Best performing all weather tire for snow

[UG_Passat]

IMO, either of these two options:

Passenger Car All-Season tires / Nokian Tires

Find the right All-Season tires for your passenger car. Our All-season tires are tested under extreme conditions. They supplement the safety systems of your car and do what you could expect.

www.nokiantires.com

Nokian Tyres Rotiiva AT - Sturdy and durable / Nokian Tires

The Nokian Tyres Rotiiva AT (All Terrain) All-Season tire works excellently on asphalt, but it can also be used for light off-road driving. It offers good durability even on heavier vehicles.

www.nokiantires.com

There's also the WR G4 SUV, as the directional G3 SUV gets phased out

 

[SmithH]

This is my third year on Goodyear Weatheready, great tires, despite the fact that the weather is unstable, but the rubber can withstand any weather conditions

 

[Drew7a]

I am currently running the Toyo Celsius CUV and WRG4. Main thing I notice is the WRG4’s seem a bit harder tread compound compared to the Celsius but that could be perception. The celsius have 10K miles and still look like new, the Wrg4s just got out on so we will see how those wear.

Either one is a definite upgrade than all seasons. Good compromise for those of us who do not want a dedicated winter tire.

One thing I don’t like about the wrg4 tire pattern is is inverted depending on the side of the vehicle it is on. I’m sure it does not affect performance but the looks are not right. So I guess I will do the cross rotation when it is time.

 

[odie]

Here's TIRERACK road / track test that includes Goodyear WeatherReady , Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring , Firestone Weathergrip and Yokohama Avid Ascent GT . https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=243 . Videos of each tire : https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/videoDisplay.jsp?ttid=243 .

 

[volk06]

We had really good luck on a set or RT43 on the taurus. They did really well in the winter with that vulcan engine sitting over them.

 

[dtownfb]

If Costco has $150 off Michelin, get the Michelins. Remember winter only lasts 4-5 months; your tires need to perform well the rest of the year too.
Personally I got through 2 winters in Syracuse with Toyota Camry and Pirelli 4 seasons plus.

 

[LubeFiner]

I have not used the WRG3 but I have used the original WR series tire on my former 2003 Outback and the Rotiiva on a 2006 Jeep Liberty CRD. The Rotiiva is actually made by another manufacturer and sold under the Nokian brand. They were an okay tire but not nearly as good in slick conditions as the WR series. I could feel them slipping quite often in snow and slush.

Do you happen to know who produces the Rotiiva? I had a set on the ‘00 Expedition I owned, great tires imo, but I did not know Nokian did not produce them. I agree the WR series was better on icier roads over the Rotiiva, yet they are designed for different purposes. Do you know if it was the same with the Vatiiva A/T? As much as I like the Rotiiva’s, they do not compare to the original Vatiiva.

 

[LubeFiner]

There's also the WR G4 SUV, as the directional G3 SUV gets phased out

I noticed that a couple of weeks back when I was researching tires. How do you like the G4’s so far? I noticed in the photo you attached that it appears the tire is mounted incorrectly. I believe the ”swoosh” is supposed to be mounted towards the outside so it channels the water away from center, not to center. You may want to see if the sidewall is marked “inner” & “outer”, or has a rotation arrow. It appears they are to be directionally mounted like the G3’s were. Or did you have a tire rotation in which they rotated your tires in the typical manner (crossing) instead of keeping the tires on the same side, just changing locations (Fr to Rr, vice versa)? I may be wrong.

 

[Spyderman24_7]

Might be a bit of a stretch, but over the last 5+ yrs I've found the Continental Extreme Contact DWS06 to be really good in anything I drive in. Of course not much snow in NC, but I've driven on snow, quite a bit of ice (in the Boone, NC area in December with plenty of snow/ice), heavy rain, etc. without any issues whatsoever. Surely not a dedicated winter tire, but does give great performance year round and typical tread life so far is around 45K, which I'm certainly OK with for the performance/price.

 

[02zx9r rev2]

I got through Chicago winter just fine in a RWD Chrysler 300 on a set of General Altimax RT43’s.

