Those ‘All-Weather' Tires
If there is a new technology that is beginning to stand out in the winter tire segment, it’s certainly that of “all-weather” or “homologated” tires.
This type of tire uses a tread compound that remains soft when the temperature drops below 7 degrees Celsius, providing grip on the road even when it's cold.
I have tried several of these tires on test vehicles as well as on one of my own cars, and all have been more convincing than expected.
Michelin
Certainly one of the most advanced in the range, the Michelin Cross-Climate2 has been on my Lincoln MKZ for three years now, both winter and summer. Besides being quiet, this tire has also proven effective in relatively deep snow and on ice, and of course on wet pavement. Ford offers these tires as original equipment on its Mustang Mach-E Rally.
Nokian
Nokian is the Finnish manufacturer that first introduced us to this technology. It has now reached its new WRG5 generation with its Remedy, which is making its debut here this year. Long-term tests on a Mercedes C300 AWD with the WRG4 generation proved more than satisfactory.
Hankook
In the same vein, Hankook Kinergy 4S tires have propelled my Suzuki SX4 with ease and confidence for two years.
Laufenn
Laufenn tires are Hankook's second-tier products. I currently have a set of G-Fit 4S being tested on my MKZ.
Several other manufacturers have their version of the all-weather tire:
- • Bridgestone – Weatherpeak
- • Goodyear - Assurance WeatherReady
- • Yokohama - Geolandar CV4S
- • Toyo - Celsius II
- • Pirelli – WeatherActive
- • Nordman - Solstice 4 (the previous Hakkapeliitta WRG4)
- • General - Altimax 365AW
- • Falken – Aklimate
- • Vredestein - Quatrac
- • Sailun - Atrezzo 4 Seasons
Studded tires
Studded winter tires are a controversial solution, one reason why we see them less and less on our roads. There are requirements and limitations regarding their use (only allowed from October 15 to May 1 in Quebec, for example, and banned from many underground garages.
Nevertheless, several manufacturers continue to produce factory-studded winter tires. If you choose such a product, let me suggest these factory-studded tires:
- • Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10
- • Michelin X-Ice Snow North (made in Canada)
- • Toyo G3-Ice
- • Continental XTRM (the studs are not only factory-installed but also glued in)
- • Pirelli Winter Ice Zero
- • General Altimax Arctic 12
Note that these will not necessarily be among the more affordable options available to you.
Tires for electric vehicles
While many manufacturers state that their current products are fully compatible with EVs, a few winter tire makers are adding a suffix to their brand name to meet demand.
For example, Finland's Nokian recently created its Hakkapeliitta 10 EV range, just as Pirelli added the "Elect" designation to its performance Sottozero. The Chinese-origin manufacturer Sailun recently launched the eRange to play in this field.
