Summer or all season tires in Quebec: the real choice for the warm months

The all season tire promises to do everything; in Quebec it mostly makes two compromises: less grip in summer, no legality in winter.

Grip, wear, noise and three year cost

A summer tire uses a compound designed for temperatures above 7 degrees Celsius: it brakes shorter on hot, wet asphalt than an all season tire, whose rubber is a compromise between cold and heat. On a compact car, the wet braking difference from 100 km/h often exceeds a car length.

Since the law requires a set of winter tires from December 1 to March 15 anyway, the all season tire only runs eight and a half months a year, exactly like the summer tire. Over three years, two dedicated sets each wear half as fast and the total cost is comparable, with better safety in both seasons.

The one case where the all season keeps an edge is the winter rated all weather tire bearing the mountain and snowflake pictogram, for drivers who cover few kilometres, mostly in town. For everyone else, a touring summer tire and a Nordic winter tire make the safest and most economical pair.