4WD VS Winter Tyres - Do you need winter tyres if you have 4WD?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2024
- Quattro VS XDrive! • Audi Quattro VS BMW XD...
As requested in comments I will be doing all season vs winter tyres AND 4wd vs 2wd on the same tyres so make sure you subscribe! bit.ly/2p6kKXq.
/ jonathan__benson
I've lost track the amount of times I've read "you don't need winter tyres if you have four wheel drive", so I thought I'd do the test. Two BMW X1 vehicles, one is front wheel drive (FWD) with winter tyres, and one of four wheel drive (4WD / 4x4 / AWD) with summer tyres fitted.
The winter tyre 2wd vehicle has Goodyear Ultragrip Performance Gen-1 and the summer tyre 4wd has the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3. Both tyres are in the same size and load rating (225/50 R17) and have the same tyre pressures.
The tests in the video include acceleration and braking on snow, snow handling, snow hill climb, snow braking on a hill, and obstacle avoidance.
Which combination of drive train and tyres was best? You'll have to watch the video :)
Note, I know I use 4x4 and AWD interchangeably in the video. The BMW X1 is AWD, but you would have a similar result with FWD.
Winter tyres are sometimes called snow tyres.
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It'd be a lot more useful to compare All-Season vs. Winter tires, can you do that?
c fresh all season vs worn winters?
All-Season tires are banned in Quebec (eastern Canada) during winter, they arent safe enough. As the temperature drops, the rubbers hardens and loose traction.
I can allready tell you that it would be in the middle of these two.
@@Toastinfingers softer rubber is only helpfull on ice. on snow the thread is what makes a difference
I just drove in 2-3 inches of snow a few days ago in a 2WD using Pirelli all season. Disappointed is an understatement. I couldn’t complete my journey. I’ve just ordered Nokian winter tyres for my new car. I’ve had them before and they are amazing. My ratings for tyre type in the snow would be -summer 1/10, winter 10/10 and all season 4/10.
I really hope this will be a strong message to all those folk with massive heavy range rovers and X5s who drive in winter on summer tyres and think they are invincible!
I don't think they watch those videos :)
I have a X6 and I'm just about to put my smaller alloys from 21 inch sport summer tyres, to 19inch alloys with Goodyear ultra grip tyres as I live in rural North Yorkshire and want to get the most from my car
I have to admit though, overtaking them on your cheap car while they're struggling is too satisfying 😂
I can't wait until some snow comes to the UK, and I can REALLY test out my 6mo CrossClimates on my 2WD Mazda3. A shame I couldn't pit it up against my sister's 4WD Audi TT on summer tyres (she changed jobs and had to give it back as it was a company car) - it would be interesting to see how they fair in the real world, especially as, apart from more remote/northerly areas, we don't tend to get that much snow in the UK. Oh well, I'll just have to content myself at seeing all the Beemers etc on bling-bling low profile summer tyres slip and slide all over the place...assuming we actually GET any snow.
Hopefully some of them will see the video and realise they need to think about their tyres if they want to be safe year round!
Recently, in cold, snowy, hilly, Eastern Washington, I drove an old Civic FWD with 50% tread winter tires. This was my first time driving with winter tires, and it was amazing. Starting out uphill on ice was no problem. My regular car is an Audi Quattro with AWD and all-seasons, and I thought it was pretty good on ice, until I drove that Civic.
get winter tires, your audi awd will love it
Did you buy those winter tired used or they come on the Civic when you bought it?
were they studded? My experience is with regular non studded winter tires was very different, they performed rather poorly on ice.
@@Psych0technic Not studded, just true studies winter tires. All-seeason tire tires get hard as a rock in ice and can't grip.
Just moved to Oroville. getting winter tires ASAP lol
You dont buy AWD because you dont want to buy winter tires. You buy AWD AND winter tires.
Yup
Tell that to any if not all the Americans. They'll tell you awd + all season tyres are all you need. I once counted 52 passenger vehicles crashed on the side of the interstate from Chicago to Omaha. You see a lot of cars and trucks struggling for traction in the winter in the city.
Meh. My 06 Impreza does an amazing job during the winter months here in north central Montana.
yes do both !! awd and winter times,, best you can get!!
@@0farmerjohn0 I don't in my 4WD Navigator. Then again. I still drive like it's a RWD car on summer tires. Steady pace. Then again. It weighs 6200 lbs
Good lesson for those who don't know how much tires can do for a car.
Thank you :)
Exactly. Not all of us were born and raised up in the cold.
Definitely. AWD or 4WD don't help at all if you have shitty tires.
Right! And when you try to stop, even with 4WD, you have only four tires to come to a stop.
Winter tires for winter road in winter nation by winter car
Getting on the track with summer tyres? Clarkson method: "Poweeeeer!"
Jokes aside, though, as many comments have pointed out, the result was obvious from the start, but seeing it "in the flesh", so to speak, is something else.
Thanks a LOT for this video. Although this is not much, I'll do my best to broadcast it as far as I can manage. I do not believe there was ever a video illustrating the difference to that extent!
Thanks for the support :) It means a lot to me.
@@tyrereviews you're welcome! However, it is spelled "obstacle" :p
@@francisgaliegue6645 drat, where did I make the error?!
@@tyrereviews 3:36 spells... Well, I'll let you find out :p
@@francisgaliegue6645 Oh crap lol, you're the first and only person to spot that, I even had about 10 people check the video for errors. You should get a job as a proof reader!
would be interesting to see the difference between 2-wheel drive and four wheel drive with cars fitted with identical snow tyres. In most Finnish towns and citiies we use combination tyres - snow compound with studs in for (hopefully) ice grip. on mtbs too ;)
I love these testing videos. The results are confirming the validity of the tire buying decisions that I've been making since Snowmageddon back in 2017.
I can see that you've tested summer clothes too!
Yup. Useless test. Should have tested with all season clothes.
hahaha
gay comment :P
more like tight fitting women's clothes!
The point of wearing just a shirt in winter is to SHOW BICEPS (or what’s supposed to be muscles).
Love it mate, so many bell ends that believe their Range Rovers clad with super wide summer's are safe during freezing winters... Wrong!
