BMW demonstrates the value of winter tires

Winter is here, and with it comes the annual reminder that winter tires are a worthwhile investment.

This year's message comes courtesy of BMW, who, for demonstration purposes, fitted winter and summer tires on an M4 coupe to compare their performance in summer and winter conditions.

For control, BMW fitted a third car with extreme-performance summer tires, which it calls semi-slick tires, and drove it in warmer weather before replacing them with studless tires on snow for the same purpose.

There is more to this video than a simple message that you should fit the right tires for the weather conditions; BMW actually takes the time to explain why each tire is more effective (or less effective) in different situations, and does not simply slap a message about tire choice in the viewers' faces Rather than slamming it in the face of the audience, it chooses to be educational.

For the first test, BMW lines up three cars for an old-fashioned warm weather drag race. In this race, the semi-slick tires won by a nose, followed by the summer compounds. The winter tires were far behind, as their high profile combined with squishy tread reduced launch traction.

In the second test, a warm-weather slalom, the winter tires' weaknesses were even more pronounced, as they struggled to maintain lateral grip on the warm asphalt. A car with winter tires needs as much as 52 feet to come to a complete stop from 93 mph.

Here BMW flips the script. The car underwent winter testing in the Alps, and the results were not surprising. Summer tires took longer to complete a drag race and nearly half the time of winter tires to complete a slalom. In braking tests, summer tires performed much worse than snow tires. Studless tires performed best in all tests, but winter tires also proved to be quite capable.

The important thing to note here is that winter compounds make a big difference in freezing and snowy conditions. Winter tires may not have to compromise as much in summer as they do in winter for warm weather tires, but it is still best to use the right compound for the season. It also saves money.