I understand that any tire is a series of compromises. The pliability of a tire at lower or higher temperatures would be a product of the compound mix utilized. I would expect the pliability of some compounds (like in all seasons) to be fairly linear and others to be more of a curve with temperature. For example I would suspect a near R-compound Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec tire would start to very rapidly lose grip in subzero temperatures, just like a like a winter tire might lose grip in a nonlinear way in temperatures above 90F.

I am of the belief that generally winter and summer tires use a softer compound that wears faster than all season tires. I have also been told all season tires tend to not grip/bite in the snow after about 40% treadwear. Even though I live in the snowbelt it is so seldom that I am driving on an unplowed road that I honestly considered buying summer tires to run year around but I was concerned how safe they would be at low temperatures and in light snow/slush. Even though it is not mandated I would think all season tires typically use a compound that is softer in cold temperatures than what summer tires use. Just visually comparing the void area and sips between summer tires and all seasons many of them looked very similar. Do you think there would be much difference in performance?

I have used Blizzaks in winter on the interstate with no snow covering and felt very little connection to the road. They were really loud as well and at 70 mph it felt like I was going to break traction and fly into the barrier wall. Albeit this was years back and the snow tires were a size smaller than normal and narrower to bite the snow better. The way the sips are designed cornering in the dry in winter can be pretty dicey too. I notice that with my all season tires the grip seems to improve a lot after just a few minutes of driving that warms them up.

Your source sounds like pure sensationalism, plain and simple. Tires do not suddenly lose their pliability at some threshold, below which they become dangerously slippery on clean, dry asphalt.

A few points:

• All season tires are not all the same. The requirements for a tire to earn the M+S rating (mud and snow) and be considered “all season” are very general, simply describing what basic tread pattern is acceptable (25% void area, etc). They do not dictate anything about the rubber itself.
• Some snow tires use much harder compounds which aren’t very pliable at all when cold. This does not prevent them from working well in deep snow, but they will have mediocre traction when they can bite asphalt.
• In all likelihood, a soft, well-siped snow tire like the Blizzak will have worse dry traction than any given summer or all-season tire at 40 degrees F.

Oftentimes accident reporting by TV journalists, or by the police by way of the press will have dramatics added to spice up the story. I think this is the culprit here.

It’s been 20 degrees F here in the last week and I still have my summer tires on. They have less traction than when hot, but the reductuion is approximately linear with temperature. I’ll put the Blizzaks on soon, but I’m not in any hurry to start wearing out my tires if we aren’t getting snow.

All season tires can be used safely in snow, just as snow tires can be used safely in 90 degree weather. There are many reasons why you wouldn’t want to do either one, but neither guarantees disaster. Ultimately, safety is the responsibility of the driver.

Thanks for the comments!

-Chris

I am far from an expert on tires, but I worry this advice is going to get someone killed. Just recently here there was a fatal crash that was believed to have happened when summer tires lost their pliability, which supposedly happens around 45F, the ambient temperature was 40F at the time. I am told all season tires maintain their pliability to about 10F. Depending where you live it can be too cold for Summer tires even during Summer nights.