There are a lot of differences between passenger cars and SUVs, where the SUVs are larger and heavier and tend to be safer vehicles according to crash and survival data. They do however both need to use winter tires or at least winter approved tires when driving in winter conditions. All-season tires are not intended for winter use and are therefore not approved for those conditions. The reason why they aren’t approved is that the rubber compound used in them will become hard as they are optimized for warm temperatures, not freezing levels. Winter tires have soft rubber compounds that allow them to stay flexible and agile in order to…

When it comes to winter tires, they used to be called snow tires as they were used once you had a snowfall, nowadays they have evolved and nowadays snow tires is used synonymously with winter tires, as that better indicates their ability to also handle ice and slush that frequently occur during the winter. Winter tires now refer to tires that are approved for winter use and have the severe service emblem aka snowflake (3PMSF) symbol. This is different from the M+S marking that just indicates that the tread can handle mud and snow due to more transverse tread placement and self-cleaning tread. When it comes to winter tires that…

Tires that are made for electrical cars should have very low rolling resistance. They now have tires that have ultra-low rolling resistance. The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2, which are winter tires that was originally developed for BMW’s unique electric car i3. These tires combine ultra-low rolling resistance with ultimate grip and excellent driving comfort. These tires will get you 30% further on each charge compared to ordinary tires. The low rolling resistance was first developed for electric cars to ensure that they could get distances that would make sense between each charge. We have now reached ultra-low levels. When you purchase new tires, even if it is all-season tires or winter…

There is no doubt that dedicated winter tires provide the best performance in severe winter conditions, but it does require that the tires are mounted on your vehicle before the snow arrives. If you have all-season tires on your car, it is not safe to drive in winter conditions as the tires turn hard at low temperatures and the tread is not designed to handle snow, ice and slush. Winter tires are the ultimate choice for severe winter conditions and give the ultimate performance on both snow, slush and ice. Studded tires are the original winter tires and they use metal studs to create excellent grip on icy roads. They…

All-season tires are great for most seasons. Even though they are not meant for severe winter weather and don’t hold the “Three Peak Mountain Snowflake” emblem, they are a great choice in many areas of the United States where the weather stays mild year-round. There are lots of benefits with all-season tires and probably the reason for their popularity. In fact, most cars leave the manufacturer with all-season tires. The benefits of all-season tires are numerous with low rolling resistance and all year round use probably being the most important. The lower rolling resistance will allow for better fuel economy and the all year-round use allowing for the use of…