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All-season vs all-weather vs winter

The names overlap and the marketing blurs them. The real difference is the rubber compound and what it does below about 45°F.

Summer tires

The softest compounds and the most grip in warm weather, dry or wet. Below roughly 45°F the compound stiffens, grip falls sharply, and in freezing weather the tread can crack. They have no winter marking at all. Right for a car that is parked or re-shod when the cold arrives.

All-season tires

A compromise compound that stays pliable to somewhat lower temperatures, with more tread siping for wet and light snow. Nearly all carry M+S, which is a tread-shape designation with no test behind it. On packed snow and ice an all-season tire is dramatically worse than a winter tire, and in a cold snap it is noticeably worse than it was in summer. Right for mild climates and for warm-climate drivers who see a dusting once a year.

All-weather tires

All-season tires engineered to pass the severe-snow traction test and earn the three-peak mountain snowflake. The compound stays softer in the cold and the tread has more biting edges. The trade-offs are modest: a little more noise and wear, slightly less dry grip. Right for places with real winter where you won't keep two sets, which is most of the northern United States and Canada. Our all-weather class ranks them.

Winter tires

Soft, cold-weather compounds and deep siping, all with the snowflake symbol. On snow and ice nothing else comes close; on warm dry pavement they wear quickly and handle vaguely. Right as a second set on their own wheels where winter lasts months. We don't rank them here because performance depends heavily on the specific winter conditions; testers like Tyre Reviews and Consumer Reports do.

Choosing

The common mistake runs one direction: all-season tires in a real winter because the box said "all season."