@mstrbkr all seasons are still unsafe in the winter... Winter tires is a must when its cold out
Im not sure that’s true - quality All Seasons with a winter bias have 90% of the capabilities of full winters these days ‘when its cold out’. You’ll only notice a significant difference on packed snow/ice
There's a big difference between American and European all season tyres which is why there's some confusion in the comments
I drive a range rover sport with pirelli p zero’s and with a little snow +|- 10cm i am fine but when i go skiing i use my pirelli soto zero’s
@@tyrereviews Can you show us the differences?
For those who are saying they should have compared All Seasons to Winter. I disagree. Many people think winter tires are a sham so they skip out on them. This is a great video to prove otherwise.
There is a huge difference between summer and winter tyres : my own experience: an Audi Q7 with summer time was not able at all to climb a steep snowy slope while a Peugeot 807 V6 minivan equiped with Michelin Alpin 4 was able to climb it without any difficulty. The Michelin Alpin tyres are really outstanding since the gen 4.
I live in Manhattan and have always run winter tires. My 2008 SAAB 9-5 is a mountain goat with winter tires. Every November I do a changeover to my Winter Tires. I'm currently running Yokohama iceGuard iG52c tires. They work well. Not quite as good as the top of the line Nokian or Blizzak winter tires, but close.
I've attempted to tell my friends and family to buy winter tires, and all tell me that they have AWD, and don't want to spend the money.
In Manhattan there is a ramp that goes around Grand Central from Park Avenue & 46th Street. Last week we had an icy snowstorm. As I approached, cars and AWD vehicles (Escalades, Audi Q5, BMW X5, Toyota RAV4) were backing down the ramp because they couldn't gain traction. I zipped right up the ramp in my SAAB 9-5 clad in Winter Tires.
It's complete idiocy to drive in the wintertime with anything other than Winter Tires. I bought my first set in the 90's and have never looked back.
At least now you've a video to show them :)
@@tyrereviews Can't wait for the All-Season vs. Winter Tire comparo. That should be fun! I've seen other winter tire videos, but yours blew them out of the water. Bravo!
Bill Feinberg as a former 05 9-5 ARC owner best car I’ve ever owned and a complete beast in the snow. Swedes make good cars. Now however the XC90 might be the greatest winter vehicle of all time.
*That ramp is crazy when it's icy, it runs through the Helmsley Building hotel and over Grand Central Station.* if anyone has seen the Will Smith movie I Am Legend, it's the place where he is talking to the statue and he thinks it's talking back to him, although that scene doesn't really show the steeper ramp on the other side of the building.
I have never understood how so many people in the world doesn't understand that tires are super important. I live in Trollhättan, Sweden and it is illegal not to have winter tyres during the winter period. Summer tires is stupid in the snow, and people trying to go "but i have AWD" must be incompetent. Braking and handling is more important than acceleration and awd doesn't brake or steer on any better than FWD or RWD.
Also, the 9-5 is great in the snow. We got some sudden snowfall a while back and i was on summer tires on my winter beater -03 wagon. Obviously i went home and changed to studded winter tires and boy was it fun to see the difference in the same car with only about 15-20 minutes between the drives. The summer tires were fresh but the winter tires are pretty worn and the difference is huge anyway.
Summer tires, snow and the old saab factory area was however pretty good for some skids.
Can u guys please do a all season tires vs winter tires
It's on the list for next year :)
This is the more relevant comparison. I've heard lots of people argue their all seasons are fine in winter. Not heard anyone claim they get around on summer performance tires.
th-cam.com/video/EC1E2eDt1JY/w-d-xo.html
All seasons are barely better than summer tires
@@filip3148 "barely" is rather relative, but it is measurable. All seasons tires are around about 12% faster then summer... Winter tires are around 39% better then summer. Tire Rack did a really good video. th-cam.com/video/GlYEMH10Z4s/w-d-xo.html much shorter and without any of the filler fluff. Less then 4min and really worth a watch for anyone interested in a good comparison
This is a very good test! Now we can see the real difference between winter and summer tires, excellent. Thanks. The one you did with the Amarok didn’t work because the Amarok without weight on the back can’t do anything.
It is amazing how much engineering and science is put towards the development of tires. Something you would quickly think is easy probably takes years and many brains to figure out the best patterns and material to fit different environments
sadly I knew the answer to this before I even pressed play. People don't realise how much difference the tyres make, and also people don't realise how ill equipped they are just because they have a 4WD car.
What really gets me is the idiots in range rovers that think they're invincible just because they're in a giant 4wd car, driving too fast and too close. Forgetting of course that 4WD has no effect on the braking! all cars have 4 wheel braking ;) and an ultra light small car will still outbrake a range rover in the snow.
A little learning would go a long way to helping people in this country cope with winter conditions.
Lets hope some of the Range Rover crew see this video and decide they'd like some winter tyre safety this year!
even some decent all seasons like the cross contacts are pretty decent on these larger heavier cars. Have driven the current autobiography SV on the continentals, and it felt unstoppable (in a good way).
Yeah but a Range Rover with the right tyres are pretty unstoppable
All modern cars are breaking using all four wheels (independently). So there was no surprise...
Shrink1061 ...and ~80% braking force comes from the front tyres.
I expected the winter 2WD would be better than summer AWD in snow, but did not realise the difference would be so big. I am one of the few in the UK who use winter tyres in cold months. After seeing this, I'll be keeping them.
@@SimonWoodburyForget Yes, but it is always safer to stay at home rather than go out? By that reasoning, maybe you'll stay at home for the rest of your life?
@@SimonWoodburyForget not really an option sometimes.
@@SimonWoodburyForget Most accidents happen at home also most people die at home...so.
@@TheRip72 ahahah good one
Type and make of tyre makes a big difference too. Nordic (3PMSF type) winter tyres make a big difference on snow and ice vs M+S tyres. The ones that score best in tests year after year are Continental VC7, Goodyear Ultra Grip 2, Pielli IceZero and Nokian Hakkapellitta R3. Michelin X-Ice Snow are also very good on snow. I personally have Goodyear Ultra Grip as an all-round favourite, but it does drpend on whether you have a FWD, RWD or 4WD car, and also on the size (weight) of car. My experience is that Nokian Hakka R3 are very good on smaller FWD cars.
