg it’s very important to look at the manufacturer date when buying used tires. Most people selling them don’t even realize they’re selling super old and unsafe tires. The general rule of thumb is after 6 years a tire is at a higher risk of hidden damage and potential blow-out at high speeds. Anything close to 10 years and that risk goes waaay up, even if the tire is in good shape, it can deteriorate quickly when exposed to harsh elements or rough driving, and you never know when you’ll need to perform an emergency maneuver
For anyone reading here: the biggest difference between winter and summer tires is just the compound being used.
As temperatures get lower, rubber gets harder and which lowers grip.
Winter tires uses much softer compounds which are more effective at temperatures below 7C.
Silicon (Silica) content
Tread block design (as noted in the video) is also a key difference. Difference in compound *plus* the tread design work hand in hand. True summer tires of far fewer cuts and sipes (the extreme being high performance/racing tires that effectively are just flat rubber). All season is really the mid point between Summer and Winter.
No, it is NOT JUST the compound that is being used, there is very many other factors
There is a test which shows that even at -5 °C, on dry beton, the summer tyres are still better ... braking from 100 km/h and have about 5 m shorter distance (40 m vs 35 m).
Also at +1 °C on wet asphalt the summers are still better.
I've never bought winters and have been a winter driver in Manitoba for over 20 years. What I have done is researched my tyres and bought ones that tested well in winter conditions.
There are lots of manufacturers and models out there. Some all season tyres are actually designed and built on our continent. If you look, you can find some all season tyres that actually out perform some (or even a surprising amount of) winter tyres.
Most importantly, drive to conditions.
Proto, yes their are some cross climate 2 comes to mind but unless you are a very skilled driver just go winter tire.
No all season tire can outperform an homologated winter tire when temperatures are below the freezing point. You cannot go against the laws of physics
Confused why Ontario doesn't have winter tires mandatory like Quebec does from Dec 1 to Mars 15. I mean, you basically have harsher winter storms in Toronto than we have in Montreal. Now it's true, many drive on fairly worn winter tires but still overall, I feel safer knowing nobody around is having fun with all seasons in 2 inches of fresh snow.
Good information but should have mentioned all weather tires and that consumer reports does testing on tires. Some winter tires do not perform as well as some all weather tires under some conditions.
Not at - 10°C, 4 seasons tires are a danger for yourself and others.
@@Babine125 the tires I am referencing are called “all weather”. Different then all or 4 season. Check consumers report or go to a good tire shop.
@speciallevo3170 all weather are slightly better than 4 seasons but never like good quality winter tires. If you're in Canada, it's winter tires in the winter.
@@Babine125 mostly correct. In milder areas the best all weather can be rated better than the poorest winter tires. And no switching tires.
@@Osprey23-o8lno one is talking about Chinese winter tires, all seasons tires will never be as good as winter tires for the same quality. On average you have only 1 square foot of rubber touching the road!
They should broadcast in Toronto for 2 weeks nonstop
Good video, wildly inaccurate title
Dedicated winter tires even lets a rear wheel sports car drive very well in the snow & ice. Being changing out the performance tires for 6 years. The warmer days up around 60 make the winter tires lose performance.
If you live in Canada and still hesitate to use winter tires despite regulations and plain old common sense; please just don't drive.
Failed to mention that the key fact that the rubber compound is different for winter tires, it is not just about the tread pattern and sipes. Winter tires remain pliable, and able to do their job, at far lower temperatures than all seasons. All season tires start drastically losing performance below about 7 degrees Celsius, as the rubber hardens due to the cold temperature.
First of all, there's no replacement for being a skilled driver. Second, that tip about the manufacturing date printed on the sidewall of the tire is a good one. Third, I have no issue with those that choose to changeover their tires twice a year. But given that winters are gradually becoming warmer, perhaps save yourself some money and consider a top quality all season. Personally, I've never used winter tires and I've driven approximately 1.5M miles with no issues.
I forgot to add that his comment about M+S [Mud & Snow] and the Snowflake on the sidewall is a relatively recent change in the tire industry. Therefore, tires designated as M+S are still fine for the winter, but obviously not necessarily better for the winter than tires designated as Snowflake.
All Weathers are a great way if you live in an area where you get warmer winters. Been running them on cars the last 15 years in Southern ALberta.
