Can I Use Winter Tires in Summer? What It Costs You
Can I use winter tires in summer? Legally, yes, but it is a costly habit. Ontario has no law against it, but a winter tire's soft compound wears out much faster in the heat, up to 60 percent faster, and it stops longer on hot roads, uses more fuel and runs louder. The better move is to take winter tires off in spring and run all-season or summer tires until the cold returns.
Spring arrives, a fresh set of winter tires still has plenty of tread, and the question follows: why not just leave them on? Nothing stops you legally, and the tires will get you around. The problem is what it quietly costs you, in tread life, grip, fuel and the winter grip you will want back next January. Here is exactly what running winter tires in summer does, and what to run instead.
Can I use winter tires in summer?
Yes, you can use winter tires in summer, and no law in Ontario stops you. They will roll, grip and stop in warm weather, so you will not be pulled over for running them in July. But can you use winter tires during the summer without a downside is a different question, and the answer there is no. Everything that makes a winter tire brilliant in the cold, the soft compound and the aggressive tread, works against it once the pavement warms up. So the honest answer to can I use winter tires in summer is that you may, but you probably should not.
Is it bad to use winter tires in the summer?
For the tires, yes. A winter tire's compound is built to stay soft below 7 degrees Celsius, and in summer heat that softness makes it wear out far faster. Continental puts the figure at up to 60 percent faster wear in warm conditions, so a set you leave on all summer can lose the tread it needs for next winter, exactly when you need it most. So is it bad to use winter tires in the summer? It is bad for your wallet and for next winter's safety, even if the car feels fine on a warm afternoon.
What does running winter tires in summer actually cost you?
Four things, and they add up. First, tread: the up-to-60-percent-faster wear means buying a new winter set sooner. Second, grip: on hot, dry roads a winter tire gets vague and takes longer to stop, which is a safety cost in an emergency. Third, fuel: the softer rubber and deeper tread have higher rolling resistance, so you burn more gas. Fourth, comfort: the aggressive tread is noisier on bare pavement. None of it is dramatic on a single drive, which is why the cost sneaks up, but across a summer it is real money and real wear.
Can you use snow tires in the summer, or is that different?
The same thing, really. Snow tire is just another name for a winter tire, so can you use snow tires in the summer has the identical answer: legal, but hard on the tires and your fuel bill. Whether the shop stamped them winter or snow, the soft cold-weather compound is what wears out in the heat. So can I use snow tires in the summer comes down to the same advice, take them off in spring and store them for the cold.
Can you use summer tires in the winter, the other way round?
The reverse is the more dangerous mistake. Can you use summer tires in the winter? Physically yes, but you should not, because a summer tire's compound hardens below about 7 degrees Celsius and loses grip on cold, wet, snowy and icy roads. Where a winter tire in summer mostly costs you money, a summer tire in winter costs you control. So can I use summer tires in the winter is a firmer no than the reverse: run all-season or winter tires once it turns cold, never summer tires.
Do all-weather tires have the same summer problem?
Much less so, because they are built for it. An all-weather tire carries the 3PMSF snowflake but uses a compound tuned to work year-round, so it does not burn through its tread in summer the way a dedicated winter tire does. That is the appeal of a one-set all-weather: no seasonal swap and no summer penalty, in exchange for giving up some outright winter grip and summer sharpness. If swapping twice a year is the part you want to avoid, that trade is worth a look, and we weigh it in are all-weather tires good for winter. A dedicated winter set, though, belongs in storage once spring arrives, not on the car through July.
What should you run in summer instead?
All-season tires, or dedicated summer tires if you have them. For most GTA drivers a good all-season set covers spring, summer and fall, and then you swap to winter tires when the cold arrives. If you would rather not swap at all, a 3PMSF all-weather tire is the one-set compromise, though it gives up some summer sharpness. Not sure which setup fits how you drive? Our strategy tool points you to the right answer in about a minute, and all-weather vs winter tires weighs the main options.
Getting your seasonal tires sorted for less
Whether you are buying an all-season set for summer or a winter set for the cold, price is where shopping alone costs you. That is what Whollar was built for. Drivers in the same area bring their demand together into one cohort, installers compete to serve everyone, and you see the offers before deciding whether to buy. For the spring side of the swap, see when to take winter tires off.
Sorting your summer and winter tires for the GTA? Drivers are joining one cohort so installers compete on price. It takes about a minute and does not commit you to buy.
Join the winter tire cohort See how it works- Free to join
- No commitment
- No purchase today
Frequently asked questions
Can you use winter tires in summer?
Legally yes, but it is a costly habit. The soft compound wears out up to 60 percent faster in the heat, stops longer on hot roads, uses more fuel and runs louder. Take winter tires off in spring and run all-season or summer tires instead.
Is it bad to use winter tires in the summer?
Yes, for the tires and for next winter. The compound built to stay soft in the cold wears out fast in the heat, so you can lose the tread you will need when the snow returns.
Can you use snow tires in the summer?
Snow tire and winter tire mean the same thing, so the answer is the same: legal but hard on the tread and your fuel bill. Store them for the cold instead.
Can you use summer tires in the winter?
No. Summer tires harden below about 7 degrees Celsius and lose grip on cold, wet, snowy and icy roads. That is the more dangerous swap, so run all-season or winter tires once it turns cold.
How much faster do winter tires wear in summer?
Up to about 60 percent faster in warm conditions, according to Continental, because the soft cold-weather compound is not built for heat.
Sources
- Continental, winter tires in summer (up to 60 percent faster wear, higher fuel use): continental-tires.com
- Les Schwab, reasons not to drive winter tires through summer: lesschwab.com
- Tire and Rubber Association of Canada, the 7 C rule: tracanada.ca
This guide is general information for GTA drivers and is not safety advice. Tire performance varies by model and conditions, so choose and swap tires for how and where you actually drive.