Discussions

Looking for a new set of tires for the winter season. Should I go with winter or all-weather tires for hwy driving?

on my fwd car from mid October to mid April. I've driven to Prince Albert and Flin Flon a couple of times each winter and many times I'm driving on snow packed and icy roads for 300 km or more and I definitely want winter tires - however you can overdrive any type of tire and get yourself in serious trouble so I drive according to road conditions. I currently have Blizzak winter tires on my car - 7th winter and I may get 1 more winter from them. It's expensive to have a 2nd set of tires but my all-season tires last a long time.  
 
If I were driving on highways that were mostly bare throughout the winter then I would definitely consider all-weather tires but I personally want a true winter tire for my highway driving.

the way to go, on separate rims,  
 
google that question and take what the tire companies that have all weather tires say they are trying to promote all weather.  
 
it depends on where you drive, how much you drive. your budget. remember there are a lot of locations in canada that do not get the severe cold that we get here, and I think it is the cold that you need the winter tires for as the rubber compound is designed for the cold.  
 
calgary vancouver, little milder, all weather might be fine, except not sure about the mountain roads some of them mandate winter tires or chains.

Get studded tires. They stick to the ice. Better than winter tires. Amazing tires!

For summer time you want summer/all season tires..  
For winter time you want winter tires..  
All season tires are designed for fair weather and not designed for our cold temps and the amounts of snow and ice that we get.  
If you decide to buy winter tires give consideration to getting them studded.  
Studded tires improve your starting and stopping and your steering control.  
If you don't believe me then google/YouTube - winter tires vs summer or winter tires vs studded winter tires or winter tires vs all season tires.  
Even the boys on Top Gear proved this fact and W5 did as well.  
Hope this helps you.

If you get a good set of winter tires and summer tires and rotate everything as required they will last way longer that all weather tires. I think since the all weather tires are made a little softer they get eaten up faster in the summer.

For hwy winter driving go with winter tires, do not bother with all weather.  
 
I personally would not spend any money on all weather no matter what the season is.

I buy only winter tires for the last 11 years. I get 100,000 km on a set and use them year round. Winter tires are softer rubber, and contrary to what people say they don't wear down much faster in summer than all season. I drive a bit of gravel and all season, or summer tires break up bad on gravel, but winter tire flex over the stones instead of breaking all the corners off. Save yourself money and buy only good winter tires. Unless you drive LOTS of highway in the hottest time of day in the summer I would never drive all season tires. Some people have told me they feel the vehicle sways side to side a bit more with winter tires. I found that with CT good year territory tire it did exactly that. The Walmart Authority did not so they went on the vehicle I drove the most in summer. I have had my oil changes dune in shops and they always are surprised how my tires last as long as they do, as winter tire isn't supposed to last in the summer. If you always had heavy loads I wood run a harder tire in summer, pickup that pulls loads all the time or cargo van that's loaded up with tools ETC