I just had those installed on my 2017 accord sport up here in MA. Hope I have the same results as you

 

[Pelican]

So i'm down to the Nokian versus the Michelin Cross Climate 2. They are both 60k tires. Not really sure whether one will really perform significantly better than the other. All great recommendations (I did not know about the Nokian). All things equal, I would buy the Nokian probably, but with Costco's Michelin $150 discount right now, it's hard to justifiy on the extra $70 on the Nokian. Could it really be that much better in the snow than the Cross Climate 2? Thats the real question. I guess I am going to go out on a limb and try the Michelin mainly bc of price. It will be a few days before I install the Cross Climate 2. I will keep an eye on this thread because I am really inetersted to hear whether anyone thinks there would be a really big difference in performance to justify the extra spend. I could always still go with the Nokian if I could get some more detail/opinions on the Nokian v the Michelin CC2

Don't worry about the $ difference, if you have an accident this difference won't matter!
Go with whichever is best for your climate, if you have ice perhaps the Michelin may be better and if you hav snow I think the Nokia will be better.
Search for a test that gives you actual distance in braking and roadholding in turns. I've always loved Michelin, but when it comes to snow do I trust more the French or the Finns?!

 

[MrPlow]

I live at sea level and there is a large mountain range in my back yard. Going from wet/dry to snowy/icy and back even several times a day is normal. Here are the things I have learned.

1. A decent/cheap set of all season tires combined with a cheap set of studded winter tires will beat the year-round performance of any single tire. Period.
2. If you wish to use a single tire year-round, a more winter-leaning tire is going to be much worse in warm rain and hot dry pavement than a more balanced all-season with a set of 4 chains.
3. The General Altimax RT43 often tops the results in Tirerack tests of all-seasons in snow and ice. https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=215
4. Buy the skinniest tire allowed for your vehicle!!!!! This is a HUGE aspect of making an all-season better in the snow and ice. Wider tires are usually only helpful for deep snow when ground clearance is running out. Otherwise skinny tires will almost always grip better than wider tires of the same brand and model. This is especially critical for front wheel drive and AWD with a front bias since you can't add weight to the front of the vehicle.
5. Purchase a nice set of tire chains (4 of them and not cables) and a nice set of chain tensioners. The tensioners are critical for making the chains work better at higher speeds.
6. If not using dedicated snow tires, I prefer to buy the best all-around tire that doesn't suck in warm/dry or warm/rainy and then carry a high-grade set of chains and an air pressure gauge along with air pump. Air down the tires in snow or ice then toss on the chains when airing down isn't enough.
7. All-season tires are often good enough for the first winter, but once that tread wears down all year and into the next winter, they are going to be far inferior depending on the miles driven. Most all-season tires will last way beyond their ability to handle snow at all.

 

[RitcheyRch]

Continental DWS06 gets my vote

 

[Ignatius]

Do you happen to know who produces the Rotiiva? I had a set on the ‘00 Expedition I owned, great tires imo, but I did not know Nokian did not produce them. I agree the WR series was better on icier roads over the Rotiiva, yet they are designed for different purposes. Do you know if it was the same with the Vatiiva A/T? As much as I like the Rotiiva’s, they do not compare to the original Vatiiva.

I am glad you brought up the Vatiiva, I actually think that was the tire I had not the Rotiiva. I apologise as my memory didn't realize that until you mentioned it. The Vatiiva was made by Cooper and was the exact same tire as a certain Cooper brand tire and was just rebranded as a Nokian product. It was a good tire but just did not come close to the same winter weather performance that I had experienced with the original Nokian WR tire.

 

[555]

I noticed that a couple of weeks back when I was researching tires. How do you like the G4’s so far? I noticed in the photo you attached that it appears the tire is mounted incorrectly. I believe the ”swoosh” is supposed to be mounted towards the outside so it channels the water away from center, not to center. You may want to see if the sidewall is marked “inner” & “outer”, or has a rotation arrow. It appears they are to be directionally mounted like the G3’s were. Or did you have a tire rotation in which they rotated your tires in the typical manner (crossing) instead of keeping the tires on the same side, just changing locations (Fr to Rr, vice versa)? I may be wrong.

