Top 10 Winter Tires for Pickups and Large SUVs in 2019-2020
With the cold season fast approaching, The Car Guide is once again bringing you a list of the top 10 winter tires for pickups and large SUVs.
These vehicles make up easily one of the most popular segments in all of North America right now. As part of our evaluations conducted late last winter, we drove thousands of kilometres on a mix of fresh snow, hard-packed snow, ice and dry/wet pavement with a Ram 1500 and Ford F-150.
We spent time on city streets, highways, country roads and private trails in and around Quebec’s beautiful Laurentides region to assess the ride quality, grip, handling and braking performance of over 30 different tires models.
Choosing a replacement winter tire for a pickup or SUV is not an easy task. In addition to your budget, you must also take into account your projected winter mileage as well as the payload and towing capacities of your vehicle. Our rankings are mere recommendations based on our own expertise; you should consult with the specialists at your local tire store to make sure you pick the product that best meets your needs.
Note: These tires can be fitted to most midsize pickups and SUVs, too.
No. 10: Hercules Avalanche X-Treme SUV / Avalanche RT – Our rating: 70%
Braking on ice: Average
Grip in the snow: Good
Performance on dry pavement: Decent
No. 9: GT Radial Champiro Ice Pro SUV3 – Our rating: 74%
Braking on ice: Good
Grip in the snow: Average
Performance on dry pavement: Good
No. 8 (tie): Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8 – Our rating: 78%
Braking on ice: Good
Grip in the snow: Good
Performance on dry pavement: Good
No. 8 (tie): Pirelli Scorpion Winter – Our rating: 78%
Braking on ice: Very Good
Grip in the snow: Average
Performance on dry pavement: Excellent
No. 7: General Grabber Arctic – Our rating: 82%
Braking on ice: Good
Grip in the snow: Very Good
Performance on dry pavement: Good
No. 6: Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT SUV – Our rating: 83%
Braking on ice: Very Good
Grip in the snow: Good
Performance on dry pavement: Very Good
No. 5: Yokohama Ice Guard GO75 / iG51v – Our rating: 84%
Braking on ice: Very Good
Grip in the snow: Very Good
Performance on dry pavement: Very Good
No. 4: Toyo Observe GSi-5 – Our rating: 85%
Braking on ice: Very Good
Grip in the snow: Very Good
Performance on dry pavement: Very Good
No. 3: Michelin Latitude X-Ice Xi2 – Our rating: 86%
Braking on ice: Excellent
Grip in the snow: Good
Performance on dry pavement: Excellent
No. 2: Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 – Our rating: 89%
Braking on ice: Excellent
Grip in the snow: Excellent
Performance on dry pavement: Good
No. 1: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 SUV / Hakkapeliitta 9 SUV – Our rating: 92%
Braking on ice: Excellent
Grip in the snow: Excellent
Performance on dry pavement: Very Good