Do You Need Snow Tires with AWD, 4WD, FWD?

If you live in an area that experiences colder weather, chances are you’ve had to drive through snow. You might even have an all-wheel drive (AWD) or four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicle specifically because you want to feel safer as you drive through ice, sleet, slush, and snow.  

The tires you probably have on your car are all-season or all-weather tires. These tires are designed to have long tread life and low road noise for driving on freeways and side streets. They are the most versatile type of tires, but they’ll slip and slide in extreme weather conditions. 

For people who live in extreme winter weather, yes, you should consider getting snow tires. 

All-Season vs Snow Tires

What are snow tires? What's the difference between snow tires and all-season tires?

Tires to handle ice and snow are generally referred to as snow tires. Snow tires will have flexible tire material and deep grooves for better traction and grip in uneven surfaces. This works well enough for lighter snow, but for heavier snow you’ll need studded snow tires or even tire chains. We have a separate article about winter tires, explaining all you need to know about winter tires, all-season tires and all-weather tires. 

For now, know that if you’re expecting to drive through snow, you should probably consider swapping out your tires for winter. So what winter tires should you get? We’ll be breaking down the best snow and winter tires depending on the type of vehicle you have. We’ll also briefly cover winter studded tires so you know when these are necessary for your situation. 

Snow and Winter Tires for AWD Cars

All-wheel drive (AWD) cars apply power to all four of your car's wheels, though not necessarily equally. Typically, AWD sends more power to the front, while 4WD sends more power to the back. In some vehicles, all four wheels are powered equally. The best way to find out if your vehicle is AWD with front-wheel bias is to check your owner's manual.

So, if you’re in a situation where the front of your car is stuck, you may be able to pull your way out with the back of your car, and vice versa. However, just because a car is AWD doesn’t mean that it can effortlessly handle every weather condition. 

AWD vehicles tend handle well in slippery situations, as the car’s system sends power to whatever wheel currently has the most traction while you’re moving. In snow and ice, you can easily lose traction, so how does a snow tire help? 

A snow tire like the Bridgestone Blizzak has thicker, stiffer blocks and a softer tread compound that won’t harden in cold conditions. This tire will help you maintain traction in snowy conditions and reduce the chance of your car sliding, but it won’t last very long in dry conditions. The treads will wear down far faster on rough surfaces like roads and you may notice some discomfort in handling and road noise. This is why you should consider switching all-season tires out for winter tires when the weather gets cold.

To find winter tires for your vehicle, select Shop from any page on our site, enter your vehicle’s specs, and then in the left column under Filter & Sort, select “Winter”.

See How to Store Your Seasonal Tires for information about the best ways to store summer and winter tires when they're not on your vehicles. 

Snow / Winter Tires for 4x4 or 4WD Vehicles

Four wheel drive (4WD) or 4x4 vehicles have similar challenges as AWD vehicles in snowy conditions. The benefit of driving a 4WD vehicle is that you have a far easier time accelerating in rough conditions like off-road where your vehicle's system engages both the front and rear axles to power through resistance. But a 4WD system will do very little on its own to improve grip and traction in snowy conditions. You can still slide and slip while braking, which is why tire tread is important. 

To improve this, you need a winter tire that is specifically built for snow and ice. A 4WD system may help you recover from a situation where your car loses traction, but a winter tire will help prevent the slip from happening. Winter tires have treads that help maintain flexibility in colder weather, as well as deeper grooves and irregular edges that are designed to grip ice and snow. 

Because of this, an all-terrain tire may not work as well in deep snowy conditions. Let’s take the Michelin X-Ice Snow that’s a winter tire specifically meant for 4WD vehicles. This tire has a soft rubber compound that provides optimal grip in cold weather. It will also have far better performance in snow or wet weather situations than an all-terrain tire.

What About RWD or FWD: Do You Need Winter Tires for AWD?

Rear-wheel drive and front-wheel drive are the most common types of transmission systems that cars have. If your car has these systems, you’re probably wondering: Will snow or winter tires even help me?

Rear-wheel drive systems built after 2012 actually come equipped with fairly advanced traction control systems, according to cars.com. These systems improve acceleration in snow and ice, as well as preventing fish-tailing by applying brakes to the wheels in a slipping situation. Because of this, you can still use your newer RWD or FWD vehicle in snowy conditions.

But that does mean that you’ll need winter tires to improve your traction, if you live in a location that gets a lot of snow. Because so many modern vehicles use a RWD system, we recommend putting your vehicle's exact make and mode into Tire Agent’s tire matching tool. Simply navigate to the shop tab at the top of the screen and enter your vehicle information. Then, narrow your search to winter and snow tires. You’ll find tires that will maintain grip and prevent slippage in tough snowy situations. 

What About Studded Winter Tires?

In the most extreme of winter weather, you’ll need more than just winter tires to drive through the snow. For this, we recommend studded winter tires that either have protrusions similar to cleats on a soccer shoe, or they have divots that allow you to manually install snow studs. These studs will stick into the snow so you can maintain traction in the toughest of situations, such as snow on a mountain. Keep in mind that these tires will be uncomfortable on normal roads and may even be banned in certain states and during non-snowy seasons.

SHOP SNOW TIRES NOW

If you want to learn more about studded winter tires, we have a separate article explaining all you need to know about them and if they’re necessary for your situation.

Knowing which tires to buy for your vehicle and where you live can generate more questions than you expected. If you have questions, contact a Tire Agent expert, or use the green chat feature in the lower left corner of your screen!

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