Choosing the right snow tires for your car

Even if your car has traction control or an antilock braking system, these won't improve traction when it comes to winter driving on snow- and ice-covered roads. Experts, including those at TireRack.com, say only dedicated snow tires will actually improve your vehicle's grip in winter conditions. Although all-wheel drive or front-wheel drive is advantageous, you'll still improve safety by exchanging your summer or all-season tires for winter tires. This is because snow tires have special tread designs that help them bite into the snow and ice; they also use softer rubber compounds that let them stay flexible at lower temperatures.

Though you might be tempted to buy just two winter tires for your drive axle, every expert we found says this isn't a good idea because mixing winter and all-season tires can lead to poor handling balance. The Toronto Star's John Mahler says this strategy can be dicey if you skid, since the front wheels get different traction than the rear wheels.

All experts say four winter tires are your best bet, and even inexpensive winter tires will perform better in ice and snow than all-season tires.

Choose a snow-tire type and size to suit your vehicle and driving conditions:

  • Narrow tires are better for driving in ice and snow. Although wider tires with correspondingly larger wheels are a popular look these days, reviews say narrower tires are best for cutting a path through snow and slush. It's best to go with the tire size specified for your vehicle or even switch to a compatible narrower tire with a smaller wheel.
  • Do you need studded or studless tires? In recent years, studless winter tires have gotten better at gripping on ice and snow. However, studded tires still hold the advantage in some Scandinavian tests. Editors at ConsumerReports.org say your choice comes down to climate; if you regularly deal with icy roads, studded tires may be the way to go. Be aware, however, that many states and municipalities limit or ban the use of studded tires because they contribute to road damage.
  • Get four matching winter tires. Although it may be tempting to just buy two snow tires for your drive axle, reviewers say that's a bad idea. Different tires react differently, and nonmatching tires can deliver unpredictable handling.
  • Winter tires wear faster than regular tires, so remove them promptly. Snow tires don't come with treadwear ratings. Their softer rubber compound and deeper treads wear down more quickly than all-season tires. You'll want to install them before the weather turns, but you'll also want to remove them promptly in the spring.

You can find out what size tires are right for your vehicle by consulting your owner's manual or by looking on the sidewalls of the tires currently on your vehicle. Tire sizes are represented by a ratio followed by a whole number. The ratio comprises the width in millimeters and the percentage of that width that makes up the profile (the distance between the rim and the outer edge of the tire); the whole number is the rim diameter in inches. A tire with a size of 215/60-16 is 215 mm wide, 129 mm (60 percent of 215) from the ground to the rim and is intended for a 16-inch wheel.

Tire manufacturers use letters to represent the maximum speed (in miles per hour) at which a tire should be driven. There are about 20 different speed ratings, but the most common are Q (up to 99 mph), R (up to 106 mph), S (up to 112 mph), T (up to 118 mph), H (up to 130 mph), V (up to 149 mph) and Z (169 mph and above). Snow tires most commonly have a Q rating.

Back to top