The important points
- Winter tires have tread that’s optimized for grip and channeling slush away, and are made of a special rubber compound that doesn’t harden at low temperatures.
- Despite their name, all-season tires aren’t appropriate for winter in most of Canada. For winter, all-weather tires are better and winter tires are best.
- Winter tires are only mandatory in Quebec and most of BC, but are highly recommended in other provinces and territories.
What are winter tires?
Winter tires are pretty easy to define: they’re tires designed for use in winter. The confusing part is how they differ from the other types of tires.
Tires come in all shapes and sizes (okay, maybe not shapes). One of the most important ways to classify tires is the season or weather for which they’re designed. In that regard, there are four common types of tire in Canada:
- Summer tires
- Winter tires
- All-season tires
- All-weather tires
Depending on the manufacturer, you may see different names, such as a company that includes “performance” on a summer tire. But if you understand these four types, you’re well on your way to understanding which tires you need.
There are two main differences between these tire types: their tread and their rubber compound.
The tread is on the flat edge of the tire that makes contact with the ground. Different tread patterns and depths are useful for different purposes. Think of an off-road tire with deep treads for getting through loose gravel or mud. Then, think of the tires on a drag racing car — totally smooth to maximize their contact and traction on a flat, dry surface.
Rubber compounds are mixtures of rubber with various materials and chemicals. These can include polymers, antioxidants, plasticizers, and more. Different compounds give tires different qualities, such as firmness or temperature sensitivity.
Let’s look at the differences between the four main tire types:
Summer tires
Summer tires are primarily designed for warm, dry weather. They have shallower tread depth, which makes them more responsive in good road conditions. A shallow tread depth also improves fuel efficiency.2 The downside of the shallower tread is a shorter lifespan — summer tires need to be replaced more often than other types.
Summer tires are made of a compound that’s most effective at temperatures above 7°C; at such temperatures, they maintain their integrity and don’t become too soft for effective handling. But below 7°C, the rubber compound will harden, reducing their traction. While they can be used on most vehicles, they’re most commonly found on performance or sports cars.
Winter tires
Winter tires are designed for use in cold temperatures, including when there’s ice or snow on the road. They feature deeper treads, with more intricate tread blocks and with small grooves cut into them, called sipes. These tires are designed for optimal grip on cold pavement. They also do a better job of channeling away water and slush to help prevent hydroplaning, a dangerous situation where a tire floats on top of water on the road and can result in loss of control.
Another feature of winter tires, and the most often overlooked, is that they’re made of special rubber compounds that don’t harden in cold temperatures. This improves traction at temperatures below 7°C. The downside is that they wear faster in warmer weather, which is why it’s important to remove your winter tires in the spring. Dedicated winter tires are identified by a symbol on their sidewall that shows a mountain peak with a snowflake inside. If the mountain-and-snowflake isn’t there, it’s not a winter tire.
All-season tires
All-season tires are a compromise between summer and winter tires. Compared to winter tires, their tread isn’t as effective in cold weather, but their handling improves in warmer weather and they’re usually not as noisy. Their rubber compound also splits the difference, as they don’t get too soft in hot weather, but their grip isn’t as good in colder weather and they lose traction more easily than a winter tire.
Despite their name, all-season tires are more like three-season tires in most of Canada — they aren’t appropriate for winter in most of the country. But we’ll get to regional differences in the next section.
All-weather tires
All-weather tires are a relatively newer type of tire. They’re still a compromise between summer and winter tires, but their tread and rubber compounds are generally more effective in cold weather than with an all-season tire. And, they’re still usable in warmer weather. Like winter tires, all-weather tires carry the mountain-and-snowflake logo, and if you’re in a jurisdiction that mandates winter tires, they meet the requirement.
That said, they still aren’t as good as winter tires, and if you live in an area with severe winters, you’ll probably still want to use winter-specific tires.
Studded tires and tire chains
Obviously, there are countless types of tires. Aside from the four main categories above, it’s also worth mentioning two other things when we’re talking about winter driving: studded tires and tire chains.
Studded tires
Studded tires have rounded metal spikes inserted into their tread, like football cleats. These spikes, or studs, are meant to bite into ice or compacted snow to improve traction.
Studded tires are useful for vehicles that often drive on back roads that aren’t properly plowed, salted, or sanded. But, they aren’t really necessary for most day-to-day drivers. For one thing, studded tires are only permitted during the winter months in most provinces. We’ll mention studded tire regulations in the following section.
Something else to think about? Studies show that studded tires might actually perform worse than regular winter tires on snow and ice if the temperature is too far below freezing.3
Tire chains
Tire chains aren’t a type of tire, but rather devices attached to existing tires. They function like a removable set of tire studs.
Most personal vehicles have no need for tire chains.
Chains are more common on heavy commercial vehicles or vehicles driving on unmaintained roads. In fact, tire chains are restricted in many provinces, and not all vehicles are allowed to use them. A good set of winter tires will serve most people better on their everyday vehicle.
Choosing the right tires
So now you know the difference between all-season tires, winter tires, and other types. But how do you decide which tires to buy?
In almost all of Canada, it’s wise to have a set of dedicated winter tires. Most Canadian drivers have two sets: one set of winter tires, and another of all-season for the remaining three seasons. Even if your area doesn’t get a lot of snow, winter tires are better for cold weather; they do a superior job of gripping the pavement, and that improves braking distances and handling. In a few places, mainly BC’s south coast, the temperature is mild enough that all-seasons will work well year-round; but in most of Canada, all-season tires aren’t enough for winter roads.
Obviously, there are costs to switching your tires twice each year. Nevertheless, most Canadians agree that winter tires are worth it. Just don’t leave them on all summer to save money — they won’t last long.
