You have summer tires and there are winter tires. They each have their advantages. The disadvantage is that you have to change these wheels twice a year if you want to go winter sports. You can also look at a tire that you can use all year round: the all-season tire or all-season tire. Then you can drive in the summer and go to winter sports without a change. What exactly is an all-season tire?
You guessed it: the all-season tire is designed for four seasons. So you can use the tire in all conditions that you encounter in the year, without having to change the tires. And that is certainly attractive for the circumstances in the Netherlands. After all, we hardly have to deal with harsh and persistent winters. For those few days when the world turns white, you don’t really want to have to change the tires from summer tires to winter tires all the time. And vice versa in the spring.
All-season tire compromise
An all-season tire is somewhere in between winter and summer tires and can therefore be used all year round. That seems very easy at first glance. But as is often the case with a middle ground, it’s really not suitable for both extremes. In the snow, for example, an all-season tire does not have all the advantages that a real winter tire has; whoever wants to drive off on a slope in a mountain village will really have a problem. If you really want to be sure that your car has the best tires, choose winter and summer tires.
On the other hand, if you want to slow down, there are surprises according to the tire test. Winter tires perform slightly better on snowy surfaces. Still, you need more than the double braking distance on summer tires compared to all-season tires. On dry and wet roads without snow, the all-season tires have to recognize their multiple in the summer tires. In that respect you can say that the meat is neither fish nor the lesser of both worlds.
Something for you? Look at the AutoWeek sources
It is best to check whether all-season tires are suitable for your use. You can read that in the AutoWeek tire tests. And if you want to mount them on your car, a visit to the AutoWeek Car Tire Price Comparator is handy.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl