Best Snow Tire Reviews 2018

We all see lots of ads about winter tires every year before the cold season kicks in. The wise drivers plan in advance, getting good tires to prepare for the season. Do not wait until your car skids into a busy intersection to realize how important winter tires are. It can be very terrifying. Read on and learn about some of the biggest names in the tire industry and some great snow tires from each one of them to make your purchase process easy.

Overview

PROS

CONS

Our Top Choice

Cooper Tire Discoverer M+S Winter Tire

Cooper Tire is a well-known brand in the world of tires. The Discoverer M+S Winter Tire is made with Snow-Groove Technology for superior traction on ice and snow.

Outstanding ice and snow traction. Dry traction good as well. Low road noise.

Size only available for SUVs and light trucks.

Best Value

General Tire AltiMAX Arctic Winter Tire

Being in business for over 10 decades says a lot about General Tires. The AltiMAX Arctic maintains good contact with road surfaces on both ice and snow.

Great traction in many road conditions. Comes with rows for optional metal studs. All-weather tread compound.

Isolated complaints of sidewall damage.

Bridgestone Blizzak Winter Tire

Founded in 1931, Bridgestone is in the forefront when it comes to tire innovation. The Blizzak Winter Tire is made to help commercial light trucks maneuver on snow and ice.

Good traction. More biting edges for better grip. Good stopping power.

A bit pricey because of high-end features.

Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter Tire

Goodyear is certainly a pioneer in the industry of winter tires. The Ultra Grip Winter Tire provides a strong grip and confident traction in slippery conditions.

Good stopping power. Multiple biting edges for better traction. Strong shoulder blocks for even tread wear.

No fit for commercial trucks.

Firestone Winterforce Winter Tire

Firestone opened its doors in 1900, supplying quality pneumatic tires for buggies and wagons. The Winterforce Winter Tire is designed for a comfortable ride and superior traction.

Good winter traction. Good value for the price. Wet grip. Comfortable ride.

A bit noisy.

(Updated November 13, 2017)

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How Do I Choose the Best Snow Tire?

Brace yourselves! Winter is coming! Are you prepared? If yes, you should know that your car should also be prepared.

Only a few people are aware of how important snow tires are - not only for the car, but also for the safety of the passengers. Worn out tires or summer tires are always a danger for the occupants of a car but also for the other road users.

Good snow tires will help you when braking, when you drive in the rain, snow, ice, when you take corners, and even when you drive in the mud. Even after a few gentle years, the decision to replace summer tires with winter tires is not that easy. While some drivers don't go to the auto service until they see snow, it's safest to invest in snow tires before winter comes. Compared to conventional summer models, winter tires have better performance at temperatures below seven degrees Celsius. This means that snow tires are essential even if it doesn’t snow.

After you've equipped your car with snow tires, you've placed a snow shovel in your trunk, and you've checked the pressure in your tires, you should be good to go for the winter months.

Price

The price of snow tires varies depending on their quality, dimensions, performance indicators, and the manufacturer. Many experts suggest that you shouldn't get fooled by offers with cheap snow tires, as they're not safe for driving during snowy days.

For standard snow tires for cars, you can pay around $50, while sport snow tires cost around $250 each. You should always buy four matching tires, otherwise your vehicle can easily pinwheel out of control.

Features

Buying snow tires is not that simple as there are a few key factors to consider. Proper maintenance and responsible driving will help you have them replaced once at 3 - 4 years, while driving aggressively will diminish their life span.

Here is a short list of the most important features to consider when choosing the right snow tires for your vehicle:

Type - You can choose between studded, non-studded, and all-season tires. Make sure you get the ones that are suitable for your car.
Speed Rating - In your car's manual you'll find the speed rating that the manufacturer recommends. You'll have to get winter tires that match the speed rating of your car. For example, T is for sedans and minivans, H is for sport sedans and coupés, V is suitable for 149mph or more, W is for 168 mph or more and Z is for high-performing sports cars that can reach 186 mph. You should know that you can install winter tires with a lower speed rating than that of your vehicle.
Aspect Ratio - You should also know the aspect ratio of your vehicle in order to get snow tires that fit. A smaller aspect ratio means a higher tire.
Maximum Load - Always check the maximum load of your snow tires and make sure you don't exceed it, otherwise they won't work properly.
Performance - When buying winter tires, keep in mind that your vehicle's starting, turning, and stopping abilities depend on the amount of traction snow tires can offer.

Construction and Design

As we said, there are three main types of snow tires: studded snow tires, studless snow tires, and all season snow tires.

Studded Tires: These have metal studs embedded in their tread. These metal studs are especially designed to dig into ice, providing great traction. However, when there's no ice on the road, studded tires may damage it. They also produce a noisy ride but are quite capable of lasting through extreme driving situations.

Non-Studded Tires: These are preferred by most drivers as they lean on rubber compounding and other interesting technologies. They can maintain flexibility in freezing temperatures and are able to maintain traction on all kind of surfaces such as snowy, icy, and wet roads. They also feature hundreds of sipes on their tread pattern that help with acceleration and stopping.

