These tires have a tread pattern that is somewhere in between a mud or snow tire and a summer or street tire. They will be slightly noisier and will wear out faster than a street tire, but will have better traction in snow and mud. The best traction is obtained with a true snow tire. These come in a variety of tread patterns, some of which are very similar to an all-season tire. Snow tires are normally only mounted on the drive wheels, although they will improve stopping power if put on all four wheels.
Snow tires are noisier than the all-season tire, ride rougher and wear out even faster.
This is because of their wider tread pattern which is also what gives them superior traction in severe conditions. Adding studs to a snow tire significantly improves its performance on hard-packed snow and ice. It also ruins the roadway, is very noisy and provides less traction on dry and rainy pavement because the tread is not in full contact with the road surface. If you drive a lot on snow or in the mountains, one of the better options is the sticky or soft-compound tire. These tires have an all-season or snow tread using hydrophilic rubber.