Are all season treads on tires good enough for the snow?

Question

Are all season treads on tires good enough for the snow?

Answer 1

No.................

Winter tires have special rubber compounds designed to improve traction, handling and braking in all cold weather conditions, not just ice and snow.

Winter Tires are designed to deliver safety and control in snow, ice, and cold weather conditions. Many people think that all-season tires can deliver this same performance, but this is not true.

The superior traction that winter tires deliver, as much as a 25 to 50 percent increase over all-season tires, can very well be the margin you need to stop in time or turn to avoid trouble.

Answer 2

Yes

Answer 3

That depends on what you consider to be "good enough".

Answer 4

In Illinois generly we use them because we have bad winters but if you are a good driver it is OK to drive W/O them

Answer 5

It depends on how much snow.

They would not be called all season treads if they could not handle snow. But all season treads will never be as good as snow tires in the snow either.

So they are good enough if the driver has skill enough and is smart enough not to try to drive like there is no snow.

I drove all seasons in the winters in Nebraska with 12" on the ground. While I wasn't as fast as the 4wd units that had snow tires and chains on, I did not end up in the ditch like they did either.

All seasons just require you to slow down on snow (which is smart even with snow tires and/or chains).

Answer 6

By themselves then no. With chains then maybe. But it would be better to invest in a winter set of tires if it snows heavily and regularly.

Answer 7

If you live in a city with well-cleared roads, and rarely venture into the country except on clear main highways, all-seasons are probably fine.  You must remember that an all-season is a compromise tire, though, and will not have traction as good as a winter tire in deeper snow, and will not stop or steer as well on ice.

Answer 8

All season is really for light seasonal changes. A few inches of snow and what not. Nothing drastic like a foot or off roading. Mostly found on cars. Because all terrain would just look odd on a car.

Answer 9

It really depends on the car and where you live.  Here in MI, I run winter tires. I probably wouldn't need to, but once you do, you'll never go back.  Most of todays cars run tires with a lower profile.  This makes them handle good in the dry but bad in the snow.  Be careful of someone calling a tire an "all season" tire.  There are a lot of differences in tread patterns and other options that make a big difference.  If you can give me more info I can help more.