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All-weather tires vs winter tires

With the winter season involves the prospect of replacement tires, long queues in the workshops and the problems associated with the storage of summer tires, etc.. It seems that the way out of this situation are the tires year-round.

Motointegrator
30.11.2016
All-weather tires vs winter tires

But whether such a solution works in every case? What are the pros and cons of what tires universal and the conditions under which a check? How to choose tires – tires winter or year-round?

Drivers with a high degree of caution, but also curiosity approach the all-season tires. Members cars are wondering what it really differ from seasonal tires and why the producers of tires instead of one type produce even a dozen different types of tires? Is it just a desire to draw the driver’s pocket as much money? Many users wonder „why-year tires are always pushed to the margins – after all, is the perfect solution!” This sentence is true, but only under specific conditions.


The construction of all-season tires


Let’s start from scratch, that is, the construction of all-season tires. As the name suggests, this type of tires combine the most important advantages of both summer tires and winter tires. It is not a big secret that both of these types of work in very different conditions, and therefore to reconcile all these features in one tire is very difficult.


Summer tires are designed for driving on dry or wet medium, so the tread is less aggressive and slightly lower, to minimize rolling resistance and noise generated. The grooves between the individual elements are also slightly wider, to efficiently drain water off the surface of the tire footprint. Noteworthy is the rubber compound. It is harder to withstand the higher temperatures and increased exposure to abrasion.


Completely different winter tire, which also holds a different blend and construction. The tread is much more aggressive. This is due to the fact that it is designed to discharge large quantities of snow of different consistency, as well as the mud and water. A characteristic feature is the special fins, which is characteristic incisions on the tread. When driving, they expand and grip the snow, so that the adhesion is extremely high. To achieve the effect of urging apart the slats, the blend must be sufficiently soft and resistant to low temperatures. Summer tires in the cold becomes extremely hard, making their grip decreases drastically. Winter tires are as soft to provide adequate traction, but the use of them in the summer can lead to very rapid wear.


So how do you create a year-round tire? It’s quite simple – to create a tread of the fins, but in smaller amounts, in order to maintain stability in summer and winter at least sufficient adhesion. It should also be used as a soft blend, in order not hardened the winter. But at the same time not too soft, the summer has not been wiped off after a few thousand kilometers. Malicious they find that what is all this for nothing … and will have a good point. Although not entirely …

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