United Tire and Service News

 

 

Don’t let the name fool you! Although all-season tires are designed to be reliable in a wide variety of weather and road conditions, they aren’t excellent in any. In order to achieve moderate traction in ice, snow, and sleet, all-season tires sacrifice some wet weather traction. In order to provide long-lasting tread life, all-season tires sacrifice flexibility and grip in cold weather, which is not ideal in any situation. All-season tires typically don’t perform as well as strictly summer or strictly winter tires in wet conditions. In dry conditions, all-season tires generally perform better than winter tires, but still do not perform as well as summer tires will. All-season tires do perform better than summer tires in winter conditions, but are significantly less useful in winter conditions than winter tires. While their convenience is apparent, and we can understand why drivers favor this tire type, you sacrifice safety on the roads by not having a tire that is outstanding with its performance in seasonal weather conditions. 

 

A popular misconception that drivers have about summer tires is that they are only designed for dry weather performance — wrong! Summer tires feature wider tread and softer rubber compounds, allowing for responsive handling and better control in dry and wet conditions. Summer tires are also designed with deeper circumferential grooves (tread) wo provide better traction in wet conditions to avoid hydroplaning. In most cases, summer tires outperform both all-season and winter tires in all conditions except ice and snow. And as the name implies, summer tires should not be used in winter weather conditions. Winter tires surpass all-season tires when it comes to driving in dry, wet, snow, sleet, and icy winter conditions.

 

Winter tires, also popularly known as “snow tires”, are exclusively designed for cold winter weather driving conditions. Modern winter tires are designed with rubber compounds that remain flexible in temperatures below 45 degrees and have more aggressive tread patterns for grip in snow and ice. Winter tires also feature siping patterns for extra strong traction on icy roads. These features eliminate the need for studding or tire chains, giving drivers the confidence they deserve while driving on winter roads. 

 

 

There isn't a straight answer for that. The tires you choose should be sustainable for the environment you live in and the road conditions you’re vehicle has to endure. 

 

 

Lots! We carry all of the top brands and offer exclusive rebates on select brands such as:

 

Need a better idea of which tire is best for you? We’ve got you covered.