Depending on the climate you live in, seasonal changes can be subtle or extreme. Some regions of Russia have very temperate climate with rainy winter season and hot summer. Others experience short hot summers followed by long, very cold and snowy winters. All-season tires are not good for all regions and conditions of use. So, the climate in which you live should determine your attitude towards all-weather tires.
In the article we will consider the pros and cons of all-season tires, how to choose them, including what kind of all-weather tires are for SUVs (UAZ Patriot and other models in particular), Gazelle and what sizes all-weather tires have.
What is all season
All-season tires are tires that perform best in moderate conditions. Compared to winter tires or summer tires, all season tires handle a variety of weather conditions better than others. They are universal and good news. The bad news is that this versatility means, according to many reviews of the all-season, that it behaves poorly in both heat and cold.
Pros and cons of all season tires
But above, we noted not the only advantage and disadvantage of the all-weather season. In fact, rubber has its own characteristics, and the requirements for operation in different weather conditions dictate its manufacturers. high quality materials from which such rubber is to be made.
| pros | Minuses |
|---|---|
| Savings due to year-round use: no need to keep 2 sets of tires for one car and pay for tire service | Reduced driving performance at temperatures below 2-10 o C on average |
| Ride comfort | Not suitable for severe frost or snowfall |
| Reduced noise level in winter | Bad performance on ice |
| Versatility | Higher price for all season tires than for summer tires |
| Excellent wet weather performance for most all-season tires | |
| More long term protector service |
However, when using different models available tires individual performance will be different. Some tires are also labeled M+S, meaning they are better suited for mud and snow. These tires will have better traction.
Also, do not forget that the behavior of all-season tires on SUVs, as well as small trucks, like the Gazelle, will be different. In general, all-season tires feel good on UAZ Patriot and other models in sizes 75 r16c and above, that is, with not very wide sizes and enough high profile and radius, but the leading criterion is, of course, the mass of the car itself, which uses all-weather tires.
How are these tires designed?
When tire manufacturers develop all-season tires, the main factors they consider are:
- durability of tread wear,
- the ability to drain water in wet conditions,
- road noise,
- ride comfort.
Other factors such as cold weather play a factor, but to a lesser extent.
Tread wear life is estimated based on average use under normal operating conditions for various types Vehicle. For all-season tires, it depends mainly on the composition and density of the rubber, and affects the ability to maintain grip with a minimum amount of wear. Harder rubber compound will have longer tread life but lose traction more easily, whereas a softer rubber compound will have better traction in a variety of conditions but is more susceptible to wear.
Ability all season tires removing water from its tread prevents a condition known as hydroplaning. Hydroplaning is when a tire's contact patch cannot expel water on the road fast enough to touch the roadbed, and essentially rides over a watery surface. This is a very dangerous phenomenon for the driver and passengers of the car. Tire manufacturers design their tread blocks in such a way that water flows from the middle of the tread to the outside. The channels and lines cut into tread blocks are known as "grooves".
The tread pattern of a tire also plays a role in the amount of noise transmitted to the passenger compartment. vehicle. Tire designs include interleaved or staggered tread blocks to minimize humming noise from road contact. Road noise is a problem at highway speeds, and poorly designed tires are noticeably noisier than higher quality tires.
The rubber used in an all-season tire is resilient and tough enough to create harsh impacts that transfer vibration from impacts to the cabin. To improve ride comfort, tire manufacturers strategically design sidewalls to be softer and more gentle on potholes and potholes. In general, the smaller the sidewall, called the profile, the stiffer your ride will be. Moreover, the profile is measured as a percentage of the width of the tire, and its larger indicator does not always mean that the actual profile is larger. For example, tires for cars size 235 65 r17 will be taller than 215 65 r16c but lower than 205 70 r15. The latter are often used on SUVs and crossovers, such tires are installed on the Niva, some UAZ models and foreign SUVs.
Which is better: all-season tires or winter?
All season tires are the best option for universal conditions driving when you decide to save money or for other reasons not to change tires between seasons, but they work best in conditions above 2-10 degrees. Below this temperature, the rubber compound in the tire becomes significantly harder (hardening), which increases the stopping distance and greatly reduces the chance of losing traction.
Can you drive with all season tires in winter? If you drive in cold and snowy conditions only occasionally - you live in the southern regions of our country, then all-season tires may be the best choice for you. If you live in a climate that experiences several months of cold weather and snow, consider a separate kit. winter tires for temperatures below 0 degrees. They improve grip cold weather and slippery conditions.