I started my driving with bias ply tires never had an accident. Then when all weather tires came to be popular, Still never had an accident. After 50 years of driving.My advice: Try learning how to drive and don't depend on your tires,you are in control.
tires are one thing I splurge on - usually goodyear or michelin
as a poor student I'd just get the cheapest tire, and while it's almost half the price of a brand name, its LESS than half as good. I'd get two seasons out of my summer and winter tires. Now with Goodyear or Michelin, they last 5-6 years.
How come he didn’t talk about all weather tires, not all season, all weather. Big fail.
you can have all the fancy names about tires , al season , all weather , all year round , in fact there are only 2 type of tires to use , either it’s summer or it’s winter , drive with caution and no such thing is 1 fits all !
@@hermanchow1405all weather tires have the three peak mountain on them, are you including them in the winter category?
Some people run beaters in the winter with tires that old or have some weather cracks is what it is, mine are going on 18 years lol keep a space tire ready to go!
google dry rot tire blow outs :)
If you watch those Russian car videos they use their tires till they're bald it looks like. They crash everywhere in snow conditions
Anyone who’s ever driven in a snowstorm can easily see who doesn’t have winter tires. They’re the cars in the ditch. New York City in a snowstorm is nuts. Every car sliding all over the place except those with winter tires trying to avoid getting hit.
Winter tires also have softer rubber that works better in cold temperatures. (They do wear out faster.)
I and my wife are absolutely convinced to put winter tires on for winter
There's a glaring omission that I cant believe was not covered. Speaking to the benefits of winter over all seasons , the rubber compound remain more pliable when the temperature drops therefore offering better traction. The compound is much softer. Hopefully I missed him speaking of it but wow - thats one of the biggest differences b/w summer/all seasons and winters.
Seriously?! At about 1:30 in the video when he's describing what worn rubber looks like on the side of the tire... dude, you work in a shop with all sorts of tires = find one to SHOW as an example. If you're really trying to inform people who aren't aware of some of the important factors about tires, then why wouldn't you just show it? This kind of content comes across as someone who just wants to be seen on youtube instead of someone who really wants to inform people.
Remember reading consumer reports when they came out completely trashed every claim that was made about how safe they were
The main tire he was using to demonstrate was one that he said, "I wouldn't use this tire" lol
Also worth mentioning the tire’s grip at a specific temperature. Summer tires don’t perform well under 15 C and all seasons will struggle below 0 C. This varies a lot so worth looking up the operating temperature range for your specific tires.
7 Celsius is the changeover temperature.
Newton's 3 laws, and Da Vinci's classic laws of sliding friction are real people. Winter tires work a treat!
Winters and AWD. Thankfully we were out test driving and got hit with snow and got to feel the difference between AWD and FWD. Well worth the cost difference.
AWD only helps during acceleration and on-throttle turns. It does nothing in the most important situation: braking. And it will often have you driving faster than you should since you overestimate the amount of grip you have on the road.
It will help prevent you from getting stuck (or get out of a ditch), but not from getting into a collision or ending up in the ditch in the first place.
Tires, ABS, and electronic brakeforce distribution (standard on most cars these days) are the only things that help in the most critical emergency braking situations. And only tires help during emergency collision avoidance.
So get winter tires!!
@@philojudaeusofalexandria9556 "Winters" = winter tyres. Like I don't know all the rest? 😀
I still would pay the extra for AWD because the front end goes where you point it when pulling into traffic instead of sliding into the gutter. Safety is cumulative, not either-or.
@@unclemick-synths Oh. I misunderstood your comment. Thanks for the clarification - 100% agreed. I thought you meant "AWD and [Canadian] Winters" are the perfect combination (winter tires not necessary).
The real value of winter tires varies depending on what type of vehicle you have. In our front wheel drive and/or AWD hatchbacks, they’ve been a life saver - night and day difference. My wife’s BMW always gets real winter tires. In my Jeep, however, when it’s in four wheel drive, there’s absolutely no difference. An MT or AT is every bit as good as a dedicated snow tire. I usually split the difference and get snowflake rated all-weather/all-terrains.
Without winter tires, your Jeep might be good at accelerating in the snow because of 4WD, but when braking and handling corners it will be very dangerous. You cannot go against the laws of physics. The only way of having a good handling and a safe braking distance on snow is to increase the coefficient of friction, and the only way to do so is to have winter tires that will remain soft even when it's very cold outside.
Every single year I see tons of highly confident people in their large truck in ditches for the simple reason that they don't have winter tires
@@PatG-xd8qn People say this all the time, but they do not know what they are talking about. There is a night and day difference in traction, even when stopping and cornering, when 4WD is turned on. A much bigger difference than you get with winter tires on a 2WD car.
