The difference in winter tires starts with the rubber compound, which remains flexible during cold weather rather than hard like all-seasons. Deep grooves (1) in the unidirectional tread blocks (2)clear snow and slush efficiently; small cuts, called sipes (3), grip tiny variations in slick surfaces.
All-seasons wear longer because of harder rubber compounds. Drainage channels (1) limit hydroplaning; fewer grooves (2) mean better dry-surface grip. Bidirectional tread (3) allows tires to be rotated to both sides of the car.
Braking
“I’ll be fine, I have all-wheel drive.” It’s called all-wheel drive instead of all-wheel stop for a reason. On all-seasons, the AWD car stopped in the longest distance. On snow tires, both cars came to a halt about a car length sooner—often the difference between a close call and a call to your insurance company. So long story short, Winter Tires will drastically improve your braking distance.
Acceleration
The difference between Winter Tires and All-Season Tires in terms acceleration time is not that great.
Cornering
This is a very important part of the test, this will allow you to go around an obstacle and back on track safely. Luckily, this is the best result for winter tires, make sure you are riding on winter tires if you often drive on curvy roads, or at higher speeds.
Uphill acceleration
Going uphill on snow or ice can be quite difficult. Especially if your car is heavy and if you’re towing a trailer or anything. On this particular test, having All-Wheel-Drive is the best thing you can do for yourself, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that winter/snow tires do help quite a lot.
