This past summer was one for the record books. It was a scorcher but if we’re the experts, we’re going to pay for it this upcoming winter. There are warnings that the winter of 2018-19 will be teeth-chattering cold and while we can go indoor to warm up, your tires cannot – they will be doing their best to grip all manners of frozen surfaces.
It’s been proven time and time again that only proper winter tires provide drivers across the country with traction, stopping abilities for all around safer driving conditions.
If you’re in the market for some new winter rubber this fall for your car or crossover, here’s a short list of the best of the best. Pricing varies to some degree but the lists positions the tires from what should be the less expensive to the most expensive.
Before you go through the list, do keep in mind that there is a direct correlation between price, performance, longevity and overall satisfaction with the product. A cheap tire may need to be replaced and suffer diminished performance much sooner.
Yokohama Ice Guard IG52c – Good all-round tire, softer compound, quiet
Dunlop Winter Maxx – Good bang for the $$, performs well in deep snow and slush
Pirelli Winter Ice Zero FR – Reasonably priced, compound resists temperature changes (gets more flexible in the cold, firms up when warmer), good overall traction (this is a crossover or 4-season tire)
Toyo GSi-5 – Good durability, deep tread, very good in snow and slush
Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 – Quiet, soft compound, great all-round performance
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 – Aggressive tread pattern, improved snow traction over the previous R (Hakkapeliitta 8 and new 9 are also good selections)
Michelin X-Ice Xi3 – Very good road manners – feels like an all-season, good performer but with reduced tread depth
