Can You Mix All-Season and Winter Tires?

At Logel’s Auto Parts, we believe that buying used auto parts, such as winter tires or all-season tires, is a great option for car owners. Used winter tires can provide great value for still road-safe tires, but when you make your purchase it’s important to ensure that you are buying a full set. Mixing a set of all-season tires and winter tires can be very dangerous and it’s important to understand why you should avoid it.

Why Mixing All-Season and Winter Tires Is Dangerous

Sometimes, customers will ask us: “Can you mix all-season and winter tires?” And the answer is always ‘no’, but it’s important to know the reasons for this.

What many people don’t understand is that mixing and matching winter tires can actually be more dangerous than having no winter tires. Different tires are designed with different tread patterns, internal construction, and size, which means that they are each going to react differently to driver inputs when you’re on the road. These differences will be especially noticeable on slick, icy roads that are common with winter driving.

A set of tires is supposed to provide stability and control to your vehicle by working together. If you are driving with a mixed set of all-season tires and winter tires, then they may react unpredictably to even simple situations — which could led to you losing control of your vehicle and getting into an accident.

Mixing and matching different types of tires is not only dangerous for driving, it can also significantly reduce the lifespan of your tires. When you used mismatched tires, it creates an imbalance and puts uneven pressure on certain tires, which can cause premature wear and the possibility of damage to other parts of your vehicle.

If you need a full set of all-season and winter tires, but you are looking to an affordable option, then buying used tires is a great option. To see what used tires sets we have available, view our online inventory of auto parts here.