Is it a wise decision to opt for summer tires during the winter months?
While some may find it tempting to stick with their summer tires year-round, it’s essential to acknowledge the drawbacks. Summer tires excel in hot and warm conditions, but they often fall short when faced with winter’s challenges.
Although using summer tires in winter isn’t completely prohibited, numerous factors discourage this practice. In this comprehensive article, we’ll delve into the various reasons why relying on summer tires during winter might not be the best choice.
From compromised traction to reduced handling capabilities, we’ll explore the cons in detail to address all your concerns. So, if you’re curious about whether summer tires are suitable for winter driving, join us as we navigate through the pros and cons.
Let’s delve into the discussion and shed light on this crucial aspect of vehicle safety.
Summer tires in winter
How many types of tires have?
According to different weather conditions, tires are divided into 3 major categories. Here is a summary about these tires are described in blue;
- Summer Tires: These tires are made for use in the warm summer season. The temperature that suits summer tires is higher than 7 degrees Celsius.
- Winter Tires: These tires are designed to be used in harsh weather and snowy conditions. The suitable temperatures for winter tires are lower than 7 degrees Celsius.
- All-Season Tires: These tires are allowed to be used in harsh, cold, and warm weather. These tires are moderate to use on icy, cold, warm, and harsh surfaces.
Detail Guide about Summer Tires
Summer tires are manufactured to use with your vehicle in the warm season. If you are living in such a region where the temperature is mostly high then these are the best choices to use.
Summer tires are manufactured by seeking warm weather conditions. When the temperature reaches 7 degrees Celsius, 40 degrees Celsius, or even higher than that you can easily use these tires without getting worried.
The summer tires are made of a unique rubber compound with a shallower tread pattern and a unique design that will provide you proper grip. Moreover, you don’t have to be worried about the braking and turning performance on driving sharp and tiny areas.
When should you use summer tires?
Summer tires are preferable to use when the temperature is constantly getting higher. Temperature is the only factor that matters and affects the performance of driving. If the temperature is more than 7 degrees Celsius then you can freely use these tires on roads and highways.
Moreover, summer tires also work well on wet roads for example if you are on the highway and suddenly the rain starts then these tires will provide you with a secure drive with good handling and smooth braking performance.
When the weather starts to decrease constantly like in February or March then it is the time to switch your tires from summer to all-season or winter tires by considering the atmosphere.
Are summer tires appropriate for winter?
It is recommended not to use summer tires all season and recommended to switch them season by season. Some people also think to use summer tires in winter but it’s as to put your life and vehicle into danger.
Summer tires and winter tires both have so many differences. Winter tires are made to use in harsh weather conditions and provide a strong grip on snow-covered roads by deep cuts and thread design.
Not only in snow but these tires provide excellent performance with well-controlled handling when the temperature is lower than 7 degree Celsius. The use of summer tires in the winter season is completely inappropriate because of the size of thread blocks and fewer numbers of sipes.
If you still use summer tires in the winter season then you will not get proper grip and less handling performance as well on icy roads.
Disadvantages of using Summer Tires in the Winter Season
Besides of minor issues that we have already discussed, the use of summer tires in the winter season will also lead you to three major dangers. The details are described below;
- Risk of Cracking
The amount of natural rubber compound in summer tires is less than the winter tires. This means that these tires are not as soft and do even not provide smooth performance in every season.
If you use summer tires in the winter season and the temperature constantly gets higher than 7 degrees Celsius, the summer tires become stiffer and rigid. In return, the tires (summer tires) that you attach to your vehicle in the winter season get cracked.
- Reduce Grip
The thread pattern that is on every tire is designed to provide grip, balance, and traction on the road. In the case of using summer tires in the winter season, these tires will impact as stopping distance.
Keep remembering that the thread pattern of summer and winter tires are different so the working is. Summer tires have shallow tread patterns while winter tires have deeper tread patterns.
All type of tires has their separate functionality but using the wrong tire will affect the grip and driving performance. It will also not be intact with the snowy surface properly and become more slippery.
- Increased Braking Distance
The rubber compound and gripping performance of a tire tell us about the gripping performance. If you use winter tires in the summer season then the braking distance is shorter because the summer tires have a shorter braking distance than the winter tires.
Are all-season tires a good alternative?
If you don’t have a budget to change tires seasonally then all-season tires are a good alternative. According to the name of the tire “all season”, these tires will provide you considerable benefits with smooth performance and safety.
The Bottom Line
Using specific tires that are made for the specific season is preferable to use. The benefits that you will get from the specific tires cannot be obtained from any other.
If you are thinking of using the summer tires in the winter season then I hope that all of your concepts have been cleared and you understand that this is not a suitable choice.
That’s all about this reading. I hope all of your queries have been cleared. So, go and purchase preferable tires for your vehicle by considering the weather conditions.