- Michelin Crossclimate 2 – Michelin Crossclimate SUV – My Personal Crash – Highest rated tire in the market, no handicap
- Goodyear Assurance Weatherready – Second Best with Rebate Options – Slightly noisy but worth every penny
- Firestone Weathergrip – Best for Budget – Solid for sedans and CUVs, tread life is uncertain for SUVs
- Nokian WRG4 – Nokian WRG4 SUV – Best for Winter Traction – Go with this one if you need a severe winter traction
- Vredestein Quatrac Pro – Best for Comfort – The most communitive SUV tire
Did you know, that the best all-season tires on snow actually have a special name for them? The ‘All-weather‘ tires. All-weather tires are often indistinguishable from all-season tires. Even so, they are very similar, however, they meet different customer expectations. In this article, I will explain everything you need to know about all-weather tires and share my ‘Top-5’ picks with you. Let’s begin!
- A side note here: I highly recommend checking TireRack Tire Decision Guide out before deciding on a tire. You can easily specify your priorities and get masterpiece suggestions in a minute.
Beneficial Links:
- TireRack Test Results: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/TireTestServlet?perfType=GTAS
- TireRack Tire Rating Charts & Reviews: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=GTAS
Table of Contents
What are All-Weather Tires?
All-weather tires are the evolved versions of all-season tires. While all-season tires only perform over 7 degrees Celcius, all-weather tires also perfrom perfectly in winter conditions.
All-weather tires can be located somewhere between winter and all-season tires. Therefore, they have common features with both of them. For instance, they can grip like winter tires but their tread lasts longer. Well, obviously, they have high-tech and specific compounds.
Due to their stiff compound, they can handle all severe winter conditions but they’re average on ice.
How Long do All-Weather Tires Last?
All-weather tires last longer than winter and less than all-season tires. While all-season tires last between 50,000 and 85,000 miles, that number decrease to 35,000 miles for a winter tire.
In summary, you might expect between 45,000 and 75,000 miles of wear life from all-weather tires.
Getting maximum wear life from a tire is related to you as well as your tire,
If you’d like to learn how to get maximum tread life:
Who Makes All Weather Tires?
Most tire manufacturers are able to build all-weather tires. Premium manufacturers like Bridgestone, Michelin, Pirelli, and Continental hold a couple of all-weather tires on their line-up.
Who Makes the Best All-Weather Tires?
In my point of view, the best all-weather tire makers are Nokian and Vredestein. These two European manufacturers have a long and successful history with all-weather tires. I have to admit that cold weather conditions in their country give them a huge advantage in that case.
If you don’t feel confident with these two then you can go with Michelin tires. They are great in this category too like any other tire category.
All-Season vs All-Weather Tires
Shortly, all-season tires are built for warm, dry, and wet conditions. Substances of their compound might disintegrate under 7 degrees Celcius. For this reason, they slide and wear faster in freezing weather conditions.
All-weather tires, on the other hand, can perform in dry, wet, warm, and most crucially mild winter conditions. However, they sacrifice a couple of features while improving their winter performance. You can check the below table for detailed information.
| All-Season Tires | All-Weather Tires |
|---|---|
| Can handle above 7 degrees Celcius | Can handle below and above 7 degrees Celcius |
| Can perfrom on warm, dry and wet conditions | Can handle mild winter conditions also |
| Have a longer wear life | Have a better grip |
| Might have M+S | Have a 3PMSF |
| Provide better MPG | Provide more comfortable ride |
Winter vs All-Weather Tires
Winter and all-weather tires are very similar to each other. However, they are different due to their built intention.
