It’s October. The time has come to look at your winter tires
Tip: Don’t wait until November to book an appointment or to start shopping.
Good winter tires are without a doubt the best safety feature.
The 2023 Old Farmer’s Almanac Canadian Edition has a chilling forecast for Canadians: Winter will arrive early and with cold temperatures. And by early, they mean mid-November and “icebox conditions.” What this will mean is simple: A massive rush for winter tires will take place.
Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 Winter Tire Review: Winter is just Another Season
Here’s your chance to get ready early. As we know, all-season tires really don’t like ambient temperatures below 7 ºC and as bad luck would have it, the Almanac predicts that temperatures on the Prairies will average 7 degrees C below normal in the dead of winter. And other parts of the country won’t fare much better, including Quebec and Ontario.
As life must go on and we still need to leave our cozy homes, we’ll be taking our cars and SUVs to drop off kids here and there, spend massive amounts of money at Costco, and visit family and friends during the Holidays. The best way to make all of this possible is by getting some good winter tires. Now.
Nokian Introduces the Next-Generation Hakkapeliitta R5 Winter Tire
More tips: Only a proper winter tire provides drivers across the country with the necessary traction, handling, and stopping abilities for all-around driving safety. Also, always keep in mind that there is a direct correlation between price, performance, longevity, and overall satisfaction with the product. A cheaper “bargain” tire may need to be replaced sooner and suffer diminished performance even though they still look fine.
2019 Toyota RAV4 Review | Photo: Matt St-Pierre
To help you select your next set of winter tires, we’ve compiled a list of our best picks for the season. Here are some suggestions for the best-selling Toyota RAV4 (17-inch tires) listed in alphabetical order:
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 – Quiet, soft compound, great all-around performance – one of the best there is.
Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV – Very good road manners – feels like an all-season, good performer but with reduced thread depth.
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV – Aggressive tread pattern, improved snow traction over the previous R3. Excellent performance in all winter driving conditions.
Pirelli Winter Ice Zero FR – Reasonably priced, compound resists temperature changes (gets more flexible in the cold, firms up when warmer), good overall traction.
Toyo GSi-6 LS – Good durability, deep thread, very good in snow and slush.
Yokohama Ice Guard G075 – Good all-around winter tire, softer compound, quiet.
2021 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport Touring | Photo: Olivier Delorme
Here are some suggestions for the best-selling Honda Civic (16-inch tires) listed in alphabetical order (individual descriptions from above are nearly identical):
Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 – Quiet, soft compound, great all-around performance – one of the best there is.
Michelin X-Ice Snow – Excellent overall winter traction, not the most affordable but worth the money. (We will be reviewing these tires this winter. Updates will be posted in the near future).
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 – Aggressive tread pattern, improved snow traction, excellent performance in all winter driving conditions.
Pirelli Winter Ice Zero FR – Reasonably priced, compound resists temperature changes (gets more flexible in the cold, firms up when warmer), good overall traction.
Toyo GSi-6 HP – Good durability, deep thread, very good in snow and slush.
Yokohama Ice Guard IG53 – Good all-around tire, softer compound, quiet.
All weather tires, especially the Michelin CrossClimate2, rival many winter tires for performance and traction in most environments. I’ve used them through a winter in SW Ontario and they were just as good, if not better, than my previous Toyos on a Subaru Forester.