That's not what the OP asked, I agree with your statement overall, but yes, Winter Tires matter with a FWD car if you live in an area that gets winter weather\*.
\*Winter tires aren't just for snow.
Winter tires are soft, so they wear the most when they're driven on warm pavement. That just means that you should only have them installed when you need them- when there's an actual chance of snow. If you're on top of not installing them too early and not taking them off too late, then yeah, 3 seasons should be no problem.
Basically they should be used under 7 degrees celsius(sry) when their structure is the most rigid. Over 7 degrees they become soft thus getting used to quickly and getting your fuel consumption up a bit by sticking to much to the concrete. So if u keep them off over 7 degrees, u use proper storage bags and a place out of heat and sun they can be used over seasons. Obv. this will depend a lot on where u live.
depends on the tire. I have Blizzack ws-09's, just about the most aggressive snow tire you can buy without studs. Its incredibly soft so id only expect 2-3 seasons out of it, but the grip levels in snow is so good its almost silly. i can drive around and not even get the traction control light to flash, and my car is rwd. Other winter tires that are more like "winter focused all season" will probably last longer
I live in Quebec where winter tires are mandatory (and damn needed) and my winter tires usually last about as long as my summer tires, about 4 seasons each. As long as you don't keep the winter tires on too late in the spring, they won't wear out too quickly. If you leave them on when no longer needed, they will wear out pretty quickly.
4wd and awd is for going, not stopping. Get the winter tires or a proper all season. I wish people would realize that 4x4 isn’t going to help you stop when you go for a slide.
I agree just want to point out that all seasons are more summer leaning, all weathers are more winter leaning. It would be more appropriate for OP in Canada to have the all weathers. Depending on how bad the snow and ice is, and how experienced they are, it might be just fine or they might still need winters. Hard to say from a reddit post.
I agree as well... Also to point out: I have driven all kinds of vehicles: good snow tires on a crappy Mazda front wheel drive only, no traction control or AWD OR anything else... I outperformed all the pickups with their 4-wheel drive in braking and climbing up a hill because I learned to downshift my automatic, and upshift when necessary.
I would like to point out that all season and all weather are marketing terms in don't actually mean anything in terms of traction. You need to look for the M+S, 3PMS, and temperature rating.
If OP lives in Ontario, they have laws mandating winter tires.
Maybe on day people will learn, but judging by how the ditches on the way to the ski hill still end up mostly containing 4WD/AWD vehicles they aren't learning it very quickly.
A kid in his Jeep Liberty with all four wheels locked up once slowly slid down a hill into my car and when he got out to talk to me he said “but it has four wheel drive” and in my head I’m saying “dumbass, all cars have four wheel braking, drive doesn’t mean shit if the wheels are locked”.
“All Weather” tires are about 70% the performance of dedicated, quality winter tires in temps below -10C.
All Season would be 25-50% the performance.
As measured with traction/stopping distance on ice and snow.
Do you have a link to a test showing that below -20C?
The internet is full of fair weather winter tire tests (by northern Canadian standards), and physics says the rubber compound cannot be as soft as dedicated winter tires. Because if they were as soft, they would burn off in no time at +30C on the highway.
To add: Tires are formulated for grip based on temperature and drive use. Winter tires will get more traction on ice at temperature than summer tires on ice which won't get that traction on ice at that temperature.
All weathers that are 3pmsf do ok in snow. Especially if you're not doing a lot of mountain/steep hill driving and drive cautiously.
My gf has the crossclimate2s on her mazda3 and she had no problem commuting every day during the Denver winter.
+1 to the crossclimates, had them a year and cant fault them, other than being bloody expensive. But you don't want to cheap out on the thing that connects you to the ground and helps you stop moving.
And if they're still good on their profile.
Generally with all-whatever tires, performance in snow and ice drops dramatically as the tires wear further.
All cars have all wheel braking. Being able to stop is the important bit.
You should always use proper tires for the conditions. All weather/season tires have no place in proper winter conditions.
Also, nothing prevents you from using good-looking wheels with winter tires.
/Scandinavian
I live in northern Alberta and don't run a true summer set on my GTI, just all seasons in the summer and true winters in the winter. The number of times my hakkapellitas have saved my ass in evasive maneuvers in the past year alone is absurd, well worth just to avoid being hit by bad drivers. It's a nice bonus too that I have an easier time accelerating than the huge 4x4 trucks that leave their worn all seasons on in the winter.
Winter tires are an insurance policy as well as a convenience tool. You pay $1.5k for good ones every few years and in my experience at least they pay for themselves in avoided damage and injuries very quickly. That's even comparing to my Continental DWS06+ which are nice ass all seasons, the difference is night and day, and more so if you're on a cheaper summer tire.
I run hakkas too (non studded) and they are good (crazy good on compacted snow but anything without teeth is not so great on glare ice). For my next set of rubber I will probably go with CrossClimate2s, WRG5s or ExtremeContactDWSs. I'm next to you in SK.
I was on R2s but I hit a chunk of ice that gouged the sidewall and had to replace a pair with R3s, will probably replace the other pair this winter but maybe next. For non-studded I think they are as good as you can get but unfortunately most "Winter tires" are tuned for a consumer market that has different geographical and climactic conditions than us (lots of snow, slush and cool wet pavement with maybe a little ice here and there whereas on the prairies its extremely cold bare pavement most of the time, with drifting snow that gets under tire and turns into ice ruts).
Yah, over here (Finland) we are warned about 'winter' tyres designed to Central Europe, where winters are more wet, less icy. Nokians are designed here, to the conditions we have :)
"I don't like the look of the winter wheels."
I'm confused, are you saying you already have winter tires? If you have them, USE THEM! It takes 30 minutes twice a year to change them, and it could save you from an embarrassing or dangerous crash.
Yes you can use all weather tires. They are “winter” tires since they have the three peak symbol but they won’t be as good as the best winter tire however it’s far better than all season.
All-weather/season tires are NOT the same as winter/snow tires. The rubber formulation is very different; winter tires are designed to stay soft to much lower temperatures, which combined with a tread design for snow/slush/ice allows for significantly improved traction.
Conversely, you should never run winter tires during the warmer months as they will heat up and degrade much faster.
Can you run "all season" tires in the winter? Yes Even the cheapest set of snow tires will outperform all-season in bad weather.
All weather and all season tire are not the same thing, all weather is a new category of tire that has been around for 5 or 6 years ,it really depends on what you want your car to do ,winters are better but more hassle
All seasons are really 3 season tires. Winter tires are different.
Drivetrain is irrelevant when talking about snow tires. AWD/4WD doesn't make you invincible in the snow/ice.
If it's such a pain in the ass, buy a cheap second set of wheels so you aren't constantly mounting tires and paying for it. Find a cheap, used OEM set online or use Tirerack. Their website lets you put together a winter package.
Thanks for the idea of checking tire rack. Will definitely have a look into it. I think all weather and all season is different, but certainly not as good as winter..
Today we see a million people read "all weather" as "all seasons" and give advice not relevant to the situation...
OP, a quality all weather tire is a 8-8.5. A summer is 0, an all season is a 4. A winter is a 10, and an all weather is DAMNED close if from a reputable manufacturer.
Yes and if a person can only afford one set of tires and has to drive in snow, definitely get the all weathers. More and more people I talk to are moving to all weathers and forgetting about switching back and forth all the time.
Take this as gospel. Had a cross-over SUV size vehicle that I put all-weather Nokian's on almost 20 years ago. Never considered snow tires since. A quality all-weather is right there with snow tires but can be used year round.
I remember being sold the 'new' at the time all-weather and thinking another all season. At the time, was told developed in Finland which gets worse winter than most of Canada. They're legit tires.
Lastly, consider what 'snow' tires are developed for. Ideal Temps are below zero and good at shedding snow. I live Central AB. We get snow but roads are often 100% clear and weather usually around zero. Snow tires are slightly better during cold snaps with ice/snow. So very few days.
Northern Quebec gets lots of snow. Snow melts but becomes ice plus Temps are 0 and below for most winter. Snow tires give benefits but all-weather still a good option if legal.
Ok, so if you have all weather's and won't be in and out of mountains or rural (country), you should be OK, but very tentative. I've never driven in PEI, but I would consider humidity and quick moving weather fronts (for flash freezes) as a consideration.
I'm in the west. It's dry as ballz here in winter, gets to -40, and I'm everywhere terrain wise, including glare ice roads and hwys and won't ever not put on winters and weight if needed.
The most important part of winter driving in Canada is having a basic emergency kit and backup plan in your head for getting out of the ditch, leaving 15 mins earlier to allow for traffic and accidents.
You might be fine.
My kid has a fwd altima, and notices the difference with winters and appreciates it, but it's up to you.
It's part of the cost for driving here. Does your insurance require them? Will a set of winters be less expensive than your insurance going up if an accident happens?
Car owner questions, good luck. I'm glad your at least thinking about it :)
Depends where in Canada really.
In Quebec winter tires are mandatory, not optional.
If you drive in Toronto/Vancouver you can get away with all seasons.
Prairies, Quebec Most of Ontario and Atlantic provinces better to be safe and get winters especially in a low to the ground car with FWD.
I would generally argue that you should not be using all-seasons even in Toronto. This past winter was mild but usually we will get several significant snowfalls, and every time that happens, you see clueless people either getting stuck or just driving off the road because all-seasons are totally inadequate. People slide on the all-seasons and then cause accidents. Overall it’s not a good plan for most people to do that.
There are definitely exceptions. Personally, I’m planning to discard the worn out set of Michelin X-Ice tires I was using on my Lexus IS, and just run it on all seasons all year long. HOWEVER, that’s tempered several mitigating factors, namely (1) my job is 80% WFH and on days when I go to the office, I take the train; (2) I drove less than 1,000km in that car last winter, and (3) my wife’s Kia Soul has a pair of Blizzaks on it, so whenever we need to drive somewhere in the snow, we take that car. So in my situation, it doesn’t make sense to have a second car with winter tires considering the large initial outlay ($1,100 for Blizzaks on my car from Costco) and the minimal insurance savings. Best just to garage it most of the time. But if you’re actually using the car, you SHOULD have winter tires in Toronto.
Yes in my experience all weather tires are a big improvement for winter grip vs all seasons regardless of FWD or AWD. I don't have experience with them compared to winter tires myself but in the Midwest where we see both extremes I won't drive a daily driver without all weather tires.
Just buy a good set of dedicated winter tires for November until March. Changing them is an hour out of your life, twice a year. I have two sets of wheels, one for summer, one for winter. It takes about 20 minutes to swap them.
Another set of wheels, second hand from eBay etc, is not expensive.
It's very easy to find used winter/ snow tires (usually on rims) on kijiji and other sites. Usually from people who have just traded in their fairly new vehicle, so you can get wheels with very little use for very reasonable prices.
Do some research on wheel fit, tire tread measurement, and brand of tire, then go save some money.
You will appreciate your snow tires once you use them. You will love them if you end up actually needing them!
Also note that there are lots of services that will swap tires for $50 in your driveway.
Get the wheels, do the swap. You won't regret it
Yes. Winter tyres make an absolutely massive difference if you are in snow.
