How do you pick winter tires?

[mwinfredpp]

I’m in rural Ontario and we get plenty of snow and ice. I do a 250km daily round trip to work and back, so fuel efficiency and road noise are important to me.

The thing is, there are so many options out there... Lots of name brands (BFG, Pirelli, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Michelin), and they all seem to be in the same price range at about $220–$260 CAD per tire.

Do I just grab whatever is on sale, or is there actually a way to make an educated choice about which tires will work best for my situation?

Thanks in advance!

 

[stickerbush]

TireRack and DiscountTire web sites have customer reviews and ratings on tires.

I've used Michelin X-Ice for over ten years, been very happy with them.

 

[sm1ke]

I go by tire ratings and customer reviews. Usually the reviews or the retailer websites will offer a little more insight. I've used Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2s for the last 6-7 years. I think they offer good grip and excellent durability, but they are noisy on clear pavement. I think that if I buy another set of winter tires, they will be Michelin X-Ice and Snow. Those seem to have a much quieter ride and better comfort.

 

[HyFlyer]

Take a look at tire rack in house testing and comparisons for a "professional " opinion and their buyer surveys.

I've used blizzak dmv2, ws80 and general altimax arctic with good results (the generals are studdable if that's your thing or leave them as is)

 

[madar]

Take a look at tire rack in house testing and comparisons for a "professional " opinion and their buyer surveys.

I've used blizzak dmv2, ws80 and general altimax arctic with good results (the generals are studdable if that's your thing or leave them as is)

The Generals are exceptionally quiet and smooth with great traction

 

[yieldchase]

I don't usually like to promote one brand or place over another but I will mention Costco if that is around. I like the "free" balance, rotation, and installation that come with purchase.

 

[jadmt]

if you can get by with out a pure dedicated snow tire, the Michelin CC2 has been awesome for Montana winters...

 

[ADS-B]

I go by tire ratings and customer reviews. Usually the reviews or the retailer websites will offer a little more insight. I've used Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2s for the last 6-7 years. I think they offer good grip and excellent durability, but they are noisy on clear pavement. I think that if I buy another set of winter tires, they will be Michelin X-Ice and Snow. Those seem to have a much quieter ride and better comfort.

Blizzak yes! My favourite snow tire!

 

[N7turbo]

These reviews are very helpful to get your research started.

 

[GFrosty]

Do I just grab whatever is on sale, or is there actually a way to make an educated choice about which tires will work best for my situation?

I hunt around for as many "shootout" comparison tire reviews that I can find. The ones that have a good list of tires they compare on the same vehicles on the same course over the same conditions, comparing how they behave. The rankings can be revealing, at least for that short-list of tires against one another.

Here are a couple of winter-oriented comparison sites I've used over the years.

Winter Tires - Test, Reviews & Ratings

Winter Tires – Test, Reviews & Ratings

alltyretests.com

Tested: Best All-Weather Tires for 2025

All-weather tires from Bridgestone, Goodyear, Michelin, Nokian, and Pirelli battle it out on dry, wet, and snow-covered surfaces to see which is the ultimate evolution in all-season rubber.

www.caranddriver.com

https://www.thetirelab.com/225-55-R19/winter/

Reifentests - AUTO BILD

Der große AUTO BILD Reifentest: Die neuesten Reifen in verschiedenen Dimensionen im Test. Hier gibt es alle Ergebnisse.

www.autobild.de

Another useful thing is actual owners' remarks and rankings. TireRack is a reasonable place, given they have so many thousands of customers who are repeat customers for years. Lots of reviews, often very good remarks. And then TireRack also does a variety of "shootout" comparison tests.

As for price, yeah you're likely to be paying more for a great-quality winter tire. Here in the U.S., a great tire for winter is likely to cost me USD $200-275, at least in my 'factory' sizing of 225/55-19. If I were to change to 17x8.5 rims, I could likely reduced the cost of winter tires by $40-60ea.

Am currently running the Nokian Encompass AW02 in 235/50VR19, on my 2016 CX-5 GT AWD. Just put them on ~2 months ago. Used year-'round, they perform well in the dry. And with their all-weather compound similar to the WR G4, I expect them to do quite well over the winter. Aren't quite the equal of the Nokian Hakkas or the Blizzak in the worst-of-winter conditions, but they'll be fine for the relatively sedate driving I do on the mostly-flatter roadways I have to contend with. These are roughly similar to a winter-oriented Michelin CrossClimate2.