29 Oct Criteria for choosing the right winter tires
Three important criteria are to be considered when buying winter tires that will combine performance and reliability:
1- These must have the official pictogram.
2- These must be suitable for your vehicle.
3- These must be adapted to your driving profile.
Your tires must have the official pictogram
Since 2014, the tires installed, unless they are studded, must bear the pictogram of a snowflake embedded in a mountain which means that the product meets standards established by Transport Canada, by the United States Department of Transportation. and by the Rubber Association of Canada.
Your tires must be suitable for your vehicle
As you can imagine, you can’t install just any type of tire on every type of vehicle.
Passenger car tires are typically suitable for subcompacts, compacts, midsize and small vans, as well as some small crossovers, compact SUVs and standard vans.
Sport utility tires are suitable for SUVs (compact, mid-size, luxury all-wheel drive or all-wheel drive), pickup trucks and some vans.
Performance vehicle tires are suitable for luxury cars, sports coupes, some sports compacts, high-end midsize and some European luxury utility vehicles.
Your tires must be adapted to your driving profile
Choose the tire that corresponds to the majority of your trips:
Urban driving
Do you drive along large boulevards that are quickly cleared of snow, along streets and urban highways that are sometimes covered with black ice, as well as roads strewn with slush, snow, sand or a thick layer of ice?
Your tires must have very good braking capacity on ice in addition to biting well in the snow.
Driving in the countryside
Do you travel a long distance every day? Do you travel on snow-covered roads that remain partially icy after a storm, often swept by blowing snow?
The most important criteria are still very good traction in deep snow and good braking capacity on ice.
Long interurban trips
Do you often drive long, open highways on which you come across black ice or slush? In the country, do you sometimes take roads dotted with snow, blowing snow, thick ice or sand?
For you, driving comfort and the impact on fuel consumption are important. The tires should also react well on ice and in deep snow.