Winters used as all seasons?

[focusdriv3r]

Yes? No? Depends?

So I need advice if I should buy all seasons or If can use my winters all year long? I don't know if this has been asked before but any insight would be great. Pls no smart ass responses because I don't know the answer. It could be a common sense one but maybe someone here has pulled it off.
Thanks.

[pf0sh0]

You're winter tires would be worn down quickly if you drive around on hot days.... if we get any hot days lol!


Better off getting another set of tires that aren't winters.

[Meback]

Put on your all seasons. Using winter tires in summer heat will only wear out the winters much quicker.

[Speed_69]

Bad idea!

Winter tires have a softer rubber compound so in higher temperatures (7 degrees or higher), they start to wear away at an exceptionally quick rate.

[tirebob]

Yes you can run them but they definitely won't give you long wear. My wife used do drive only 8,000kms total a year or less, so she just ran winters all year round and we would usually get 3 years or so out of a set. If you drive a lot though, it definitely isn't advisable. Especially if the are more specific ice compounds as these will be affected even worse than the more durable winter compunds...

[focusdriv3r]

K thanks

[streethondas]

you will also have more road noise with winter tires.....

[Canucks3322]

Isn't there also an increased chance of tire blowout? They are not made to run safely in higher tempuratures...It is VERY unsafe.

[ExtraSlow]

in addition to all the reasons above, winter tires don't handle safely in warm temps. cornering is the shits.

[bjstare]

Originally posted by Canucks3322
Isn't there also an increased chance of tire blowout? They are not made to run safely in higher tempuratures...It is VERY unsafe.

Why on earth would there be an increased chance of blowout? The only logical results of running a winter in the summer have been mentioned - handling suffers a bit and tire wear suffers a bit more.

[streethondas]

Originally posted by Canucks3322
Isn't there also an increased chance of tire blowout? They are not made to run safely in higher tempuratures...It is VERY unsafe.

no not unless you get extra insurance on them :rofl:

[Kloubek]

I guess he's thinking the sidewalls would be weaker with the heat.

Not that I'm aware of. Although as everyone is saying, it will wear down quicker and handling *does* suffer.

Additionally, some winter tires only have the really good winter compound in the first portion that gets used. The bottom 1/2 or 1/3 is just an all season compound. At least, I believe this is the way Blizzaks work.

[Zero102]

Originally posted by Kloubek
Additionally, some winter tires only have the really good winter compound in the first portion that gets used. The bottom 1/2 or 1/3 is just an all season compound. At least, I believe this is the way Blizzaks work.

As far as I know this is the way all winter tires work. Another reason not to run them in the summer :burnout:

For anybody who might think this is a stupid question, it is something that used car dealerships seem to be pushing like crazy: I was out car shopping last march, and I looked at 7-8 different cars all at different dealerships. 5 of them came with winter tires and when I looked at each of them I made sure to ask whether they also had summer tires or all-season tires for the car. To my (initial) surprise, in EVERY SINGLE CASE I was told that all-season tires are a "thing of the past" and that you should just run winter tires all summer as well since they are more durable now than they were in the past. One of them made sure to repeat 3 or 4 times that I would just be wasting my money to buy summer tires, and that instead of haggling the price down I should thank him for his advice. In my experience it seems to be a really common thing that used car dealerships are pushing and in my personal opinion it is a terrible and dangerous thing to suggest.

[nobb]

If I recall, Blizzaks have a special "tube multi-cell" component to the first half of the tread. The last portion is standard winter tire compound.

[Canucks3322]

It says in this link its because of the weakened sidewalls that increase blowout...

http://www.wheels.ca/Tire%20Talk/article/785674

See I'm not crazy...:poosie:

[89s1]

winter tires in summer = poor mans drag radial.

[Kloubek]

Originally posted by Canucks3322
See I'm not crazy...:poosie:

You might have been right, but it doesn't prove you aren't crazy.

[tirebob]

Originally posted by Canucks3322
It says in this link its because of the weakened sidewalls that increase blowout...

http://www.wheels.ca/Tire%20Talk/article/785674

See I'm not crazy...:poosie:

If you read the article fully, it does explain that...

"An underinflated winter tire generates even more heat than a properly inflated one. Once the heat builds up, the tire fails very suddenly and catastrophically"

Underinflated being the key... Simply being a winter tire is not the reason for tire failure, nor do the have "weaker sidewalls"...

That being said, obviously winter tires are not as effective a summer use tire as a product built specifically for that type of use, but they are not bombs out on the road...

[chkolny541]

Originally posted by tirebob


If you read the article fully, it does explain that...

"An underinflated winter tire generates even more heat than a properly inflated one. Once the heat builds up, the tire fails very suddenly and catastrophically"

Underinflated being the key... Simply being a winter tire is not the reason for tire failure, nor do the have "weaker sidewalls"...

That being said, obviously winter tires are not as effective a summer use tire as a product built specifically for that type of use, but they are not bombs out on the road...

pretty sure "Tirebob" has the final say in the arguement

[Murray Peterson]

Using winter tires in the summer will affect more than your handling (and your wallet). They have much less grip than dedicated summer tires (or even all seasons). Your braking distances will be much longer and your pothole avoidance maneuvers will be badly affected.

Don't cheap out on tires. Tires are the most effective performance modification you can buy for your car.