Can I Drive on Winter Tires in The Summer?

It can be both pricey and time-consuming to have your tires swapped out for the upcoming season, which leads many to ask the question; can I just keep driving on my winter tires through the summer?

All-Season vs. Winter Tires

All-Season tires are made with versatility in mind, able to provide sufficient traction on road surfaces at a variety of temperatures and traction levels. All-Seasons have the ability to perform well even in some wet and slippery conditions. Those living in locations that stay pretty dry over the winter may not need to switch to a seasonal tire at all.

However, if you live in an area that sees heavy snowfall and icy streets, such as here in the Salt Lake Valley, it’s important to ensure that your tires can handle these circumstances. This is where winter tires shine, built to provide sufficient traction in inclement weather. The rubber compound of all-season tires become stiff in cold weather, and don’t have the proper traction patterns to disperse water effectively, making winter tires a must for many in the winter months.

Winter tires make use of a specialized soft rubber compound as deep tread to maintain adequate traction. The soft rubber prevents the tires from over-stiffening in the freezing cold, and aggressive siping allows for the tread to bite into packed snow and ice. 

Effects of Driving on Winter Tires Year-Round

Although it can seem appealing from a financial perspective to simply keep driving on your winter tires through the hotter months, there are a multitude of reasons why this can be a bad idea.

Increased Tread Wear

For one, the soft rubber compound that’s essential for winter performance is not tailored for high heat. The extra-soft compound becomes too pliable in summer conditions, causing the material to break down and the tread to degrade rapidly, leaving you in need of replacements much sooner.

If saving money on replacements is your goal, forcing your winter tires to deal with summer temperatures may be one of the worst things you can do, as you’ll likely need a new set of tires anyways before the winter comes back around. 

Decreased Traction

Not only does driving on winter tires year-round cause rapid wear on the tires itself, it can also become dangerous for you and your passengers.

This is due to the reduced traction that winter tires see in summer conditions, as the soft rubber compound becomes too pliable at these temperatures. Since the tread will be too soft to create proper traction, your vehicle will experience increased stopping distances and reduced grip that could land you in some unsafe circumstances.

Reduced Efficiency

Also due to the softer rubber compound, driving on winter tires during warm months can drastically reduce your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. Soft tires have increased rolling resistance, making the engine work harder to push your vehicle to the desired speed.

The Wrap Up

The answer to if you can drive on winter tires year-round is a hesitant yes, as they’ll still get you to where you need to go (say, a tire shop). However, the important question rather is should you drive on them year-round? By forcing winter tires to cope with the circumstances of hot weather, you open yourself up to a number of problems, including rapid wear and potential safety issues.

In the end, it’s always a good idea to ensure your vehicle is running the proper type of tire. Not only will this provide you with superior traction, it may also counter-intuitively save you cash down the line as all-season tire tread will provide much better durability in summer conditions. 

Tire Replacements at Matson Point S

If you need your tires swapped out for the season, or require any other tire services, don’t hesitate to contact the friendly team at Matson Point S in Riverton, Utah. Our experienced advisors will help walk you through the tire replacement process, and ensure that they’ll be up to the task of the upcoming season. Give us a call or schedule online today!