Let me start off by saying—being from Texas, I’ve only driven in snow during one instance my entire life and that for a weekend trip to Denver. It was the most terrifying experience ever, driving-wise. I did not have winter tires on my rented Chevy Suburban so I was sliding all over the place, almost ramming into other vehicles. Even braking at stop lights was a nightmare as I almost rear ended people on multiple occasions!
With that said, I’m probably not the authority in choosing winter tires. You might as well ask the opinion of a first grader on the matter.
HOWEVER, if you are still interested in my opinion on the best winter tire, let me defend myself in saying that I have done my due diligence in researching what I believe is the best winter tire—or at least I know what I’d get if I had to buy a winter tire. Not only did I consult the internet on the matter but I asked the people who drive in snow for most of the year—CANADIANS! They offered me their input on the best winter tires out there via e-mail and private messaging.
Without a doubt, the winter tire I would choose is the Michelin Latitude X-Ice XI2 (link to Amazon). Not only does it perform well in winter conditions, but the tire fits my Tacoma and other personal tire-choosing criteria. And yes, plenty of review sites are recommending this tire too but I’m promoting it simply because it’s Canada’s top choice.
How To Choose A Winter Tire
There is no magic formula in choosing winter tires. Just by getting tires rated for winter driving, you are already 90% prepared for driving in winter conditions. The final 10% is making sure you choose the right brand and tire characteristics for your specific driving needs.
As far as winter tire brands go, you can’t go wrong with the following:
- Michelin
- Goodyear
- Bridgestone
- Nokian Tire
- Pirelli
- Dunlop
These tire brands produce numerous winter tires and are made with excellent quality. It would be difficult to find a lackluster winter tire from any of them.
Whenever you’re searching for a specific model, just be sure they make them in your truck’s size. Also be aware that some models are made for off-roading and some can be studded. Don’t buy tires with extra features if you don’t particularly need them.
Winter Tires vs All-Season Tires
Winter tires and all-season tires have many subtle differences that make them completely different from one another. You can’t drive all-season tires during the winter and winter tires when it’s not winter.
Without going into too much detail, the main thing that differentiates the two tires is the rubber compound that each is made of. All-season tire rubber stiffens up when the temperature drops below 7°C, making it extremely difficult to gain any traction on snow or ice. Think of it like a hockey puck sliding on an ice rink.
Winter tire rubber remains flexible in extremely cold weather, allowing the tire to have a better grip on snowy or icy roads. The better winter tires have extra features that make them even safer on road compared to the average ones.
X-Ice XI2 Main Features
FleX-Ice™ Compound
The rubber of the Latitude X-Ice XI2 is made to be extremely flexible during the extremely cold conditions. As I mentioned earlier, the more flexible a winter tire is, the better grip it has on slippery roads covered in ice or snow.
Micro-Pumps
Micro-pumps on these tires function to push water from the treads. Without them, water would remain on the tire surface, increasing the chances of slipping.
Cross Z Sipes
Cross Z Sipes further improve tire stability and grip on the road. They work together with the FleX-Ice™ compound to increase traction for your tires. Making turns or u-turns end up being less terrifying.
Max Touch Construction™
Max Touch Construction™ basically means that Michelin made these tires in a special way that prolongs tread life. The technology enables evenly distributed tread on the road to maximize tread life potential.
Comfort Control Technology™
Winter tires are generally known to be very noisy on the road, especially when the road is dry. Michelin’s Comfort Control Technology™ minimizes the noise that the Latitude X-Ice XI2’s make on the road.
Why I Like The Tire
I have been driving with Michelin tires on my vehicles for about 10 years now. They have always performed wonderfully for me and have kept me safe on the road. Here is my review of my favorite all season tires. I don’t find it surprising that after doing research, I’m drawn to Michelin’s winter tires too.
40,000 mile warranty
If you do your own research on winter tires, you’ll see that Michelin is practically one of the only brands that have warranties on their winter tires. Winter tires normally don’t have warranties because they aren’t driven as much as all-season tires throughout the year (unless you live in an area that is snowy all the time). Having this 40,000 mile warranty shows that Michelin stand behind the quality and performance of their winter tires.
One of Canada’s Top Choices
If you don’t already know, it snows A LOT in Canada being that it’s called the “Great White North.” That means its citizens and especially their winter tire sellers are quite knowledgeable when it comes to choosing the best winter tires.
Canadian Tire is one of Canada’s largest online retailers for winter tires. They actually test drive their best winter tires and score them based on their performance. They are graded on 6 criteria:
- Fuel economy
- Snow traction
- Comfort/road Noise
- Dry traction
- Ice traction
- Wet traction
Of the 129 winter tires listed on their site, Canadian Tire tested 13 of them. Of the 13, the Michelin Latitude X-Ice XI2’s rated number one with a score of 99 (link to Canadian Tire). It scored a 100 in the first 5 criteria and 99 in wet traction. That’s pretty awesome!
I’d say it’s a pretty good reason to go with these tires.
Video Review
This is a short video review highlighting the features of the Michelin Latitude X-Ice XI2:
Final Thoughts
For the great price point and quality, it’s hard to choose anything else but the Michelin Latitude X-Ice XI2 winter tires (check recent price on Amazon). There are definitely more expensive tires out there with comparable or maybe even greater quality, but it’s hard to ignore the Canada’s endorsement. You also can’t ignore that 40,000 mile warranty.