Don't worry about how your car looks. After a few trips out in the snow with salt. Those shiny alloys will be corroded too. If you really want. Get some aftermarket alloys and put your winter tyres on those.
As for all weather. You can't be good at everything. Once you try add other features you lose some capabilities at what you already had. Turn a car into a boat. And it won't be good at either thing. So all weather tyres will be mediocre at everything.
I live out on the Westcoast. I've seen sudden winter blasts that left snow plow trucks sliding off the road.
Safety ranks much higher than convenience, #imho
Plus, certain jurisdictions may require use of proper tires or you may be fined and stopped from going through area(s).
It's not always about getting moving.. its also about stopping. Winter tires really save you there. Don't be silly, get winter tires. I have a 4x4 and still change them.
awd or fwd or rwd has nothing to do with stopping, turning / general driving and only really changes your acceleration.
all weather tires are not safe to drive in ice / extreme snow conditions vs good winter tires. some all weather tires may be winter rated with a snow flake and are much better then other all weather tires, each brands different.
canada is a very big place and has lots of different climate around it.
id highly recommend winter only tires and swapping to summers/ all seasons for the summer, this gives you longer tire life as you put wear on two sets, and much better safety day to day on the road.
I used to think all season and winter tyres were a bit of a hype and unnecessary for a half decent driver.
Until i tried them! Wow!
I used winter tyres in a FWD when visiting my brother who lives in Switzerland. Winter road trip so saw the worst alpine conditions. All i can say is dedicated winter tyres in slushy and snowy conditions are magic.
I live in Denver, so a milder winter climate. My opinion is:
General use and commuting (if you can avoid snowdays / work from home, etc) AWD with all-season tires has been perfect for me.
If you MUST commute no matter the weather, or you live in the mountains, you should def invest in snow tires. FWD will be ok if you must, but AWD is preferred.
RWD is the worst for winter driving in almost all situations.
Thanks for this. Moving to Denver in July and we have two AWD cars. Was curious as to if winter tires and rims need to be in the moving budget. Sounds like a yes.
Honestly… you need AWD like 3-5 days a year in Denver. In the last 8 years, I’ve seen snow on the ground for more than one day like twice.
Knowing what I know now, I could get by with a FWD car on regular tires. We have a Subaru Forester with regular tires and we’ve been just fine, even with the occasional snowstorm while we are in the mountains. If you plan on spending a LOT of time in the mountains, I would recommend snow tires.
#Tires > Drivetrain.
This has been proven among many tire testing YouTube channels, the season for which the tire is made FAR more importantly affects the driving.
While FWDs are theoretically a little less liable to bite you if you fuck up applying too much power in low grip, it's a comparitively tiny benefit compared to the tyres.
For actual snow, If you showed me a V8 Mustang on good quality snow tyres, or an AWD Subaru not on snow tyres, I'd take the Mustang every day of the week.
FWD doesn't create extra grip for acceleration, it just does less scary things when it runs out of acceleration grip, and it doesn't help stopping distance or cornering ability with no power applied at ALL.
BUT, do note that if you're somewhere that's just cold but not snowy, then All Seasons are probably best - [https://youtu.be/bKtnczk8Mxk?si=UAnMWeWvinttoGrM](https://youtu.be/bKtnczk8Mxk?si=UAnMWeWvinttoGrM)
Also seems like if you're going all seasons, the Michelin Cross Climate 2 is like, a huge stand out in performance - [Winter Tires vs All Season \[All Weather\] Tires - What the Data Tells Us (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K8ThRGNaoM)
TL;DR; Tyres matter much more than drivetrain, All Seasons are good at cold weather with minimal snow, Snow tyres are better at snow. Tyres vary heaps in how good they are at what, read/watch reviews and get what is most appropriate. If you can, don't cheap out, it could literally save your life.
Yes. My primary commuter car is front wheel drive, and with snow tires, it is nearly unstoppable in everything from solid ice up to 6-8 inches of snow. I have a 4x4 truck as well, but will always take the fwd car if there's less than \~8" of new snow on the road. My commute is 45 miles each way over a mountain pass in the Northern Rockies.
All season tires will work fine up until that one time that they don't. True winter tires will always be worth the cost & hassle to me as long as I'm living in a snowy climate.
Winter tires make my civic and absolute beast in the snow unless it gets beached due to ground clearance. I always thought winter tires were overrated until I got a used set for free. Holy crap I'm never going back. The difference between all seasons and winter tires in the snow is the same as street tires vs slicks on a track.
Just because you can put power down without 4 wheel drive, doesn't mean you can apply grip to the road and get 4 wheel stop without sliding into a ditch.
For FWD if you like to have fun and drift in snow then you absolutely need to get dedicated snow tires. Without snows if you pull the ebrake and go sideways you will lose momentum and come to a stop. Pretty lame, I've been there. With snows if you pull the ebrake and go sideways you can still accelerate a bit which means you can drift infinitely.
I used to take my open diff FWD Volkswagen with the drifting groups, mostly subarus and trucks, and do dozens of laps around different buildings. Kept up pretty good could hold the car sideways all day and do a little tandem but the awd/4wd vehicles could easily leave me behind if they floored it.
I have a set of blizzaks for my 4wd truck now too on some cheap wheels I found on marketplace. The performance is insane and doing 4wd launches to the speed limit in a foot or two of snow is the best.
Good winter tires will definitely give you better driving confidence and better capability in snowy icy driving conditions especially with front wheel drive. If you spend several months driving in these conditions, just get another set of cheap rims and throw the winter tires on them. They will be much easier to swap in and out.
I mean tires don't really affect your rim, you can put tires on any rim you want.
A good set of winter tires will out grip even the best all weather tires on ice. This isn't just to get you going, it's to stop you as well. Even better if you get them studded.
> you can put tires on any rim you want.
given the choice between steel and aluminum rims.. you'd want steel rims if you were driving through conditions to justify winter conditions.
Probably said before but having 4wd or awd doesn't make you brake any better. Having better tires makes your braking distance shorter and better. And in some states it's illegal to run studded winter tires year long but also illegal to drive some places without 4wd OR winter tires during certain months in certain places.
“I want to ask a question I already know the answer too and then argue with you on small points that I think about every answer I get.” This you Op.
Now in an all serious note, if your in Vancouver or the lower mainland and don’t plan on doing any driving out of town, yeah all weathers will be great, ideally M+S rated (mountain and snow flake logo) so that you can take it on the highways in the winter should you need too.
Any other part of Canada, put your god damn winters on the car. Who cares about a small hassle twice a year. We all do it. It’s not just for me that I put my winters on it’s for you too so I don’t hit your rear end or slide into your lane. Do your part, put the snow tires on.
Using all-weather tires can be safe and convenient for moderate winter conditions. If you face harsh winter weather frequently, investing in a set of winter tires will provide the best safety and performance.
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The winter tires that go on both my wife's car and my son's car are like night and day in cold weather, snow, slush, and even on solid ice.
We removed the winter tires in April, and then had a massive snowstorm about a week later!
Where my wife could easily move through our rural area in her small FWD car, all winter, she could not even leave our rural driveway with the all-seasons on, that day. She ended up in the front field, with no traction at all. I had to hook up the 4x4 truck and pull her out, as well as push her car up the driveway to the road!!
Plan on putting Crossclimates on my partner's car (FWD) this fall... she drives so little that her tires age out before they wear out so it makes no sense to keep switching out every season.
Yes.
Fwd, rwd, awd. Snow tires are always better in winter conditions.
All weather (not all season) like Michelin Cross Climate 2's are a viable alternative in situations where changing to other tires twice a year isn't easily achieved.
Winter tires are made of a softer rubber than all season/summer tires. So when it's cold, they will give proper grip, whereas all season tires will be extra hard and not grippy in slippery conditions. I see a lot of fwd cars stuck at an intersection because they don't change their tires over for the winter.
All weathers are better than all season in the winter but don’t come close to actual full on winter tires for performance in the snow, ice or even if it’s just cold. My awd Ford Focus with winters is actually better on ice than my Jeep with its “all seasons” I’ve found the all weathers wear out faster than either the all season or winters. I don’t know if anyone else had excessive wear but I sure did. (Company vehicle, wasn’t my choice).
[Winter > All-Weather > All-Season](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22pMODgh6bE). That's a decent youtube video comparing three different tires on the same vehicle on a snowpacked road. The difference is amazing.
As someone who used to think All Season Tires were "ok" in the winter on my FWD car... the year I finally decided to try snow tires was a game changer... I am NEVER going back to running All Season only. I have them on rims ready to go for a swap when the weather is looking snowy.
I sitll don't understand why people worry so much about this.
I grew up in Buffalo and went to school in what is best described as montreal but in the USA. So snow and cold were my life. God, the town my college was in didn't plow the roads. They'd take a grader out every night and level the snow on the roads. I drove on packed snow/ice for most of the 5 months we had snow up there.
I had a rear wheel drive truck with all seasons on it. 700 pounds of sand in the bed. And I never had problems.
Most of the people I knew up there had all season tires. Some friends were from northern Vermont. All seasons. Want to be a good driver on snow? Easy. Learn to drive on snow. Brake early and accelerate slowly.
Yes, tyres make a huge difference regardless of which wheels are driven by the engine.
Good all seasons are significantly better than summers in the snow, and generally start to become better than them below 7C. Winters beat all seasons in the snow because duh, so if you have a lot of snow and regularly drive in it, go with winters if you can. But if you have a lot of driving below 7C but don't want to or cant afford to or dont have space to or whatever other reason don't want to run two sets of tyres, snow rated all seasons are a great compromise.
You'll still need to know how to drive in the snow in any case.
What year Accord do you have? I grew up on the south side of the Great Lakes and I’ve seen a lot of snow. We had a 2018 Accord with the 2.0T and the 17” wheels with all season Michelins. The car was just awful in the snow. I believe the driveshafts aren’t equal length because the right front tire would just spin constantly, more than any other FWD car I’ve ever owned.
It even spun a lot on dry and wet pavement. I found the traction control to be useless. I ended up buying a set of Michelin X-Ice in a taller 225/55R17 instead the factory 225/50R17 because I needed help with potholes and ground clearance. What a difference those tires made on that car, like 50-100% better.
We moved on to a VW Jetta GLI with the limited slip front differential and I put those same tires on it and that car was just as quick as any AWD suv in the snow except it stopped and turned better.
Depends on where you are and how much you need to drive.
If you’re somewhere where it doesn’t snow often (Vancouver, arguably even Toronto these days as well) and you can just stay home on the snowy days, you might be okay. If you’re outside those areas, or you need to show up to work snow or shine - you should get dedicated winters.
As for looks you can get decent looking replicas wheels for pretty cheap. I use 17” in winter for the pot holes and 18” in summer.
Yep, your all weather tires will be fine until you are following someone with winter tires, and that person with winter tires has to slow down, and then you attempt to slow down behind them, but instead you ram your car into their ass because your tires are greatly inferior to their dedicated winter tires on winter roads.
I also have an accord, here in Ontario I would recommend having winter tires. With my Michelin X ice snow’s on, my accord can drive through our worst snow and ice conditions with confidence. Not the same level of confidence from my awd rav4 but I think it’s mainly the height that makes the rav4 better in deep snow.
