Anyone who lives and drives in a region where average winter temperatures result in snow and ice on the roads should seriously consider snow tires. This applies to all drivetrains—even All-Wheel Drive (AWD) and Four-Wheel Drive (4WD), and especially Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) and Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD).
Many drivers don’t realize that a car’s drivetrain (AWD, 4WD, FWD or RWD) doesn’t affect how quickly a car brakes. That’s the job of your tires. Snow tires are designed with specific features and rubber compounds adept at handling slush, ice, and harsh winter driving.
Many new cars are sold with all-season tires but, despite their name, all-season tires are not optimized for all weather conditions, and they’re definitely not the best option for driving in winter weather.
Winter tires employ different tread patterns. These tread designs incorporate small slits in the rubber, known as “sipes,” which are specifically designed to shed snow and slush away from the grooves in the tread. This helps with accelerating, braking, and cornering on wet roads and in cold temperatures.
Further, winter tires handle icy conditions better thanks to softer rubber compounds that improve tire grip. In freezing temperatures, normal rubber hardens, which results in a less grippy surface. In addition to often having taller sidewalls, the softer rubber used on snow tires helps minimize this effect, meaning the tire can hold the road better in cold-weather driving conditions. In fact, in one Consumer Reports braking test, the testers found that snow tires stopped a vehicle more than 300 feet earlier in winter conditions than all-season tires did.
Many all-season tires are labeled “M+S” for “Mud and Snow.” However, other tires now carry the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol. The latter indicates that the tire has been rated for traction while accelerating on packed snow, but braking and turning are not a part of the 3MPSF rating evaluation. As such, while a 3PMSF all-season tire will perform better than an unbranded of M+S-branded all-season tire, neither will perform as well as a dedicated snow tire. Even studless winter tires, which are the best option in most cold-weather states, outperform all-season and M+S tires.
One key detail to remember when shopping for different type of tires is that, like summer tires, winter tires are not meant to be used year-round. While this does mean that you’ll need at least two sets of tires, the upside is that having dedicated winter tires will extend the service life of your all-season or summer tires. Based on tread depth, a typical tire’s lifespan can stretch up to 50,000 miles. Swapping in your set of winter tires every year will result in fewer miles being put on your primary set. You can also maximize your tire life by rotating them every 5,000 miles, maintaining correct tire pressure, and braking and accelerating smoothly.
aetb/iStock via Getty Images
Is All-Wheel Drive Good Enough?
By splitting the engine’s power among all four wheels evenly or by sending different amounts of torque to the wheels that need it, AWD and 4WD vehicles provide better traction on slippery roads than FWD or RWD cars. However, “winter-ready” AWD and 4WD vehicles can’t help you stop any quicker in snowy conditions. For that, you really need snow tires. Despite the name, the all-season tires on your AWD/4WD truck or SUV are good for all four seasons only in climates where winter doesn’t include much snow. Even with AWD or 4WD, if you need snow traction, you should invest in snow tires.
Olezzo/iStock via Getty Images
Should I Sell My Front-Wheel-Drive Car for an All-Wheel-Drive Car?
FWD vehicles send engine power exclusively to the front wheels. While FWD without snow tires won’t provide as much traction as AWD or 4WD with snow tires, a FWD car equipped with the right tires can handle wintry conditions, icy roads, and cold weather better than you may think. The reason? The engine, transmission, and other major mechanical components in a FWD vehicle are positioned on top of the front powered wheels, providing extra weight that—in combination with snow tires—can significantly improve traction.
In fact, a FWD sedan with snow tires sporting plenty of tire tread life can stop more quickly on wintry roads than an AWD or 4WD vehicle with all-weather tires, and it may accelerate better too, depending on the conditions.
djedzura/iStock via Getty Images
Is My Rear-Wheel Drive Car Safe in the Snow?
With RWD, engine power is sent to the rear wheels of the car, and weight is distributed throughout the vehicle. The result is improved maneuverability on dry roads, since these cars are balanced, with power and steering being handled by two different sets of wheels. While this makes for a fun driving experience (most race cars use RWD systems), you’re much more likely to fishtail or lose control of your vehicle in on snowy roads in a RWD vehicle, especially with summer or all-season tires. If you own a RWD car and regularly drive winter roads, we strongly recommend purchasing good winter/snow tires or putting the vehicle in storage for the season in favor of a more season-appropriate option.
Robert Pavsic/iStock via Getty Images
The Bottom Line
If you live and drive in a climate where snow and ice are common during the winter, snow tires will dramatically improve how your vehicle performs on wintry roads. AWD and 4WD vehicles are great, but won’t perform as well as you’d expect in snow without winter tires. A FWD vehicle with snow tires can also serve you well in the winter. If a RWD vehicle is your primary mode of transportation, consider finding a different car for winter driving. If that’s not possible, at least invest in high-quality snow tires. As an additional step to improve traction in a RWD car, you can add sandbags or other weights to the back of the vehicle—but that’s still no replacement for a winter-tire-equipped AWD, 4WD or FWD vehicle.
