16 Apr What’s the Difference Between Types of Tires
All season tires, all weather tires, Winter tires, Summer tires… what’s the difference between them and what do you need for Vancouver, BC driving? Do I need Winter tires or can I use all season tires year round?
Living in the temperate climate of the beautiful West Coast is a blessing when it comes to severe weather. We only see a few days of snow a year and endure temperatures lows of -5 celsius. Our neighbours in colder regions are clearly jealous of us when they are shovelling through 30 inches of snow daily. Our balmy weather and lack of snowfall have led most Vancouverites to use All season tires year round. Most would argue why invest in Winter tires for only a few weeks of the year, if that? But is this a good practice? Should we be changing to Winter tires? What’s the difference between All Season, All Weather and Winter tires? Read on to learn more
Summer Tires
The tread patterns of Summer tires generally have less grooving. Summer tires are designed to provide maximum road-holding grip. The tread compounds of Summer tires are designed to remain more flexible, allowing for better traction and grip. Summer tires are ideal for high performance vehicles, and are built for speed and agility. They offer increased responsiveness, cornering, and braking capabilities. These tires will not have the M+S symbols.
All Season Tires
All Season tires have the M+S symbol (M+S means Mud + Snow pattern design.)These M+S tires are also known as the common and popular All Season tires. Most of us living in the West Coast have adopted the use of All Season tires year round. In fact, I’m sure you have All Season tires on your car right now. According to our BC Regulations, tires must have the M+S symbol during Winter so legally we are able to use All Season tires throughout the year as the minimum requirement. However, the harder compound of the All Season tire has reduced traction under temperatures of 7 degrees celsius.
All Season tires are constructed using harder compound materials for warm/hot climates Essentially, All Season tires offer a blend of Summer and Winter performance, they are often a good option for drivers in moderate climates and driving conditions.
Winter Tires
When we need to drive through heavier snow, then tires with the “SNOWFLAKE” symbol are designed specifically to carve snow. These are known as Snow tires or Winter Tires. Winter tires are constructed of a softer material so as to be able to crush and disperse wet surfaces more efficiently. In the East Coast of Canada, they use the terms Summer tires and Winter tires. For them, Summer tires are All Season tires or Performance Summer tires. East Coasters have 2 sets of tires as it is mandatory in their provinces to have proper tires for their weather.
All Weather Tires
All Weather tires were conceptualized to introduce into the market one tire for all the seasons we have here in Canada and Europe. Essentially, All Weather tires are a combination of both Summer/All Season and Winter tires. Some people either can’t be bothered with swapping tires during season changes or lack the space to store two sets of tires. All Weather tires have the benefit of being able to be worn year round but performance will be below that of a Winter tire. This is because the All Weather tire compound is not as soft as a Winter tire and won’t perform as well as Winter tires in cold temperatures. .So picture a PREMIUM ALL SEASON TIRE in your mind as this is really where it comes down to in differentiating them.
Which Tire Do I Need for Vancouver BC Driving
So, do we need an All Weather tire if our current All Season tire is approved by BC and Canada’s regulations? The answer is a bit ambiguous. An All Weather tire is designed for BOTH hot/cold, dry/wet AND snow surfaces. Which is why they stamp both the symbols M+S & SNOWFLAKE on the tire. Now, some local tire store owners may claim that the All Weather tire is just a Winter tire, remarketed. Isn’t our All Season tire with M+S sufficient? And our Winter tires are stamped with M+S and the snowflake?
Confused yet? This has been an interesting ongoing questions we all ask ourselves here in BC. So, what’s the right answer? Well, according to the BC Road Regulations, here is what they say:
“A legal Winter tire (on a standard passenger vehicle or a four-wheel/all-wheel vehicle) MUST have at least 3.5 mm of tread depth.”
A Winter tire must be labelled with either of the following:
- The letters “M” and “S”, the minimum legal requirement (mud + snow/all season tires
- The 3-peaked mountain and snowflake symbol (some manufacturers label with both the mountain snowflake and the M+S symbol)
Mountain snowflake tires offer better traction on snow and ice. We recommend drivers install mountain/snowflake tires for cold weather driving and, for extreme conditions, carry chains.
Summer tires are not recommended for driving between October 1 and March 31 and chains on summer tires are not an acceptable substitute for legal winter tires on signed B.C. highways.
So, to best answer the question, here in BC, with rain being 9 out 12 months and the occasional snow we get. Either an All Season or All Weather tire (Premium ALL SEASON) will be sufficient and which you choose will depend on your budget. Winter tires are required for extreme winter conditions like in the East Coast and going up the hills for ski trips. But make sure, even though your tires say ALL SEASON/ALL WEATHER, that you have enough tread on your tires. At least 50%!
If you are in doubt contact our tire shop and we will gladly take a look at your tires.