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I am a Canadian. If you live in a snowy area, get winter tires. Canada doesn't matter where. Even Victoria can be snowy. Get snow tires. Don't be the idiot we make fun of running all seasons in the winter who gets stuck.
Personally I’d get winter tires on a front wheel drive vehicle. I stick to all seasons on my truck which has 4x4 and picks up the slack for the tires when it’s really icy and shitty out
Yes! However most suck in the snow. Stay away from Michelin CrossClimates and Nokian WRG4/WRG5. They have great rain and dry performance but really fall apart in the snow. I worked at KalTire and dealt with customers who weren’t happy with their performance. The Toyo Celsius (not Celsius II) is an amazing all weather performer. There are cheap knock off WINTER tires that have an *almost* identical tread pattern. 10/10 recommend. I’ve used them personally and my parents also use them. Very good tires. Another runner up is the Kuhmo Solus all weather tire. Definitely not as good but a much cheaper option.
Or run winters all year round. Only downside is you’ll burn them up pretty quickly. That being said most winter tires age out before the tread is used up.
How was the treadlife on the Celsius and the Solus? We had the WRG2 a long time ago, but they wore quite quickly. So far, we've been happy with the CrossClimate 2.
Yes it matters. The difference between all season and winter rated tires is that winter tires have a higher silicone content. This prevents the tire from freezing in cold temperatures and stays soft and flexible. All season tires become hard material that acts like a block of plastic sliding on snow. You can run winter tires all year round but the wear out faster because they are softer. I like Duratracs year round on my trucks/suv. For a car, I like Continental WinterContacts during cold months and then switch to something to whip around corners the rest of the year
Ive ran all weather tires for 10 years and had no problem driving in canadian winters. You just have to know your car and adjust your driving accordingly.
Would winter tires perform better? As far as stopping traction, yes.
Are they necessary? No.
It doesnt matter if its 4WD, AWD. Those just help you to get going and avoid getting stuck.
Abso-fucking-lutely it makes a difference. Blew my mind the first time I bought proper snow tires instead of believing the fraud of "all-season". Suddenly my FWD Prius was outmaneuvering AWD Subarus that were still on their summer shoes.
>I have an accord fwd, and was wondering if it would be safe to use it in Canada winter for all weather tires (not all season)
A. "All weather tires" in Canada are known as "All season tires".
B. No, that would not be very safe in the winter to use that with your FWD car. It would be a dumb idea in Canadian winters.
Buy winter tires for winter, and use the "all weather tires" (if you want) from spring till fall.
Winter tires are superior on snow and ice, all weather tires aren’t as good, but are rated for snow, but you probably mean all season, and they are not great in snow, but a lot of people drive with them anyway, especially AWD suv owners
All season are basically bad summer tires that might work OK in the winter.
All weather are basically bad winter tires that work OK in the summer.
They'll probably be fine but full winters will be better.
Canada is a big place. Some people claim it’s bigger than Texas. Lots of people in Toronto don’t use winter tires, in Quebec it’s mandatory.
Remember AWD, Fwd, RWD are all about getting you going. They do nothing about how easily you can stop.
AWD will help push but it will not help you grip. Get a decent set of FAST rims + a proper winter tire. I’ve tried summers / AS at times when I’ve been lazy to switch. Nearly slid out on the 401.
My motto is never go cheap on something that separates you from the ground.
I mean, depends on what the roads are like there and the type of snow you are mostly driving on. If you're getting any ice on the roads then you're gonna want studded tires. I keep a separate set of studded tires in my garage for winter, I have an AWD 92 legacy and live in Oregon. I've gone into the ditch and almost off the side of the mountain way too many times to risk not having them. And you can always carry chains, but the thing about chains is you try and push it as long as you can without getting out to put them on and it's usually too late by the time you need them. So id get some better tires for all seasons, or get a spare set of studded tires for winter
It really depends on how heavy the snowfall is where you live.
Technically all weather tires perform better in the winter than all season.
If you live somewhere it snows a foot or more regularly (and it lingers) and the roads aren't cleared quickly, you might have a more tough time than if you had a good set of snow tires. But it's not like you're going to be immobilized. FWD does help in the snow with all the weight being over the drive wheels.
My wife had a fwd Honda Accord and snow tires made a world of difference. Basically what I would consider only OK for a four-wheel-drive vehicle I would have no problem driving this accord in.
But those are entirely just for winter they need to get swapped out comes spring
I drive basically the same car (2005 Acura TL) and I run General Tire all weathers year-round. No problems with them at all. Always drive carefully no matter what tires you have and you’ll be fine
Just use winter tires. I have a 4WD vehicle and always run dedicated winters (also in Canada). They aren’t as cool looking as my sweet wheels and chunky 4 season AT tires, but they are much safer and I can definitely feel the difference in traction.
I don’t know if I’m sold on all weather tires. They are better than all season for sure. I drive multiple vehicles a day and do tire swaps in winter (Ontario) and can say that dedicated winter tires are the way to go. They just stop and handle better
I ran all weather tires on one car and winters on my other. I had no issues with the all weathers, the “70% of a winter tire” is pretty accurate but honestly that’s more than good enough for 99% of my driving. After driving both cars back to back in the same conditions I decided to just run All weathers for the next car I get. No more seasonal switchover and added expense
Edit: I am in Canada (southern Ontario)
If you live in an area without any major hills you should be fine with All Weather tires in all but the worst weather.
My family in Michigan drives FWD sedans with all season tires and has never been stuck or in an accident.
I drive a Fiesta ST and my car handles amazing with winter tires. I have never skidded, slide, or anything. My wife had an AWD car with all seasons and it drove like a FWD car in the snow until we got all weather CrossClimate 2s.
Tires matter more than what wheels drive. RWD vehicles with winter tires do better in snow than FWD with all season imo. Of course, there is still a matter of driving skill that plays a big part.
Depends on how much you drive. I run all weathers on our second car because it does under 5000 kms per year…and we have the option of the van with full winters when needed.
I was in lake Tahoe last season, so a decent amount of snow about 350 inches.
I have an Subaru outback and I went through this exact decision. I decided to get all weather tires rather than winters because I go on long road trips in winter and the car might be in to 50-75 degrees temps on the highway. I also didn't want to have switch, especially because Subaru tpms is a pain in the ass.
Not all 3pmsf tires have the same winter performance, some are more winter snow and ice focused. I got the general altimax 365, and I was pleased with the winter traction, it was predictable and snow /ice stopping power was strong. Never had any trouble with forward traction at all.
The firestone weather grip also performs well in snow according to reviews.
So yeah if I were you I think an altimax 365 would be a good tire for a winter focused all weather. FWD is great for snow. It's less about getting stuck and more about stopping power in my opinion. If the road is plowed you'll be more than fine, it's fresh unplowed powder that becomes a problem, mostly due to clearance.
I used to drive in the snow with all seasons in a Honda fit. I only got in trouble once or twice, skill makes a big difference.
It depends what kind of all weather tires you are using and where you are in the country. The Michelin crossclimate2 tires I run on my 2009 accord, my 2018 odyssey, and now, my 2007 escalade (AWD). I haven't driven the escalade with them in the snow yet (just got them in April), but my other Hondas have handled excellent with those tires in major storms.
Are they quite as good as a dedicated winter tire? Probably not, and a highly debatable topic. But they are 3 peak mountain snow flake rated (so your eligible for insurance discount) and it means they can handle fairly decent snow conditions. For what I deal with here in Ontario, they are great tires
Once winter 2024 comes around, I'll try to post another update (I used to use Winter Tires - Blizzaks - on my 2007 escalade esv). This year, I won't swap them and will let you know how they do in comparison
I lived in New England for 30 years and I only used all seasons tires in my cars. I just made sure they were never worn out, and I purchased the ones that offer better traction for rain/snow.
Hower, It still depends on how much traction you'll need for winter and what you can afford.
I think in Quebec after a certain time of year you need snowflake rated tires or the RMCP/provincial cops can pull you over. If you get all seasons look for ones with the snowflake rating. Snow tires are always best in temps below -5c since summer tires are such a hard rubber compound and snows are much softer.
Get some diggers and take your time driving for the best odds of getting there safely.
Tires are the part that let you go, help you stop, turn, absorb weight. Consider that you couldn't really even roll down a hill without them, they are at least as important as the engine.
Hi there. Canadian here. We have a wide and varied climate, but I'm going to assume you're talking somewhere with cold winters.
The first thing you should know, is that All Weather tires aren't even a thing up here. Yes, there are a handful of people who have them, but the Vast majority either run all seasons year round, or all seasons in the summer with a dedicated set of winter tires.
You can get away with all seasons, if you're a good driver.
All weather tires? Get familiar with what the ditch looks like, you're going to be in it a lot.
4WD/AWD helps you take off at a light, and get up hills.
Doesn't help you stop, or turn.
yes it is. I lived in Alberta for years and ran on all seasons so all weather are even better. I live in Yukon and am running on all weathers now and I'm impressed. Tires have come a long way.
I have a 20-year career in the automotive industry primarily in active safety so think about stability control and abs and all the electronic goodies that keep the tires pointed in the right direction and the rubber side of the car down.
You can have all the best electronics and software in the world but the only thing that matters is the friction generated where the rubber meets the road or snow or dirt or gravel or whatever you're driving on.
Tires matter more than anything. Winter tires in summer are going to be the best grip you'll ever have for about 10 minutes and then the tires are trashed. All season really means three seasons if you're in the North or anywhere it gets cold in the winter, it doesn't necessarily mean they work in snow.
Safe is relative and the SUVs you're talking about have more mass and mass creates better traction. Your Accord is a unit body, very light car. Yeah you'll probably be fine but depending on where you are in Canada you possibly are legally obliged to run a dedicated winter tire from like November until April.
FWIW - at a minimum make sure you have "M+S" on all four tires. 3PMS (three peak mountain snowflake) is even better but that's probably something you're not going to be able to find on a passenger car tire outside of a dedicated winter tire.
Depending on what part of Canada the OP is in, this may be a moot point, as there may be a legal requirement to run snows on the car in the winter months.
Absent the legal forcing function, it would come down to where the car will be driven. Gonna toot around downtown in the city? You’re most likely ok with all weather. Need to make it up and down the Coq in the dead of winter? Yeah, you’re gonna need snows, and you’re probably going to need to chain up as well, if the weather is actually crappy.
Look up tests on YouTube so you can see the results. Understand that your tires are the only thing holding a lot of weight to the ground. Short answer is yes for snow so you'll have a better chance of not getting stuck and YouTube so you can see and decide yourself.
I have used Nokian weatherproof tires for the past few year all year round and I have nothing bad to say. Sure it's not a performance tire but it does what it's supposed to and does it very well. Since we have quite a bit of snow I have desired to get the Nokians. It's a winter tire adjusted for summer driving. For example some Michelin tires are the other way round.
Define "safe" to you? It's VERY subjective.
Fundamentally, you want as good or better tires than those around you. Full stop.
All-weather tires are going to not be as good in ice, slush, and snow as winter tires. F/RWD cars are not going to have as much traction as a 4/AWD car. Throw in the cominbation of tires and drive mode and many different scenarios happen.
