Winter Tires - Snow Tires

The importance of snow tires can not be ignored and I want to tell you about why snow tires are important. But let's face it, many people who read this want to know first how to save money and save time so we'll address that first. The next section will be why it is important to go ahead and invest in actual snow tires if you live in a region that has significant snow and ice.

I recently had a very good experience buying tires online with Tire Rack. They saved me a lot of money on my SUV tire purchase so I immediately thought of them for a snow tire solution. Sure enough, Tire Rack has a great solution. They have put together winter tire packages to save you time and money. A lot of time is wasted looking for the right tire and then sitting in a dirty waiting room with stale coffee and old magazines while your tires are being mounted and balanced. Tire Rack has a solution for all that time and expense. Forget about driving to the tire store. You can sit at your computer and find the best tire for your vehicle. Their information is complete with extensive test results and owner reviews. You can pair your tires with a set of rims and have the complete set ready to bolt onto your car delivered right to your door. Mounting and balancing are free! Your snow tires and wheels can be on your vehicle in less than 30 minutes.

Take a look at the package for your vehicle: Change your tires with the seasons with a Preferred Winter Tire & Wheel Package from Tire Rack. If you are considering a salvage set of rims don't forget to factor in the cost of mounting and balancing. Tire Rack's prices are very favorable.

Personally I found a tire for my SUV that is a name brand but is not a first thought when thinking about tires. This tire outperformed the other popular brands in every test and the other tires cost 50% more than my tire. On top of that Tire Rack saved me more money over the local dealer. You can take a look at testing results for tires here:

Shopping for tires? Read Tire Rack's tire test results first.

See more about testing in a later module in this lens but right now open this link in a new tab or window: Preferred Winter Tire & Wheel Package from Tire Rack.

Near the top you can select your vehicle make, year, and model. You will then be given the opportunity to select a "preferred package" (incidentally, for me this was the low cost package - I could upgrade but they did not try to push a high priced package) or you can build your own package. If you choose the preferred package you could be done in about 5 minutes. If you want to be a little more selective it will take a few more minutes.

If you choose to build your own package, you will be given choices of tires that have already been determined to be appropriate for your vehicle along with pricing and tire information. You can simply select a tire or if you like you can do more research on the site of testing and user reviews. After you select a tire, you will be given wheel options again specific to your vehicle. Select a wheel - these are not universal wheels, they are specifically matched to your vehicle. Mounting and balancing is free! Everything is then shipped right to your door including lugs, center caps and everything necessary to put your new tires on.

Change your tires with the seasons with a Preferred Winter Tire & Wheel Package from Tire Rack.

You can save literally hours from waiting at the tire dealer and hundreds of dollars can be saved on mounting charges over the years. The cost up front will be a bit more - how much depends on what type of wheels you select but the end result can be significant savings over time. Drive safely and see the packages available for your vehicle here:

Change your tires with the seasons with a Preferred Winter Tire & Wheel Package from Tire Rack.

You can see multiple test results here:

Shopping for tires? Read Tire Rack's tire test results first.

But for a quick review, 4 different manufacturers were tested:

Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60 (Studless Ice and Snow)
Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice (Studless Ice and Snow)
Michelin X-Ice Xi2 (Studless Ice and Snow)
Nokian Hakkapilitta RSi (Studless Ice and Snow)

The test results from Tire Rack place the Michelin in top position followed by Bridgestone. The Goodyear placed last. The Michelin was considered an excellent winter tire. It is designed to accomplish a strong balance of snow and ice traction along with strong wet and dry road traction. The tread provides firmness in higher temperatures but remains flexible in lower temperatures. What that translates to for the average driver is good traction for starting and stopping on snow and ice without the loss of control in wet and dry road conditions. As a driver you can depend on consistently good performance throughout the winter season. You can see more details about the Michelin X-ice from the following links:


Michelin Latitude X-Ice Tire


The Bridgestone tire lacked start up traction but it was still considered a "responsive tire with excellent snow and ice traction." It is also a less expensive tire. See more information about the Bridgestone here:

Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60 Tire

There is no doubt that tires are an expense that no one wants. But the right decision could pay off big dividends in the long run. Loss of traction for stopping and cornering puts you at a significantly greater risk of an accident. One accident will be much more expensive than the cost of the right tires. The hazard and inconvenience of being stuck in the snow is certainly something to be avoided. Be sure you are prepared for winter with the appropriate tires.

Change your tires with the seasons with a Preferred Winter Tire & Wheel Package from Tire Rack.