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Winter Tires vs. All-Weather Tires vs. All-Season Tires: Your Guide in Ontario

Posted on September 24, 2023

Winter in Ontario can be unpredictable, with heavy snowfall and black ice on the roads quite often. These harsh conditions meant that you need to make sure you have the right tires that provide proper traction to keep you safe and in control. Read on for more details on the three main types of tires available and when you should use them.

 

Winter Tires

Winter tires are designed with big blocky treads that help to slush more water to maintain the flexibility of the soft rubber. This softness is a liability during hot seasons, and so you must switch to all-season or all-weather tires when it’s warmer out. Considering the additional storage cost, this is a significant disadvantage of winter tires. However, they will work great if you live in an area with low temperatures and deep snow. 

 

All-Weather Tires

With a hybrid design, all-weather tires can handle mild and non-extreme winter seasons. You will get a strong performance during the spring, summer and fall, with even better results for winter conditions. This is a huge advantage, since you can use all-weather tires all year round. The only drawback of all-weather tires is that you will likely have to replace them sooner than all-season tires. This is the main reason why their warranties are usually shorter. 

 

All-Season Tires

 

While all-weather tires and all-season tires both support all kinds of driving conditions, all-season tires are different in that they provide optimal summer, spring and fall performance. Treads on these tires are usually straighter and smoother to repel water; also, this design helps these tires during the warm season by gripping the road better. However, all-season tires are not ideal for snowy or freezing seasons since they tend to lose grip. 

 

Recommendation: Change Tires in the Winter

 

As a rule of thumb, Canadians should change to winter tires between Thanksgiving and Easter. Exact durations vary depending on the actual changes in weather conditions, so we recommend paying close attention to the temperature. Winter tires perform best at 7 degrees Celsius or lower. When the weekly average falls below this value, it is the right time to switch.

 

Contact Chatham Honda for Assistance

 

It takes a lot to find the right winter tires -- you also need to consider all-wheel drive, engine power, and driver safety before making your choice. Contact us at Chatham Honda to learn more about available tires and make the right decision.