All Wheel Drive Vs. Snow Tires

If you live in an area that receives frequent snowfall, you know that driving in winter is completely different than driving in the summer. While all-wheel drive and snow tires can help, they do so differently.

Benefits of Snow Tires

Snow tires have deeper treads than summer or all-season tires. Those deeper treads enable them to more easily travel through snow.

Benefits of All Wheel Drive

In a front-wheel-drive or real-wheel-drive car, a skid can turn into a spin or slide, depending on the conditions. An all-wheel-drive vehicle is less likely to do so because power transfers to the wheels with the most traction.

Which is More Important?

The consensus is that for most snowy driving, a set of good winter tires will be more useful than all-wheel drive, since the tires are the part of the car always in contact with the road.

Issues

If you choose one or both during winter driving, it's still important to test traction in various areas by tapping the brakes at very low speeds. Even with snow tires, a slide can occur.

After the Snow

The deep tread of a snow tire makes it less useful during warmer months, so be sure to have a new set of tires to put on your car come spring.

References

• Edmunds.com Feature on Winter Driving
• CNN on Why to Buy Snow Tires