Do you still think a 4x4 doesn't need winter tyres?

Tire Rack’s team shows the real difference between a conventional tyre and a winter tyre in slippery conditions.

During the winter, road conditions become more complicated. Cold, rain, snow or ice are some of the enemies drivers must face. In this sense, using the right tyres becomes vital. To demonstrate it, Tire Rack’s team has made a video showing how a winter tyre compares with an “All-Season” one (for all seasons of the year) in slippery conditions. If you still think a car with four-wheel drive shouldn’t use winter tyres at this time of year, I recommend you pay attention to the video…

From minute 1:38 of the video, Tire Rack’s team carries out a series of tests on a skid pad with two identical Toyota RAV4s: both cars are 4x4s, and the only difference between them is the type of tyre: one uses winter tyres and the other “All-Season” or “all-weather” tyres.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL2AGFNCWMujcmO125SWztXyS0DEHcIz4i&v=dhpG251vK8s

More than half a second’s advantage in acceleration

During the first test, acceleration from 0 to 19 metres, the car with all-weather tyres took only 3.7 seconds to cover that distance, while the one with winter tyres did so in 3.1 seconds.

Almost 7 metres of difference in braking

During the braking test, the performance difference between these two compounds on slippery surfaces becomes even clearer. The All-Season rubber needed 17.3 metres to come to a complete stop, travelling at only 19 km/h beforehand. To perform the same manoeuvre, the winter compound needed almost half that distance: 10.7 metres.

Increased traction

The final test between these two cars was used to check cornering traction of these two tyres. The first (all-weather) left the corner’s path, while the other was able to perform the same manoeuvre without touching any of the cones.

Tire Rack’s team also carried out the same tests with a Toyota front-wheel-drive Camry. The results were practically identical, except that this model did suffer from some lack of traction in the acceleration test.