Would like to see a review between actual studded tires as well, these are still the standard in my country.
Edit 2: Quattro VS XDrive! th-cam.com/video/Wu72tAG2IWQ/w-d-xo.html
Edit: As requested in comments I will be doing all season vs winter tyres AND 4wd vs 2wd on the same tyres so make sure you subscribe to youtube!
Hi Guys, I hope you all enjoyed the video. For those of you saying it should have been all season tyres vs winter tyres, there's a few points around that. Firstly, in Europe where winter tyres aren't a legal requirement, everyone runs "summer" tyres year round. Secondly, the new breed of European all season tyres are pretty much winter tyres (apart from the CrossClimate), so the differences would have been massive compared to the summer tyre, the 4x4 on a european all season tyre would have probably out performed the fwd on winter tyres.
American all season tyres are different, they're not actually that much better than summer tyres on snow, so the overall results would have been fairly similar.
Either way, I take everyones comments on board and will make a video next year showing the differences between all the different tyre types :)
Really High Quality video as usual. Really enjoyed it, I just put on my winter boots (tires) and am looking forward to some snow.
so, what about a typical Dutch winter? (2 days of snow and the rest bits of frozen/unfrozen parts of snow/ice due to temp changes) and Premium allseasons and AWD (subaru) ?
In some European countries like Germany and Austria winter tires are a legal requirement during winter conditions. Which in my opinion is a really good thing, especially after this test
@@Florian1095 I agree, point is over here the temps go up and down, the weather changes day by day. and with temps +7C premium summer or all season are better i think?
My SUV came with tyres rated for M+S but are crap in winter (from the reviews I read), so switched to CrossClimate (th-cam.com/video/YO0zyQh2l3M/w-d-xo.html) just before 'Beast from the East' hit.
Tow truck drivers hate him! See how he stayed on the road with one simple trick.
I've been trying to find videos with information on what is best to drive on the snow since I had a terrible experience driving on snow last time I went to the French Alps. I thought a 4WD would do the job and it didnt, it had no winter tires on, only the 4WD and those terrible chains (took me an hour to figure it out how to put them on and another hour to take them off)!! Thank you so much for this video! helped me a lot on renting the right car for my next winter vacations! Now I only go for 4WD with winter tires!
4wd with winter tyres will be an amazing experience!
Years ago I discovered the magic of winter tires. Put 4 Blizzaks on my Supra Turbo. Wow, what a blast. The look on the faces of the people in their 4WD SUVs with all season tires as I motored by them was priceless.
The answer is yes. 2WD or 4WD. Don't be stupid. Buy winter tires.
1st thing I did was buy a extra set of rims when we bought my wife's Subaru Crosstrek for snow tires. People looked at me like I was crazy . With those tires it is a absolute tank in the snow which is what I wanted for her as she is terrified of driving snow after being dragged backwards down hill by a car that lost it and hooked bumpers with wj\hen she was just learning to drive decades ago. She now has the confidence to drive in snow . I just wish others would invest in snow tires as it wouldn't have taken me 2 1/2 hours to drive 20 miles home in the last storm because everyone else was stuck and I drive a 2010 Fusion sport FWD with Bridgestone Blizzacks. I had zero issues with traction everyone no so much.
Only because I saw this video. Its no longer just your word vs another.
I find it interesting watching these 40 to 60 thousand dollar trucks struggle with all seasons. While I cruise safely around the mountain passes of Wyoming and idaho in a 2010 fusion and winter tires. I mean I have spent a winter driving all seasons but they were brand new and i got stuck countless times. All I can say is whether 4 wheel or 2 wheel have winter tires... and for the benefits of 4 wheel over 2 wheel with the price; unless your driving a old trailblazer or a Silverado it's only good for getting you moving up inclines or on deeper snow. Even then never had issue with front wheel also dont have to worry about over steering
Buy winter tires and put them on your 4WD.
driving a 4WD on summer tyres is crazy on snow as all 4 wheels would slide.. So get All Seasons or winter tyres..
Are we gonna just ignore the fact he’s wearing a tee shirt in sub zero weather
It has ben noted
So?
it's a flex
Cold nippies.
Well, it's bmw
Thanks for proving my point. I always put dedicated snow tires on a FWD vehicle and always said it gives better traction than an AWD with all season tires
Here in Colorado 80% of the cars that end up in the ditch when it snows are SUVs. They forget that we ALL have four wheel brakes. My wife and I each have 4 wheel drive cars. We change to ice/snow tires at end of October and revert to high end all season radials in April. Unfortunately we still sometimes get snow in May so then we have to wing it. It costs nothing extra to do this and it certainly increases safety.
Wilhelm Taylor live in Colorado my self. My all seasons did fine In the blizzard we just had and they're at about 75% life. It depends on the driver
@@Equinox121 - Totally at odds with my experience. The sedan was sliding all over even with gentle inputs from steering wheel and gas pedal. When we put - X-ice on that car it improved substantially.
@@Equinox121 Conditions vary massively. I never have a problem getting to work mid-afternoon, but take away my snow tires and there is often no way I'm able to get home just after midnight after the plows have stopped. Snow itself even changes depending on the conditions, mid 20's wet snow and sub zero snow has surprisingly different characteristics then there is slushy half melted snow on packed snow...Driving skill isn't going to stop you when the driver in front of you has double the traction and has to make an emergency stop or the sleep deprived driveway plowing guy backs out in front of you without looking. A good set of winter tires will last a solid 5 seasons of superior traction, a cheap set often won't last as long (tread depth). If you've never experienced the difference you really don't know what you are missing.
All4Grogg been driving in snow my whole life, colorado born and raised. I know the difference between the types of snow and the driving that occurs between them all. And yeah I do know the difference between a set of snow tires and all seasons. I drive a midsize SUV with a set of knobby all seasons and I've never had a single issue. Whether it be driving on unplowed roads in the middle of the night or slush from everyone else driving the roads.
I just purchased a fwd Highlander here in Denver and am wondering if I will be fine once winter tires are on the car. Right now I have 19" all season and cant climb a snow packed hill by my house. Will I be able to with the winter tires? Please let me know
I never tire of this man talking about tyres.
haha thank you :)
It will be interesting to try comparation FWD vs RWD in snow conditions. But try with TC on and TC off.