While all-weather tires can handle mild winter conditions and don’t have a handicap in warm conditions, winter tires can handle mild and severe winter conditions but have a huge deficiency in warm weather (above 7 degrees Celcius).
| Winter Tires | All-Weather Tires |
|---|---|
| Can handle below 7 degrees Celcius | Can handle below and above 7 degrees Celcius |
| Can perform on mild and severe winter | Can handle mild winter conditions and warm conditions |
| Have a better grip | Have a longer wear life |
| Have a 3PMSF | Have a 3PMSF |
| Provide more comfortable ride | Provide better MPG |
| Wear quickly above 7 degrees Celcius | Lasts longer |
Best All-Weather Tires for Snow
The all-weather tire concept showed up with the lack of all-season tires’ winter performance. So, they should perform perfectly in winter conditions. While I was making this list, I’ve put this one also into consideration. Therefore, tires in this list are also ‘Best All-Weather Tires‘.
Note: All tires on this list have at least an 8 out of 10 rating regarding any feature(Wet, dry, etc.). So, cons don’t mean they fail but get 8 points out of 10.
Michelin Crossclimate2 - Stay Safe Side Pick
Crossclimate2 is Michelin’s unique all-weather tire. I gave that beast to first place due to its wide application range and its specific design that allows performing smoothly at high velocity. It can be used on coupes, sedans, SUVs, and CUVs. It’s my stay on the safe side pick for this list.
Pros
As a former Bridgestone engineer, from my standpoint, Michelin Crossclimate 2 is all-round tire that at least gets 9 out of 10 for each evaluation criteria. This reliable tire can handle wet ground with ease due to its V-shaped tread pattern. Furthermore, its solid center section decreases its steering response time. Lastly but most crucially, it’s a beast in mild even in severe winter conditions. It can almost fully contact the ground due to its very well-siped but perfectly optimized tread pattern. Hence, it can perfrom even under the hardest winter conditions like icy innercity roads or untouched packed snow.
Cons
Despite specific features, it has 2 weak points. Firstly, it’s niggardly noisy. Secondly, it might hurt your MPG a bit. These cons are caused by its huge traction and grip capability. However, I’m pretty sure that these little deficiencies won’t bother you at all. Moreover, it’s totally worth sacrificing for its massive pros.
In case you need a detailed review –> Michelin Crossclimate 2 Review
Nokian WRG4 - Beast
WRG 4 is a Nokian’s all-weather tire. Nokian is a manufacturer that is known for its highly successful winter tires. Well, that’s expected from a manufacturer that faces to hardest winter conditions for 10 months in a year. Due to its unique tread design and high-tech freezing durable rubber, it’s my favorite pick on this list.
Pros
Nokian WRG4 is a monster on wet due to its wide-open shoulders and asymmetric tread pattern. If you need a solid tire for pouring, I kindly ask you to stop reading now and go on with Nokian WRG4. Its unique compound helps it to grip even in slippery conditions. Moreover, this fluffy compound makes you feel like driving over cotton. Lastly, its very well-siped and asymmetric tread helps it to hold to the road even in the hardest winter conditions.
Cons
Nokian WRG4 is a perfect tire for those who need traction. Yet, if you need a fuel-efficient and long-lasting tire, it’s not suitable for you. Due to its intensely notched rubber, its rolling resistance is sky-high. Well, it’ll hurt your MPG. The other weak point is tread life. Fluffy compound brings a disadvantage this time and its compound wears a bit faster than Michelin Crossclimate2.
Vredestein Quatrac Pro
Vredestein Quatrac Pro is another all-weather tire that is built by a Dutch manufacturer. Quatrac Pro has also a wide application range like Nokian WRG4 have. This tire can be used on sedans, coupes, SUVs, and CUVs. It’s known for premium light-snow traction capability. I recommend this tire for short and not a deuce of harsh winter seasons.
Pros
Vredestein Quatrac Pro is the budget-friendly pick on this list. This tire has highly capable of griping wet and light snow. Due to its double-steel belt structure, it has solid handling ability. Quatrac Pro’s symmetric pattern makes it a good choice for low MPG lovers. This feature is hard to reach for all-season tires. Lastly, its fluffy rubber makes it one of the quietest and most comfortable tires on this list.