All Season Snow Tires: They provide a quiet ride, good fuel economy, and they're preferred by most drivers. They're designed to perform in a variety of conditions, offering benefits from both summer and winter tires.

Performance and Ease of Use

After you've installed your winter tires, it's important to be prepared for winter driving. You should clean any debris from your vehicle, allow more stopping distance, and you shouldn’t drive if you don't have to.

You should know that it's not smart to wear winter tires in hot months because you'll damage them. It's smart to invest in snow tires especially if you live in a place where there are a lot of precipitations in the winter.

Similarly, you should always install four winter tires if you want to maintain the control and stability of your vehicle. If you mix different tires, you'll degrade the stability of your car.

In the end, if you want to extend your tire's lifespan you should check the tire pressure at least once a month. Make sure to check it when the tires are cold and adjust it accordingly.

What is the Best Snow Tire?

As a driver, you can expect to encounter slush, unplowed snow, and ice during the winter season. The best way to get through the situation safe and sound is to get good winter tires, also known as snow tires. But before you go ahead and pick any model you come across online, it’s good to consider a few factors. Of course, the size of the tires should be your first priority, but you should also look at the load capacity of the tires and the maximum-allowed speed. Luckily, we have done some research, providing you with some good models from top brands to ensure you get the right fit. We have covered tires for passenger cars, light trucks, and SUVs as well.

Our Top Choice

The Discoverer M+S tire is designed for SUVs and light trucks, providing excellent traction when driving on ice or snow. Want a model for regular passenger cars instead? We think you will love the Weather-Master S\/T 2 Winter Radial Tire. It has great traction and the same exclusive technologies by Cooper Tire.

Cooper Tire Discoverer M+S Winter Auto Tire – Snow-Groove Technology

Use Amazon search tool to get the right size

Features

A company with more than 60 manufacturing, distribution, sales, design, and technical facilities tells you one thing – it has a huge fan base. Cooper Tire is based in Findlay, Ohio, and was founded by Claude E. Hart and John F. Schaefer in 1914. The market was not robust in those days, but with time the brand built its name, becoming one of the largest producers of racing, motorcycle and medium truck tires.

Cooper Tire has come up with yet another great line of snow tires – the M+S, which incorporate some interesting technologies to give the tire a good bite when on the roads. Whether the snow is heavy storming or just light dusting, both breaking and acceleration on ice is good.

The Snow-Groove design is what makes this tire stand out. The technology provides excellent biting edges for great snow and ice traction, without having to reduce the stiffness for tread element. Better yet, the tire also has D Squared technology that is meant to enhance winter performance.

The Discoverer M+S Winter Tire retails at $125.53, and is available in a wide range of sizes to fit different vehicles. All you have to do is use the Amazon search tool and enter your vehicle model, year and make, and you'll get a specific size that will fit your vehicle. If you want to compare several different types/lines by Cooper Tire, we have done research on a few others so that you have a wide range of options. Here are some we came across:

Cooper Weather-Master S/T 2 Winter Radial Tire
Cooper Tires Discoverer A/TW Radial Tire
Cooper Discoverer SRX All-Season Radial Tire
Mastercraft Glacier Grip II Winter Radial Tire

Want to see other lines? Check out more Cooper winter tires on Amazon for the right fit.

Best Value

The AltiMAX Arctic is a winter tire line incorporating good technology to offer much-needed traction and comfort when driving on ice or snow. It suits SUVs, vans, sedans and coupes. Want a tire that can fit your SUV and truck as well? Check out the Altimax Arctic Winter Radial Tire.

General AltiMAX Arctic Winter Auto Tire - Reactive Contour Technology

Use Amazon search tool to get the right size

Features

General Tire opened its doors about 100 years ago. Being in operation for over 10 decades is no joke, and you have to be very good to maintain your fan base for all that time. This company has not disappointed its loyal fans, and that’s why we couldn’t leave it off our list. Check most sedans, and it will come as no surprise that they sport a General Tire model.

General Tire has done enough research and dedicated enough resources to determine what’s really needed for a tire to provide excellent traction when on ice or snow. The AltiMAX Arctic is a line of tires that come with an all-weather dual tread compound meant to enhance both wet traction and cold weather flexibility. The tire incorporates Reactive Contour Technology and directional tread pattern, both of which provide the much-needed comfortable ride in a variery of road conditions.

While this tire is made for coupes, SUVs, vans and sedans, a single size does not fit every vehicle. Luckily, Amazon offers a search tool, where you can enter the details of your vehicle to get the right fit for $89.99. We thought it would be nice to provide additional winter tires we came across on Amazon, so you have enough options to choose from. Check out the General Tire Grabber Arctic LT Studless-Winter Radial Tire and General Altimax Arctic Winter Radial Tire.

Want a different snow tire? View other General Tire options on Amazon and drive safely during the cold months.

The Blizzak Winter Tire is specifically made to help light commercial trucks have a better grip, even in winter’s worst storms. Want a great snow tire for your passenger car instead? We believe you will love the Blizzak WS80 Winter Radial Tire. It has Bridgestone’s same technology for unmatched quality.