And here are typical owner reviews about all-weather tires in Russian conditions:
I never rode winter tires. You might think that I'm crazy, but in the conditions of the Krasnodar Territory you will look stupid with them even in deep winter. All season is my choice.
I went on studded tires and Velcro, but after I moved to the all-season, in principle, she copes with a little bad weather. But I like to ride them in the snow; slush is more difficult to ride than velcro, and if deep snow falls, chains may be required in this case. Although most of the time I don't worry about safety and I'm still alive... for now... (Heavy SUV owner)
An all-season tire is one with a heavy mountain and snowflake emblem, seemingly for winter, but the manufacturer also does not recommend using it all year round. The only all-season tire that would be suitable for Russia is the Nokian WRG3.
All-season tires and legislation
Is it possible to ride in winter and summer on all seasons? Legislation in 2019 clearly regulates the use of winter and summer tires by month. But our legislation does not mention all-weather tires, and regarding winter tires, we are not talking specifically about tires for winter, but about studded tires. In particular, the operation of any winter tires is prohibited in summer, and all-season tires are not winter tires. But in winter it is forbidden to use summer tires, as well as tires with a residual tread depth of not more than 4 mm (clauses 5.5 and 5.6.3 in the bill, called the Technical Regulations). The only point is that the all-season must have one of the markings:
- designation with a sign in the form of a mountain peak with three peaks and a snowflake inside it (see the figure below).
Thus, according to the law, all-season tires are not forbidden to be driven all year round, regardless of conditions.
How to choose all season tires
From the point of view of buying all-season tires, you should look at the following selection criteria:
- all season price
- durability / service life of tires and a guarantee for the service life,
- local weather in your area,
- type of vehicle (Gazelle, passenger car or SUV),
- driving style,
- all-season tire size.
These considerations will help you choose the best all season tires at a good price. Look for tread types and marking speed ratings that match your riding style, but know that higher performance also comes at a higher cost.
All season tires - great choice for late spring, summer and early autumn months. They perform well in dry conditions and can handle wet weather during these seasons. But since in most regions of Russia winters are cold, long and often bring severe adverse weather conditions in the form of snowstorms and snowfalls, Winter tires today are safer.
Best All Season Tires 2019
We analyzed about a dozen test drives of all-season tires from different manufacturers from different reviews under different conditions. Many all-season tires crossed there, on the basis of which we were able to choose the best of best models all-weather tires, the rating of which is presented in the list below. In the list we give the name of the all-season and the overall average score that she scored according to the results of the overall rating from various sources.
The best all-season for cars, crossovers and SUVs
- Michelin Defender T+H - 9.2/10
- Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 - 9.1/10
- Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia – 9.1/10
- Michelin Latitude Tour – 9.1/10
- Yokohama Avid Ascend - 9.0/10
- Toyo Versado Noir - 9.0/10
- Falken Sincera SN250 A/S - 9.0/10
- BFgoodrich Advantage T/A Sport – 8.9/10
- Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max - 8.8/10
- Goodyear Assurance TripleTread AS – 8.8/10
- Michelin Primacy MXV4 - 8.8/10
However, when it comes to all-season tires for Gazelle or other light trucks, then Kama for 2019 is the leader in sales in this segment. It's all about the cheapness of the all-weather Kama with its not the worst driving characteristics.
Summary table comparing rubber types
Now let's compare winter non-studded ("Velcro"), winter studded and all-weather tires according to different conditions use!
| Winter studded | Winter Velcro | All season | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread Pattern |
The protector has holes with metal studs. Aggressive tread design and sifting (thin sipes in the tread) cling to snow and ice and repel slush. |
Aggressive tread design and sifting provide stability by displacing snow and repelling water and slush. |
Tread pattern to reduce noise and ensure comfortable ride With low resistance rolling during warm temperatures. In winter, snow and slush clog the canals. |
| Terms of Use | severe winter conditions With big amount snow and ice. | Harsh winter conditions with lots of snow. | Warm, dry and mild wet conditions |
| Rubber composition | Designed to maintain softness at low temperatures for maximum traction on ice. The best choice for heavy snow and slippery ice. | Designed to maintain softness in cold temperatures for maximum snow grip. | Typically a more complex compound to increase tread life that loses traction at 7°C and below. |
| wet ice | |||
| hard ice | |||
| soft snow | |||
| packed snow | |||
| Wet asphalt(+7oC) | |||
| dry asphalt |
How important is the fit of tires to different weather conditions, you can understand by watching at least one Formula 1 race. More than half of the comments are a discussion of which tires are on which car, whether they need to be changed, how many laps they have completed, etc. In a grand prix, a change in air or asphalt temperature by a couple of degrees can seriously affect both the result and safety . What can we say about seasonal fluctuations in our continental climate?
