Every pro driver will tell you a car is only as good as its tires. You can go out of your way to get a car with the best handling and the most intelligent AWD system on the market, but if you can’t put the power down or get traction, all those millions of dollars in R&D are worth nil. Which is why winter weather is the ultimate test of a tire.
Water, slush, snow and salt need to be controlled and pumped out from underneath the tire through intricate channels while the softer rubber can mold and grip the road surface, despite low temperatures. It’s why winter tires look so much more extreme in design than summer or all-season tires. Where a summer tire’s near-slick surface would just aquaplane, the tread on a winter tire shovels and pumps water out of the way while gripping the snow to keep you going in the right direction. It’s all about having the right tools for the job, and getting from A to B during the winter is no different. Think of winter tires as an investment in traction and peace of mind.
Standard
Casual Cold Weather Control
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Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v
Best Bargain Tire: Drivers’ biggest deterrent from buying a second set of tires is the additional cost. This is where the Yokohamas make a case for themselves. An intricate tread pattern and smaller zigzag grooves help effectively siphon away water while gripping slippery surfaces, and the continuous center tread keeps traction in the dry — all at an affordable price point.
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Goodyear Ultra Grip
Best Versatile Line of Winter Tires: The allure of Goodyear Ultra Grip tires is not just the affordability, but the winter tire technology offered across an entire spectrum of tire sizes, and is compatible with a range of cars, trucks and SUVs.
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BUY NOW: $69+
Michelin X-Ice Xi3
Best Shoulder-Season Tire: Michelin’s FleX-Ice silica-based winter tread rubber compound gives the X-Ice Xi3 a larger temperature window to work in. The compound remains stiff at higher temperatures for better traction in dry or wet conditions but is still soft enough at low temperatures to give you traction on snow and ice.
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BUY NOW: $67+
Continental WinterContact SI
Best New Comer: Where names like “Blizzak” and “Ultra Grip” have seen their fair share of winters, WinterContact SI is fairly new to the game but holds up well against the competition.
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BUY NOW: $88+
Bridgestone Blizzak WS80
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Industry Standard: When it comes to balancing price and performance, Blizzaks are legendary. The unique NanoPro-Tech Multicell hydrophilic compound wicks water off the road while microscopic bite particles, blended into the rubber dig into icy surfaces.
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BUY NOW: $95+
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Studdable for Extreme Cold
When the Going Gets Seriously Icy
Firestone Winterforce
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Best Optional Studded Tire: The Firestone Winterforce tread pattern has an already aggressively blocked siped design perfectly capable of handling standard winter weather. But for when that “Polar Vortex” rolls into town, you have the option to upgrade with studs.
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BUY NOW: $55+
Pirelli Winter Ice Zero
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Best Studded Performance Tire: Aggressive siping and tread block design give the Pirelli Winter Ice Zero a great foundation for gripping snow and ice, right out of the gate. Now add the double row of flat-walled studs closer to the shoulder of the tire, and you’ll forget the roads haven’t even been plowed.
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BUY NOW: $77+
Performance
For Hot Laps in the Cold
Falken Eurowinter HS439
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Best Price Point for a Performance Tire: Falken’s new silica maximizes performance through changing temperatures and increases overall tread life. Asymmetric tread design and multi-angled sipes claw back traction on in ice and snow while high-volume grooves pump away water and slush better road surface contact.
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BUY NOW: $95+
Hankook Winter i-Cept Evo2
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Most Innovative Design: With a tread pattern inspired by ice axes and siping grooves that conatin even more grooves to grip hard packed snow and ice, the Hankook Winter i-Cept Evo2 goes above and beyond the conventional design of your standard winter rubber.
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BUY NOW: $145+
Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II
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Best Below Freezing Perfromance: Designed with an operating window that goes well below freezing, the Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II can actually handle the shoulder months as well as the depths of winter.
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BUY NOW: $150+
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 N-Spec
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Porsche Approved: Designed in conjunction with Porsche, the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 N-Spec was made to fit the need of Porsche enthusiasts, no matter what region they live in.
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Trucks and SUVs
The Heavy Hitters
Michelin Latitude X-Ice Xi2
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Best All-Around Truck and SUV Tire: Dollar for dollar, it’s tough to find a better tire for a truck or SUV. The Latitude X-Ice Xi2 has a fairly large operating temperature, meaning it can handle the shoulder months as well as a mild winter.
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BUY NOW: $107+
Cooper Discoverer M-S
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Best Studded Truck and SUV Tire: The base block and tread design of the Discover M-S easily claws away at hard-packed snow around town all winter long. Add studs into the mix, and hidden sheet ice on the highway doesn’t stand a chance.
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BUY NOW: $132
BFGoodrich All-Terrain A/T KO2
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Best Off-Road Tire: BFGoodrich All-Terrain A/T KO2 tires tackle races like the Baja 1000 and forge paths around the Arctic circle all year long. When BFGoodrich say “all-terrain,” they mean it.
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BUY NOW: $168+
Pirelli Scorpion Winter
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Best for Performance SUVs: SVR, M Division, AMG — almost every manufacturer has a performance division that tinkers with their cars and even some of their SUVs. But those track-tuned SUVs need a tire that can handle all the weight and torque when the weather takes a turn for the worse. The Pirelli Scorpion is the tire that makes sure you put all those extra ponies you paid for on the ground.