Kal Tire wanted to demonstrate the different handling capabilities and characteristics of all-weather tires verses all-season tires. They set up a series of handling courses, in a controlled environment, so that we could experience firsthand, the impact of switching from all-season to all-weather tires.
BRAKING In the braking exercise, we tested the tires emergency stopping capabilities. We accelerated to 50 km/h, then hit the brakes as hard as we could. In each case, the all-weather tires stopped a distance of 10 feet shorter than the all-season tires. That might not seem like a big distance, but imagine slamming on the brakes in a snowstorm in rush-hour traffic. That could mean the difference between not hitting the vehicle in front of you, to ending up in potentially dangerous and expensive fender-bender. Extrapolate that to highway speeds, and the difference in stopping distances would be that much more impactful.
Kal Tire Test Rating Braking on ice at 30 km/k – All-Season Tire: 2.5 stars (out of 5) – All-Weather Tire: 3.5 stars – Winter Tire: 4.5 stars
Kal Tire Test Rating Braking on snow at 50 km/k – All-Season Tire: 2.0 stars (out of 5) – All-Weather Tire: 4.0 stars – Winter Tire: 4.5 stars
Kal Tire Test Rating Cornering on ice – All-Season Tire: 1.5 stars (out of 5) – All-Weather Tire: 3.0 stars – Winter Tire: 4.0 stars
Kal Tire Test Rating Cornering on snow – All-Season Tire: 2.0 stars (out of 5) – All-Weather Tire: 3.5 stars – Winter Tire: 4.5 stars
OUR TAKE Driving a two ton vehicle, on rubber tires, with four contact patches the size of your hand, on snow and ice in freezing weather, seems like a recipe for disaster. Winter driving on all-season/three season tires hinders the driver’s ability to defend themselves against Mother Nature’s cold weather offerings. The next rung up the winter driving performance ladder are a set of all-weather tires. They aren’t going to perform as well as a dedicated set of winter tires, but they are going to perform better in every respect compared to all-season tires. An additional bonus for all-weather tires, is they are suitable for use all year long. Switching from all-season to winter tires is a bit of a process, and requires the storing of a set of tires or wheels and tires throughout the year. That is not necessary if you have one set of all-weather tires.
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