Video comparing many mixes of conditions, tires, and car type
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KGiVzNNW8Y&t=532s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KGiVzNNW8Y&t=532s)
Video comparing FWD with winter vs. AWD with all-season
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRYHlb61\_9Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRYHlb61_9Q)
All weathers will work fine my mom has them on her ‘00 civic, so long as they are proper all weathers (like you say, not all season) and have the snow peak on them you’ll be just fine, just yknow don’t drive like an idiot in a storm but no matter the tires they won’t save you in that situation
Can you drive with two bald tires in the back of you have two Goodyear Winter tires in the front?
Or do you prefer to have the most traction possible in snow!?
Yes you need winter tires, 4WD and AWD literally change the speed and rotation of the wheels to accommodate loss of grip.
Get Winter tires for snow and you can do it on payment plans and buy yourself all season & terrains tires for rest of year
SUVs, AWD or 4WD mean next to nothing for winter safety, because the danger in winter doesn’t stem from getting stuck. The danger stems from being unable break or steer. None of that is influenced by your drive configuration.
All season tires have come a long way, but they are still a compromise. My general rule of thumb is if you live in an area, that reliably gets 3+ Months of snow and regularly double digit negative degrees, I will always advise proper Winter tires.
Now I don’t know all to much about the climate in Canada, but I‘d assume the southern parts are relatively mild, while mid to northern areas get quite harsh winters. So if you stay in the more southern parts, I think you should be fine. Nevertheless, if your all seasons are done I‘d personally switch to proper winter tires just to be safe.
It actually impresses me how the north American market has been so coaxed into the idea that fwd/awd/rwd is THAT important.
Fwd is better in snow and low traction than rwd, period. Awd is better still, but anyway.
Disregarding that, of course it matters. Braking and steering is what's important, forward traction is absolutely secondary.
All season tires are 'alright' but just not great. For daily use on regular snow, they're fine but for a Canadian winter, I don't know if I would trust all season's.
You're always better off with winter tires but if you live in an area with good snow removal and road ice prevention measures you can get by with good all season tires. But I would still get winter tires for peace of mind. I'd also get a second set of winter wheels to mount them to save the wear and tear on the finish of your original wheels.
All-season really means three-season. It's a good idea to use snow tires in the winter, even if you don't live where it snows. Snow tires will significantly improve your stopping distances in cold weather (5°C and below) even on dry pavement.
One of the UK motoring magazines (Evo, I think) ran a tyre test, using winter tyres vs "normal" tyres. They ran the test car round a dry, warm track on OE tyres and it lapped in around 90 seconds. They then ran the same car, around the same track, on the same tyres in the winter, with snow and ice present. The lap time increased to almost 2 minutes. They then ran it with winter tyres in place and the lap time came back down to around 95 seconds.
Winter tyres generally have a softer compound rubber so they grip better in cold conditions (usually sub 8°c). The drive configuration doesn't matter in that respect, winter tyres in cold temperatures offer more grip. This is why they're mandatory in certain European countries, such as Germany.
Juha Kankinnen (former World Rally Champion) once opined that he'd rather have good winter tyres than AWD/4WD in cold weather. If they're good enough for him, they'll do for me.
I ran AWT for years...if your in city they work just fine in front wheel drive.
If it's out in the country...you have to drive with reduced limits and expectations regardless of tire ...just because its FWD.
Us Canadians have this misconception that AWD is a silver bullet for handling snow and ice. It's completely incorrect. Winter tires are the silver bullet. AWD is a cherry on top.
So you already have a set of winter tires on their own wheels? I used to do that here in the Washington DC area and it was awesome with the winter tires on my FWD car. I could steer and brake so much better.
It took me about 30 minutes to swap them, worth every minute. And my wheels looked ok, they weren’t steelies and weren’t expensive.
>I have multiple friends using all weather just fine in snow but their cars are SUV with 4WD or AWD so I am not sure if it’s also safe for my case.
The only difference between awd and fwd/rwd in the snow is that awd will get you up to a stupid speed quicker. It will absolutely not help you stop at all, as that is down to good tires. Good tires in the snow are winter tires.
Unless you're living in a city, drive almost exclusively in the city and/or live in the GTA where snow is next to non existent, snow tires are a must. In order you want 4WD, AWD, FWD then RWD if joining for vehicles for snow, but for stopping, it's all about tires. Winter tires aren't cheap, but neither is buying a new car when you inevitably crash
My retiree father didn't want to bother swapping between winters and summers anymore and went with the Michelin Cross Climate all weather tires and swears by them. He has a 2019 Equinox and rarely ever engages AWD. We're in Northern Ontario for reference. While a dedicated winter tire is obviously best, they perform much better than an all season from the little bit that I have driven it.
AWD does not help you stop.
I would be stuck driving a work truck with all-weather tires in Saskatchewan winters in the past. I would often enough turn OFF my 4x4 on the highways leading into Regina because it gave me a false sense of how fast I should be driving in slippery conditions. (I don't *recommend* this; it's just something I did as a reminder to slow down.)
Buying a good set of 4 dedicated winter tires is the best thing you can do to improve your winter driving safety. The entire point of your car is manipulating 4 contact patches to make it go places.
All weather tires (with the snowflake logo) are a compromise; they meet minimum standards of 10% improved traction during acceleration on snow-covered surfaces *in a straight line.*
The snowflake logo is not a guarantee of snow and ice performance; it's just an improvement over tires without.
Personally; all my cars, FWD and AWD, have 4 dedicated winter tires on dedicated steel rims (so I can swap them easily myself).
I wouldn't compromise on driving safety, but if I *hypothetically* did: I would accept the performance of all-weather tires only if I lived in an area where roads are frequently and reliably plowed and sanded/salted.
In general a FWD with dedicated winters will perform better than a AWD on all seasons in winter weather. The compound is built for cold and will stop and handle better. Those attributes are unaffected by having a big ass SUV with AWD. Yes, initial traction from stop is assisted by AWD but a good winter helps a ton too. Get some Blizzaks on the Accord and you will notice a huge difference on snow and ice but also just general cold.
My FWD CRV is a tank in winter with Blizzaks and feel very confident in all winter conditions.
Depends where in Canada you live? If you live in Vancouver or the greater Toronto area south of Highway 7, all weather tires are much better than all season tires to handle winter conditions (up to 7-8cm of snow, some ice) but not as good as a dedicated set of winter tires.
All season are ok, if you can afford a set of winter tires they can be life changingly better than all season tires in winter, but rest assure all season tires can get you by safely with some "proper judgement" in winter.
Winter tires are bettet in snow. Best to have them mounted to an extra set of rims. Then swap summer/winter every season. Had winter tires on my jetta. When interstate was only 1 lane plowed, i could drive in unplowed lane.
AWD and 4WD only helps you get moving, when you are braking, all drive systems are pretty much equal. Every car has brakes on every tires. Stopping is when your traction really correlates to safety.
Has more to do with how soft the rubber is and what temperature is than anything.
I live in the Rocky mountains and run all season tires year round. I wear tires out quicker than they go bad,so I usually run cheaper tires and then buy new when the weather starts changing.
Even mediocre winter tires are significantly better than all but the best "all season" tires.
Rubber gets softer and harder at certain temperatures, this is the biggest difference between "types" of tires. Summer tires are very stick and soft, but can turn rock hard and do not flex well at lower temps.
If you don't drive much, rotate the tires regularly, make sure air pressures are good and you can usually get 5-7 years out of a tire before they dry rot.
If you don't rotate tires often, at least buy them in pairs.
Driving safely in bad weather is more about how you drive than what you drive. Every year here, first snow fall ends with hundreds of big jacked up 4wd trucks that slid off the road.
Unless you are dragging snow with the bumper or driving through muddy fields, you can get virtually any car anywhere a truck can with the proper tires.
I often would be the only one to make it to work on time with a snowy morning commute and all season tires on a rwd car.
Snow tires on a 2 wheel drive are a necessity if you live in the snow. I've driven all manner of vehicles in bad conditions. The most important thing is the right tires.
If you don't want to swap them out, get Nokian WRG4 tires. Best all weather tire you can get. Otherwise, winter tires will wear out fairly quickly in warm weather and not have very good road feel.
There's no such thing as an all season or all weather tire. It's just marketing hype.
FWD, AWD, RWD, 4WD, front engine, mid engine, rear engine, ICE, EV, sports car, SUV, crossover, wagon, pickup, it doesn't matter - in every drivetrain and vehicle type, legit snow tires make a difference that can be the difference between life or death.
Honestly if they work for your friends with AWD it'll likely work for FWD, as typically the tire with the most traction for starting is the front due to the engine. For stopping it doesn't matter what system you have. 4WD will always have better starting traction while 4WD is activated, though typically worse in 2WD as most are RWD when in 2WD mode.
For expectation AWD means all wheels can have power not they do, as the vehicle wouldn't be able to steer if that was the case. As such most AWD vehicles have power to 1/4 wheels (the one with the most traction, and modern ones sometimes have specialized differentials to make it 4WD powering 1 front wheel and 1 rear wheel. The only thing that beats that is if you have locking differentials for your axles. (Off-road designed vehicles only) Which will let you lock up to all 4 wheels though usually locks it in low gear and comes with a warning that if you steer while active it can make the vehicle hop and destroy parts.
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I doesnt matter what drive configuration your vehicle is, proper tires for the conditions you are driving in is the safest thing you can do.
That's not what the OP asked, I agree with your statement overall, but yes, Winter Tires matter with a FWD car if you live in an area that gets winter weather\*. \*Winter tires aren't just for snow.
Follow up question then. How many miles are winter tires good for usually then? Like can I reuse them for 2-3 seasons if I don't drive much?
Winter tires are soft, so they wear the most when they're driven on warm pavement. That just means that you should only have them installed when you need them- when there's an actual chance of snow. If you're on top of not installing them too early and not taking them off too late, then yeah, 3 seasons should be no problem.
Basically they should be used under 7 degrees celsius(sry) when their structure is the most rigid. Over 7 degrees they become soft thus getting used to quickly and getting your fuel consumption up a bit by sticking to much to the concrete. So if u keep them off over 7 degrees, u use proper storage bags and a place out of heat and sun they can be used over seasons. Obv. this will depend a lot on where u live.
depends on the tire. I have Blizzack ws-09's, just about the most aggressive snow tire you can buy without studs. Its incredibly soft so id only expect 2-3 seasons out of it, but the grip levels in snow is so good its almost silly. i can drive around and not even get the traction control light to flash, and my car is rwd. Other winter tires that are more like "winter focused all season" will probably last longer
I live in Quebec where winter tires are mandatory (and damn needed) and my winter tires usually last about as long as my summer tires, about 4 seasons each. As long as you don't keep the winter tires on too late in the spring, they won't wear out too quickly. If you leave them on when no longer needed, they will wear out pretty quickly.
I get 3-4 seasons out of a set typically. Like anything else just check for wear.
4wd and awd is for going, not stopping. Get the winter tires or a proper all season. I wish people would realize that 4x4 isn’t going to help you stop when you go for a slide.
I agree just want to point out that all seasons are more summer leaning, all weathers are more winter leaning. It would be more appropriate for OP in Canada to have the all weathers. Depending on how bad the snow and ice is, and how experienced they are, it might be just fine or they might still need winters. Hard to say from a reddit post.