Cons
In return for a fluffy compound, Vredestein Quatrac Pro’s tread life is limited. Furthermore, its only rib-type pattern decreases its traction ability on deep snow. Its wide circumferential grooves help it to evacuate water but they’re a bit wider for massive ice performance. Even though Vredestein says it has a low void ratio, it falls short for ice. Thus, its icy surface performance is highly limited.
Firestone Weathergrip
Firestone Weathergrip(review) is another special all-weather tire. In fact, it’s my second favorite pick after Michelin Crossclimate 2. Its design is almost aggressive as winter tires. So, if you also care about aggressive appearance, here is your tire. However, this aggressive look package consists of some bad attributes for it.
Pros
Firestone Weathergrip has extremely high traction ability. Due to its lug type and asymmetric pattern, it can perform smoothly on deep snow. Moreover, its highly notched rubber perfrom perfectly in squishy conditions. Due to its solid but divided center rib, it’s massive handling capability.
Cons
Even though Firestone Weathergrip has the highest grip ability among competitors, its aggressive pattern makes it very noisy. Moreover, lug-type patterns always consume more gasoline. Therefore, it’s not fuel-efficient at all. Lastly, its void area ratio is too high for good performance on the ice. Yet, its pattern covers it up a bit. So, its icy ground performance isn’t that bad but average.
Goodyear Assurance Weatherready
Goodyear Assurance Weatherready is a grand touring tire that is dedicated to severe winter conditions. Goodyear made a small difference on their all-season tires and create this beast. When you view it closely, you can clearly see its inner ribs and shoulders pointing in other directions. That feature increases its gripping ability but what for?
Pros
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady has huge massive and wet traction. Due to its 3D TredLock Technology Blades tech, it stays stable while cornering. Unlike most tires on this list, its winter capability covers ice also. Regarding riding quality, it’s also alpha plus. Its very well optimized(between soft and stiff) compound increases its gripping ability while don’t sacrifice tread life.
Cons
There’s nothing much I can talk about cons. Well, I have to admit that its pattern design will make it a bit noisy for sure. Yet, this noise won’t be intolerable. Another weak point of this design is increasing MPG. This type of design increases the frictional force which means an increase in rolling resistance.
Specs
| Michelin Crossclimate 2 | Vredestein Quatrac Pro | Nokian WRG4 | Firestone WeatherGrip | Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Grand Touring All-Weather | Grand Touring All-Weather | Grand Touring All-Weather | Grand Touring All-Weather | Grand Touring All-Weather |
| Vehicle | Passenger Car/Minivan/SUV | Passenger Car/Minivan/SUV | Passenger Car/Minivan/SUV | Passenger Car/Minivan/SUV | Passenger Car/Minivan/SUV |
| Available Sizes (Rim) | 16”, 17”, 18”, 19”, 20” | 17”, 18”, 19”, 20”, 21”, 22” | 14”, 15”, 16”, 17”, 18”, 19”, 20” | 15”, 16”, 17”, 18”, 19” | 15”, 16”, 17”, 18”, 19”, 20” |
| Made In | USA | Netherlands | Finland | USA | USA |
| Severe Snow Rated (3PMSF) | Yes (3PMSF) | Yes (3PMSF) | Yes (3PMSF) | Yes (3PMSF) | Yes (3PMSF) |
| Warranty | 60,000 Miles | 50,000 Miles | 65,000 Miles | 65,000 Miles | 60,000 Miles |
| Prices | Check price section to see best possible prices | Check price section to see best possible prices | Check price section to see best possible prices | Check price section to see best possible prices | Check price section to see best possible prices |
Price
The tire market has a dynamic price policy. Hence, in my point of view, sharing tire price is pointless.
Though, I’ve analyzed the top 10 brands of most popular tire brands.
