Winter Tire Ratings – What you need to know

The tests emphasize execution on uncleared roads over handling on dry payment, which accounts for differences between the recommendations here and reports from other sources. Winter tires for touring cars and SUVs are seldom rated higher than T. Recommendations for winter tires are because of their effectual handling on snow and ice. The rubber eraser chemical compound of an all-season tire hardens as the temperature drops, providing poorer traction, even on dry surfaces. All-season tires have low adhesive friction on snow and ice when they are new, with grip diminishing as the tires age. Speed codes are shown by a alphabetic symbol that establishes the high speed potential of a tire when pushed to the limits. It’s unlikely that all-season tires are passable for wintertime driving in most parts of Canada. The tread depth of a winter tire is more malleable and retains its grip in cold temperatures. The tires listed here include most of the highly rated models on the market.

Here is a chart showing the max speeds for each category when dealing with non-winter tires.

Tire speed ratings

Speed Code	Maximum speed
Q	160 km/h
R	170 km/h
S	180 km/h
T	190 km/h
U	200 km/h
H	210 km/h
V	240 km/h
W	270 km/h
Y	300 km/h
ZR	capability beyond 300 km/h

A mountain figure with a snowflake inside:

Every winter tire sold in Canada has this figure that represents Canadian Rubber Association approval. The symbol signifies that the tire meets certain performance criteria surrounding grip in snow, and that the tire is designed specifically for snow traction. There is no current test for ice grip included.

The snowflake symbol used to be a dependable sign of the winter performance of a tire. Recently, Goodyear, Nokian, BF Goodrich and Michelin have created tires using the snowflake symbol, which use tread-patterns more akin to all season tires. The tires mentioned are all-season tires and not dedicated winter tires. When they are new, there is the minimum required tread depth to pass the snow test provided by the CRA, however these tires were never intended to work in very cold temperatures therefore the ability of these psudo-winter tires decreases over time.  Had the CRA standard included a test for ice, it would be more difficult to meet the criteria for the snowflake symbol.  Ideally, the CRA needs to evolve so the winter tire symbol doesn’t decrease its relevance, as the M+S symbol has.

Decoding Tire Symbols

LT205/70R18
P: the letter P, which is often missing, shows the category the tire is designed for. P (for passenger) means that the tire is a passenger car tire. LT (meaning

light truck), is obviously a truck tire. AT (meaning all-terrain) is typically for SUV’s with mild off-road ability.

205:  width (in mm) of the tire between sides. Normally it is matched to the capabilities of a vehicle.

70: the height of the sidewall, shown as a % of the tire width (in this case, 70 percent of 205 millimeters = 144 mm).

At any width, a smaller % of sidewall height results in a lesser profile of tire.

Tires with a sidewall of 50 or less are called “low profile” and typically offer exceptional road handling, sometimes sacrificing comfort as a result. They are frequently more expensive than mainstream tires (defined as profiles of 60 or more), and come as standard on many convertibles and faster cars. Low profile tires are mounted on relatively large wheels on high end models of compact cars.

R: means radial tire, which almost all tires are these days.

18: this is the wheel diameter in inches. Thirteen to 14 inch wheels are normally only for the low-end versions of sub-compact cars; Fifteen inch are normal for most compact cars and sometimes higher versions of sub-compacts; Sixteens are typical on a few compact cars, intermediate cars and quite a few smaller SUVs; Seventeen inch rims are found on sportier compact cars, medium sized SUVs and some compact SUVs; larger wheels are used on high-end  cars & sport SUVs. Rims larger than sixteen inches are not needed on a touring car for technical reasons, but have become aesthetic purchases over the last couple of years.

M+S
The M+S (Mud + Snow) marker means that the tire has larger than typical gaps between the treads than an all-season tire. There is no standard to define what M+S means exactly so the amount of traction in winter weather is undefined.

Having a second set of wheels for snow tires – Good idea?

Having a second set of winter wheels is a good idea, particularly if your car is equipped with tire pressure monitors.

The extra money is recuperated over a 2-3 year time through reducing the cost of mounting and unmounting summer and winter tires from one set of wheels. This alone could save approximately fifty dollars every time you swap tires.

On cars with large OEM wheels, purchasing smaller wheels for winter allows cheaper winter tires to be fitted, which also provide better traction in the snow.

Choosing a smaller winter tire set has one thing to remember: it is important to preserve the same total diameter of the OEM tire/wheel combo.  Online tire stores have tire calculators that tell you what the necessary replacement sizes are. As an illustration, on a VW Jetta 2.0 equipped from the factory with 16 inch wheels shod with 205-55 R16 tires, it is possible to install 195-65 R15 tires on fifteen inch rims.

There is a cost reduction of eighty to two-hundred dollars by down-sizing the wheel set, if you shop around.

 

 

Winter Tire Ratings

5 Stars – Best Choice

These tires offer excellent traction on ice and very good grip in deep snow conditions. Lifespan is 3 or more winters of ten-thousand km each. They are the best thought-out and executed tires available.

4 Stars – Very Good Choice

These tires provide decent overall traction , but grip and durability are not as strong as the 5 star category.

3 Stars – Good Choice

3 star tires are not sticky on ice and can not be considered with the other top-rated tires. Also the traction of the 3 star tire does not match up in at least one of the other criteria under evaluation. Almost all of the tires rated 3’s offer good dry road grip, or a low price.

2 Stars – Acceptable choice

These tires have better handling in winter than equivalent all season tires, but their grip on ice is sub-par when compared with than the higher star rated tires. These tires also do not have the more cutting-edge technology in either design or composite materials. These tires are good for studs to improve grip on ice.

1 Star – Passable choice

These tire deliver medium grip on ice and in snow and the design is old, or their material quality is unknown. They may perform better than on all season tires when first purchased, but this advantage will decrease as they get older. Sometimes, the tire brand has had too many recalls to be able to recommend it.