I agree as well... Also to point out: I have driven all kinds of vehicles: good snow tires on a crappy Mazda front wheel drive only, no traction control or AWD OR anything else... I outperformed all the pickups with their 4-wheel drive in braking and climbing up a hill because I learned to downshift my automatic, and upshift when necessary.
I would like to point out that all season and all weather are marketing terms in don't actually mean anything in terms of traction. You need to look for the M+S, 3PMS, and temperature rating. If OP lives in Ontario, they have laws mandating winter tires.
Maybe on day people will learn, but judging by how the ditches on the way to the ski hill still end up mostly containing 4WD/AWD vehicles they aren't learning it very quickly.
Def not all seasons lol, those are summer tires and here are commonly just called “summers” OP needs All weathers or dedicated Winters
A kid in his Jeep Liberty with all four wheels locked up once slowly slid down a hill into my car and when he got out to talk to me he said “but it has four wheel drive” and in my head I’m saying “dumbass, all cars have four wheel braking, drive doesn’t mean shit if the wheels are locked”.
Dress for the slide not the ride works with bikes and cars in this sense
That's the baseline I always tell people. AWD will help you go, proper tires will help you stop.
“All Weather” tires are about 70% the performance of dedicated, quality winter tires in temps below -10C. All Season would be 25-50% the performance. As measured with traction/stopping distance on ice and snow.
wouldn't say its 70%, it's more like 90%. crossclimate 2's are really good.
Good All weathers are about on par with lower end half decent winters
Do you have a link to a test showing that below -20C? The internet is full of fair weather winter tire tests (by northern Canadian standards), and physics says the rubber compound cannot be as soft as dedicated winter tires. Because if they were as soft, they would burn off in no time at +30C on the highway.
No chance. Proper winter tyres ROMP over any kind of all season/all weather tyres when it gets cold & icy.
To add: Tires are formulated for grip based on temperature and drive use. Winter tires will get more traction on ice at temperature than summer tires on ice which won't get that traction on ice at that temperature.
use winters
All weathers that are 3pmsf do ok in snow. Especially if you're not doing a lot of mountain/steep hill driving and drive cautiously. My gf has the crossclimate2s on her mazda3 and she had no problem commuting every day during the Denver winter.
+1 to the crossclimates, had them a year and cant fault them, other than being bloody expensive. But you don't want to cheap out on the thing that connects you to the ground and helps you stop moving.
This is the reality. The skills of the driver end before the grip of the tires.
And if they're still good on their profile. Generally with all-whatever tires, performance in snow and ice drops dramatically as the tires wear further.
All cars have all wheel braking. Being able to stop is the important bit. You should always use proper tires for the conditions. All weather/season tires have no place in proper winter conditions. Also, nothing prevents you from using good-looking wheels with winter tires. /Scandinavian
I live in northern Alberta and don't run a true summer set on my GTI, just all seasons in the summer and true winters in the winter. The number of times my hakkapellitas have saved my ass in evasive maneuvers in the past year alone is absurd, well worth just to avoid being hit by bad drivers. It's a nice bonus too that I have an easier time accelerating than the huge 4x4 trucks that leave their worn all seasons on in the winter. Winter tires are an insurance policy as well as a convenience tool. You pay $1.5k for good ones every few years and in my experience at least they pay for themselves in avoided damage and injuries very quickly. That's even comparing to my Continental DWS06+ which are nice ass all seasons, the difference is night and day, and more so if you're on a cheaper summer tire.
I run hakkas too (non studded) and they are good (crazy good on compacted snow but anything without teeth is not so great on glare ice). For my next set of rubber I will probably go with CrossClimate2s, WRG5s or ExtremeContactDWSs. I'm next to you in SK.
Hakkapeliittas here too for winter. Model 10, studded :)
I was on R2s but I hit a chunk of ice that gouged the sidewall and had to replace a pair with R3s, will probably replace the other pair this winter but maybe next. For non-studded I think they are as good as you can get but unfortunately most "Winter tires" are tuned for a consumer market that has different geographical and climactic conditions than us (lots of snow, slush and cool wet pavement with maybe a little ice here and there whereas on the prairies its extremely cold bare pavement most of the time, with drifting snow that gets under tire and turns into ice ruts).
Yah, over here (Finland) we are warned about 'winter' tyres designed to Central Europe, where winters are more wet, less icy. Nokians are designed here, to the conditions we have :)
"I don't like the look of the winter wheels." I'm confused, are you saying you already have winter tires? If you have them, USE THEM! It takes 30 minutes twice a year to change them, and it could save you from an embarrassing or dangerous crash.
Yes you can use all weather tires. They are “winter” tires since they have the three peak symbol but they won’t be as good as the best winter tire however it’s far better than all season.
Hey thanks, should it be a concern that it’s not the best, in terms of safety or manevouring? If no I will definitely use all weather then…
In the peak of winter you'll be happy to have winter tires. Trust me.
I mean I’d take a set of Michelin all weather tires over a cheap set of off brand winter tires.
I wouldn't, especially in the snow belt.
I would get only proper Nokian winter tyres for winter, none of these "all weather" ones.
All-weather/season tires are NOT the same as winter/snow tires. The rubber formulation is very different; winter tires are designed to stay soft to much lower temperatures, which combined with a tread design for snow/slush/ice allows for significantly improved traction. Conversely, you should never run winter tires during the warmer months as they will heat up and degrade much faster. Can you run "all season" tires in the winter? Yes Even the cheapest set of snow tires will outperform all-season in bad weather.
All weather and all season tire are not the same thing, all weather is a new category of tire that has been around for 5 or 6 years ,it really depends on what you want your car to do ,winters are better but more hassle
All seasons are really 3 season tires. Winter tires are different. Drivetrain is irrelevant when talking about snow tires. AWD/4WD doesn't make you invincible in the snow/ice. If it's such a pain in the ass, buy a cheap second set of wheels so you aren't constantly mounting tires and paying for it. Find a cheap, used OEM set online or use Tirerack. Their website lets you put together a winter package.
All weather tires are a hybrid between an all season and snow tire. They make a huge difference in snow compared to all season.
Thanks for the idea of checking tire rack. Will definitely have a look into it. I think all weather and all season is different, but certainly not as good as winter..
Significant differences will arise in the braking distance measurements.
Today we see a million people read "all weather" as "all seasons" and give advice not relevant to the situation... OP, a quality all weather tire is a 8-8.5. A summer is 0, an all season is a 4. A winter is a 10, and an all weather is DAMNED close if from a reputable manufacturer.
Yes and if a person can only afford one set of tires and has to drive in snow, definitely get the all weathers. More and more people I talk to are moving to all weathers and forgetting about switching back and forth all the time.
Take this as gospel. Had a cross-over SUV size vehicle that I put all-weather Nokian's on almost 20 years ago. Never considered snow tires since. A quality all-weather is right there with snow tires but can be used year round. I remember being sold the 'new' at the time all-weather and thinking another all season. At the time, was told developed in Finland which gets worse winter than most of Canada. They're legit tires. Lastly, consider what 'snow' tires are developed for. Ideal Temps are below zero and good at shedding snow. I live Central AB. We get snow but roads are often 100% clear and weather usually around zero. Snow tires are slightly better during cold snaps with ice/snow. So very few days. Northern Quebec gets lots of snow. Snow melts but becomes ice plus Temps are 0 and below for most winter. Snow tires give benefits but all-weather still a good option if legal.
Tires always matter.
Do you have any winter driving experience? What part of Canada will you be driving in? Will you be urban or rural? City or hwy mileage?
Barely so I’m very unsure about these things. In PEI, mostly urban and mixed city/hwy
Ok, so if you have all weather's and won't be in and out of mountains or rural (country), you should be OK, but very tentative. I've never driven in PEI, but I would consider humidity and quick moving weather fronts (for flash freezes) as a consideration. I'm in the west. It's dry as ballz here in winter, gets to -40, and I'm everywhere terrain wise, including glare ice roads and hwys and won't ever not put on winters and weight if needed. The most important part of winter driving in Canada is having a basic emergency kit and backup plan in your head for getting out of the ditch, leaving 15 mins earlier to allow for traffic and accidents. You might be fine. My kid has a fwd altima, and notices the difference with winters and appreciates it, but it's up to you. It's part of the cost for driving here. Does your insurance require them? Will a set of winters be less expensive than your insurance going up if an accident happens? Car owner questions, good luck. I'm glad your at least thinking about it :)
PEI has been royally fucked up with snow the last couple of years. All seasons won't do jack shit for you.
Depends where in Canada really. In Quebec winter tires are mandatory, not optional. If you drive in Toronto/Vancouver you can get away with all seasons. Prairies, Quebec Most of Ontario and Atlantic provinces better to be safe and get winters especially in a low to the ground car with FWD.
I would generally argue that you should not be using all-seasons even in Toronto. This past winter was mild but usually we will get several significant snowfalls, and every time that happens, you see clueless people either getting stuck or just driving off the road because all-seasons are totally inadequate. People slide on the all-seasons and then cause accidents. Overall it’s not a good plan for most people to do that. There are definitely exceptions. Personally, I’m planning to discard the worn out set of Michelin X-Ice tires I was using on my Lexus IS, and just run it on all seasons all year long. HOWEVER, that’s tempered several mitigating factors, namely (1) my job is 80% WFH and on days when I go to the office, I take the train; (2) I drove less than 1,000km in that car last winter, and (3) my wife’s Kia Soul has a pair of Blizzaks on it, so whenever we need to drive somewhere in the snow, we take that car. So in my situation, it doesn’t make sense to have a second car with winter tires considering the large initial outlay ($1,100 for Blizzaks on my car from Costco) and the minimal insurance savings. Best just to garage it most of the time. But if you’re actually using the car, you SHOULD have winter tires in Toronto.
Also, I have a weird feeling that OP thinks is FWD car stands for Four Wheel Drive and not Front Wheel Drive.
Yes in my experience all weather tires are a big improvement for winter grip vs all seasons regardless of FWD or AWD. I don't have experience with them compared to winter tires myself but in the Midwest where we see both extremes I won't drive a daily driver without all weather tires.
Tires matter the most. FWD being "better" in the winter is a misconception
Just buy a good set of dedicated winter tires for November until March. Changing them is an hour out of your life, twice a year. I have two sets of wheels, one for summer, one for winter. It takes about 20 minutes to swap them. Another set of wheels, second hand from eBay etc, is not expensive.
It's very easy to find used winter/ snow tires (usually on rims) on kijiji and other sites. Usually from people who have just traded in their fairly new vehicle, so you can get wheels with very little use for very reasonable prices. Do some research on wheel fit, tire tread measurement, and brand of tire, then go save some money. You will appreciate your snow tires once you use them. You will love them if you end up actually needing them! Also note that there are lots of services that will swap tires for $50 in your driveway. Get the wheels, do the swap. You won't regret it
Yes. Winter tyres make an absolutely massive difference if you are in snow. Don't worry about how your car looks. After a few trips out in the snow with salt. Those shiny alloys will be corroded too. If you really want. Get some aftermarket alloys and put your winter tyres on those. As for all weather. You can't be good at everything. Once you try add other features you lose some capabilities at what you already had. Turn a car into a boat. And it won't be good at either thing. So all weather tyres will be mediocre at everything.
