Simple considerations for choosing summer tires

What to buy — winter tires or all-season? This kind of problem can arise for every car owner. Essentially, it's something to think about. After all, equipping your four‑wheeled friend isn't cheap. Certainly, there's little joy in immediately spending money to buy both winter and summer tires. For those who want to save, all‑season tires are an excellent option.

To avoid confusion and make an informed choice, you should learn about the differences between all‑season, winter, and summer tires. Only after you've armed yourself with the necessary knowledge can you go to a specialty store to make a purchase.

Tires differ from each other in tread pattern and rubber stiffness:

Summer tires are made of hard rubber and have a tread pattern that ensures excellent grip on dry road surfaces.

Winter tires, on the contrary, are made of a special, very soft rubber. This is how you ensure proper driving on almost any, even the most challenging, roads.

All‑season tires are a good compromise; manufacturers believe they are used year‑round.

However, experience shows that it's uncomfortable to drive on all‑season tires in either summer or winter. And the manufacturers are not to blame here — they are right. It's all because of the Russian climate, which is characterized by extremely cold winters and fairly hot summers. And what about road surface conditions? Think about them, and it becomes clear why all‑season tires haven't caught on in Russia, although they'd be ideal for Europe. For this reason, the most optimal solution is to buy two sets of tires at once — summer and winter. Of course, some expenses will be necessary, but there are definite advantages.

It should be noted that you can save quite a bit when buying two sets of tires if you follow a few simple rules. For example, you can choose winter tires that are smaller in size; with all other tire parameters being equal, a smaller size will cost less. You just need to find the minimum permissible tire size in the documentation.

For example, when buying summer tires pay attention to speed ratings. It's quite likely that you never actually drive faster than, say, 150 km/h or 170 km/h. The price of tires rated for not especially high standard speeds is much lower.