If you’re tired of the annual chore that is changing your summer tires for winter variants, you’re not alone. Canada has some of the longest winters and some of the strictest laws regarding the use of the right tires for the right season. You’ll be facing fines upwards of $200 if you’re caught driving with summer rubber after December 1st, regardless of outside temperatures. But it’s not all bad news. With the exception of Quebec, for anyone living in all other provinces and territories, there is a workaround – all-season tyres.
What Is an All-Season Tire?
As the name suggests, all-season tires can be used throughout the year and in all weather conditions. You’ll find they also go by a few different names, such as multipurpose, all-weather, or mud and snow (M+S) tires, but all have the same basic purpose- versatility for a wide range of uses. They differ from both summer and winter variants in tread designs and tire compounds to provide optimal grip, handling, and safety across different surfaces and in different outside temperatures. Apart from extreme snow and sub-zero conditions, all-season tires work well for most driving scenarios you’ll encounter.
Identifying an All-Season Tire
All tires have markings on the sidewalls (something I’ll explain in detail below) relating to different aspects and properties of the tires, as well as the type. An all-season tire can come with the M+S marking, meaning they’re good for light mud and snow, the 3PMSF (3 mountain peaks and a snowflake symbol), as well as a sun and cloud and rain (or raindrop) symbol, so they’re good for both higher temperatures and provide good grip and handling in the rain. Compared to the single snowflake in winter types and the sun symbol for summer tires, all-season variants will have three or four of the symbols above clearly marked.
Treads, Compounds and Tire Basics
There are stark differences between treads and compounds in all three tire types. Winter tires go with more pronounced tread designs interspersed with numerous and deeper grooves and sipes. Additionally, noticeable ribs running around the circumference help with steering and stability. The goal is for improved bite into snow and mud, and better water and snow dispersion ultimately leading to a larger surface gripping the road. This warrants better traction and safety in cold conditions with thick slush or hardened ice.
Summer tires go with more symmetrical and shallower treads. They have fewer grooves and these are arranged in defined patterns to work better in the rain, have higher top speeds, and shorter braking distances on dry roads. All-season variants are essentially a hybrid of these two extremes. Treads are more pronounced than summer tires, grooves are deep but won’t match those in a typical winter tire, and are arranged in more symmetrical patterns.
Then, there are the different materials and compounds that go in each tire. Winter tires consist of softer compounds, mostly natural or synthetic rubber designed to work optimally in sub-zero temperatures, and a range of additives (fillers, plasticizers, reinforcers etc.) to improve comfort and rolling resistance and lower noise. There is also a higher silica content to reduce wear.
Summer tires go for mostly harder synthetic rubber and a low natural rubber and silica content. This works better at higher temperatures, but ultimately they become brittle and unresponsive in the cold. And you might have guessed already, all-season variants are somewhere in between but still retain relatively high silica and natural rubber content for improved flexibility and grip when temperatures drop.
Pros of All-Season Tires
The specific tread block design and features and the use of intermediate natural rubber compounds and additives offer a host of benefits over both summer and winter tires:
- Can be used year-round – all-season rubber works well in cold and hot weather and on wet and dry roads equally well
- Good handling and performance – though summer tires outperform all-season types in the warmer months, they overtake them when temperatures turn for the worse. Here braking, accelerating, and overall grip and stability are substantially better, leading to safer motoring.
- Lower wear and fuel use – compared to winter tires, all-weather tires have much lower wear, especially on hotter asphalt. Noise is significantly reduced, too. The tread patterns offer lower rolling resistance, so drivers will save on fuel over the long term
- Cheaper – switching from summer and winter tires is a cost that not all of us can afford. This also implies time lost at the shop. Drivers will save both valuable time and money when going with all-season rubber that they use most of the year or don’t remove at all. You’ll also be sparing your winter tires for those especially cold days with heavy snow.
Decoding Tire Sizes, Lettering and Numbers
As with all tires, sidewalls on all-season rubber contain a slew of info. They not only have the symbols with which drivers can differentiate between the types but also get the right tires when shopping. If you’re ready to buy all-season tires, either in-store or online, look here for all that you need. The most common tire size in Canada is 225/65/ R17, which means tires are 225mm wide, and 65mm high, and are in modern radial designs (for low wear and higher strength). They also fit 17-inch wheels. Of course, there are hundreds of other size combinations to suit different vehicles.
Also, other letters and numbers refer to weight loadings and the safe speed limits the tires can endure. Load or weight ratings are expressed in numbers between 0 and 150, so a tire with a 92 loading is good for 630 kilos (or 1389 pounds) at each wheel. Heavier trucks and SUVs will have higher loadings, and smaller and lighter passenger cars lower loadings. Lastly, look at speed ratings given as letters from A to Z. Most all-season variants have “S” or “T” speed ratings, meaning they’re good for 180 or 190km/h. The only thing left is considering how much you’re willing to spend on tires that you’ll be using for a larger part of the year, and which brands deserve your hard-earned cash.