I understand what you're saying but the WRG4 is different. The "swooshes" do go on the inside.

 

[willbur]

I'm in Kansas City, so we can get out fair share of snow. I, too, was concerned about snow performance, as my OEM Nexen tires were terrible last winter. My recent research narrowed my choices down to Michelin Defender T+H and General Altimax RT43. I just ordered the Michelins yesterday, as Costco has a current rebate of $150 on a set. The rebate made them cheaper than the Generals, along with having a longer stated tread life to boot!

I think you maybe disappointed in Michelin actual vs. stated mileage and they don't stand up to sun very well. I find them to be the smoothest and best handing tires, however

 

[UG_Passat]

I noticed that a couple of weeks back when I was researching tires. How do you like the G4’s so far? I noticed in the photo you attached that it appears the tire is mounted incorrectly. I believe the ”swoosh” is supposed to be mounted towards the outside so it channels the water away from center, not to center. You may want to see if the sidewall is marked “inner” & “outer”, or has a rotation arrow. It appears they are to be directionally mounted like the G3’s were. Or did you have a tire rotation in which they rotated your tires in the typical manner (crossing) instead of keeping the tires on the same side, just changing locations (Fr to Rr, vice versa)? I may be wrong.

They are mounted correctly. You want the more solid tread blocks towards the outside, for handling, as they are an asymmetric tire.

They work fine in the winter ice and snow. Steering is a little lighter than my 3-season tires. And no issues in the pouring rain.

 

[LubeFiner]

I am glad you brought up the Vatiiva, I actually think that was the tire I had not the Rotiiva. I apologise as my memory didn't realize that until you mentioned it. The Vatiiva was made by Cooper and was the exact same tire as a certain Cooper brand tire and was just rebranded as a Nokian product. It was a good tire but just did not come close to the same winter weather performance that I had experienced with the original Nokian WR tire

I hate to disagree but the Vatiiva was made by Nokian in Finland as it was molded into the tires sidewall. I never checked on my Rotiiva‘s when I still owned my Expedition. I believe you are confusing Mastercraft with Nokian as Mastercrafts are made by Cooper. As for the WR series, they were better in the snow/ice than the Rotiiva’s, yet as I previously pointed out, they were designed with two separate purposes in mind. The WR series was a road fairing tire whilst the Rotiiva was meant to tackle both paved & non-paved.

 

[Ignatius]

I hate to disagree but the Vatiiva was made by Nokian in Finland as it was molded into the tires sidewall. I never checked on my Rotiiva‘s when I still owned my Expedition. I believe you are confusing Mastercraft with Nokian as Mastercrafts are made by Cooper. As for the WR series, they were better in the snow/ice than the Rotiiva’s, yet as I previously pointed out, they were designed with two separate purposes in mind. The WR series was a road fairing tire whilst the Rotiiva was meant to tackle both paved & non-paved.

Articles from 2010, around the time when I had Nokian Vatiiva tires on my former Jeep:

Cooper-made Nokian tires fall under recall

Nokian Tyres plc has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about a non-compliance in certain Nokian Vatiiva H/T tires (size 245/70R17) that were built Nov...

www.moderntiredealer.com

Nokian recalls 460 Cooper-made tires

WASHINGTON (March 24, 2010)—In the latest recall of size 245/70R17 tires made by Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. for various private branders, Nokian Tyres Inc. has recalled 460 Nokian Vatiiva H/T tires manufactured between Nov. 29 and Dec. 12, 2010. As with the tires in previous recalls, the Nokian…

www.rubbernews.com

From 2008:

Nokian LT tires made by Cooper are under recall

www.moderntiredealer.com

 

[supton]

"Most of the driving on these tires is on the highway" - most tires will have excellent treadwear in such conditions.

Krzys

I do mostly highway and my RT43's go about 40k, then they are at 4/32's and it's time to replace. Wet traction is starting to be reduced. Better than the Michelin's I had before, after 30k they'd be more worn than that! [I *did* have a set of LTX's that had lots of tread after 40k but they cracked, so no Michelin's here for me.] I did lots of highway but even still it seems like my highways chewed them up anyhow.

Perhaps other corners of the country have straighter highways?