summer tires, and all weather tires?Which would be best. I drive a 97 VW Cabrio and live in SE Wisconsin
snow tires have a deeper and wider tread to bush away snow, summer tires have a grip type tread so that its better control, and all weather tires have a little bit of everything
The differences are in what the tires are made of and the design of the tires. Summer tires are spacifically designed for dry summer driving and perform the best in them conditions, same with the winter tires, but they are designed for snow and ice conditions. All weather tires are designed to handle all conditions respectivly. I would recomend the all weather tires there.
Winter tires are not like All-Season tires. Winter tires have special rubber compounds designed to improve traction, handling and braking in all cold weather conditions, not just ice and snow. Winter Tires are designed to deliver safety and control in snow, ice, and cold weather conditions. Many people think that all-season tires can deliver this same performance, but this is not true. The superior traction that winter tires deliver, as much as a 25 to 50 percent increase over all-season tires, can very well be the margin you need to stop in time or turn to avoid trouble.
Snow tires have nail looking things coming out of the thread area and should only be used on ice and snow conditions. You can use the regular tires and just use snow chains that can be installed and removed very easily when needed. This way there is no need to keep switching the tires/wheels when you have to drive in ice/snow conditions. Snow chains come in different style and materials. Go down to the local VW dealer and see what they are selling and how much it costs. Then search on the internet for the best price. Sometimes the dealer price is not that much different. Remember, always use approved VW parts for the least amount of problem.
Summer tires are like a touring tire that have a normal decent tread for regular driving. Snow tires have a more aggressive, deep tread. Some even have little metal knobs in them (like cleats in football/soccer shoes). Where I live you can get ticketed for having those tires on your car during the summer. All season is like a touring tire with a little more aggressive tread. Any type of snow tire is best in the winter verses the others. I live in the mountains and I have a pontiac grand prix and I just put all season's on my car. I usually don't drive my car if there's over three inches of snow (then we use my husband's truck since we live in the mountains) most times anyway so I don't bother with snow tires. Best to go to your favorite garage and ask what they like the best. They can give you the best advice.
