of tires designed for the harsh winter conditions . All-Season vs. Winter Tires Rogers explained that all-season tires are a jack-of-all-trades but master of none . `` All-season tires are n't really tuned for any one area , and suffer from not being optimum for any one area because it is compromised to be capable in all areas , '' he said . He explained that winter tires -LRB- they 're just not for the snow -RRB- focus their attention on the exact conditions you 'll most likely be facing during the winter season . `` They key of a true winter tire 's capability is that you have a specialist , he said . `` A product that is designed to work the best in the cooler winter season temperatures , say below 45 degrees , a tread pattern and tread compound that are designed to take bites out of the snow and work well on packed snow and ice ; something that an all-season tired just is n't optimized to do . '' He explained that today 's winter tires have come a long way : `` They go beyond the deep aggressive lug ` snow ' tire
-LRB- AOL AUTOS -RRB- -- I remember driving in eastern Pennsylvania one winter following my brother home on an hour-long trip . It had snowed earlier that morning , and by the time we got on the road the plows still had n't reached the back roads we were on . I was driving a front-wheel drive Acura Integra with all-season tires while he had a 4WD Grand Cherokee with the proper tires for the road conditions . The idea was that he 'd plow me a path to drive through as best as he could . We were just asking for something to go wrong . Not even a half hour into the drive home , I came around a corner too fast , briefly lost control and steered myself right into the front yard of a farmhouse . Luckily I did n't hurt myself or anyone else , but that day I learned what it meant not to have proper traction for the road conditions . Recently , I talked with Woody Rogers from The Tire Rack to learn about the differences between all-season tires and winter tires along with the basics to consider when purchasing a set