Bridgestone Blizzak W965 Winter Radial Tire – Unit-T Technology

Use Amazon search tool to get the right size

Features

If you are a driver, then you must know Bridgestone. This company has been producing quality tires for decades, and is currently one of the largest (if not the largest) tire and rubber products manufacturers globally. This is evident in the more than 180 manufacturing plants it has set up in a total of 26 countries.

When the weather gets nasty and the roads are filled with ice and snow, work must continue. The Blizzak W965 Winter Radial Tires are carefully developed to combine great ice and snow traction with light truck weight capacity for the utmost performance. The tires are made with UNIT-T technology, one of Bridgestone’s exclusives, to give the tires an innovative design with tread compound to maximize your ride quality.

If you have a commercial light truck and need good tires, then you have to be ready to spend $202 to get the Blizzak W965 Winter Radial Tires. We can assure you they're worth every penny! Just to ensure you get the right fit, use the search tool on Amazon and enter the details of your vehicle. If you feel this tire is beyond what you can afford, or you just need a model for your small passenger car, you can check out the following options that we came across during our research.

Bridgestone BLIZZAK DM-V2 Winter Radial Tire
Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32 Winter Radial Tire
Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 Winter Radial Tire

Beyond what you can afford? Want a tire for a different vehicle instead? Find more Bridgestone tires on Amazon.

The Ultra Grip Winter Tire features a directional tread pattern to make sure you drive safely on snow and ice. Want another option to compare for a great fit for your passenger car? Check out the Eagle Ultra Grip GW-2 Winter Radial Tire. It’s made with tread block geometry for a much better grip.

Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter Radial Tire – Multiple biting edges

Use Amazon search tool to get the right size

Features

Goodyear is devoted to helping drivers get to their destinations safely. The brand did not enter the market recently – it has been operating for more than 100 years. From all-season tires and all-terrain tires, to the fuel-efficient type, you can get just about any type of tire for any vehicle from Goodyear.

The Ultra Grip Winter Tire is made for crossovers, minivans, sedans, coupes, and passenger-oriented pickup trucks. Goodyear ensured that the tire lives up to its promises with a unique design that offers great traction when the temperatures change. The tire features a winter compound that’s strategically molded to enhance cold weather flexibility, while at the same time evacuating water on slush-covered roads.

We love Goodyear, and this tire in particular because it’s affordable and can suit a number of vehicles. If you are not sure about the correct size, then we urge you to fill out the details of your vehicle on the search tool provided by Amazon, and the right one will pop out. If this is not what you are looking for, you can check out the following options by the same brand and compare for a good fit:

Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT Winter Radial Tire
Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac Traction Radial Tire
Goodyear Eagle LS-2 Radial Tire

Thinking about getting another type of snow tire? Click here for more Goodyear winter tires with superior traction.

The Winterforce Winter Radial Tire is built for the utmost tire performance. It meets all requirements set by RMA (Rubber Manufacture Association), so you can rest assured you will drive safely. Have a few more dollars to spend on a high-end model for SUVs and light trucks? We think you will love the Winterforce LT Winter Radial Tire.

Firestone Winterforce Winter Radial Tire – High-sipe Density

Use Amazon search tool to get the right size

Features

Firestone was founded by an American, Harvey Samuel Firestone, over 100 years ago. During that time, the company used to manufacture tires for common wheeled transportation such as buggies and wagons. With time, as more sophisticated vehicles entered the market, the brand restructured, setting up facilities for research. The wide range of tires it has today, and the name it has built, are perfect proofs that the brand has won the fight.

The Winterforce Winter Tire is specifically designed to suit minivans, sedans and coupes. It comes with a unique tread design and internal construction to deliver incredible performance when driving on snow-covered, wet and dry roads. Currently, you can get this tire in Euro-metric and P-metric standard load, or even extra load sizes.

In order to get the right fit, we recommend that you enter the model, year and make of your vehicle on Amazon and then use the search tool. This way you can be sure to have the right one shipped. But if this tire isn't the one you are looking for, or you just want to spend a few more dollars on another one with more features, we have more options we came across, so that Firestone loyal fans are not left behind. Compare the following winter tires for a perfect fit:

Firestone Winterforce LT Winter Radial Tire
Firestone Winterforce UV Winter Radial Tire
Firestone Destination LE 2 All-Season Radial Tire

Love Firestone but want a different tire? Get another winter tire by Firestone here and take it to the roads!

Get the Best Snow Tire of 2018!

We know that some people are loyal fans of Goodyear, and others cannot even think about switching from Bridgestone to another brand. That’s why we did research on only the top brands. It’s your safety and that of your family we are talking about here, so you can never compromise on your vehicle’s tires. As you can see, these are all trusted brands and have lines of options to suit different users. We are happy to help you get ready for the slippery roads every time winter kicks in.

Our Top Choice

Cooper Tire Discoverer M+S Winter Tire

Best Value

General Tire AltiMAX Arctic Winter Tire

Bridgestone Blizzak Winter Tire

Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter Tire

Firestone Winterforce Winter Tire