Your tyre choice should depend on what weather conditions you face when you drive. Here is a summary of a few weather conditions and the tyres you should use.
Dry summer weather
Here the best tyre choice are summer tyres. You can also use all-season tyres if you are not switching between summer and winter tyres. The main reason to do so is if you live in a location where you don’t really have long enough winters to warrant a change. Areas where the weather is very unpredictable are great locations for all-season tyres.
Summer rain
In summer rain, which can be pretty heavy, your tyres will need to remove the water from the surface to remain in contact with the road. If the tyres lose contact with the road surface, your car will lose control due to aquaplaning. Summer tyres have been designed to prevent aquaplaning. So with a set of summer tyres or with a set of all-season tyres, you will be able to drive safely.
Dry winter weather
Here you need a winter-approved tyre. Even if you have sunny conditions and no snow, your summer tyres will lose their properties when the temperature drops below zero. So a studded or a non-studded tyre will work well. Also, your All-season tyre will be good here.
Snow
When you have a lot of snow that you drive on, you will need a winter-approved tyre. The winter tyres are developed to drive on snow, so you will be able to drive safely. A studded or a non-studded tyre and the All-season tyre will perform well in these conditions. If the snow is tightly packed, the surface will become icy and resemble the ice conditions below.
Slush
Slush tends to be a quite nasty condition that can resemble, in a way, heavy rain. The tyre needs to get rid of the slush to keep in contact with the road surface. If your tyres lose contact with the road surface, you risk slushplaning. A studded or a non-studded winter tyre and the all-season tyre will perform well in these conditions. If the snow is tightly packed, the surface will become icy and resemble the ice conditions below.
Ice
When driving on ice, you are best off with a studded winter tyre. The non-studded winter tyres will still have quite a good grip on ice but not as good as the studded tyre. The compromise All-season tyre will be your worst option here of the winter approved tyres.
So, in summary, you have your summer tyres, your winter tyres and your all-season tyres, and their use depends on the weather conditions. For the winter tyres, you need to select which tyre fits best for the weather conditions in your area. If the winters in your location aren’t too extreme, a set of all-season tyres can be the way to go, as you don’t have to change tyres between summer and winter, and you are always able to drive regardless of the weather.
For more information regarding different tyre options, visit: https://www.nokiantyres.com/