There seems to be a myth that you don’t need to have winter tires on your vehicle if you have an all-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive vehicle. The truth is a 4 wheel drive vehicle will end up in ditches just as often as any others due to badly educated owners who have only been sold on how good the grip and the forward traction is on these vehicles in any terrain. The truth is that the tires does not know whether they are placed on a 4 wheel drive or 2 wheel drive vehicle when they need to stop on ice or snow.
Proper winter tires can save lives and save you from costly accidents. Using winter tires can lead to a reduction of insurance payments for some insurance companies, so in addition to adding safety they also lower your overall costs. Keeping you out of accident is the key role of the tires and they do so by providing your vehicle with the best possible grip, traction and shortest braking distance on winter surfaces. They also need to be able to prevent you from slushplaning that can happen when you have a mixture of snow and water present and the it gets in-between the tires and the road surface.
For larger 4×4 vehicles you will need to have larger tire dimensions, where you would probably be looking at 275/65R18 all-season tires or 275/65R18 winter tires as the correct dimension of tires. These are big tires that even they will look rugged and able to handle any type of terrain and weather conditions. The look will not diminish the need for proper winter or winter approved tires. The all-season tires are not designed for cold temperatures and will become hard and lose its flexibility as the temperature drops. They also don’t have the proper tread pattern to handle snow and ice. They don’t have the necessary studs or grip particles added to create sufficient grip on snow and ice.
The winter tires that are made for all-wheel drive vehicles are optimized for cold weather and will remain soft and agile even at very low temperatures so that they can keep you safe on the roads. They will look just as rugged, but the difference will be that they can actually create grip on the snow and ice. They will not be good during the summer season as the heat will make them too soft and they will wear out very fast. If you want tires that you can use all-year round then you have to go for all-weather tires.
The all-weather tires can be used winters and summers alike, if they are approved for winter use. If they are the act the same as winter tires during the winter season, but they also have the capabilities of an all-season tire and can thus be used during the summer. The all-season despite the name shouldn’t be used during the winter season, only all the other seasons.
For more information regarding winter tires for all-wheel drive vehicles, visit: www.nokiantires.com