Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives snow tires for small suv.

Wife has a 2013 Buick encore and wants me to put snow tires on the front . Do any of you guys drive one of these cars/suvs in the snow and do you have snow tires on them?

We live in the Appleton , Wi area.

If you are talking about true "winter tires" with the soft tread compound and high sipped tread patterns they are recommended on all four wheels. Stopping is as important as driving forward. You also must take them off in the warmer months because they will wear quickly in hot weather.

Now today they are making what is called "all weather tires" which although not as good as real "winter tires" are better than what many call snow tires or what is called M/S (mud and snow rated). The all weather tires can be run year round but the are also recommended on all four wheels.

I'll be looking at true winter tires. She does a lot of traveling top smaller town in northern Wisc. as part of her job and "all weather tires" aren't cutting it.

Cooper Evolution or True North?

Blizzak which I believe are made by Bridgestone.

Look at tirerack.com and see what's out there.

I put Blizzaks on everything in the winter, and they have been very good. Very reasonable if you time a sale at Costco.

I've got Cooper Evolution winters on my CX-5 and they're very good . Second set I've had on it and I wouldn't have bought them again if the first set didn't impress.

Another vote here for the Cooper Evolution Winter. Have them on the wife's Subaru Forester. They are a good performing tire. I would certainly buy again. I have them mounted on an extra set of wheels so I take them off as soon as the weather permits. This is the third season for them but we don't drive a lot these days. I recently drove through a foot of snow in the back yard without a problem... (Had to get diesel and gas cans for filling)

As with any true winter tire I'm sure when worn down performance will suffer a bit.

Currently have a set of the Cooper evolutions on an AWD Honda. Exceeded my expectations in slippery conditions.
Firestone Winterforce used to be an inexpensive tire that performed well. It’s a directional tire as well.

I love the traction of Blizzacks and run them on my Tundra, but we put a set on the wifes Kia Soul this year and HATE them. It sounds like you're sitting over the wing on an airplane. I can't believe how noisy they are on her car.

I've traveled nearly 2 Million Miles for work as well as hunting/fishing driving ND, SD, MT, MN, WY, and NE. FWD Mini-Van, AWD and FWD sedan, and AWD SUV's, I've yet to find anything that holds the road better than Blizzak. The only other tire I'd consider at this point for a full-on true winter tire is the Nokian Hakka's. Currently momma's AWD Murano and Kiddo's Subaru Forester both have Blizzaks. Kiddo is 16 and on her 1st winter driving on her own. I consider it a safety issue getting her tires that greatly aid stopping/turning much more so than "going". Blizzaks on a 2nd set of wheels are just slightly more than collision deductibles.......

My wife is not a "Car-gal". She drove an AWD Ford Fusion for 16 yrs. At some point, Sam's had Goodyear Winter Command tires for quite a bit less $$ than Blizzak and I bit for both her Fusion and my AWD Murano. 1st slick day she was on me that I hadn't put her winter tires on yet, but, the Goodyears were in place. THE 1ST DAY w/virtually 0 wear and she hated them. They weren't nearly as good as Blizzaks on my Murano either. I had a set of Coopers on a FWD Mini-Van sometime along the way and they sucked Donkey Balls compared to Blizzaks I ran on the same rig the next winter.

In that nearly 2 Million miles mentioned earlier, I've never been in the ditch. I've never been in an accident. Full disclosure regarding accidents, I did hit 1 deer with my pickup during the rut @ sunup on dry pavement.

Just replaced the tires on my wife's Chevy Blazer this fall with Michelin CrossClimate tires. Considered to be all-weather rather than all season. They are 3 peak rated for snow. They are absolutely excellent. Quiet and smooth and have been really good on snow/packed snow in the sub zero weather we are currently experiencing. I have used Blizzaks in the past and these tires are close to them in starting/stopping ability. And you don't have to switch them over seasonally. My daughter's SUV is FWD and I do have Blizzaks on that vehicle.

Do your research. I have Nokian hakkapeliitta snows on my 4Runner and my Duramax plow truck. Very impressive on everything from deep snow to ice.

It can be done

Don't forget about Firestone Winterforce. Awesome tires. Have Blizzach WS90's on wife's Subaru. IMHO the Winterforce are better on ice and hard pack snow.

I went with Falken Winterpeak ice and snow tires on the cars of both my kids. They perform very well, IMO. Wife's car also has snow and ice tires, but they Nokian Nordman 7, I believe, and they also grip very well on our northern Michigan roads in winter.

Don't put them just on the front. You need them on all 4 for stopping and handling. Most reputable tire shops won't put them on only the front for liability reasons. A FWD car isn't just a RWD going backwards.

I’ve got the Nokkians on my son’s Nissan Rogue and they are fine. Id also recommend Blizzaks as well.
I haven’t seen it mentioned, but don’t run the true snow tires year round, the heat will make the soft rubber hard, and pretty much make them useless next winter. Trust me, I learned the hard way when I first moved to AK.