*RWD with TC turned off in a car with an open differential in the snow is like transporting yourself back to snow driving in the 1960s/70s/80s,* the car will pull itself sideways literally at every application of throttle. Driving like that is extremely challenging (I've tried it...)
@@YOLOnyc i daily drive a RWD 1988 volvo 740 in sweden :P
@@YOLOnyc I am not so sure is TC help in some scenarios in snow. Especially when you need speed to drive through deep snow.
I've got a RWD 1987 Ford Granada Scorpio on 195/65-15 Uniroyal winters and it got through everything last winter. I even went up a steep hill where a Disco and 2 other cars had stopped mid-way with their hazards on as they'd given up !!
The car was immense. ABS didn't fire very often when braking either.
I wish it were the 4x4 version though, as that (as with the XR4x4) has funky viscous diffs, so you don't have to wait for any DSC or whatever to kick in.
you mean locked differential. with open diff you have one wheel drive. and you will struggle a lot more to go sideways than with a lsd. @@YOLOnyc
I totally agree that 2 drive with winter tyres are much safer than 4 with summer tyres but from my experience X-Drive in particular (4WD) has many advantages over 2WD with the proper tyres.
Finally someone made the test that I find most crucial of all: snow conditions and downhill!
Besides the point: I'm not sure if people are aware of how skilled this driver is. I can tell by many small things with that BMW on summer tires. Impressive skills!
Hi there. Have you done a similar comparison with Winter tires and All-season tires? Would love to see how they compare. Clearly Summer tires are useless in the winter, but are good all-seasons on a 4WD close to good Winters on 2WD?
Morgan Gregory I have some experience with this. I had some BFG all seasons on my Subaru Forester and they preformed surprisingly well. Good all seasons will definitely get the job done, however winter tires still have a good advantage. With AWD, in most cases, you can’t tell the difference when accelerating. When it comes to braking and handling there is defiantly an advantage to the winter tires, but it is not a night and day difference. What is a night and day difference is the way the car feels on snow and ice. The winter tires are much more confidence inspiring when you inevitably find yourself sliding a bit. The car is much more responsive to your corrections and thus make it easier to control. So, if you have the money to spare for a set of dedicated winter tires, you won’t regret it. If not, good all seasons won’t have a problem getting the job done. Hope this helps!
I would love to see this test too
It is also important to note that just like any other tire, there is a big difference between low end and high end winter tires.
Yeah, who buys summer tires where it snows like this?
It depends if you mean american market all season, or European all season. A European all season is pretty much as good as a winter tyre in most conditions now, there's a very blurred line between the two. American all season tyres aren't much better than summer tyres in snow, maybe 10% at best, so the results would be very similar to this video. Either way, I should have a video out next year covering all the different tyre types :)
4WD can't eliminate physics.
Great video and thanks for efforts. The dedicated summer tires are out of question in the winter. However, the more interesting comparison will be "AWD with all-season tires" vs "RWD with winter tires" vs "FWD with winter tires"
If you are old enough, you would know the answer to this question. Winter tires on all is the answer. does not matter how many wheels have power, if they unable to get a grip then you will be stuck. Front wheel drive with winters are awesome. Trust me been driving 53 years. Plowed snow for a local school district for 35 years and was on the road all hours of the night in horrible winter storms traveling between schools and I saw it all, 4x4's with all season tires stuck. front wheel drives equipped with winter tires going in snow like it was summer.
@@scrambler69-xk3kv Fully agree. Winter tires. As many other people in the are, i keep dedicated set winter tires+ rims. 18" for winter and 20" other than winters.
thank you so much to see that difference between sommer and winter tires ;)))
I understand why you made the comparison but lets have a AWD vehicle with all season tires vs RWD/FWD with winter tires
Keep these vids coming, people need to be educated on how important tires play a roll in safety.
Especially interested in RWD tests with winter tyres vs FWD with winter tyres
I'll add it to the list of things to do :)
Afya did they have winters?
If you take any bets, mine would be in breaking the winter tire 2wd vehicles win, and in accelleration all three are almost equal (1 fwd 2 awd 3 rwd if the engines are in front), and in the timed lap and emergency lane change the 2wd winter tire vehicles beat the all season awd.
Afya I’ve got a RWD with winters, yet to use them in snow though. I’m confident in them because I even managed early this year in snow/ice with my summers. They were awful but me and the car survived
I went to freezing Northern Finland and all I wore was this lousy T-shirt.
It was surprisingly warm!
Pure Goodyear ad
Get the best...Continental Winter Tyres. Year after year, the beat results. A true winner.
@@MrJohann2222 That wasnt Continental, that was Nokian.
Because Vodka Finlandia 40% was warming up xD
olof1pako 🤣
Brilliant comparison. 👏👏
Thank you.
Proves what sensible people know but what most in the UK can neither afford nor justify. And by justify, I mean regarding the couple of bad days most of the UK has.
Great video! Very informative and well shot!
What video editor do you use? The motion tracking is really awesome 👍🏼
As a young lad, I used to have a FWD car with summer tires, and braved a couple New England winters with this configuration. It was horrible...I’d never do that again, and would never recommend to others.
Used to take ski trips around Vermont and New Hampshire. On more than one occasion, I had to spend an extra night simply because couldn’t drive out of the parking lot. However, I did learn quite well how to maneuver the car in slippery conditions (feather the handbrake, counter steering, etc.)
It really was dangerous to drive like this, and there were several close call situations. (Being cheap isn’t worth it, especially when it comes to winter driving.)
Steve Doe I can definitely relate. Back in 2003 I had a GTI with summer tires and drove it during a couple winters in Nebraska. It truly was a bad idea but on occasion, I would go out at night and drive around the neighborhood to learn how to drive on them in the snow. I actually got reasonably good at it provided I would accelerate very slowly and braked WAY before my stopping point. It was actually kind of fun and I learned a lot about the finer points of car control but I never did that again after that!
I was a tire tech for 20 years, the cheapest dedicated winter tires will outperform the best all season tires in every way that counts, my personal vehicle has 2sets of tires, I won't have to buy tires for 5 or 6 years, and piece of mind when winter arrives.
