Can you get by with all-season tires? Experts answer once and for all

Winters that are more wet than white, semi-annual changes of summer and winter tires, and now also fines for drivers using summer tires in winter.

It’s no wonder many motorists have turned their attention to all-season tires.

All-season tires are not just an easy solution; they are also categorized as winter tires, making them legal to use in winter.

Until now, all-season tires haven’t been a truly good solution for either summer or winter, but it now appears that some tire manufacturers have finally cracked the code.

This is revealed by a new test conducted by FDM, in collaboration with several European car clubs, on 16 all-season tires in the 17-inch size (225/45 R17).

These tires are suitable for cars such as the VW Golf, Skoda Octavia, and Peugeot 308.

Of the 16 tires, five stand out positively, demonstrating good characteristics in both summer and winter.

Seven tires perform moderately well, while four tires are completely unsuitable even for the Danish winter.

All four of these tires are from Chinese manufacturers, and they fail both in terms of grip and sustainability.

Something We’ve Waited Years For

“The idea of being able to drive on the same tires all year round is fundamentally good. In practice, however, it has proven difficult to combine good summer and winter characteristics in one tire. In recent years, there has been significant development in all-season tires, and now the best of them have become so good that they can be a practical and good solution for many. This is something we have waited years for. However, the test also shows that you still need to be careful, as far from all all-season tires can be used all year,” says Søren W. Rasmussen, automotive technical editor at FDM.

The 16 all-season tires were tested in the same way as summer and winter tires.

The only difference is that they must possess the same good characteristics all year round, whether driving on warm, dry summer roads or wet and slippery roads far below freezing.

Far from all 16 all-season tires manage this.

Particularly the tires’ braking performance on wet and dry roads reveals significant differences.

In a wet road braking test, the best tire needed 31.1 meters to come to a complete stop from 80 km/h.

In comparison, the worst tire needed 42.6 meters. This means that where the car with the best tire in the braking test had stopped, the car with the worst tire was still traveling at nearly 41 km/h.

“Although the best all-season tires have improved in recent years, we must conclude that there are still no all-season tires that can simultaneously match a good summer tire and a good winter tire. So, while the best all-season tires can be a reasonable solution, there’s no getting around proper winter tires when true winter conditions prevail. Therefore, you should only choose all-season tires if you have the option to leave your car parked on days when winter truly bites, as all-season tires are still not suitable then,” says Søren W. Rasmussen.

All-Season Tires Are Not For Everyone

All-season tires can be an excellent choice for many motorists, but one must be aware of their limitations compared to dedicated winter tires. FDM advises against using all-season tires if you:

• need to drive year-round regardless of road conditions
• often have to drive before roads are cleared or salted
• live in areas not cleared of snow
• are unwilling to leave your car parked if heavy snow falls
• go on ski or winter holidays abroad
• have a car where dry road handling is a high priority in summer

This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, who may have used AI in the preparation