So what is the relationship between temperature and tire choice? - Direct. Everyone has ever seen spectacular shots of how objects immersed in liquid nitrogen break: super-low temperatures destroy bonds and the object becomes fragile. But even a difference of 10-20 ˚С can radically change the properties of matter. All this is true in relation to rubber as the main component. car tires. The lower the temperature, the harder the tire. At the same time, its grip properties are reduced, which negatively affects handling and braking. As the temperature rises, traction increases, rolling resistance increases, and as a result, fuel consumption and tire wear increase.
In order to balance these processes, tire companies have developed summer and winter tires that differ in chemical composition and tread pattern.
The rubber used in summer tires is harder, withstands contact with asphalt heated in the heat, is quite wear-resistant. Its properties are balanced between grip and rolling resistance, the tire is elastic enough to "keep" the car on the laid course, but does not wear out after 100 km of run. At low temperatures, the tire becomes stiff, and the ability to confidently contact the road is rapidly reduced, the rolling process begins to look more like a slide.
Winter tires have a softer rubber compound, therefore, at positive temperatures, it becomes very soft and wears out quickly. But when the thermometer reads below 0, the winter tire is flexible enough to allow you to drive confidently. Apart from the chemical composition, the winter tire may be more porous to increase the contact area. This is especially good for driving on ice, when the smallest bumps cling to an almost smooth surface, shortening the braking distance.
The boundary temperature for both types of tires is +10 ˚С. When it is installed, it is better to “change shoes”.
As for the drawing, then in the summer version it has more longitudinal and outlet grooves, which are necessary to remove moisture from the contact patch and reduce the effects of aquaplaning. The same drive grooves are typical for winter tires, but they are deeper, and the blocks they separate are larger. Part of the pattern has a transverse orientation for better grip with a slippery surface.
This is also served by a large number of sipes (small cuts in the profile blocks), which make the tire more elastic and adaptable to the surface. To improve traction on slippery surfaces and snow, studs can be installed on winter tires.There are also so-called "all season" tires. This is the most budget option, but it has more disadvantages borrowed from summer and winter tires than merit. So, in summer, these tires wear out faster due to their greater softness, and in winter they are less elastic. Best of all, "all-weather" behaves in near-zero temperatures.
How to distinguish summer tires from all season tires? What is written? And further
- Drawing on car tires.
If the temperature rises, you need to change the shoes of the car in summer tires. What are summer tires...
All tires are designed for specific conditions. And under the wrong conditions, tires become ineffective. But the worst thing is starting to fail directional stability, manageability and braking properties. The car responds late to the steering wheel, reluctantly responds to pressing the brake pedal.
What are summer tires good for?
They have great resistance to the effect of floating in puddles (hydroplaning). The surface pattern of summer tires helps this, it is equipped with a large number of longitudinal grooves for water drainage.
Depending on the operating conditions, summer tires are divided into 3 types: road, off-road and universal.
Road - The tread pattern consists of checkers or ribs separated by grooves.
The use of off-road tires leads to increased consumption fuel, and they buzz very strongly on the pavement.
All-purpose or mixed tires. There is a variety universal tires- the so-called "M+S" type.
One point will help you distinguish the summer "M + S" from the winter one: the latter always has a #916; badge on the sidewall.
In general, it is better to buy rubber in specialized stores.
Before you buy tires, look at the owner's manual for your car. There you can find out the appropriate dimension and tire speed index. It is important that all tires are not only of the same manufacturer, but also of the same model, with the same tread pattern.
What is a tread pattern for? ?
The pattern provides traction, the best is an asymmetric pattern, as deep as possible.
Tires with a V-shaped tread pattern are better suited for dry asphalt.
Tire size
In winter, it is better to install narrower tires, and in summer - wider ones. It is worth paying attention to the sizes recommended by the manufacturer.
All tires also differ in speed index
The load and speed index is indicated on the side surface of the tire and has, for example, the following form: 90T. 90 means a load of 600 kg per tire, and the letter T corresponds to top speed 190 km/h The faster the vehicle can reach, the more large index speed you need to take tires.
At the time of buying summer tires there is an opinion that it is better to take used ones, but from good manufacturer than new, of dubious quality.
Tire pattern: what fundamental difference?
Tire tread patterns are divided into three groups: non-directional, directional and asymmetric.The former have a pattern symmetrical to the cross section of the wheel. In this case, the most optimal interaction of the car with the dry track is ensured.