No a low quality winter tire will not outperform any all season tire, not by a long shot, its not as good in the dry/ wet braking, it's only a bit better in the snow, depending where you live one or the other is more important, here where I live there sometimes is snow, but mostly its just cold rain or cold dry day in winter, so an all season tire is superior in most conditions, and in the snow one cannot go very fast anyway, partly because of the summer tire guys blocking the road.
Here in latvia, from first of november til 1st of april you hhave to use winter tyres, and every person who owns a car has both sets of tyres. If youre driving summer tyres in winter, and cops catch you, which usually happens, cos well, you can see those people sliding over the roads, your licence plate gets taken, you get fined, get points on your licence, you lose your cars technical inspection, so it means you will have to redo yearly technical inspection, even if you passed it like a week ago, before winter tyre season. And so, you have to take your car on a trailer to change tyres, then only with a trailer to technical inspection, because without it, you are forbidden to ride.
@@Swarmah wow.. we also have mandatory winter tyres in these months at snowy conditions in austria.. but why should you not be allowed to put them on yourself?
@@Apfelstrudl you are, but if you have no second set rims, your technical inspection is deprived, so you are forbidden to move it. Kinda forced to take it to repair shop, if you were such an idiot to drive with winter tyres, and get technical inspection, licence plates and insurance taken, cos without neither of them you are forbidden to drive.
@@Swarmah yeah, surely there are places where a proper winter tire is a much better idea that an all season tire, but I bet in those places one could argue that an all season tire could be better than a proper summer tire, but there are a lot of places where a proper winter tire is disadvantageous in most situations, even in winter, as I said- it all depends on where you live.
Well, I expected something more than to see well known rule, do not drive summer tires at winter conditions. It doesn't matter if it is dry or wet or snowy, simple lowe temp change summer tires into something very dangerous to drive. Anyway, great channel and good video, so you know what is next :)
I got my first true winter tires this year, they are amazing. Driving on snow and ice is like driving on dry ground.
Great info. I always knew there was a difference in tires. I've driven with snow tires in winter but never seen a controlled test like this. Was time well spent. Thank you!
Awesome video.
People hugely underestimate braking in snow on summer tyres!
This was a great test and really highlights the benefits of winter tyres.
Thank you :)
You mean overestimate? ;)
I found this very useful and saves a lot of money. Thank you.
Incredible, I just moved to Idaho last week and was wondering if I should get some winter tires, guess this settled it
Okay, next do tire chains vs racing slicks.
ok!
(Savage!)
@@MrOnemanop Agreed and about as relevant lol
@@Jasonhalls I live in Canada, there are thousands of people every year who use summers in the snow. Don't talk if you do not know the facts. Child.
@@mcthunderstick2374 ROTFL your as big a genius as this video review. The debate was about the use of ABS in the snow, not summer tires in the snow. That was the video not the comment you are responding too rotfl. LOL he sees fit to comment and can't even follow along. rotfl, gotta love the web. Full of genius's.
Odd flex on some tyres sometimes but these looked ok.
I love you
Oh hell no
Weird flex but ok
Stop
Preposterous boast but alas
I live in Vermont and have all wheel drive and winter tires. They make a difference.
Please do this tests with 4WD+All Season tires vs 2WD+Winter ties
On the list for next year :)
Tyre Reviews look forward too that cross climates please
Why? You already know the answer. It's common sense
Sorry, but in my opinion more "common sense" is test like this... The new All Season tires like Nokian WeatherProof and GoodYear Vector 4 Seasons Gen2 are very close to pure winter tires in tests
Ivaylo Filipov get mud tires u fucking yankee yeee yeeeee brother
You don't even have to watch the video to know the answer. Of course winter tires !!! Why ? Because you need to brake !!!
Obviously. This is to show what the difference is, showing you just how much better it is
Reminds me of the time my car got delivered with used up summer tires. The car hauler guy just dropped it into the snow (it was January) and said good luck, so without a licence plate, without full documentation of the car ownership, other then than purchase check, I had to drive to the nearest shop to change the tires. (It was a paid parking lot where my car was dropped of, to get a licence plate, I need to pass inspection, which I cannot do without winter tires)
Got a 2000 corolla with non studded winter tires doing ok here in Alaska going from a stop is the issues cost the roads be icy on the other hand my 05 limited grand Cherokee with all terrain tires would jump from a stop once i slam the pedal the limited slip differential is magic
Most of us Finns use studded tires in Winter. They offer good grip no matter what car are you driving. Most of us also use narrower wheels/tires in winter to make the traction even better..
I'll be doing a stud video next year :)
I think the ratio in Sweden is 80/20. 80 studded 20 non studded. But they say (reviews) that the difference never have been smaller than now in comparasion but still advantage for studded on blank ice. Oh and please. Use Nokian Hakkepeliita winter tyres next year because they are the best!
Also bring in tire width into the factor - with different surfaces too, so snow, ice and bare paving.
There's two videos about tyre with / size on the channel already :)
That's the way to do it! In the UK we would need loads more snow though. I used studded tyres ten years ago but they used to wear like mad and ping out of the tread, great in the hard snow and ice though.
As a person who drives 6months with winter tires this test feels weird :D 4x4 helps of course when accelerating but thats it. And even in accelerating of course it doesnt have as good friction as winter ones.
Amazing content!
Last year some Canadian journalists did a winter tires comparison to all-seasons, and to worn-out winter tires. To everyone's surprise, the worn-out winters still performed well, much better than the all-seasons.
In Norway, where I live, you would be viewed as completely stupid even considering driving with summer tyres in the winter!
If you are stopped by the police without proper equipment for the driving conditions AKA summer tyres in the winter, you will face anything from a couple hundred $ fine, to losing your drivers license. Also, if you get in an accident, you insurance company can refuse to pay you.
And remember, a 2000 kg AWD will not stop any faster than a 1400 kg 2WD, quite the opposite in fact
4WD is better for engine braking when going down a slippery hill.
@@JAnx01 if you don't have grip, you can even drive a 6x6 wheel drive.
However, weight matter more than AWD, since any car have a brake for every wheel.
You can feel the difference only if your car isn't equipped with ABS.
I know what I say, since I'm used to drive a 4x4 without ABS on snowy steep road. Look at what I meant as "steep", watching at my video on the Scanuppia, the steepest street of all europe...in the video it was summer, but in winter I drive on that with a thick layer of solid ice, with four snow chains, some years ago.