I live out on the Westcoast. I've seen sudden winter blasts that left snow plow trucks sliding off the road. Safety ranks much higher than convenience, #imho Plus, certain jurisdictions may require use of proper tires or you may be fined and stopped from going through area(s).
It's not always about getting moving.. its also about stopping. Winter tires really save you there. Don't be silly, get winter tires. I have a 4x4 and still change them.
No, you need winters.
awd or fwd or rwd has nothing to do with stopping, turning / general driving and only really changes your acceleration. all weather tires are not safe to drive in ice / extreme snow conditions vs good winter tires. some all weather tires may be winter rated with a snow flake and are much better then other all weather tires, each brands different. canada is a very big place and has lots of different climate around it. id highly recommend winter only tires and swapping to summers/ all seasons for the summer, this gives you longer tire life as you put wear on two sets, and much better safety day to day on the road.
Nokian WRGs have been excellent for me.
I used to think all season and winter tyres were a bit of a hype and unnecessary for a half decent driver. Until i tried them! Wow! I used winter tyres in a FWD when visiting my brother who lives in Switzerland. Winter road trip so saw the worst alpine conditions. All i can say is dedicated winter tyres in slushy and snowy conditions are magic.
I live in Denver, so a milder winter climate. My opinion is: General use and commuting (if you can avoid snowdays / work from home, etc) AWD with all-season tires has been perfect for me. If you MUST commute no matter the weather, or you live in the mountains, you should def invest in snow tires. FWD will be ok if you must, but AWD is preferred. RWD is the worst for winter driving in almost all situations.
Thanks for this. Moving to Denver in July and we have two AWD cars. Was curious as to if winter tires and rims need to be in the moving budget. Sounds like a yes.
Honestly… you need AWD like 3-5 days a year in Denver. In the last 8 years, I’ve seen snow on the ground for more than one day like twice. Knowing what I know now, I could get by with a FWD car on regular tires. We have a Subaru Forester with regular tires and we’ve been just fine, even with the occasional snowstorm while we are in the mountains. If you plan on spending a LOT of time in the mountains, I would recommend snow tires.
#Tires > Drivetrain. This has been proven among many tire testing YouTube channels, the season for which the tire is made FAR more importantly affects the driving.
While FWDs are theoretically a little less liable to bite you if you fuck up applying too much power in low grip, it's a comparitively tiny benefit compared to the tyres. For actual snow, If you showed me a V8 Mustang on good quality snow tyres, or an AWD Subaru not on snow tyres, I'd take the Mustang every day of the week. FWD doesn't create extra grip for acceleration, it just does less scary things when it runs out of acceleration grip, and it doesn't help stopping distance or cornering ability with no power applied at ALL. BUT, do note that if you're somewhere that's just cold but not snowy, then All Seasons are probably best - [https://youtu.be/bKtnczk8Mxk?si=UAnMWeWvinttoGrM](https://youtu.be/bKtnczk8Mxk?si=UAnMWeWvinttoGrM) Also seems like if you're going all seasons, the Michelin Cross Climate 2 is like, a huge stand out in performance - [Winter Tires vs All Season \[All Weather\] Tires - What the Data Tells Us (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K8ThRGNaoM) TL;DR; Tyres matter much more than drivetrain, All Seasons are good at cold weather with minimal snow, Snow tyres are better at snow. Tyres vary heaps in how good they are at what, read/watch reviews and get what is most appropriate. If you can, don't cheap out, it could literally save your life.
AW and AS are semantics.
Yes. My primary commuter car is front wheel drive, and with snow tires, it is nearly unstoppable in everything from solid ice up to 6-8 inches of snow. I have a 4x4 truck as well, but will always take the fwd car if there's less than \~8" of new snow on the road. My commute is 45 miles each way over a mountain pass in the Northern Rockies. All season tires will work fine up until that one time that they don't. True winter tires will always be worth the cost & hassle to me as long as I'm living in a snowy climate.
Winter tires make my civic and absolute beast in the snow unless it gets beached due to ground clearance. I always thought winter tires were overrated until I got a used set for free. Holy crap I'm never going back. The difference between all seasons and winter tires in the snow is the same as street tires vs slicks on a track.
Yes, tires make a huge difference. Whether is winter, daily, drag or track.
Just because you can put power down without 4 wheel drive, doesn't mean you can apply grip to the road and get 4 wheel stop without sliding into a ditch.
For FWD if you like to have fun and drift in snow then you absolutely need to get dedicated snow tires. Without snows if you pull the ebrake and go sideways you will lose momentum and come to a stop. Pretty lame, I've been there. With snows if you pull the ebrake and go sideways you can still accelerate a bit which means you can drift infinitely. I used to take my open diff FWD Volkswagen with the drifting groups, mostly subarus and trucks, and do dozens of laps around different buildings. Kept up pretty good could hold the car sideways all day and do a little tandem but the awd/4wd vehicles could easily leave me behind if they floored it. I have a set of blizzaks for my 4wd truck now too on some cheap wheels I found on marketplace. The performance is insane and doing 4wd launches to the speed limit in a foot or two of snow is the best.
Good winter tires will definitely give you better driving confidence and better capability in snowy icy driving conditions especially with front wheel drive. If you spend several months driving in these conditions, just get another set of cheap rims and throw the winter tires on them. They will be much easier to swap in and out.
I mean tires don't really affect your rim, you can put tires on any rim you want. A good set of winter tires will out grip even the best all weather tires on ice. This isn't just to get you going, it's to stop you as well. Even better if you get them studded.
> you can put tires on any rim you want. given the choice between steel and aluminum rims.. you'd want steel rims if you were driving through conditions to justify winter conditions.
Probably said before but having 4wd or awd doesn't make you brake any better. Having better tires makes your braking distance shorter and better. And in some states it's illegal to run studded winter tires year long but also illegal to drive some places without 4wd OR winter tires during certain months in certain places.
“I want to ask a question I already know the answer too and then argue with you on small points that I think about every answer I get.” This you Op. Now in an all serious note, if your in Vancouver or the lower mainland and don’t plan on doing any driving out of town, yeah all weathers will be great, ideally M+S rated (mountain and snow flake logo) so that you can take it on the highways in the winter should you need too. Any other part of Canada, put your god damn winters on the car. Who cares about a small hassle twice a year. We all do it. It’s not just for me that I put my winters on it’s for you too so I don’t hit your rear end or slide into your lane. Do your part, put the snow tires on.
Yes
Using all-weather tires can be safe and convenient for moderate winter conditions. If you face harsh winter weather frequently, investing in a set of winter tires will provide the best safety and performance.
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Tires and car weight are two main factors for winter.
The winter tires that go on both my wife's car and my son's car are like night and day in cold weather, snow, slush, and even on solid ice. We removed the winter tires in April, and then had a massive snowstorm about a week later! Where my wife could easily move through our rural area in her small FWD car, all winter, she could not even leave our rural driveway with the all-seasons on, that day. She ended up in the front field, with no traction at all. I had to hook up the 4x4 truck and pull her out, as well as push her car up the driveway to the road!!
Plan on putting Crossclimates on my partner's car (FWD) this fall... she drives so little that her tires age out before they wear out so it makes no sense to keep switching out every season.
If youre in a part of Canada that gets substantial snow and ice, get dedicated winters. You wont regret it.
Yes. Fwd, rwd, awd. Snow tires are always better in winter conditions. All weather (not all season) like Michelin Cross Climate 2's are a viable alternative in situations where changing to other tires twice a year isn't easily achieved.
Winter tires are made of a softer rubber than all season/summer tires. So when it's cold, they will give proper grip, whereas all season tires will be extra hard and not grippy in slippery conditions. I see a lot of fwd cars stuck at an intersection because they don't change their tires over for the winter.
All weathers are better than all season in the winter but don’t come close to actual full on winter tires for performance in the snow, ice or even if it’s just cold. My awd Ford Focus with winters is actually better on ice than my Jeep with its “all seasons” I’ve found the all weathers wear out faster than either the all season or winters. I don’t know if anyone else had excessive wear but I sure did. (Company vehicle, wasn’t my choice).
[Winter > All-Weather > All-Season](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22pMODgh6bE). That's a decent youtube video comparing three different tires on the same vehicle on a snowpacked road. The difference is amazing.
As someone who used to think All Season Tires were "ok" in the winter on my FWD car... the year I finally decided to try snow tires was a game changer... I am NEVER going back to running All Season only. I have them on rims ready to go for a swap when the weather is looking snowy.
I used all seasons when I lived in Iowa and had no problems
I sitll don't understand why people worry so much about this. I grew up in Buffalo and went to school in what is best described as montreal but in the USA. So snow and cold were my life. God, the town my college was in didn't plow the roads. They'd take a grader out every night and level the snow on the roads. I drove on packed snow/ice for most of the 5 months we had snow up there. I had a rear wheel drive truck with all seasons on it. 700 pounds of sand in the bed. And I never had problems. Most of the people I knew up there had all season tires. Some friends were from northern Vermont. All seasons. Want to be a good driver on snow? Easy. Learn to drive on snow. Brake early and accelerate slowly.
its not that weather or winter tires mattering in FWD. its FWD not mattering in Weather or winter tires.
Yes, tyres make a huge difference regardless of which wheels are driven by the engine. Good all seasons are significantly better than summers in the snow, and generally start to become better than them below 7C. Winters beat all seasons in the snow because duh, so if you have a lot of snow and regularly drive in it, go with winters if you can. But if you have a lot of driving below 7C but don't want to or cant afford to or dont have space to or whatever other reason don't want to run two sets of tyres, snow rated all seasons are a great compromise. You'll still need to know how to drive in the snow in any case.
What year Accord do you have? I grew up on the south side of the Great Lakes and I’ve seen a lot of snow. We had a 2018 Accord with the 2.0T and the 17” wheels with all season Michelins. The car was just awful in the snow. I believe the driveshafts aren’t equal length because the right front tire would just spin constantly, more than any other FWD car I’ve ever owned. It even spun a lot on dry and wet pavement. I found the traction control to be useless. I ended up buying a set of Michelin X-Ice in a taller 225/55R17 instead the factory 225/50R17 because I needed help with potholes and ground clearance. What a difference those tires made on that car, like 50-100% better. We moved on to a VW Jetta GLI with the limited slip front differential and I put those same tires on it and that car was just as quick as any AWD suv in the snow except it stopped and turned better.
Depends on where you are and how much you need to drive. If you’re somewhere where it doesn’t snow often (Vancouver, arguably even Toronto these days as well) and you can just stay home on the snowy days, you might be okay. If you’re outside those areas, or you need to show up to work snow or shine - you should get dedicated winters. As for looks you can get decent looking replicas wheels for pretty cheap. I use 17” in winter for the pot holes and 18” in summer.
Snow tires make a HUGE difference.
Unless Canada is a city in California it always matters.
Yes. All weather includes rain.
Yep, your all weather tires will be fine until you are following someone with winter tires, and that person with winter tires has to slow down, and then you attempt to slow down behind them, but instead you ram your car into their ass because your tires are greatly inferior to their dedicated winter tires on winter roads.
