Tire Types Explained
Tire types describe what a tread is designed for. Here is what each one means and who it suits:
All-Season Tires
All-season tires carry the M+S (mud and snow) marking and balance dry grip, wet traction, light-snow capability, comfort and tread life for year-round driving in most of the US. They are not winter tires: for regular snow and ice look for the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF).
All-Weather Tires
All-weather tires are all-season tires that also earn the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) severe-snow rating — one tire for the whole year in snow-belt states without a separate winter set.
Touring Tires
Touring tires put ride comfort, low noise and long tread life first, with all-season tread on most models — the everyday tire for sedans, minivans and crossovers.
Performance Tires
Performance tires use stiffer sidewalls, lower profiles and grippier compounds for sharper steering and shorter stopping. Performance all-season designs keep light-snow capability; summer designs give the most grip but are not for cold weather.
Ultra-High Performance Tires
Ultra-high performance (UHP) tires are rated W, Y or (Y) — 168 mph and up — with the stiffest sidewalls and the softest compounds for sports cars and tuned sedans.
Summer Tires
Summer tires have the most dry and wet grip of any street tire but harden below about 45°F and are not for snow or ice. Switch to all-season or winter tires when temperatures drop.
Winter Tires
Winter tires use a soft cold-weather compound and heavy siping for snow and ice, and carry the 3PMSF symbol. Fit all four and swap back when spring temperatures stay above 45°F.
Highway Tires
Highway (H/T) tires are built for trucks and SUVs that mostly stay on pavement — a quiet ribbed or lightly siped tread, long wear and high load ratings for towing and hauling.
All-Terrain Tires
All-terrain (A/T) tires use an open, blocky tread that works on gravel, dirt and mud while staying civil on pavement — the usual choice for trucks and SUVs that leave the road. Many carry the 3PMSF severe-snow symbol and Load Range C–E ratings for towing.
Rugged-Terrain Tires
Rugged-terrain (R/T) tires sit between all-terrain and mud-terrain: more aggressive shoulders and bigger voids than an A/T, with better road manners than an M/T.
Mud-Terrain Tires
Mud-terrain (M/T) tires have large, widely spaced lugs that clear mud, rocks and sand. They trade on-road quietness and tread life for maximum off-road bite, and most come in Load Range C–F light-truck constructions.
Trailer (ST) Tires
Special Trailer (ST) tires are built only for trailers — boat, utility, cargo, car-hauler and camper — with stiff sidewalls that resist sway and higher load ratings than passenger tires of the same size. Never fit ST tires on a tow vehicle.
Run-Flat Tires
Run-flat tires have reinforced sidewalls that carry the vehicle for a limited distance (typically up to 50 miles at 50 mph) after a puncture. Fit them only on vehicles designed for run-flats with a tire-pressure monitoring system.
M+S vs 3PMSF
M+S (mud and snow) is a tread-geometry marking most all-season tires carry; it is not a performance test. The Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) is earned by passing a standardized snow traction test — look for it if you drive in regular snow. See all 3PMSF-rated tires.
Read next: how to read a tire size · all sizes we stock.