Q & A - Tires

Q: Is it OK to drive with winter tires on your vehicle in the summer?

A: Driving with winter tires during the summer can cause several problems for both your vehicle and your wallet 🚗☀️❄️. Winter tires are specially engineered for cold weather, snow, and ice — not hot pavement. Here are the main reasons you should avoid using them in warm months:

1. Faster tire wear
   Winter tires are made from a much softer rubber compound so they stay flexible in freezing temperatures. In summer heat, that soft rubber wears down very quickly. A set of winter tires can lose a huge amount of tread in just one hot season.
2. Poor handling
   The softer tread blocks squirm more on warm roads. This can make the vehicle feel less stable during cornering, lane changes, or emergency manoeuvres. Steering may feel less precise and “mushy.”
3. Longer braking distances
   On dry and wet summer roads, winter tires usually do not grip as well as all-season or summer tires. This can increase stopping distance, especially during sudden braking.
4. Reduced fuel economy
   Winter tires often create more rolling resistance because of their aggressive tread design and softer rubber. Your engine has to work harder, meaning you burn more fuel ⛽.
5. More road noise
   The deep tread patterns designed for snow can make the ride noticeably louder on dry pavement.
6. Heat damage
   Summer heat can actually damage winter tire compounds over time. Excessive heat buildup can weaken the tire and reduce its overall lifespan.
7. Less effective emergency performance
   Winter tires are designed to bite into snow and slush. In warm conditions, they do not perform as effectively during high-speed evasive moves or panic stops compared to proper summer or all-season tires.
8. You shorten their winter usefulness
   Using them through summer means less tread depth remains when winter finally returns. Since winter tires rely heavily on deep tread and siping, worn winter tires become much less effective in snow and ice.

A good rule in Canada is:

• Put winter tires on when temperatures regularly stay below about 7°C.
• Switch back to all-season or summer tires once temperatures consistently rise above that.

That way you get the best safety, handling, and tire life year-round 👍

Source: Some or all of the content was generated using an AI language model