All the descent done in 1st LOW gear, without touching the brakes, because without ABS wheels stops spinning where the chains don't touch the ice. 😉
even with AWD all winter tyres I was getting speed at the downhill slope before Eidfjord, I hit the breaks and slid all the way to the other side of the road and only snow hump stopped me. driving 30-40km/h.
Bare å kjøre på me BF Goodrich mud terrain d på vintern, ska låve deg du kommer kje te å ha d kjedli, låv er d au
In UK few people buy winter tyres. Not a requirement by law here like in other European countries. But people then think that regardless, having 4x4 means your sorted for cold conditions. And you're not.
Wow, such a huge difference! Never would've known it was so much. Thanks for the video!
Doesn't 4WD only affect acceleration? I can't imagine it having much impact on handling in corners or during braking, so I don't see how this is surprising.
@@Bronek0990 4WD helps a ton while cornering at high speeds but also weighs more, so it makes braking worse.
This man's commitment to showing us his guns should be praised. We salute you sir, let those puppies shine.
💪💪
I once drove my 95 Honda Civic through a blizzard in North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon in Hakkapeliita winter tires. I-84 in Oregon on that trip was more or less entirely iced over. Probably one of the more dangerous drives I've ever attempted but I don't recall having any kind of close calls. Probably because I was the only car on the road for the more dangerous stretches.
yes, people think of 4wd as some magical system that will always prevent them losing grip or getting stuck
Well having driven both FWD and 4wd in ice and snow I can see the 4wd is kind of magical. Have yet to get stuck, and it is great in wet or snowy road conditions. Of course you still need to drive careful, as I have also seen 4wd folks think they can do anything and land upside down in a ditch. Control is everything.
Two words: Audi Quattro
The 4wd is good when accelerating. When it comes to braking and cornering the difference diminishes or is so small that model difference is bigger. So you accelerate very easily but then you are as all others on the road without major advantage. Tires are everything and good control system helps a lot.
@@LaggerSVK Breaking, Yes, agreed - no diffeence between 2wd and 4wd - but BIG difference in cornering on bad conditions and acclerating out of corners. diff between 4wd and Fwd is bigger than between 4wd and RWD by the way.
S2audicoupeS2 Ingolstadt you are still limited by that rubbery compound and powertrain cant change that (except the weight distribution that might be implied by powertrain). Maybe systems like ESP and so but these systems are incorporated regardless of powertrain type. Yes you will have better corner exit but that doesnt counter my point.
The smugness from 4x4 drivers in the UK on default summer tyres, til I breeze pass them in my RWD BMW on winters tyres during Jan/Feb time.
I love that move :)
bmw red+snow=hapiness
He has to show up his big biceps at any price
the other day we had a freak heavy snowfall and I went out to see who was out on the roads in it and to gloat at people getting stuck.. cos I've winter tyres on my FWD car .. Even those in Land Rovers / Ranger Rovers and other 4WD's were going at snails pace.. They were going at snails pace cos they were on summer tyres.. So I drove through the middle snow drift to over take them lol. I drove up a 1:3 hill no problem.. Thesre was a RWD Audi saloon sliding all over barely getting up the hill on summer tyres.. Then I heard reports of people banging into each other as they were in the town I was in Shropshire. In my winter tyres I'd have no issues lol.. It should now be compluslory in the UK to put on winter tyres.. From end of October to March.
Is it illegal in the UK to drive with summer tires in the winter?
Yes. I can confirm using summer tyres on my Nissan X-Trail 4x4 on the snow - in deep snow I was able to go forward and backward but was not able to make a turn...
So definitely winter tyres are needed also on 4x4 vehicle on the snow.
Yeah, 4x4 is not gonna help braking performance ever, since you got 4x4 it's gonna weigh more and be worse when you need to slam on it.
That conclusion was what i was wanted to hear thank you very much, very funny video.
Summer tires are for summer. It does not matter if you have six wheel drive. The rubber compound is way different. And snow tires are made to make snow stick. Because the best traction on snow is the snow stuck to your tires. All seasons are for places with very little snow and increase your braking length in wet asphalt dramatically just like winter tires on rain. Not to be recommended.
Like so people can learn and be safe on the road.
diference in braking on wet asphalt between summer tire, allseason, nordic tire or studed tire is far less than same test on snow or ice. you are definitely safer with studed tires in summer than summer tires in winter
That looked like a lot of fun!
Some people still insist they just “Drive to the conditions” in snow and can go everywhere in their summer shod 2wd cars .
....as they are super skilled and smug, they never need winter tyres, as they are a waste of money 😆
They also insist on calling them “Snow tyres”
I’ve driven these combinations / conditions and experienced these amazing +/- results. It’s quite staggering to behold, but not that surprising really.
Re types of car / driven wheels.....
In my experience on snow, Rwd 135i with winters is safer than a 4x4 Macan on winters.
Yes, the Macan nails the emergency start, but mass prevents it changing direction, or stopping quite as well.
I think a smaller than average 4x4 hatch, with good ground clearance and winter tyres, is pretty much the answer.
Right up until a massive 4x4 on summer tyres slides on snow and squishes you!
The best car I've ever driven on winters was an original ford KA on 165/65 R13 winter tyres. No weight and narrow tyres made it hilarious
Punto 4x4 on winters, that would be intresting :D
Decent way to explain through this video. Summer tires turn into hockey pucks in below freezing. Decent Video, Brian K
you are the tyre guru dude :)) we like your videos and definite information. you are really usefull youtuber :))
Glad you like them!
This is really eye-opening and educative, this is a short video that every apprentice driver must watch where I am (Montréal), and also experienced driver too!
Thanks!
It says in the manual for my Audi A6 Allroad (translated into English by me):
"Thanks to the four wheel drive, the car has good traction in winter conditions, even on summer tyres. However we recommend that you fit winter tyres or all season tyres to the car on all four wheels during the winter. This primarily makes the breaking performance better."
I always knew that was BS and this excellent video just confirmed it to me. I guess you should send this video to Audi...
(I got this video in my recommended videos today this time!)
