Ideal weather for all-season tires

Universality and practicality are penetrating all spheres of our life. The majority of new cars sold in Russia are crossovers. This is convenient. A car of a small size is suitable both for the city and, if necessary, for leaving the road or in case of heavy snowfalls, the increased ground clearance allows you to pass where a passenger car would get stuck. And, of course, the dream of every such car enthusiast is a universal tire that can be safely operated both in summer and in winter. Such tires are called all-season, and this segment is growing and developing.

Most of the middle part of Russia has a clear division of seasons with a fairly hot summer and a winter full of precipitation in the form of snow and ice. But in many countries with a milder climate, all-season tires are used throughout the year. Why are they so popular and what makes these tires safe for both summer and winter? First of all, it's the rubber compound. The main difference between winter tires and summer tires is the rubber compound. Each rubber compound has a certain range of operating temperatures. All-season tires have this range maximally expanded, i.e. the tire performs well both in summer heat and in small frosts, and it can also be safely moved on it. However, in harsh winter conditions, with strong frost on ice, such tires will still be worse than full-fledged winter tires. The traction on a wet surface and on snow is improved in such tires due to the tread pattern. Often, such tires can be found with a directional pattern or a "herringbone" pattern. Such a tread pattern is better at scraping snow. And the tread blocks of an all-season tire are usually striped with lamellas, which improve water evacuation and create additional traction.

This segment is growing, and there are already many models to choose from. Many premium brands even release second or third generations of all-season tires, for example, the Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons GEN-3. But all-season tires are not only available in the expensive segment, many budget brands from Asia have already started producing such tires, for example, the Sailun Atrezzo 4 Seasons.

Is it worth buying such tires for year-round use? It depends on the conditions of using the car. If you often drive in strong minus temperatures and on icy asphalt, but if you usually only encounter snow and wet asphalt in your region in winter, then an all-season tire can be a good solution for you. Such tires always have a special winter marking - three mountain peaks with a snowflake, which, according to the law, gives the right to fully use this tire all year round. The main thing is to adapt your driving style to certain natural disasters, for example, snowfalls or strong heat, but most of the time you can safely move around on these tires and also save on tire fitting.