Here are the dealers with a reasonable price range,
TireRack
- Fast and Free shipping
- Usually delivered in 1 day
- Joint venture with DiscountTire(their installers and dealers are on your service)
- Tons of installer options, they also help you to choose the best one
- Mobile installers in many areas, your tires will be replaced while you’re working in the office
- Tire test results and comparisons can be found on the most product page
- 4.6/5 points on Google rate
Michelin Crossclimate 2: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/michelin-crossclimate2
Michelin Crosslimate SUV: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/michelin-crossclimate-suv
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/goodyear-assurance-weatherready
Firestone WeatherGrip: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/firestone-weathergrip
Nokian WRG4: Not available
Nokian WRG4 SUV: Not available
Vredestein Quatrac Pro: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/vredestein-quatrac-pro
DiscountTire
- Biggest dealer in the US. Founded in 1960
- 1000 stores in 35 states. You most probably find one on your parallel street
- Free rotation and balancing
- 5% off for DiscountTire cardholders on online purchase
- Highest rated online tire dealer in Consumer Affairs
- Almost all brands are available
- Delivery takes 2-4 days (30% shorter average waiting time when you book online)
- Frequent discounts and promotions
Michelin Crossclimate 2: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/michelin-crossclimate2
Michelin Crosslimate SUV: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/michelin-crossclimate-suv
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/goodyear-assurance-weatherready
Firestone WeatherGrip: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/firestone-tire-weathergrip
Nokian WRG4: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/nokian-tire-wr-g4
Nokian WRG4 SUV: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/nokian-tire-wr-g4-suv
Vredestein Quatrac Pro: Not available
SimpleTire
- Free shipping
- Delivered in 2 days
- Verified shops near you(for mount and balance)
- Mobile installation option
- 7 million customers since 2021
- 4.7/5 points on Google rate
- Top-notch customer service, you may even request a price match
Michelin Crossclimate 2: https://simpletire.com/brands/michelin-tires/cross-climate2-a-w
Michelin Crosslimate SUV: https://simpletire.com/brands/michelin-tires/cross-climate-suv
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady: https://simpletire.com/brands/goodyear-tires/assurance-weatherready
Firestone WeatherGrip: https://simpletire.com/brands/firestone-tires/weathergrip
Nokian WRG4: https://simpletire.com/brands/nokian-tires/wr-g4
Nokian WRG4 SUV: https://simpletire.com/brands/nokian-tires/wr-g4-suv
Vredestein Quatrac Pro: https://simpletire.com/brands/vredestein-tires/quatrac-pro-as
While choosing dealers, I especially pay attention to reliability. All of the dealers on this list have 15-20 years of experience in the online tire business. Therefore, I can guarantee a smooth and fast tire buying process.
Conclusion
These are my top 5 all-weather tires. This list can be expended with tires like Toyo Celcius(product page) or Yokohama Avid Ascend GT(product page) if you don’t care much about your comfort. However, the below list can help you to pick the best one for yourself.
| Dry | Wet | Light Snow | Deep Snow | Comfort | Noise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michelin Crossclimate 2 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Nokian WRG4 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Vredestein Quatrac Pro | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Firestone Weathergrip | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Goodyear Assurance Weatherready | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
Take-Home Points,
- LT sizes have stronger sidewalls. That feature makes them more durable but less comfortable. I don’t recommend them only for inner-city driving. (LT vs P-Metric tires)
- XL sizes tend to carry more load and offer better handling. Hence, they might be a better pick for hauling and towing( XL vs SL tires)
- Please pay attention to load range and speed index. These metrics are essential if you expect decent tread life.
Pages that should be strictly checked before making a purchase:
- TireRack Deals: https://www.tirerack.com/specialoffers/specialoffers.jsp
- DiscountTire Deals: https://www.discounttire.com/promotions
- SimpleTire Deals: https://simpletire.com/tire-deals
- JustTire Deals (Goodyear, Cooper, Starfire, Kelly): https://www.justtires.com/en-US/offers
- Goodyear Deals: https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tire-sale
If you have any further questions, please leave them below. Worth reminding that, some of the tires in this list have SUV versions. If you have a big vehicle, you should take them into the consideration.
Guide Me Bruh!
This section contains my research and top picks. Depending on your need, you may choose a category and easily find the best fit for yourself. Remember, nobody knows your driving conditions and requirements better than yourself. You’re in the charge out here.
Start Here:
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