No matter how good a vehicle handles or how capable its 4WD system is, the tires it’s equipped with will make the difference in the cold season. Here are our top choices for every pickup truck or SUV owner.
Winter tires are specifically developed to maximize traction in adverse weather conditions. Due to their special tread patterns, water, slush, or snow are discharged from underneath the tires through a series of intricate channels, allowing the rubber surface to grip the road.
Since there’s a wide variety of choices available, buying a set of new winter tires can seem difficult. Still, it will become an easy process if you make a list of priorities.
Apart from the budget, you should consider the worst conditions you usually encounter in the cold season. If you live in an area where you don’t get much snowfall, then you won’t need the most capable tires out there.
Another factor you should consider is what kind of driving do you usually do. If you drive your truck or SUV daily in an urban environment and you never take it off-road, a set of winter tires will be perfect. On the other hand, if you routinely drive off-road, you should abandon the idea of winter tires and go for some capable all-terrains.
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2
Photo: Bridgestone Corporation
These tires are developed for trucks, SUVs, and crossovers, enabling them to maintain excellent traction on ice- and snow-covered road surfaces.
They use Bridgestone's adaptive NanoPro Tech Multicell compound that features a hydrophilic coating and microscopic bite particles. This compound maintains its flexibility in below-freezing temperatures, while the bite particles provide more grip and improve braking on icy surfaces.
The Blizzak DM-V2 tires are available in many sizes that fit most of the SUVs, trucks, or crossovers out there and have received countless positive reviews from customers.
Michelin Latitude X-Ice Xi2
Photo: Michelin SCA
From high-performance tires for powerful sportscars to winter tires for your truck, SUV, or crossover, the French manufacturer has become synonymous with premium quality.
These tires are developed to enhance handling and braking performance in adverse winter conditions. They use Michelin's FleX-Ice silica-based winter compound molded into a directional tread design that helps clear water and slush from under their surface, exponentially decreasing the risk of hydroplaning.
They are available in a wide range of sizes that fit most light-duty trucks, SUVs, crossovers, and vans. Although one of the most expensive tires out there, the Latitude X-Ice Xi2 are also among the best winter tires money can buy.
Pirelli Scorpion Winter
Photo: Pirelli & C. S.p.A.
Like Bridgestone and Michelin, the Italian tire specialist offers a huge range of models and is among the most renowned manufacturers out there.
The Scorpion Winter tires are developed for some of the most powerful crossovers, SUVs, and light-trucks out there and utilize Pirelli's EcoImpact technology, which makes them energy-efficient and as quiet as winter tires can get.
Their compound utilizes a new polymer blend and a higher content of silica components than conventional winter tires, which means that they should offer excellent grip and handling in typical winter driving conditions.
Like the previous two models, they come in many different sizes and are not cheap, but they are some of the most capable winter tires you can buy.
Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 SUV
Photo: Nokian Tyres plc
This brand comes from Finland, a country with long winters and a lot of snow, which means that they know a thing or two about winter tires.
Recently released, the latest generation Hakkapeliitta studded winter tires is developed with safety in mind. Their new tread compound and double stud technology offer excellent grip, handling, and braking performance, being tested in some of the harshest winter conditions on Earth.
They will be available in the coming months, so if you’re looking for a set for this winter season, go for another option on this list. But if your current tires can hold up, it’s definitely worth waiting because the Hakkapeliitta 10 are some incredibly capable winter tires.
Firestone Winterforce LT
Photo: Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
The American tire manufacturer, which has been owned by Bridgestone for more than 30 years, need no introduction. Firestone has been manufacturing quality tires for over a century.
The Winterforce LT model features a winter compound molded into an aggressive tread pattern with individual blocks that can be studded to provide improved traction on snow or ice.
The Winterforce LTs are designed for pickup trucks, medium- and heavy-duty commercial vans and won’t fit many SUVs.
Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times. Full profile
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