@@bsenka It's not about your feelings nor about what clueless people have to say about it. It's about facts.
Your statement is complete nonsense. 4WD or AWD only allows you to accelerate faster in slippery conditions. It has zero impact on braking and handling performances.
I can tell you never opened a physics textbook of your life...
In the end, if you get homologated all weather tires with the snow peak symbol, it's totally fine since these tires are designed to remain soft when temperatures are below the freezing point. The only problem with these tires is that fuel consumption in summer will be significantly higher. Also, these all weather tires still aren't as performant as dedicated winter tires.
@@PatG-xd8qn Again, simply not true. I have 2WD, AWD, and 4WD vehicles. I've gone with and without winter tires on all of them. Winter tires made a noticeable difference on the 2WD and AWD, absolutely. They categorically do not make any difference on the 4WD. I have snowflake rated winter tires on my Jeep right now, and there is zero difference when I'm actually in 4WD from when I had all-seasons on it. None whatsoever.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. It was very useful and informative
Why not just use winter tires for all season?
The rubber in winter tires is specially formulated for colder weather. While you can use them in the summer, they will wear out extremely fast in hot weather, so it's not really worth it for most people to leave them on all year long. With that said, I kept winter tires on my Ford E350 based camper van year round because the tires were also good offroad, and it wasn't a daily driver that I put a lot of miles on.
Winter tires are softer rubber, so they wear faster in the heat and are less fuel efficient
Winter tires can be damaged quite easily and they are not cheap. You don't want to replace it every 3 years. I mean if you drive it all year round it may it burnt in one year.
Breaking distance of a summer tire is quite less than a winter tire in hot conditions. The soft rubber of a winter tire is a is a bad factor in high temperature.
Mind your speed, mind your distance and pay full attention on the road. I'm on my Toyo AT3 and having no problem at all. I don't need two sets of tires and needs to be changed two times a year. Drive safe and God bless.
Make sure the winter tires you buy have sipes that go the full depth of the tread. Some do not, and winter tires lose a lot of their traction when the sipes wear away.
Or just buy Blizzaks....................
@@MM-tf5gg Well if everyone could they probably would. But there are some very good alternatives to them that are more affordable. Been driving in snow for 55 years, Plowed snow working for a local school district for 35. Many of those years were with RWD cars going to plow at one am. So, I have tried a few different brands over the years.
@@scrambler69-xk3kvPlease would you share those brands that you find comparable yet more economical? I need new winters and would love some advice on a solid set from a knowledgeable driver without a sales incentive.
For context, I live in an often cold and icy major city with a good million sketchy drivers so driving defensively is key.
Anyone who's had to deal with winter here in Canada knows that "all seasons" are No-seasons. If you live in Canada, you're going to need 2 sets of tires. Dedicated winter and dedicated summers. I always find it funny how people are willing to dish out 50g's + on a vehicle, but when it comes to replace tires, they're looking to skimp out on them?? How do you think the car makes contact with the road?? 🙂
Also, check the tires out for wear and age. So many vehicles out there lately with tires that are older than 7yrs. Dry rotted and cracked all over. But they see a tiny bit of tread depth and they think they're good for another season or 2?! 😮
I get by on my all-seasons just fine when I have to. My winter tire set is preferable, though…
"All weather" (with the alpine snowflake) tires are now available that will work year-round in Canada. ("All season" tires are designed for California).
@@jamesphillips2285 But they still won't be as good as proper winter tires and during summer, your vehicle will be far less fuel efficient with them.
In other words, you'll pay in gas what you saved by not buying winter tires...
@@PatG-xd8qn In my recent testing: my winter tires use about 6% more energy than my "3 season" low rolling resistance tires.
Plus minus about 5%.
@@jamesphillips2285 If cost matters so much to you, winter tires actually devaluate extremely quickly. You can get one year old tires for less than 1/4 of the price of brand new ones. As I said, you'll pay in gas what you saved by not buying winter tires.
And your all weather tires still aren't as safe as actual winter tires
I can't believe this "expert" didn't mention the other category of tire we now have, called "All Weather" tires. These have the mountain/snowflake icon, and are a great choice for year-round use.
Sounds like a rebranding of no-season tyres.
I have all weather tires on in Vancouver. They are great. I don’t have space to store winter tires, either.
@@unclemick-synths Thats not true, its a different technology. Tires are actually quite sophisticated
Yes, exactly!! Just found your post after replying to the OP mentioning the same thing.
