Are Bridgestone All Season Tires Suitable For Winter Driving?

Bridgestone all-season tires are built to perform in wet and dry conditions, but are they enough to get you through Canadian winters? Read on to find out—or contact your local TIRECRAFT dealer for more expert advice on any top tire product.

Bridgestone All-Season Tire Safety Features Improve Every Year

Modern Bridgestone All-Season tires come equipped with a bevy of safety features that provide considerable all-season safety functionality, such as:

• Newly developed tread rubber compounds that resist wear and contain more silica to add flexibility in wet conditions
• Optimized tread design to increase grip in any weather
• Protruding 3D subsurface platforms to create gripping edges along every tread block for extra traction in deep snow

And yet, despite these impressive safety features, many tire experts refer to Bridgestone All-Seasons as “three season tires,” alluding to the fact that they’re frequently unsuitable for driving in heavy winter conditions. And with Bridgestone offering a whole line of all-weather and winter tire products, it begs the question: do Bridgestone all-seasons really work in snow and ice?

Are Bridgestone All-Season Tires Suitable For Winter Driving?

Unfortunately, there is no universal answer. It really depends on you.

As detailed above, Bridgestone All-Season tires offer a number of road safety features, but these may or may not be sufficient for winter driving, depending on your unique driving needs and local weather experience.

However, with their jack-of-all-trades design, all-season tires really aren’t meant for demanding Canadian winters—Bridgestone manufacturers will tell you as much:

“In order to provide good performance in a variety of driving conditions, all-season tires inevitably have to compromise some max summer and winter performance capabilities,” states the Bridgestone website.

Generally speaking, all-season tires work just fine in temperatures as low as -7°C. But once temperatures dip any lower, braking performance and traction begin to drop off, as the stiff rubber used for warm-weather handling hardens even further, leaving your vehicle with very little grip in the cold.

If you live somewhere with mild winters, minimal ice, and moderate snowfall, Bridgestone all-seasons’ “Mud and Snow” rating might be sufficient. And buying a single set of tires for all driving seasons can save you serious money. But know that you’re in the minority!

For the vast majority of Canadian drivers, all-weather tires or purpose-built winter tires are essential. According to the Rubber and Tire Association of Canada’s 2020 Winter Tire Report, 72% of Canadian motorists now use winter tires. And if you live in Quebec, where winter tires are legally required, they’re non-negotiable.

Determine Your Winter Tire Needs At Your Local TIRECRAFT

If you need any additional help determining whether your Bridgestone All-Season tires are winter-worthy, get in touch with your local TIRECRAFT expert. With more than 220+ locations around the country, there’s a good chance you’ve got a TIRECRAFT in your town, so an expert can advise you with full knowledge of your local weather conditions. Every consultation is 100% free, and we carry all the top winter tire brands in case you need an upgrade.

Use the Find a TIRECRAFT tool on our website to book your free consultation and learn more about Bridgestone All-Season tire capabilities.

Back