Best Passenger Car Tires for Winter Driving

Are your tires ready for winter? You might not be as well off as you think. Making sure that your car tires can handle driving in the snow will help prevent damage to your vehicle or injuries to yourself or others, but most drivers only think about their tires when the snow begins to fall, and by then it's too late. If you don't plan to install snow tires on your vehicle, it's critical to ensure that your passenger tires are in good condition and have plenty of tread left on them well before you begin to see snow on the ground.

Before you assume that your tires are bad and should be replaced, it's a good idea to begin by looking at the tread that's left on them. You may have head about the old trick of using a penny to determine whether you've got enough tread left on your tires. While this trick works in dry weather, it doesn't help you during the winter. Holding a penny in the tread of your tires only gives you an indication of whether your car tires are worn down to nothing. Instead, use a quarter. Hold the quarter so that Washington's head is pointed downward in the tread of the tire. If you can see the top of his head, the tires have to be replaced. If the top of his head is covered with tread, you can probably hold off a few months before your buy your tires.

The best passenger car tires for driving in snow are standard snow tires. These types of tire have deep grooves that are specifically intended to plow through some of the worst winter weather. However, if you don't want to purchase snow tires, there are many standard passenger car tires that handle exceptionally well in slick conditions, while providing good mileage, tread wear, and performance.

Cooper Zeon RS3-A

When the U.S. Department of Transportation began their tire grading system in 1997, only 3% of tires received their "AA" rating of having the best stopping power on slick surfaces. The Zeon RS3-A, retailing for about $150 per tire, has just such a rating. As this is a performance tire, it unfortunately has no treadwear warranty. It does, however, have a UTQG treadwear rating of 500, which is very good based on competing tires. This tire is a good choice for owners of sports cars, coupes and sedans.

Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S G012

The Yokohama Geolander tire is a good light-truck tire with a 50,000 mile treadwear warranty, and good off-road performance. DOT traction testing put this tire model at an "A" rating, which, while not as good as an "AA" rating, is still a good tire rating. The Geolander is available in practically any tire size you need, and retails for about $157. For a truck, the Geolander is a good alternative to purchasing a set of snow tires.

Continental ProContact ECOPLUS +

The Continental ProContact tire is marketed as a fuel efficiency tire, but has good performance attributes that make it a good all-around tire, as well. It earned a DOT "A" traction rating and features an 80,000-mile treadwear warranty, A wide variety of sizes are available for around $99 per tire.


Sources:
Continental Tires: Continental ProContact ECOPLUS; www.conti-online.com
Yokohama Tires: Yokohama Geolander A/T-S G012; www.yokohamatire.com
Cooper Tires: Cooper Zeon RS3-A; www.coopertire.com
Consumer Reports: Highest Rated Passenger Car Tires; Consumer Reports Buying Guide 2011