Winter is Coming: Do I Need Winter Tires?

I have AWD or 4WD, do I really need winter tires?

View your complete guide to winter tires here, and other tire questions answered below. Remember: comment on the bottom of this post, telling us what character from which show is pictured to the right. Commenting will enter your name in to win $100 towards a new set of winter tires from Burlington Hyundai.

A very common misconception is that if you have an AWD or 4WD vehicle you don’t need winter tires. However, driving in winter conditions isn’t about the power of your vehicle – it’s about traction. Stopping, starting and cornering are controlled primary by the tires; a 4WD will accelerate more quickly in the snow, but when it comes to stopping and cornering it’s the same as any other vehicle. For the torque system in a larger vehicle to be effective in winter conditions, it needs to have snow tires to back it up.

“A 2WD vehicle will perform safely and securely in snow with the proper snow tires mounted on all four wheels. Comparison tests performed by automotive-enthusiast magazines in the snow have shown that a 2WD vehicle with snow tires on all four wheels will outperform a 4WD vehicle with regular tires,” according to Forbes Auto.

I know that seems hard to believe, but here is a video that does a great job of showing the exact differences.


The same goes for AWD vehicles; they’re extremely effective off the mark with accelerating since you have the power of all four tires going for you to start, but they’re less effective when it comes to stopping and maneuvering. While driving an AWD vehicle is definitely better than a RWD in the snow, putting snow tires on that AWD vehicle is absolutely the best bet.

Also, 4WD vehicles often come with wider tires, which don’t dig through snow as efficiently due to the wider surface area; this can cause the vehicle to slip around when steering and braking. And as you know, 4WD vehicles are typically larger and do not have the naturally ability to brake as quickly as smaller cars.


Image via  Off the Rivet blog