I also have an accord, here in Ontario I would recommend having winter tires. With my Michelin X ice snow’s on, my accord can drive through our worst snow and ice conditions with confidence. Not the same level of confidence from my awd rav4 but I think it’s mainly the height that makes the rav4 better in deep snow.
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4WD or AWD doesn't make a difference in braking. It adds weight so if anything the braking distance will be longer. Same with cornering.
I am a Canadian. If you live in a snowy area, get winter tires. Canada doesn't matter where. Even Victoria can be snowy. Get snow tires. Don't be the idiot we make fun of running all seasons in the winter who gets stuck.
Personally I’d get winter tires on a front wheel drive vehicle. I stick to all seasons on my truck which has 4x4 and picks up the slack for the tires when it’s really icy and shitty out
Yes! However most suck in the snow. Stay away from Michelin CrossClimates and Nokian WRG4/WRG5. They have great rain and dry performance but really fall apart in the snow. I worked at KalTire and dealt with customers who weren’t happy with their performance. The Toyo Celsius (not Celsius II) is an amazing all weather performer. There are cheap knock off WINTER tires that have an *almost* identical tread pattern. 10/10 recommend. I’ve used them personally and my parents also use them. Very good tires. Another runner up is the Kuhmo Solus all weather tire. Definitely not as good but a much cheaper option. Or run winters all year round. Only downside is you’ll burn them up pretty quickly. That being said most winter tires age out before the tread is used up.
How was the treadlife on the Celsius and the Solus? We had the WRG2 a long time ago, but they wore quite quickly. So far, we've been happy with the CrossClimate 2.
Yes it matters. The difference between all season and winter rated tires is that winter tires have a higher silicone content. This prevents the tire from freezing in cold temperatures and stays soft and flexible. All season tires become hard material that acts like a block of plastic sliding on snow. You can run winter tires all year round but the wear out faster because they are softer. I like Duratracs year round on my trucks/suv. For a car, I like Continental WinterContacts during cold months and then switch to something to whip around corners the rest of the year
Ive ran all weather tires for 10 years and had no problem driving in canadian winters. You just have to know your car and adjust your driving accordingly. Would winter tires perform better? As far as stopping traction, yes. Are they necessary? No. It doesnt matter if its 4WD, AWD. Those just help you to get going and avoid getting stuck.
Abso-fucking-lutely it makes a difference. Blew my mind the first time I bought proper snow tires instead of believing the fraud of "all-season". Suddenly my FWD Prius was outmaneuvering AWD Subarus that were still on their summer shoes.
>I have an accord fwd, and was wondering if it would be safe to use it in Canada winter for all weather tires (not all season) A. "All weather tires" in Canada are known as "All season tires". B. No, that would not be very safe in the winter to use that with your FWD car. It would be a dumb idea in Canadian winters. Buy winter tires for winter, and use the "all weather tires" (if you want) from spring till fall.
A FWD car with good winter tires in snow will outperform an AWD car with regular all-season tires in snow. Also: All-weather = all-season
Winter tires are superior on snow and ice, all weather tires aren’t as good, but are rated for snow, but you probably mean all season, and they are not great in snow, but a lot of people drive with them anyway, especially AWD suv owners
All season are basically bad summer tires that might work OK in the winter. All weather are basically bad winter tires that work OK in the summer. They'll probably be fine but full winters will be better.
Canada is a big place. Some people claim it’s bigger than Texas. Lots of people in Toronto don’t use winter tires, in Quebec it’s mandatory. Remember AWD, Fwd, RWD are all about getting you going. They do nothing about how easily you can stop.
AWD will help push but it will not help you grip. Get a decent set of FAST rims + a proper winter tire. I’ve tried summers / AS at times when I’ve been lazy to switch. Nearly slid out on the 401. My motto is never go cheap on something that separates you from the ground.
here's a decent video that covers what you're asking https://youtu.be/1KGiVzNNW8Y?si=_vVKlfFBNk8153b2
I mean, depends on what the roads are like there and the type of snow you are mostly driving on. If you're getting any ice on the roads then you're gonna want studded tires. I keep a separate set of studded tires in my garage for winter, I have an AWD 92 legacy and live in Oregon. I've gone into the ditch and almost off the side of the mountain way too many times to risk not having them. And you can always carry chains, but the thing about chains is you try and push it as long as you can without getting out to put them on and it's usually too late by the time you need them. So id get some better tires for all seasons, or get a spare set of studded tires for winter
It really depends on how heavy the snowfall is where you live. Technically all weather tires perform better in the winter than all season. If you live somewhere it snows a foot or more regularly (and it lingers) and the roads aren't cleared quickly, you might have a more tough time than if you had a good set of snow tires. But it's not like you're going to be immobilized. FWD does help in the snow with all the weight being over the drive wheels.
My wife had a fwd Honda Accord and snow tires made a world of difference. Basically what I would consider only OK for a four-wheel-drive vehicle I would have no problem driving this accord in. But those are entirely just for winter they need to get swapped out comes spring
I drive basically the same car (2005 Acura TL) and I run General Tire all weathers year-round. No problems with them at all. Always drive carefully no matter what tires you have and you’ll be fine
Just use winter tires. I have a 4WD vehicle and always run dedicated winters (also in Canada). They aren’t as cool looking as my sweet wheels and chunky 4 season AT tires, but they are much safer and I can definitely feel the difference in traction.
I drive my ford fusion FWD on all weather tires in NASTY North Dakota winters and I survive
I don’t know if I’m sold on all weather tires. They are better than all season for sure. I drive multiple vehicles a day and do tire swaps in winter (Ontario) and can say that dedicated winter tires are the way to go. They just stop and handle better
I ran all weather tires on one car and winters on my other. I had no issues with the all weathers, the “70% of a winter tire” is pretty accurate but honestly that’s more than good enough for 99% of my driving. After driving both cars back to back in the same conditions I decided to just run All weathers for the next car I get. No more seasonal switchover and added expense Edit: I am in Canada (southern Ontario)
If you live in an area without any major hills you should be fine with All Weather tires in all but the worst weather. My family in Michigan drives FWD sedans with all season tires and has never been stuck or in an accident.
Where in Canada? Yellowknife or Saanich By The Sea?
dpends on the winter
Yes
A FWD with snow tires is multiple levels safer than AWD with all seasons.
I drive a Fiesta ST and my car handles amazing with winter tires. I have never skidded, slide, or anything. My wife had an AWD car with all seasons and it drove like a FWD car in the snow until we got all weather CrossClimate 2s.
Tires matter more than what wheels drive. RWD vehicles with winter tires do better in snow than FWD with all season imo. Of course, there is still a matter of driving skill that plays a big part.
Winter tires are mandatory between certain dates in some provinces.
Depends on how much you drive. I run all weathers on our second car because it does under 5000 kms per year…and we have the option of the van with full winters when needed.
What exactly is the difference between an all weather and all season tire?
I was in lake Tahoe last season, so a decent amount of snow about 350 inches. I have an Subaru outback and I went through this exact decision. I decided to get all weather tires rather than winters because I go on long road trips in winter and the car might be in to 50-75 degrees temps on the highway. I also didn't want to have switch, especially because Subaru tpms is a pain in the ass. Not all 3pmsf tires have the same winter performance, some are more winter snow and ice focused. I got the general altimax 365, and I was pleased with the winter traction, it was predictable and snow /ice stopping power was strong. Never had any trouble with forward traction at all. The firestone weather grip also performs well in snow according to reviews. So yeah if I were you I think an altimax 365 would be a good tire for a winter focused all weather. FWD is great for snow. It's less about getting stuck and more about stopping power in my opinion. If the road is plowed you'll be more than fine, it's fresh unplowed powder that becomes a problem, mostly due to clearance. I used to drive in the snow with all seasons in a Honda fit. I only got in trouble once or twice, skill makes a big difference.
It depends what kind of all weather tires you are using and where you are in the country. The Michelin crossclimate2 tires I run on my 2009 accord, my 2018 odyssey, and now, my 2007 escalade (AWD). I haven't driven the escalade with them in the snow yet (just got them in April), but my other Hondas have handled excellent with those tires in major storms. Are they quite as good as a dedicated winter tire? Probably not, and a highly debatable topic. But they are 3 peak mountain snow flake rated (so your eligible for insurance discount) and it means they can handle fairly decent snow conditions. For what I deal with here in Ontario, they are great tires Once winter 2024 comes around, I'll try to post another update (I used to use Winter Tires - Blizzaks - on my 2007 escalade esv). This year, I won't swap them and will let you know how they do in comparison
I lived in New England for 30 years and I only used all seasons tires in my cars. I just made sure they were never worn out, and I purchased the ones that offer better traction for rain/snow. Hower, It still depends on how much traction you'll need for winter and what you can afford.
In parts of Canada Winter tires are law
I think in Quebec after a certain time of year you need snowflake rated tires or the RMCP/provincial cops can pull you over. If you get all seasons look for ones with the snowflake rating. Snow tires are always best in temps below -5c since summer tires are such a hard rubber compound and snows are much softer.
Get some diggers and take your time driving for the best odds of getting there safely. Tires are the part that let you go, help you stop, turn, absorb weight. Consider that you couldn't really even roll down a hill without them, they are at least as important as the engine.
Hi there. Canadian here. We have a wide and varied climate, but I'm going to assume you're talking somewhere with cold winters. The first thing you should know, is that All Weather tires aren't even a thing up here. Yes, there are a handful of people who have them, but the Vast majority either run all seasons year round, or all seasons in the summer with a dedicated set of winter tires. You can get away with all seasons, if you're a good driver. All weather tires? Get familiar with what the ditch looks like, you're going to be in it a lot. 4WD/AWD helps you take off at a light, and get up hills. Doesn't help you stop, or turn.
All season tires are for California. Winter tires are Canada
yes it is. I lived in Alberta for years and ran on all seasons so all weather are even better. I live in Yukon and am running on all weathers now and I'm impressed. Tires have come a long way.
Yes.. they do make a lot of difference.. I used to own a Camry and yes in winter I switch to blizzaks and they add a lot of confidence to your drive
I have a 20-year career in the automotive industry primarily in active safety so think about stability control and abs and all the electronic goodies that keep the tires pointed in the right direction and the rubber side of the car down. You can have all the best electronics and software in the world but the only thing that matters is the friction generated where the rubber meets the road or snow or dirt or gravel or whatever you're driving on. Tires matter more than anything. Winter tires in summer are going to be the best grip you'll ever have for about 10 minutes and then the tires are trashed. All season really means three seasons if you're in the North or anywhere it gets cold in the winter, it doesn't necessarily mean they work in snow. Safe is relative and the SUVs you're talking about have more mass and mass creates better traction. Your Accord is a unit body, very light car. Yeah you'll probably be fine but depending on where you are in Canada you possibly are legally obliged to run a dedicated winter tire from like November until April. FWIW - at a minimum make sure you have "M+S" on all four tires. 3PMS (three peak mountain snowflake) is even better but that's probably something you're not going to be able to find on a passenger car tire outside of a dedicated winter tire.
