Tire Types
Winter Tires
Winter tires are designed first and foremost to provide outstanding grip on snowy, wet, and icy road surfaces. Unlike summer tires, winter tires contain a higher amount of natural rubber meaning they stay flexible in temperatures below 7 degrees celsius, providing better stopping distance.
While advantageous in the winter months, winter tires should not be used during the summer season. Their rubber compound is too soft for dry roadways and will wear down faster than usual. Plus, their rolling resistance leads to high fuel consumption and more road noise. A good set of both winter and summer tires is key to driving safely year round in the Maritimes.
All-Season Tires
All-Season tires combine certain characteristics of both summer and winter tires to create a hybrid solution with some of the benefits of both types of tire. If your area has mild conditions in the winter (rarely falling below freezing or very little snow/ice on roadways), all-season tires can be a good alternative as they cut down on overall costs and save time on tire changes. Still, all-season tires are not tailored to specific conditions like summer and winter tires and, as such, are often not as capable in many regions.
At Coast, we can give you further guidance on your area and your driving to see if all-season tires would be a good fit for you.
All-Weather Tires
Winter tires are designed first and foremost to provide outstanding grip on snowy, wet, and icy road surfaces. Unlike summer tires, winter tires contain a higher amount of natural rubber meaning they stay flexible in temperatures below 7 degrees celsius, providing better stopping distance.
While advantageous in the winter months, winter tires should not be used during the summer season. Their rubber compound is too soft for dry roadways and will wear down faster than usual. Plus, their rolling resistance leads to high fuel consumption and more road noise. A good set of both winter and summer tires is key to driving safely year round in the Maritimes.
Summer Tires
Summer tires are created using a dedicated rubber compound delivering excellent grip and better handling in dry and wet roads in warmer weather conditions. Additionally, they feature reduced rolling resistance, providing greater fuel efficiency and less road noise.
This dedicated compound is very advantageous in the warmer months, but becomes hard and brittle in temperatures below 7 degrees celsius. Additionally, the streamlined tread design cannot adequately handle snow and ice. A good set of both summer and winter tires is key to driving safely year round in the Maritimes.
Studded Tires
Studded tires are a special type of winter tire, featuring all of the same advantages of the cold weather rubber compound and increased tread depths and patterns while also including small metal studs to maintain traction in heavy ice conditions.
Because of the studs, these tires are only designed for the heaviest winter conditions, create greater road noise, and may cause some discomfort while driving. Additionally, they are only street legal during certain times of the year, depending on your province.
EV Tires
EV tires are designed to tackle the particular weight, torque, and efficiency challenges of modern electric vehicles. EV tires carry a heavier load than that of an equivalent internal combustion engine vehicle and must withstand high instant torque, both of which require stronger tire construction and more dynamic rubber compounds.
The greater mass and inertia of EVs means longer braking distances, so EV tires are specifically designed to provide optimal grip, and the tires’ minimal rolling resistance ensures your vehicle is operating as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