If the image retains symmetry with respect to the longitudinal section of the tire, then it is referred to as directional. Such models are made in order to most effectively get rid of water at the point of contact of the rubber with the road, so these tires provide maximum comfort on a wet track.
In the event that the pattern does not have symmetry, it is classified as asymmetric. Such tires are considered a universal option. Usually one half of them has a pattern suitable for driving on dry roads, and the second on wet roads.
Each manufacturer produces tires with a different pattern, but everyone follows the basic rule: the wider the grooves and the less checkers and diamonds, the better wheels will behave on wet roads and vice versa. .
- spell
- on the all-weather season, along the entire circumference of the rubber, there are 2 or 3 deep rain grooves. plus snowflakes can be drawn
- everyone writes something smart ... here is a picture, everything is clear here))
- Of course it does!
Eagle and Ultra GripBut better take Michelin
If you mainly drive around the city - a non-studded X-Ice 2 - I drove all last winter, the quality is exceptional
if outside the city, or in the city, the roads are not cleaned at all, then the spikes are: X-Ice North XIN2All seasons, like everything universal, does not work very well both in summer and in winter.
- One of the advantages of a tubeless tire is the long-term pressure retention during a puncture, and, consequently, SAFETY! In addition, a tubeless tire is much lighter than a tubed one, which means that it loads the suspension and wheel bearings less, and also heats up less during long speed driving. tubeless tire marked with an inscription on the sidewall Tubeless. Chamber Tube Type.
DIVISION OF TIRES INTO SEASONAL CLASSES.
The classic division of tires into seasonal classes: summer, winter and all-season. The belonging of a tire to a particular class is determined by a mass of various criteria, the main of which is the tread pattern.
A summer tire has relatively shallow tread grooves; tread protrusions, as a rule, are of a large area, and they either do not have any or very few small slots (lamellas). Designed for dry weather.
The tread of a winter tire has a large pattern, with deep and wide grooves, with a large number of small slots that provide grip on slippery roads. Due to this pattern, the winter tire rolls rather hard and makes a lot of noise, in addition, it wears out quickly, because it is made of soft rubber.
Winter tires are divided into three main groups: studded (sold with studs installed at the factory; their operation without studs is undesirable), non-studded and those that can be used both in studded and non-studded versions (produced with sockets for studs; studding on service station) . Studded tires are certainly good on icy roads and in snow - the chance of skidding is low and the stopping distance is minimal. But on a clean hard surface, the spikes only get in the way: when braking, there is a danger of blocking the wheels and skidding, because the steel spikes glide well on the asphalt. Modern technologies allow you to create non-studded winter tires that can hold on ice no worse than studded ones.
Winter tires are marked on the sidewall M + S, which means Mud + Snow (Mud + Snow); some manufacturers also write Winter (Winter).
All-season tires are marked on the sidewall with either All Seasons (All seasons) or Any Weather (Any weather). Some manufacturers get by with abbreviated versions of these inscriptions: AS and AW, respectively.
Rain: the main elements of the rain tire tread are a deep water evacuation channel that divides the tire into two half-tires (it turns out, as it were, two narrow tires in one wide one), and obliquely cut transverse grooves through which water is ejected from the contact patch, which dramatically reduces the likelihood of aquaplaning, i.e. e. sliding on the water film at high speed.
Off-road tires, like passenger cars, are also divided into seasonal classes, although for them the binding to the season is not a determining criterion. Basic for off-road tires specialization in specific off-road conditions. Virgin snow, deep sand, swamp, rocks, etc. for each of these nominations, their own, highly specialized tire models are produced.
Tires of the highest classes are made according to special, racing technologies, which imply a sharp tightening of tire requirements in all respects: ultra-strong, ultra-wear resistant, super-fast, ultra-light on the go, etc.
Most manufacturers designate top-class tires with the HP (High Performance) and UHP (Ultra High Performance) indices.
TIRE MARKING.
A lot of different designations are applied to the sidewall of the tire.
Type inscription 255/35 18 ZR. Sometimes the speed category is entered into the size designation, and then the inscription looks like this 255 / 35ZR18.
255 tire profile width expressed in millimeters. This is the linear distance between the outer sides of the sidewalls of the tire, measured at nominal inflation pressure, without taking into account the height of the marking relief.35 tire series. This is the ratio of the profile height (half the difference between the outer diameter of the tire and the mounting diameter of the rim) to the profile width, expressed as a percentage. The series is one of the most important parameters that determine driving performance tires; the lower it is, the racing tire. Design radial tires allows
- Goodyear EAGLE VECTOR EV-2
Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons
This is an all-weather rezion of the Goodier brand.