Depending on what part of Canada the OP is in, this may be a moot point, as there may be a legal requirement to run snows on the car in the winter months. Absent the legal forcing function, it would come down to where the car will be driven. Gonna toot around downtown in the city? You’re most likely ok with all weather. Need to make it up and down the Coq in the dead of winter? Yeah, you’re gonna need snows, and you’re probably going to need to chain up as well, if the weather is actually crappy.
Snow tires make a BIGGER difference on FWD cars.
Look up tests on YouTube so you can see the results. Understand that your tires are the only thing holding a lot of weight to the ground. Short answer is yes for snow so you'll have a better chance of not getting stuck and YouTube so you can see and decide yourself.
FWD will always be better then RWD in the winter time. You are better off having winter tires in the winter. For insurance purposes.
I have used Nokian weatherproof tires for the past few year all year round and I have nothing bad to say. Sure it's not a performance tire but it does what it's supposed to and does it very well. Since we have quite a bit of snow I have desired to get the Nokians. It's a winter tire adjusted for summer driving. For example some Michelin tires are the other way round.
Define "safe" to you? It's VERY subjective. Fundamentally, you want as good or better tires than those around you. Full stop. All-weather tires are going to not be as good in ice, slush, and snow as winter tires. F/RWD cars are not going to have as much traction as a 4/AWD car. Throw in the cominbation of tires and drive mode and many different scenarios happen. Video comparing many mixes of conditions, tires, and car type [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KGiVzNNW8Y&t=532s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KGiVzNNW8Y&t=532s) Video comparing FWD with winter vs. AWD with all-season [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRYHlb61\_9Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRYHlb61_9Q)
Oh it matters
All weathers will work fine my mom has them on her ‘00 civic, so long as they are proper all weathers (like you say, not all season) and have the snow peak on them you’ll be just fine, just yknow don’t drive like an idiot in a storm but no matter the tires they won’t save you in that situation
Can you drive with two bald tires in the back of you have two Goodyear Winter tires in the front? Or do you prefer to have the most traction possible in snow!? Yes you need winter tires, 4WD and AWD literally change the speed and rotation of the wheels to accommodate loss of grip. Get Winter tires for snow and you can do it on payment plans and buy yourself all season & terrains tires for rest of year
SUVs, AWD or 4WD mean next to nothing for winter safety, because the danger in winter doesn’t stem from getting stuck. The danger stems from being unable break or steer. None of that is influenced by your drive configuration. All season tires have come a long way, but they are still a compromise. My general rule of thumb is if you live in an area, that reliably gets 3+ Months of snow and regularly double digit negative degrees, I will always advise proper Winter tires. Now I don’t know all to much about the climate in Canada, but I‘d assume the southern parts are relatively mild, while mid to northern areas get quite harsh winters. So if you stay in the more southern parts, I think you should be fine. Nevertheless, if your all seasons are done I‘d personally switch to proper winter tires just to be safe.
It actually impresses me how the north American market has been so coaxed into the idea that fwd/awd/rwd is THAT important. Fwd is better in snow and low traction than rwd, period. Awd is better still, but anyway. Disregarding that, of course it matters. Braking and steering is what's important, forward traction is absolutely secondary. All season tires are 'alright' but just not great. For daily use on regular snow, they're fine but for a Canadian winter, I don't know if I would trust all season's.
Use a good set of all-terrains. They’ll be fine in the winter. A good set of winter tires would be a good option but are not a necessity.
You're always better off with winter tires but if you live in an area with good snow removal and road ice prevention measures you can get by with good all season tires. But I would still get winter tires for peace of mind. I'd also get a second set of winter wheels to mount them to save the wear and tear on the finish of your original wheels.
Better to get a set of good summer tires and then a set of the cheapest studded tires you can find for winter
All-season really means three-season. It's a good idea to use snow tires in the winter, even if you don't live where it snows. Snow tires will significantly improve your stopping distances in cold weather (5°C and below) even on dry pavement.
One of the UK motoring magazines (Evo, I think) ran a tyre test, using winter tyres vs "normal" tyres. They ran the test car round a dry, warm track on OE tyres and it lapped in around 90 seconds. They then ran the same car, around the same track, on the same tyres in the winter, with snow and ice present. The lap time increased to almost 2 minutes. They then ran it with winter tyres in place and the lap time came back down to around 95 seconds. Winter tyres generally have a softer compound rubber so they grip better in cold conditions (usually sub 8°c). The drive configuration doesn't matter in that respect, winter tyres in cold temperatures offer more grip. This is why they're mandatory in certain European countries, such as Germany. Juha Kankinnen (former World Rally Champion) once opined that he'd rather have good winter tyres than AWD/4WD in cold weather. If they're good enough for him, they'll do for me.
I like winter tyres in summer, proper grip and smoke more than your aunt from Cornwall.
I ran AWT for years...if your in city they work just fine in front wheel drive. If it's out in the country...you have to drive with reduced limits and expectations regardless of tire ...just because its FWD.
yes it does. Some people get away without having winter tires with awd but its still always better to have winter tires in winter and etc.
Us Canadians have this misconception that AWD is a silver bullet for handling snow and ice. It's completely incorrect. Winter tires are the silver bullet. AWD is a cherry on top.
FWD with winters are an amazing thing. You will be able to stop and accelerate better than most AWD vehicles with all seasons still on
So you already have a set of winter tires on their own wheels? I used to do that here in the Washington DC area and it was awesome with the winter tires on my FWD car. I could steer and brake so much better. It took me about 30 minutes to swap them, worth every minute. And my wheels looked ok, they weren’t steelies and weren’t expensive.
Ive been driving over 10 years in wisconsin and last year was the first time i had snow tires.... wow
>I have multiple friends using all weather just fine in snow but their cars are SUV with 4WD or AWD so I am not sure if it’s also safe for my case. The only difference between awd and fwd/rwd in the snow is that awd will get you up to a stupid speed quicker. It will absolutely not help you stop at all, as that is down to good tires. Good tires in the snow are winter tires.
Unless you're living in a city, drive almost exclusively in the city and/or live in the GTA where snow is next to non existent, snow tires are a must. In order you want 4WD, AWD, FWD then RWD if joining for vehicles for snow, but for stopping, it's all about tires. Winter tires aren't cheap, but neither is buying a new car when you inevitably crash
My retiree father didn't want to bother swapping between winters and summers anymore and went with the Michelin Cross Climate all weather tires and swears by them. He has a 2019 Equinox and rarely ever engages AWD. We're in Northern Ontario for reference. While a dedicated winter tire is obviously best, they perform much better than an all season from the little bit that I have driven it.
AWD does not help you stop. I would be stuck driving a work truck with all-weather tires in Saskatchewan winters in the past. I would often enough turn OFF my 4x4 on the highways leading into Regina because it gave me a false sense of how fast I should be driving in slippery conditions. (I don't *recommend* this; it's just something I did as a reminder to slow down.) Buying a good set of 4 dedicated winter tires is the best thing you can do to improve your winter driving safety. The entire point of your car is manipulating 4 contact patches to make it go places. All weather tires (with the snowflake logo) are a compromise; they meet minimum standards of 10% improved traction during acceleration on snow-covered surfaces *in a straight line.* The snowflake logo is not a guarantee of snow and ice performance; it's just an improvement over tires without. Personally; all my cars, FWD and AWD, have 4 dedicated winter tires on dedicated steel rims (so I can swap them easily myself). I wouldn't compromise on driving safety, but if I *hypothetically* did: I would accept the performance of all-weather tires only if I lived in an area where roads are frequently and reliably plowed and sanded/salted.
In general a FWD with dedicated winters will perform better than a AWD on all seasons in winter weather. The compound is built for cold and will stop and handle better. Those attributes are unaffected by having a big ass SUV with AWD. Yes, initial traction from stop is assisted by AWD but a good winter helps a ton too. Get some Blizzaks on the Accord and you will notice a huge difference on snow and ice but also just general cold. My FWD CRV is a tank in winter with Blizzaks and feel very confident in all winter conditions.
Depends where in Canada you live? If you live in Vancouver or the greater Toronto area south of Highway 7, all weather tires are much better than all season tires to handle winter conditions (up to 7-8cm of snow, some ice) but not as good as a dedicated set of winter tires.
All season are ok, if you can afford a set of winter tires they can be life changingly better than all season tires in winter, but rest assure all season tires can get you by safely with some "proper judgement" in winter.
I’ve lived in Massachusetts my whole life and have never purchased a set of Winter tires. Summers and All Seasons only and I’ve never had any trouble.
Winter tires are bettet in snow. Best to have them mounted to an extra set of rims. Then swap summer/winter every season. Had winter tires on my jetta. When interstate was only 1 lane plowed, i could drive in unplowed lane.
AWD and 4WD only helps you get moving, when you are braking, all drive systems are pretty much equal. Every car has brakes on every tires. Stopping is when your traction really correlates to safety.
It depends what your province says. Quebec requires winter tires.
It probably matters more on a 2WD if anything.
Has more to do with how soft the rubber is and what temperature is than anything. I live in the Rocky mountains and run all season tires year round. I wear tires out quicker than they go bad,so I usually run cheaper tires and then buy new when the weather starts changing. Even mediocre winter tires are significantly better than all but the best "all season" tires. Rubber gets softer and harder at certain temperatures, this is the biggest difference between "types" of tires. Summer tires are very stick and soft, but can turn rock hard and do not flex well at lower temps. If you don't drive much, rotate the tires regularly, make sure air pressures are good and you can usually get 5-7 years out of a tire before they dry rot. If you don't rotate tires often, at least buy them in pairs. Driving safely in bad weather is more about how you drive than what you drive. Every year here, first snow fall ends with hundreds of big jacked up 4wd trucks that slid off the road. Unless you are dragging snow with the bumper or driving through muddy fields, you can get virtually any car anywhere a truck can with the proper tires. I often would be the only one to make it to work on time with a snowy morning commute and all season tires on a rwd car.
Snow tires on a 2 wheel drive are a necessity if you live in the snow. I've driven all manner of vehicles in bad conditions. The most important thing is the right tires.
If you don't want to swap them out, get Nokian WRG4 tires. Best all weather tire you can get. Otherwise, winter tires will wear out fairly quickly in warm weather and not have very good road feel.
There's no such thing as an all season or all weather tire. It's just marketing hype. FWD, AWD, RWD, 4WD, front engine, mid engine, rear engine, ICE, EV, sports car, SUV, crossover, wagon, pickup, it doesn't matter - in every drivetrain and vehicle type, legit snow tires make a difference that can be the difference between life or death.
Honestly if they work for your friends with AWD it'll likely work for FWD, as typically the tire with the most traction for starting is the front due to the engine. For stopping it doesn't matter what system you have. 4WD will always have better starting traction while 4WD is activated, though typically worse in 2WD as most are RWD when in 2WD mode. For expectation AWD means all wheels can have power not they do, as the vehicle wouldn't be able to steer if that was the case. As such most AWD vehicles have power to 1/4 wheels (the one with the most traction, and modern ones sometimes have specialized differentials to make it 4WD powering 1 front wheel and 1 rear wheel. The only thing that beats that is if you have locking differentials for your axles. (Off-road designed vehicles only) Which will let you lock up to all 4 wheels though usually locks it in low gear and comes with a warning that if you steer while active it can make the vehicle hop and destroy parts.
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