Can i use winter tires all year

The softer tread of a winter tyre wears out a lot quicker on warm tarmac. It's very effective for mitigating the negative impact of cold temperatures and provides traction in winter conditions. But if you run a set of winter tyres throughout the year, that same flexible tread will wear down more quickly in warmer temperatures. It reduces the service life by as much as 60 per cent. There's a strong chance you'd have to replace them earlier than if you'd simply swapped them for summer tyres at the beginning of spring.

Our recommendation for hot weather is to use all-season or summer tyres which, by comparison, are manufactured with a different blend of rubber designed to withstand higher temperatures. And — you guessed correctly — looking at it another way, the compounds used in summer tyres would soon turn hard and brittle if driven in winter conditions.

If you use winter tyres in summer, another thing to know is that you'll end up paying more for fuel. On warm tarmac, the rolling resistance of a winter tyre is substantially higher than a summer or all-season tyre.

That's because the softer rubber compound changes shape more. It leads to higher rolling resistance, which leads to an increase in fuel consumption, which means you'll need to visit the petrol station more often than necessary. The consequences of driving on winter tyres in summer affect the environment and general quality of life. Tires and Tire Storage After a typically rainy and extremely snowy Lower Mainland winter, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and warmer temperatures are finally here to stay.

Winter tires are made for a lower temperature range than all-season or summers tires Many drivers think that they can save money by riding their winter wheels all year round.

Your winter tires will wear much faster above 7 degrees Celsius As the aforementioned sipes and tread blocks come into contact with the dry and warmer spring pavement, heat is created as the rubber blocks are compressed. You will not be able to stop your car as quickly By design, compared to a good all-season tire, a winter tire will have times as many tread blocks.

You will be spending more money on fuel Due to the softer and stickier rubber compound, winter tires have a much higher rolling resistance. Final Tip When you are swapping your tires, be sure to take a look at the amount of tread left on your winter tires. Share this article:. About the Author At OpenRoad Auto Group, we are proud to represent 21 and growing stellar brands of new cars for sale in Greater Vancouver and hundreds of used cars in Vancouver for sale at over 26 full-service car dealerships.

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It's a lot easier to avoid a crash than it is to survive one," he says. You need to have four winter tires, not just two, and Demere recommends having a dedicated set of wheels for winter tires. Whichever tires you choose, they need to be kept at the correct tire pressure for your vehicle.

That's not the number on the side of the tire, which is the maximum the tires can hold. Instead, look in the manual — if it's not there it will be on a sticker somewhere on the vehicle, usually on the pillar next to the driver's-side door, Marchand says. How long will tires last? It depends on where and how you drive them, Marchand says.

The APA recommends checking wear by sticking a quarter in the trench between the treads. Send your automotive maintenance and repair questions to globedrive globeandmail.