Hello everyone and welcome. In this video I have teamed up with Progressive and we're going to be talking about the differences between summer tires, winter tires, and all season tires. So we're going to be looking at the differences of the tread patterns, we're going to be talking about the different compounds which are used, and then at the end we're going to talk about the numbers, the data behind it, you know which tire is going to perform best in certain scenarios.
Now starting off pretty big picture, the summer tire is going to perform best when it's either dry or wet outside. and temperatures are relatively warm, versus a winter tire, which is going to perform best when it's driving on snow and ice. Now, an all-season tire is a combination of these two, and it's really a compromise.
It's not the best at any of it, but it can do all of them decently well. So, let's start off looking at the tread features of the different tires, starting with the summer tire. So, you'll see a continuous center rib for good straight line stability.
You've got a large contact area on the outside of the tire. so that when you're cornering, it's got a lot of contact area to grip the road. Sometimes you'll notice with summer tires that they have less tread depth overall, and this helps with steering feel and responsiveness.
And overall, you'll just notice a lack of tread features in comparison to all-season or winter tires, which is really good for dry grip. Summer tires also tend to have stiffer sidewalls, which can reduce the comfort provided by the tire, but it can allow for better steering response and feedback. Now looking at the winter tire, you'll notice the tread pattern looks significantly more complicated.
The tread is designed to evacuate water and slush, but it also has deep grooves, and these deep grooves can help hold in packed snow. What's interesting is that by packing in snow, snow on snow traction is actually pretty good, and so it can improve the grip of the tire. You'll also notice zigzag sipes all over the tread pattern, which help create a biting edge which is great for grip in wet, snowy, icy conditions.
The zigzags are used to improve the tread blocks rigidity while also allowing for good traction in different directions. Which leads us to our all season tire which as you can see looks like a bit of a combination between the two. So in the center you've got those sipes, on the outside there's less features to allow for good cornering grips so when you're actually able to corner at high speeds in the dry and in the wet you've got that traction on the outside of the tire and then in snowy conditions you've got those sipes on the inside of the tire to help improve traction when traction isn't quite as high and you're not using the outside of the tire.
This all-season tire also has grooves that expand as you get deeper into the tread pattern. So as the tire wears, that groove expands and you still have a lot of space for the water to evacuate. Versus a summer tire, you can see it's actually the opposite. It gets narrower as you get closer to the wear bars.
Now, as we discuss compound, the biggest difference really is about what temperatures these tires perform best at. And so, the summer tire has a compound which is meant for temperatures generally above about 40 degrees Fahrenheit versus the winter tire which can dip well below freezing and the rubber compound can still remain soft and flexible. As you take a summer tire down to those cold temperatures, it starts to get really hard and loses grip.
And then, of course, the all-season tire is the compromise between both of these. where it can still remain somewhat flexible around freezing temperatures, but still also operate in those higher temperatures, where if you were to use a winter tire in high temperatures, it's far too soft for it and it would wear way too quickly. So now that we actually understand the physical differences between the tires, let's talk about what this actually means for the person who's driving. What sort of braking and cornering should you expect, depending on the tire and depending on the conditions? Well, when it comes to dry braking in relatively warm temperatures, summer tires, as expected, perform the best.
They'll be able to stop from 60 miles per hour to zero and about 110 to 125 feet, versus the longer distances you'll have with all season or winter tires. What may come as a surprise, however, is that in the rain and wet, summer tires will still perform best, stopping from 60 miles per hour in about 135 to 170 feet, versus the longer distances you can expect from all season or winter tires. This really shows the importance of compounds.
which play the largest role in grip overall. Since summer tires tend to have the stickiest compounds, they tend to perform best whether it's dry or dumping rain, assuming the tires haven't worn down too much and can still evacuate water. So what about cornering?
Well, no surprises here. Summer tires will generally have the highest lateral grip when it's dry outside. In the wet, that number decreases and can be particularly challenging for winter tires. High performance winter tires can still manage all-season cornering forces, but as the tread changes to optimize snow and ice performance, dry and wet handling tend to suffer. Which leads us to discussing performance in cold conditions.
When the ground is covered in snow and ice, winter tires start to shine. While all-season tires can come close in a few aspects of winter driving, dedicated winter tires can often stop in less than half of the distance required for a summer tire. Looking at the stopping distances from 30 miles per hour, it's obvious why winter tires are chosen locations with colder climates. So which tire should you choose for your car?
Well part of this is preference. Myself, I want the best tire for the conditions that I'm driving in. So in the summer I use a dedicated summer tire and in the winter I use a dedicated winter tire. That makes sure that I'm always got good grip if there's snow and ice outside and in the summer I've got the best possible handling vehicle.
So that's not just about performance it's also about safety, about accident avoidance. There's a reason why you may choose to use two sets of tires, and they can last a long time if you're switching between them. But if you live in an area which, you know, doesn't see winter conditions all that often, but does occasionally have some light snow, then something like an all-season tire could be a solid choice. So hopefully this has provided some insight for your next tire purchasing decision.
Again, a huge thanks to Progressive for partnering on the video, and thank you all for watching.