Trigger Ok but run some Blizzaks in bad weather, the difference is well night and day.
Just get all weather tires that a step up from all seasons because they have the mountain snowflake symbol.
If you want maximum performance, Nordic winter tires are the way to go and will outperform "ANY" all-weather tire. Don't put too much faith in that 3PMS.
@@4x4gear33 I have a set of all weather nordic tires. Of course you don't want too much confidence in them but they handle much better than all season tires which in reality is only 3 seasons. Where I live, we get the occasional snow fall that last only 3-4 days and it turns back into slush. All weather fits my needs without having to waste time swapping out tires.
The great white north calls for winters. I was tossed in the fire with winter driving at 16 with all seasons. I do not recommend that at all, winter tires help you stop in an appropriate amount of distance. Provided you're not hooning around. Spend the money on winters, you will thank yourself when you're able to stop or take a corner.
0:30 I get it. Winter tires are horrible when you are reversing. Moisture got pushed towards the centre of the tires.
Michelin Cross Climate II is good everywhere.
Except maybe mud.
Summer/ Winter- no problem.
Lower rated than their Pilot Sport A/S 4. Wet traction is poor.
0:25 you can see dry rot on that tire right in the center, the kind that goes all the way around the tire no little cracks, long ones, happens when you drive to aggressive with low tire pressure, those are bad
This was CBC .. they should also mention that in Quebec (as of 2008) it is m a n d a t o r y to have winter tires : the one with the mountain + snowflake.
I would prefer a slightly used winter tire to a brand new all-season especially below -10C.
practically the rubber is also much more soft so it won't become hard ( LOL!) during the extreme cold days, I purchased a car from New Your with brand new winter tires, on January 2023 but purchased it in SOUTH TEXAS! LOL! so I procrastinated to replace the tires for "normal" Texas tires.. so around 6 months later they were completely bald! all tread was gone! THERE I understood the difference since for us in South Texas winter tires are practically non-existent
This didn't debunk any myths. This was an ad for winter tires.
If you really want to stay safer in the winter, don't drive like it's summer, and leave for everywhere earlier than you would in summer.
Winter tires are also designed for cold temps, they stay flexible
What did we do thirty years ago? People used regular tires all year long. What’s changed.
Winter tires have been around since 1934. First for commercial trucks and a few years later for passenger vehicles. People mostly used "regular tires" year round until some governments started enacting winter tire laws.
The drivers
No rubber works on ice or on wet ice. Soft winter tires are effective only on a snowy or wet asphalt road. Winter rubber is also not effective on country roads with frozen soil.
You can take a piece of winter tire and use it like a hockey puck, but if you screw it into it a couple of self -tapping screws this will change it all.
If you studied physics at school, you should know that the ice is slippery not by itself, but due to a thin layer of water on the surface. And this layer is only a few molecules with thickness, surface tension forces do not allow it to be squeezed out, moreover, it is instantly replenished from the ice itself. And only the bite into ice with the help of solid spikes can change.
absolutely not true
Sadly I find if you make a car 10%safer people drive 25% worse, having good winter tyres is a must but dont be over confident that you have them you still need to slow down keep a good distance, the minimum tread depth on a winter tyre is 4 mm.keep them inflated correctly, Now try this. place you hand on the floor draw round it with a crayon and picture the small shape you have just made. now remember that you have 4 bits of rubber that size attaching you to the road, I was shown this many many years ago and it has always stuck in my mind, drive to the conditions and all will be good. as for this video debunking myths not a single myth was mentioned. so here are a few, ABS makes you stop quicker total myth it was designed to enable you to steer the car with your foot on the brake. winter tyres enable you to drive faster in winter again total myth what they do is give way better traction but you should reduce speed and drive smooth, no sharp cornering no hard acceleration etc drive smooth. and lastly cheap tyres are just as good as expensive ones, also a myth, the compound in cheap winters only just meets the required standards, it is a minimum standard and should not be considered as the same as a good quality winter tyre.
as an european, i can not believe americans need this kind of explanation
Whoa whoa whoa... This is from a Canadian news agency. I know we share a continent but the US has kinda tainted the term "American" and we'd rather not be lumped in on that.
@@prototypedenNIS a canadian friend of mine once said: ,,Canada is the only good country in this part of the world". Was he right?
@@TheoDeum we've got our problems but we are constantly worried if our neighbors are ok.