I'll drop them an email (and 100% get ignored lol)
@@tyrereviews Yeah, especially since you use BMWs in the video ; )
BTW, my neighbour has 10 year old winter tyres on his car. I tried to advice him to buy new tyres already last winter, but he clearly ignored me. I thought a good graphic could convince him. I found this www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/How-Braking-Performance-Changes-as-a-Winter-Tyre-Wears.htm but I think a comparison with the breaking distances drawn, like the one you used in the top 9 winter tyre video to compare with summer tyres, would be better. Do you have such a graphic somewhere?
@@Fred_P Tell him the old winter tyres are hardened and therefore have lost most of their traction.
@@Manakuski Already did last year. I want to show him easy-to-understand data on how dangerous it is.
BMW salesman told my mother in law the tyres on her 220d conv were good in all seasons!
super good test !!!!
i had something like this a few years back. My wife has an SUV as her daily driver and one Christmas I had to go and pick up my nieces from a pub and bring them home. It has snowed that day and even though I had 4wd, the car had it's stock summer tyres on and was all over the place.
Soon after I fitted all season tyres - Vredestein Quatrack then Michelin Cross Climate. Whilst clearly not as good as full winter tyres, I haven't had anything like as bad an experience since.
I hope this video will save lives. Tires matter.
Good to see a tire comparison being done, I always struggle to explain how AWD isn't magical to people.
However, there is no point in testing braking, no matter what wheel drive all have the same number of wheels for braking, thus drive-train doesn't matter. Maybe testing engine braking stability would make more sense.
People need to see it to believe it
@@tyrereviews True, to some people the magic of AWD is limitless and showing results saves a lot of useless explaining.
LOL well done.
Really good video. and Good Lesson
Good video! I always smile, when I see videos from USA or other countries where they are not used to snow and they are sliding around in the snowy streets. But in Finland we don´t perform better either, because almost every winter we have news with head lines like this "Winter surprised drivers again". This season we haven´t had these problems, but it's not because we have grown more wise. Rather it's because we haven't had snow or ice in most Finland, because climate has been too warm (this is sad).
Anyway, I wouldn't dream of driving summer tires in winter here. It's more a question of "studs or not"?
Ijust came back from testing in Ivalo where it was unusually warm :(
Respect to @Tyre Reviews for their efforts and attempting to reply to everyone.
It's almost like Tyre Reviews is made by humans instead of a big corporation far away in an ivory tower out of reach. Have to love that.
Anyway, you were one of the very few but informative channels to be found to give me an impression of the capabilities of the Michelin CrossClimate tyres and this has led me to buy a set of these tyres for the Peugeot 206 with the size 175/65/R14. (non-plus variant)
So far I'm really impressed with the grip and comfort of these tyres and they feel very confident, the car feels different but in a good way.
Except that the noise is maybe a little bit higher than usual with summertyres maybe, but I'm not too much bothered by that and the Peugeot 206 doesn't know a lot of sound isolation either way.
(I actually like less noise canceling though to avoid feeling sick)
I just haven't experienced them in snow just yet, but for me it was personally to avoid having to switch tyres constantly (I have 8 rims) and not having to buy snow-tyres because they are pretty useless in a mild climate like The Netherlands.
Flat roads, a shitton of salt on the roads and mostly muddy/wet roads while the temperature is often high enough for even summer tyres to handle well in these conditions.
If it's really an ice plateau not even snow-tyres (studs/chains not allowed here) would be useless and it would better be advised not to drive at all if you don't have to.
Sure not everyone can work from home but snow-tyres will not make you invincible at all with this.
My choice for all-season CrossClimates is simply based on the fact we're in a mild climate with mostly the above circumstances with rarely to none permanent snow-layers.
It performs great in summer versus the regular winter-based-all-seasons because it is based on a summer tyre to have winter capabilities and does a good job at it, meanwhile it keeps the longetivity of the tyre higher and the very one time I get to drive in winter-weather I'm more prepared than I am with a summer-tire adding more general safety.
Buying snow-tyres here is just a waste of money and a lot of PR honestly, they wear out quick due to our higher average temperatures, more hassle to switch them constantly and the times it is too warm they wear out fast and have a much worse stopping distance.
Meanwhile it costs extra money, and those who can't switch tyres themselves are stuck to the ever filled schedule of garages. (and possibly paying fees for the tyre hotel)
As far as I'm aware, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the Michelin CrossClimate tyres were delivered as new with 6.5mm profile depth.
After driving 19.000-20.000KM there is still about 6mm profile left so that is outstanding for an all-season tyre which are normally based on winter-tyres.
The law here says that 1.6mm profile depth is minimum so I'll be able to enjoy them for quite some time with 20.000KM per year. (160.000KM should be easy manageable)
The tyres are allowed to get as old as 10 years before replacement is really necessary but they'll likely be used up before that. (just check them more regularly after 5 years)
I understand at about 4mm profile depth or lower the snow-capabilities will get less or 'bad' but in my situation that is not much of an issue.
Ontop of that Michelin has also engineered their tyres to keep optimally performing until the 1.6mm profile depth in the non-snow conditions so that is good.
Michelin themselves said we change tyres too early and this way tons of rubber is being wasted, they advise to keep using their tyres until they are down to the minimum.
Sources:
michelinmedia.com/the-truth-about-worn-tires/
www.motor1.com/news/145858/michelin-stop-buying-tires-early/
Before this I used the Michelin Energysavers and some type of Goodyears, (michelin front and goodyear rear)
The Michelins probably have been under the car since it's production year (2008) since they were worn down to 1.5-1.6mm after more than a year of driving until August 2017 and started to show some profile cracks, but grip wise they felt confident even in very wet conditions and drove without issues through the snowy/icy roads (albeit in traffic jams mostly)
The goodyears still had 4.4mm profile left on them when they were removed, one of which is now a spare tyre on the almost 20 years old Peugeot 306 break.
The goodyears looked visually better though but also newer, no profile cracks but also seem a bit more stiff in rubber material.
The winter tyres I used for a short moment were some Continentals which had 5.12mm left, but now one of those has taken the place of the spare-tyre of the Peugeot 206 and the rest in useless storage just in case.
I feel like the Michelin CrossClimates are the perfect replacement.
