M+S or Summer Tires
This is the question we Vancouverites ask a lot with the change in the season because of the west coast weather. When you worry about the weather, it usually isn’t even an issue the next day. Why is that? It’s because we call it Raincouver. It rains a lot here. The last time we checked for snow here was two years ago, and even in 2021, snow wasn’t noticeable. Do you really need four sets of tires for a few days? If you live outside of Greater Vancouver, it’s a completely different story. However, if you work in the city, the battle is just between summer and all seasons.
Advantage of Summer Tires
Summer tires have a performance advantage over the all-season tire. Because of their small depth of tread and softer composition, summer tires provide superior handling and braking than all season tires. A solid pair is still good for most vehicles and drivers, but if you truly need to have performance (and your vehicle is capable of the top tire) then summer tires can be the way to go. Summer tires are designed for great traction, whether the road is hot, moist, or heavy. They are manufactured using a tread compound that has sticky additives for road traction in wet weather, (the mixture of rubber and fillers making up this tread).
Advantaged of All Season Tires:
When compared to summer tires, all-season tires have a deeper tread depth. They are typically made of a harder compound, which gives them a longer tread life. Summer tires’ shallower tread depth allows more rubber to make contact with the road (which has advantages) but causes the tires to wear out faster. So, if you want a long tire life, go with all seasons, and to be very precise, you can use all the seasons’ tires even in winter in Vancouver.
In other cities like Toronto or Calgary, the options are easy to choose from. All the drivers we know have two sets of tires, one is for summer and the other one for winter. We Vancouverites deal with mostly rain and a few days of Christmas snow. The summer tires, designed for dry and humid circumstances, are high-performance tires but are not advised for snow or ice-driving, which lose stability in freezing weather.
The Winner in Vancouver
It’s hard to debate which one you should choose. But for a city drive in Vancouver, you can beat all the weather with all seasons tires. As we don’t see much snow here in Vancouver, having three different kinds of tires isn’t recommended. If you live outside of Vancouver, we advise you to have winter and summer tires.
In any case, if you end up getting stuck on the road with the need for a flat tire change or an engine breakdown, don’t hesitate to call us. We’re at your service 24/7!