Two or Four Winter Tires?

You were very polite with the questioner. In fact the front wheels do the majority of the braking and all of the steering so why would you put a lesser tire on the front when these are the two most important jobs tires do. Just look at the size of the front brake discs versus rear discs and you will see very clearly which tires do the lions share of the braking. Additionally IMHO all season tires are about the next best thing to useless. They don’t perform well as a summer tire or as a winter tire.

I spoke with the owner of Kal Tire, he is an old high school friend and I trust him. I bought 4 all season radials for my X-Terra ax. While in there I quizzed him about the dedicated winter tires. He tells me that they are constructed in such a way that when cooler temperatures prevail, they are softer and thus adhere to the road better. he further advises that if they are put on too early or left on too late in the season, they will wear out at a much, much faster rate due to their softer materiel. I thought this may be a good point to mention as this would reduce their tread depth and thus their safety and traction.

I too began my lengthy driving career in rear wheel drive vehicles with winter tires on the back and summer (later “all seasons”) on the front. I agree that traction in winter was manageable with that configuration. However, I have found that it is not the same with front wheel drive. As the majority of passenger vehicles on the road now are FWD, perhaps it should have been emphasized that putting tires with less traction on the rear of FWD vehicles will compromise vehicle stability on snow and ice. Even the common practice of putting new tires on the front, and the “best of the rest” on the rear, is asking for trouble.

You mentioned in the article only “All Season”, now more appropriately named “3-Season”, and winter tires. There is a relatively new category of “All Weather” tires that should be mentioned. All Weather tires are winter rated, but suitable for all year use in BC’s varied climate. The designs combine features of 3-season tires with softer tread compounds to provide good traction in winter with reasonable tire life. Many come with tread life warranties only slightly less than comparable 3-season tires. Nokian and Nordman are the brands with the most All Weather options for passenger vehicles. Those brands, and may others including Michelin, Yokohama, and Goodyear, offer All Weather, or All Terrain winter rated, tires for Light Trucks, SUV’s, and Vans. For most of the province, they are the best option for 4WD vehicles that are driven primarily on pavement.

Finally, a suggestion for a future column. I think it would be helpful if you clarified for drivers the requirement for “winter tires” on certain roads. That should include the explanation of the “mountain snow flake” symbol, and that some All Terrain M + S tires are acceptable if they meet a minimum tread depth. Also, perhaps a comment on how the winter tire requirement is applied to motorcycles; I have heard that in some areas, the RCMP are more aggressive in enforcing that on motorcycles than the government is expecting.