This is a great comment! The CrossClimates will be just fine if we get snow this winter :) And yes Tyre Reviews is just me, and I'm on holiday, and replied to about 1000 comments so far lol. Bad time to put the video live!
8mm is the standard default tread depth.
Hmm okay.
I've manually checked the treat depth around the center of the tyre and there is no cupping going on.
And as far as I remember I saw about 6.5mm in new state, maybe it's different per country or does the CrossClimate plus (+) variant have more treat depth?
I believe I read more people complain about the somewhat relatively low treat depth in new state.
I'm amazed how you as one person can produce such a quality video's with a great insight and lots of information...
Others should take example, you're probably the biggest lone-wolf here on TH-cam and more people are starting to refer to your video's I noticed.
Kudos to you and for that I'll subscribe now because you even bothered to reply on holiday and loved my comment.
Now have some days off and relax, the internet is a digital highway that never rests and should not lead to a burn out.
Amazing content! Thanks for a good information what I have always wanted to know!
Thank you :)
I have a 2WD Honda. Summer time I have all season and in late fall I move to stud less snow tires. When I enter a road from a side street and going up hill and in the rain my wheels with all season tires spin a bit. With snow tires there is no spin. When it snows snow tires will still spin if I push it but I can at least go to work. I do wish I had traction control but that only came with a manual transmission.
I was in a position this year that I wouldn’t have gotten out of it if it wasn’t for 4x4. No front wheel drive or rear wheel drive with snow tires would have gone anywhere but the ditch at the bottom of the hill where there were 15 of them piled up. Made a quick U turn halfway down the hill and floored it up. I keep summer tires on my grand Cherokee, I do a lot of highway miles.
Great video, so many wrongly think AWD is the answer to winter driving. I know you are going to repeat this but with All Season tyres. I’d love to see how M+S like Pirelli Scorpion All Season compares with 3MPSF All Season like my Vredestein Quatrac.
4WD with studded winter tyres is my choice.
Not allowed in the UK but they're great when they are allowed
Studded tyres are not allowed in the UK?!
Same here. I live in rural Norway, it's the only thing that works sometimes.
This was a well done and very fun and informative video so thumbs up. However I wish you guys would have done it using all season tires vs winter tires. As most people use all season tires in the winter. Never heard of anyone using summer times in winter unless they have a death wish.
All season or mud / snow all seasons work very well in the snow. I don't bother with a winter dedicated tire because the all seasons I buy work well in the snow. But of course nothing beats a snow tire.
Excelent! It would be nice to try the same test on a couple of non fancy 4x4 vehicles, perhaps without any ABS or traction control systems...
4wd on all seasons vs 2wd on winter would've been better...
See the latest pinned comment :)
@@tyrereviews thanks!
Yep
Agree
Studded tires vs friction tires is an easy fuel for studs. Remember finally, there is no all season tires, it’s marketing. They don’t perform as well as studs and also wear extensively, due to their rubber density and tread pattern.
Great video! Thank you!
+1 for All-Season vs Winter tires. Although I wonder if retesting winter tires on 4WD vs All Seasons on 4WD instead of Winter tires on 2WD. AWD/4WD adds at least 200 lbs to the vehicle thus reducing braking/turning traction regardless of tire.
th-cam.com/video/a7E3GTpgvjs/w-d-xo.html
Why bother testing summer tires in winter? Should have done All Season Tires in the beginning, it's obvious you can't drive in winter using summer tires..
All seasons are not much better. Believe me , I was stuck behind them all in the last storm we had here. I had zero problems with traction with snow tires and FWD . There were plenty of AWD SUVs and CUVS just sitting and spinning in front of me.
@@XA351GT I know what you mean, AWD is bullshit, you can't compare with the traction you get with winter tires, that's why I have winter tires with OEM rims on all my x5's. I've never got stuck in winter, and the handling is beautiful.
Pretty easy to tell when they are sitting still not moving anywhere.
Because there are plenty of countries with essentially 2 seasons only. Drivers pick true summer tires as summer last longest and then hope for the best in winter which will inevitably come. Winter tyres are an expense many don't want to bear. They go with something 2nd or 3rd best.
All-season tires are most popular in the US, and this isn't really a US-centric channel. I agree that I would have liked to see how all-season tires stack up to winters -- obviously not as good, but some will definitely be better than others (Nokian EnTyre for example, possibly Michelin Premier).
Testing summer tires in snow is kind of a waste other than to illustrate just how useless they really are, in case there are any Europeans who think they can get through the winter on them. But if all-seasons were used there could have been some real information here.
Fun video. Thanks for posting. It would have been interesting to see what a RWD car would have done on winter tires (I'm guessing failure worse than the AWD on the snow track).
I am from Canada but now live in europe. I can assure you that winter tires make a massive difference. Anyone that tries to convince you otherwise or make you think 4WD will help must be ignored.
This video should be required watching for anyone taking their driver’s exam.
Nice video, here in Québec/ Canada , winter tires are mandatory. They really save life’s and give you much better control not just in snowed in roads but also in ice and others. Not to use them in summer. Again, it all depends on how much pay for them. The pricier the more traction you get.
Great comparison, been using winter tyres for years on a 2wd, however recently started considering a 4wd & it's not uncommon to use All Season tyres on a 4wd; It would very interesting to see how All Season on a 4wd compare to winter tyres on a 2wd.
AS rubber compound is harder than Winter specific tires so, in short, Winter Tires are in a league of their own. It pays to own a spare set of winter wheels. Cheers!
Look it up on this channel, it was uploaded 2 years ago.
i thought the same in first, thanks for sharing
For those looking for all season test this is all a matter of terminology euro/U.K. Summers are NA all seasons euro/U.K. All seasons are NA all weather so in essence the test was done
Exactly the results I expected. If you live in an area where there is significant amount of snow (like Canadian winter) and don't put on winter tires, you're an irresponsible driver, period. All-seasons will be better, but they're no winter tires. They're fine in areas where there isn't a lot of snow but that's it. Breaking distance in winter is highly increased, and winter tires helps reduce that distance significantly, which can be the difference between running into a car or pedestrian or not. It's not worth being cheap for risking your and other people's life (you're not even saving that much money by the way, as both tires will last you twice as long since you're not using them only for half the year)
Exactly my thoughts :)