What is the difference between all-season tires and regular tires?
2 Answers
All-season tires and regular tires differ in appearance: All-season tires have the "AT" marking on the tread, where "A" stands for "all" and "T" stands for "terrain"; Regular tires have wider tread grooves, providing better drainage, making them more suitable for use in rainy summers. All-season tires, also known as multi-purpose tires, are designed to adapt to various road conditions. Tires are often used in complex and demanding conditions, enduring various deformations, loads, forces, and high and low temperatures during driving. Therefore, they must have high load-bearing capacity, traction performance, and cushioning performance, while also requiring high wear resistance, flexibility, and low rolling resistance and heat generation.
I've always thought all-season tires are much better than regular tires (commonly known as summer tires). Regular tires only perform well in warm weather, providing strong grip in hot conditions. But when winter comes or during rainy days, the rubber hardens, becoming as dangerous as ice skating, with brakes prone to skidding. All-season tires, on the other hand, are made of more flexible materials that maintain elasticity across different temperatures. In light snow or light rain during winter, they still offer some grip. For those living in temperate regions, using all-season tires year-round saves both hassle and money, eliminating the need to purchase an extra set of dedicated winter tires for rotation, thus saving on storage and labor costs. Although they may not be as stable as professional snow tires during heavy snowfall, they are sufficient for daily commuting for most families. A set of all-season tires can last several years with low average costs. This is how I avoid the hassle of changing tires during cold snaps.
