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A lot of the decision depends on your car, where you plan to drive, your location.
I like to call all-seasons "wet-traction tires." That's really what they are. They can handle light snow, like a few inches, and they are very good in the slushy snow melt. I run winter tires in winter. I call summer tires "useless." I've actually gotten stuck in loose gravel with summer/track tires.
I have to ask what kind of summer tires you tried because summer tires are known for their good dry and wet characteristics in 45+ degree weather compared to A/S.
I have to ask what kind of summer tires you tried because summer tires are known for their good dry and wet characteristics in 45+ degree weather compared to A/S.
I don't remember. It was whatever came with the car, so what the manufacturer put on for cars sold in Texas. Granted, I was doing a ton of highway driving in those days and iirc, I got stuck in gravel around 50000 miles on those tires; they were very bare by that point.
I run Bridgestone RE970 All Seasons now and swear by them.
A lot of the decision depends on your car, where you plan to drive, your location.
I like to call all-seasons "wet-traction tires." That's really what they are. They can handle light snow, like a few inches, and they are very good in the slushy snow melt. I run winter tires in winter. I call summer tires "useless." I've actually gotten stuck in loose gravel with summer/track tires.
If you're concerned, spend the money for peace of mind. On a car like the Ford Fusion which has a standard-sized wheel, you're looking at $100-130 per winter tire. You don't run them all year so they should last at least 4 winters, maybe several more depending on your driving habits. Safety and peace of mind is worth $400-500 to me.
I have a Hyundai Genesis Coupe, which is a RWD sports coupe with lots of torque. I run all-seasons for fall/spring/summer, winter tires in winter. Winter tires for that mofo cost me about $375 per tire, but they were worth every penny going over mountain passes in the snow. That is precisely the worst car to drive in winter conditions but with the winter tires on I have never gotten stuck. I'm judicious about where I drive and don't try anything crazy... stick to well-travelled roads with it, however the difference in cold-weather and snow performance between the two is... well... quite noticeable to say the least. Worth every penny.
I also have a 4x4 Chevy Blazer and with winter tires on, it performs much better too in the snow and ice.
I keep close track of the mileage and buy new ones when I go past the rated mileage for the tires.
If at all possible, DO NOT buy studded tires. They are not that much of an advantage these days, given the high-tech computer-drawn tread and rubber compounds used today. They perform better in certain very specific ice conditions, but in general, studless winter tires are more than sufficient. Studded tires destroy the roads. We all pay for that.
All-season tires are more aptly long lasting tires. They're jack-of-all-trades, mediocre at everything good at nothing. Summer tires do better in wet or dry as long as it's not cold. Winter tires do better in wet or snow. All-season tires are the worst in the rain (not cold), and middle of the pack in either dry or snow/cold performance. Thing is summer tires are absolutely terrible in cold weather whereas all-season tires are just only bad in the rain. The other thing is wear. All-season tires just last a lot longer. Depending on type of tire and driving style they can wear very quickly. Ultra-high performance you're lucky to get 20k out of them, less if you drive aggressively and/or on RWD cars with staggered wheels where you can't rotate. If you're only getting 6k though like another poster did, that's alignment. That or doing donuts/track. Even driving aggressively on ultra-high performance tires worst I could manage was around 9,000 (best of about 12,000) on the rears. Fronts lasted a little over double that but were always close enough to worn to be replaced with every other rear tire.
Ultra-high performance all-seasons actually are a decent compromise in that they wear okay and aren't completely awful in the cold while not being as lousy in dry/wet conditions as other all-seasons are.
Most quality radials are built for all seasons. The tire compounds are now developed to the point of near absurdity. In short, if you have an AWD, FWD, or 4WD ANY of the modern radials will suit you fine in the winter so long as you have 5-6/32 of tread left (Read: 35-48% of the tread remaining). Most tires start with 11-12/32 of an inch.
The need for "snow tires" is now relegated to RWD vehicles, trucks, and areas where Bob Newhart could make reruns....they just aren't necessary anymore. Can you get stuck without them? You bet. Ergo the need to keep chains and/or cleats, a bag of kitty litter or sand in the trunk, 3 20 min road flares to literally burn an ice patch down in order to pave out a kitty litter launch and get you going again....not so much for safety although they are good for that too, and good, tow-rope 20' in length or more and you can probably skip the exercise of "snow tires".
And before anyone's tampon falls out regarding the flares, try one on an ice patch and you too will be mesmerized, your car won't blow up and no, you don't need to get the heat so close as to melt your tire...it will do that on it's own through transference....don't laugh, it works and it's gotten me out of at least 3 hopeless stuck situations....in 10 minutes or less each.....kick the loose snow and slush aside, burn away....drive in as little as 10 minutes....dries the road out a bit too.
If you have ever been caught in a spot and it's 20 below or more you know precisely what I am talking about.....
Funny how the strongest advocates against winter tires likely have no direct driving experience with them. You don't buy winter tires to keep you from getting stuck. You buy them to keep you safe (and to avoid at fault accidents that could lead to thousands in damages and increased insurance premiums).
I have experience with both good 4-season (all terrain) tires and dedicated summer/winter tires with a swap done in November and again in April. My driving is all within the city (Minneapolis/St Paul) and the winter set are vastly superior at keeping me safe, especially with stopping distance and cornering. In fact, I would categorize most AT tires as being frankly mediocre in most aspects of winter and summer driving. My summer tires greatly outperformed wet weather/heavy rain conditions. Since each set is only run part of the year, the tread on the combination last longer.
If you can afford the cost of a spare set of wheels, many tire shops in cold weather states will store them for you (for a fee, and in some cases, for free). My appointments to get my tires swapped takes 15 minutes of my time and it includes balancing and tire rotation. Its a small cost to pay to be safer in winter (especially with kids in the car).
Yep, it's about being able to stop sooner and faster. No amount of kitty litter or tire flares will help in these situations.
Exactly. I got rearended this past winter because I was able to stop to avoid hitting a sudden road obstacle. The guy behind me in a relatively new Hyundai with AT tires couldn't stop, despite having left decent stopping distance. Notice the lack of snow and visible ice on the road in the background. His car did not fare well.
My cars that are driven all year long have this set up; a summer set and a winter set. The summer sets are usually comprised of very high to maximum performance tires while the winter sets are the cheapest winter tires available.
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