Is the width of the tread grooves important?

A car tire is a balance of technologies and characteristics. Practically no advantage is given to a tire simply. The width of the longitudinal and transverse channels, undoubtedly, is important for winter tires. A developed negative profile of the tire speaks of its ability to overcome snowy road sections. The wider the channels, the more confident you feel on a snowy highway and in deep snowdrifts.

The downside of this advantage is noise. Yes, tires with wide channels are significantly noisier on dry asphalt. Oncoming air flows enter the tread channels and create a characteristic hum. But the hum doesn't kill you. If you have to choose between noise and safety, the choice is obvious.

It's worth noting that if you want maximum passability in snow, i.e. tires with the widest channels, then you should choose from the studded offer. As a rule, if you compare tires of the same manufacturer, the width of the channels of studded tires is 1.5-2 times wider. We've also written about the fact that studded tires are more dangerous on dry asphalt in a separate article.