all weather vs winter | GTAMotorcycle.com

all weather vs winter

bigpoppa

bigpoppa

Well-known member
I know the old school crappy all season tires are still around, but im wondering how the newer all weather tires are for the occasional snow days we get in the GTA,
dad is kind of paranoid about tires and is hounding me to get him some good winter tires, but I told him some good all weather tires(Michelin crossclimates) are probably good enough to use year round without needing the swapout
 
Recently put Nokian all weather tires on my Pilot.
I like them.
Prior to that I have always used Michelin LTX all season, but they changed the tread pattern and the rating on them has dropped.
Fwiw my wife has the Nokian on her Escape and she doesn't like them in the rain.


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bigpoppa said:
I know the old school crappy all season tires are still around, but im wondering how the newer all weather tires are for the occasional snow days we get in the GTA,
dad is kind of paranoid about tires and is hounding me to get him some good winter tires, but I told him some good all weather tires(Michelin crossclimates) are probably good enough to use year round without needing the swapout
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I still don't trust all weather. In my mind, they just wear out faster than all season and still suck all year round. I have driven them once in the snow and was thoroughly unimpressed. Swapping only takes a few minutes if you have somewhere to store the wheels and doesn't cost much in the long run (instead of going through two sets of all-weathers during the life of your car, you go through a set of snows and a set of summer tires).
 
Consider tires as a compromise b/w summer/winter/cost/durability/noise/longevity/etc etc etc....a tire cannot be all of these things at the same time, it's impossible. As such a manufacturer will try to find a compromise that they will market to sell their tire.

As such, within Toronto (IMO) an all season tire is fine. However, once you step outside of the warmth the weather can be much worse. An all season tire is good until about 7C, below that and the rubber changes and starts becoming a hockey puck. A winter tire maintains the grip to lower temperatures (let's say -5C for fun) before it becomes a hockey puck. Now, because an all weather tire needs to be both...maybe that temperature is around 0-2C so it maintains a compromise.

Personally, I'd rather get (and I do) dedicated winter and summer tires. This not only allows me to have the 'best' tool for the job, but it also extends the wear of each set. So now instead of 3 years on a set of all seasons, I can get 4+ depending on durability, same goes for winters. Obviously depends on a lot of factors.

I've learned not to compromise with certain things, and winter tires is one of those.
 
mimico_polak said:
Consider tires as a compromise b/w summer/winter/cost/durability/noise/longevity/etc etc etc....a tire cannot be all of these things at the same time, it's impossible. As such a manufacturer will try to find a compromise that they will market to sell their tire.

As such, within Toronto (IMO) an all season tire is fine. However, once you step outside of the warmth the weather can be much worse. An all season tire is good until about 7C, below that and the rubber changes and starts becoming a hockey puck. A winter tire maintains the grip to lower temperatures (let's say -5C for fun) before it becomes a hockey puck. Now, because an all weather tire needs to be both...maybe that temperature is around 0-2C so it maintains a compromise.

Personally, I'd rather get (and I do) dedicated winter and summer tires. This not only allows me to have the 'best' tool for the job, but it also extends the wear of each set. So now instead of 3 years on a set of all seasons, I can get 4+ depending on durability, same goes for winters. Obviously depends on a lot of factors.

I've learned not to compromise with certain things, and winter tires is one of those.
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The saddest time for me is when winters have worn down enough that they are no longer good for winters and I am cheap so I burn them off in the summer. So devoid of fun but it's a season of free tires. The X-ices I am running now have been on three cars and probably seven or eight winters and they are still surprisingly good. By next spring they may get condemned to summer burn-off. In general, I figure ~$5 to 10 per gas tank in tires (depending on which tires I pick and how I drive).
 
All weather tires are so convenient! No need to change at the end of the spring/winter. I drive in winter here in Toronto with them and the tires handle most of the weather conditions quite well. Unless you want to go to countryside.. the road conditions might be tougher.
 
One thing I didn't mention...I always get the insurance company asking me if I'm putting on 'winter' tires for the season....not sure if they consider the same as 'all weather' tires in their quote/analysis.
 
Ice radials. Ice is what you are driving on most of the time anyway, put them on dedicated rims and change them with the season, it's worth it. Lots of people do the same and sometimes that leaves them with a full set of rims and tires for sale when they change car models.
 
SoulfulStrut said:
All weather tires are so convenient! No need to change at the end of the spring/winter. I drive in winter here in Toronto with them and the tires handle most of the weather conditions quite well. Unless you want to go to countryside.. the road conditions might be tougher.
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If the vast majority of my driving was Toronto proper, all-season or all-weather would work. The better your tires are, the less you are limited by the road conditions. With all-seasons where I am now, I would have to wait for the plow to pass by before heading out a few days a week.
 
Trials said:
Ice radials. Ice is what you are driving on most of the time anyway, put them on dedicated rims and change them with the season, it's worth it. Lots of people do the same and sometimes that leaves them with a full set of rims and tires for sale when they change car models.
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Have you ever successfully sold winter tires? I've given sets away and I've sold a one year old set for $100. The market for someone that wants your tire size with your bolt pattern in your area at the time you are selling is pretty crap.
 