There was no mention of traction on ice. I don't buy winter tires for snow; I buy winter tires so I can control the vehicle when on ice.
How many times have we seen cars spin out or fail to stop when they hit ice?
I drive about 50,000 kms per year. I use all weather tires. No need for steel wheels.
??
All seasons, AWD, 35 years oilfield in AB and BC, no problems. Its the nut behind the wheel. I swap my tires out every 4 to 5 years.
Problem with Winter Tires is they wear out in a couple of seasons. A good set of M+S tires will last more than 5 years of continuous use. Winter tires means you have to buy a full set of Summer and Winter tires and rims. I've been driving for over 60 years, a lot of it in winter and even a few years of Ice Road driving.
Most winter tires are good for 4-5 years of usable good traction - as long as you swap out to your all seasons in the summer. Also, by having a set of winters, this will extend the time period your all seasons will be good because they are not being used in the winter. And lastly, its not mandatory to get a second set of wheels for your winters but i would recommend it as its less wear and tear on your tires due to the mount and dismount and usually cheaper to swap versus a full changeover.
I got about 70,000 km on each of my last 2 sets of winter tires. Summers last a bit longer but it isn’t a huge drop. Unless your vehicle is near the end of its life they make a lot of sense to me.
M+S grip fairly well in the snow but they leave a lot to be desired on roads when it gets cold.
I get 3 seasons out of my tires. It’s fru$trating.
I see comments from people saying “drive safely, you won’t need winter tires”. Sorry to those folks but do us all a favour and stay off the roads. Any tire can be over driven and I do believe winter tires are over hyped but there is no questions they give better traction on icy and slushy roads.
Just do it. Your summer and winter sets will last twice as long because they're on the vehicle half as much.
What would just 1 accident cost? More than a set of mounted winter tires.
it’s just a shame that we need videos like this, instead of every province requiring a comprehensive driving course before issuing a driver’s license, like many other places. Since Canadians rely so much on driving and because of our poor weather, it’s crazy that we still learn to drive from our (unqualified) parents
@@musiccalgary sounds like you taught your kids how to drive
Most tyre manufacturers say that when a tyre is 10 years old the rubber is not good anymore.... I'm surprised it's only 10 years... I thought they would say 10 months.
Hockey pucks fly on the ice.....So do alot of tires You want to look for the class of tire for winter rating These are a softer compound like the video said The down side is they wear out if you driving them after winter....On my own truck which is 4x4 i have firestone winter tires with studs And my tips to new drivers Dont go cheap There are bridges and turns out there And people like me that can infact stop sooner infront of you than you can with what you have on now .....Most rear end hits where you are at fault is because of poor tires
Winter tires are just plainly better in temperatures below 10C; people who doesn't think so haven't used them. They're not magic, but far, far better than all seasons when the temperature drops.
I always have a seperate set of winter wheels and tires, same diameter as stock, but on a smaller wheel with a taller sidewall tire. With a fwd I often drive around 4x4s spinning their tires up hill, or past 4x4s in the ditch, every winter.
They aren't winter tires, they're "stopping tires." Be safe out there!
It was funny a few years ago when the media went on about tire shops selling tires that were a few years old. All of a sudden most places started mounting tires with the date code facing inwards lol
Date codes are only printed on one side genius. Maybe look on the other side of your car
@@4859carcar unless they are directional tires all four can be mounted with the date code on the inside, genius, which is what tire shops started doing after the media ran stories about how they were selling tires that were a few years old.
Many tyres can only rotate one way. Many are marked outside and inside.
Some people aren't fussy about their tyres and buy the cheapest.
If only they had neon sign on them saying caution cheap tyres avoid me.
@@robi4387 Westlake lol
Sipes offer several advantages but the most impactful advantage, when driving on snow, is that the sipes collect snow in between each groove which improves traction. This is because snow on snow has FAR better traction than rubber on snow. More below average reporting from CBC unfortunately...
Don’t forget that miles (kilometers) driven on winter tires are not driven on summer tires, causing them to last longer.
The term "all-season" is not from Canada, and "extreme conditions" actually means "November to April".
what do you mean "all-season is not from Canada"??
@@tchevrier I just mean it's a generic term that doesn't necessarily apply in Canada since we have extreme conditions in most places
@@veloaa-montreal6924 I live in Winnipeg and for the better part of the 80's 90's and into the 2000's "all season" was the norm.
Ontario should make winter tire mandatory.
Sometimes just rotating your snow tires helps too.