GreyGhost said:
Have you ever successfully sold winter tires? I've given sets away and I've sold a one year old set for $100. The market for someone that wants your tire size with your bolt pattern in your area at the time you are selling is pretty crap.
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I have bought a few sets for pennies on the dollar and given away at least one set.

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GreyGhost said:
Have you ever successfully sold winter tires? I've given sets away and I've sold a one year old set for $100. The market for someone that wants your tire size with your bolt pattern in your area at the time you are selling is pretty crap.
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Can confirm...almost impossible to sell. Although my last set happen to fit any Hyundai so I sold them for $200 with possibly one season left on them.
 
About the same, I've usually put them on aftermarket mags that have a couple of bolt pattern possibilities. You can buy a set of 4 mag rims and winter tires from auto add-ons.
 
Trials said:
About the same, I've usually put them on aftermarket mags that have a couple of bolt pattern possibilities. You can buy a set of 4 mag rims and winter tires from auto add-ons.
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Problem is the offset sometimes. A RAV4 has the same bolt pattern as a Nissan Rogue. But guess what happens when you drive! CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK! So a spacer was in my future lol.
 
mimico_polak said:
Problem is the offset sometimes. A RAV4 has the same bolt pattern as a Nissan Rogue. But guess what happens when you drive! CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK! So a spacer was in my future lol.
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That is problem the next with selling winter tires. Normally neither the buyer nor the seller know wtf they are talking about. The seller knows the wheels fit their car, the buyer wants tires that fit their car. Unless they are the same make/model/generation, most often neither one has any idea if they fit the other car.

That's not to say you'd do much better at a tire shop. My current steelies need cone nuts and the tire shop said just use the ball nuts that I had and torque them a little tighter. That is their standard practice. Go *&^*(& yourself a&^^*(&^. That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Why would you sell me cone rims when you knew I had ball nuts. That set off days of searching for someone that had cone nuts that fit (which was a struggle because everyone (dealer included) had balls). Finally found someone that could order me some expensive nuts (which should not have been required if the tire shop weren't such &*^*(&^).
 
mimico_polak said:
Problem is the offset sometimes. A RAV4 has the same bolt pattern as a Nissan Rogue. But guess what happens when you drive! CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK! So a spacer was in my future lol.
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I bought a set of used winter tires on rims for my Hyundai and the part number for the rims implied the rims would fit. They were from a different make. But I got it wrong. Hyundai rims would fit the other make but the other make wouldn't fit the Hyundai.

It was the same bolt pattern but the Hyundai hub was a few thou larger in diameter. I never noticed it putting them on but it was in essence a force fit. Fortunately I never had to change a tire on the road because when I tried to take them off in the spring I had to make a wheel puller. When they popped loose they shot about four feet.

After that I took a drum sander to the rim bore and they were fine.

I always ran all seasons and skipped snows as I don't head north that often. I switched mindset for some reason and now do the switch. I don't like the noise from snows but it beats the sound of bending metal.

The insurance savings pay for the switch and your all seasons last longer. It's a one time rim cost.
 
Depends where you live and what conditions you are expecting. If just in Toronto or most parts of the GTA all weathers are good. Further out, winters. Or if you just want peice of mind, winters, and they do work very well. I have winters but over the past few years I gauge how the season is looking and decide if I will use them or not. The odd heavy snow, it's either I take my time to get someplace or don't go. So far this year I am not feeling the need for them. I use to put my winters on every Nov between the 16 - the end of Nov, I haven't done that in years with the mild winters.

I use Nokian Hakkapeliitta, so another vote for this tire.
 
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bigpoppa said:
dad is kind of paranoid about tires and is hounding me to get him some good winter tires
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If it was my dad, I'd get him the tires he wanted simply because I wouldn't want him to stress out and worry about these things when on the road - at his age.

That being said, I havent gotten myself a new set of winter tires after my first set started breaking down due to dry rot after 5 years.
Given that I barely put on 12-15000 kms on them (and working from home whenever it got snowed in, in the city) I was like F it..no point spending a grand for 20 inch winters...just didnt make sense to me.

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If I was living outside the GTA, I would 100% get winter tires and a different vehicle, as mine is currently rwd only.
 
POWERMAN said:
If it was my dad, I'd get him the tires he wanted simply because I wouldn't want him to stress out and worry about these things when on the road - at his age.

That being said, I havent gotten myself a new set of winter tires after my first set started breaking down due to dry rot after 5 years.
Given that I barely put on 12-15000 kms on them (and working from home whenever it got snowed in, in the city) I was like F it..no point spending a grand for 20 inch winters...just didnt make sense to me.

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If I was living outside the GTA, I would 100% get winter tires and a different vehicle, as mine is currently rwd only.
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20" snows? Jeebus. Do you need 20" to clear your brakes? I run the smallest rims I can in the winter.
 
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