Snow Tires or Winter Tires….it’s all the same

Marathon Automotive has been a Nokian dealer since 1981, longer than anyone else in Michigan. In fact, we have been specializing in winter tires longer than most tire dealers have been in business in Traverse City. Nokian tires are available in more sizes and styles than any other winter tire. We love winter tires, or as we used to call them, snow tires. Although we were the first Nokian dealer in the state, we sell many brands of winter tires. There is no tire store in northern Michigan that has a better selection of brands and sizes of winter tires than us, and if we don’t have it we can get it ASAP. And don’t forget, winter tires are the cheapest life insurance you can buy.

 

Disclaimer:  The views below are a combination of world wide tests and our personal and biased opinions based on over 40 years of specializing in snow tires.  Not all tires are suitable for all vehicles, talk to the experts at Marathon Automotive to find the right tire for your vehicle and budget.

 

Call with questions or for pricing: 231-929-4777 or request a quote here.

 

 #1 Gislaved Nord Frost 5    It’s no wonder this tire takes first place in our winter tire list. It places at the top of most European winter tire tests (see here and you will get the general idea, but you will need to understand Swedish to get the details). The Nord Frost 5 is an ultra quiet winter tire, and for a premium tire it is reasonably priced, earning it hands down our number one rating. This is the tire that we choose for our own vehicles.

 

 

 

 

 

#2 Nokian Hakkapellitta R  Since 1936, Nokian tires have been the benchmark against which all other winter tires have been judged. While Nokia, the parent company, is the world’s largest manufacturer of cell phones, this Finnish company built rubber boots and tires long before wireless communication even existed. Nobody builds as many sizes and styles of snow tires as Nokian. The Nokian Hakkapellitta R lives up to its benchmark status and performs exceptionally in all areas. This tire has the lowest rolling resistance of any winter tire, and lower than all but a handful of the best summer tires. This exceptionally low rolling resistance will save you money on gas.

 

 

 

#3 Nokian WR G2 How did this “all season” tire make it all the way to the number 3 spot? Nokian WR G2 roots are traced back to a high speed high performance winter tire designed for the high speed roads of Europe. After several revisions this tire made it to the USA as a four season tire. Don’t be fooled by its all season moniker, the WR G2's tread compound and design help it outperform all but a few winter tires in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

#4 Michelin X-Ice 2  German roads and German drivers are known for speed, and you know they won’t settle for a second rate tire. This tire easily ranks near  the top in every winter tire test, however, the price matches the tire's premium status.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#5 GT Winter This tire has been a pleasant surprise. Several years ago GT built an inexpensive line of winter tires for Nokian, and we were very impressed with the tire’s quality and winter traction. Our ability to buy the GT line direct has made it considerably less expensive. The GT build quality and winter traction certainly puts this tire at the top of the list for value-conscious consumers.

 

 

 

 

 

#6 Hankook I Pike W409  This represents one of the best values in low priced winter tires. It looks like Hankook copied one of Nokian’s winter tire designs. The build quality is good although the tread compounds cannot match the higher end tires.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

#7 Dunlop Graspic  This tire ranks in the upper middle in most tests and the price puts it squarely in the middle of the pack. Dunlop is a division of Goodyear and frankly we prefer the Dunlop winter tires over the Goodyear, and the prices are much better.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

#8 Bridgestone Blizzak  This is a highly rated and great performing winter tire. The only problem is, this tire achieves its performance through use of a multi cell compound ( think of a sponge)  the top 50% of the tread. The Blizzak wears fast and when the multi cell compound is worn away, the Blizzak performs as an all season tire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#9 Cooper Discover M&S These truck tires are no match for Nokian winter tires but unfortunately neither is the price. Cooper truck tires are priced significantly less than Nokian winter truck tires. This tire is an OK value, not our favorite but offered at a reasonable price.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#10 Yokohama Ice Guard IG20 Critics say Yokohama Ice Guard IG20 would be a top winter tire except for one thing; “it has a nervous tendency to slip suddenly on snow-covered or clear asphalt.”  This is a bit unnerving when thinking about winter safety.   Reliable reviewers still recommend the IG20, because it outperforms almost all other studless winter tires on ice. Experts say the IG20 ice grip is on par with the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60 and the top-rated Michelin X-Ice Xi2.  This is a good tire but most customers would be better served by the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R, Michelin X-Ice Xi2 or even the Gislaved that all score slightly better overall in most winter tire tests. 

 

 

 

 

 #11 Toyo Observe G-02 Plus  The lack of test information makes objective comparison difficult as this tire is rarely included in many tests. A version of this tire ranked in the middle of the pack in the 2006 Consumer Report Evaluation. The new version is certainly a better performer and it is currently a step behind the Nokian, Gislaved, Michelin, Yokohama, and Blizzak.  We don’t find a lot to fault in this tire, however there are usually better choices in this price range. 
 

 

 

 

 

Pans

 

 

 

Cooper ST/2  One of the top selling winter tires in Traverse City has few fans at Marathon Auto. This tire places near the bottom in most winter tire tests. A quote from one test summarizes our feelings: “this tire is full of surprises, unfortunately none of them are good.” Honestly this tire is not that bad, but you can do much better for your money.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arctic Claw is built by Cooper as a private label (read cheaper version) of the Cooper ST/2. You know how we feel about the ST/2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hankook RW-07  This tire is a world away from the Hankook I Pike W409. The tread design is rudimentary and we find little to like in this tire, however, it is available in many sizes when there are no alternative choices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Firestone Winter Force It is hard to find a tire test that  does not place this tire dead last. These tires do offer an unpredictable improvement over summer tires for winter driving.  If you purchase these tires you will need to add an extra $10 to the price for hearing protection. They are the loudest winter tires we have ever heard. The tires perform fairly, but the noise is enough to drive us crazy. There is always a better choice and usually for only a few dollars more per tire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hankook Ice Bear This is not a full blown winter tire but a performance winter tire. While trying to satisfy both winter traction and performance, it fails to do either very well. In the prestigious 2007 German ADAC “Winterreiten” tire test, the Ice Bear ranks an unimpressive 11th out of 16, and in 2008 13th out of 19. This tire fares no better in the Automobile Protection Association (APA), the Canadian version of our AAA, garnering a 2 out of 5 star rating.  In the 2006 Consumer Report  test, this tire placed 13th out of 20.

 

 

  

 

 

Kelly Magna Grip and Snow Tracker  This tire’s tread design looks like outdated technology from the 1970’s. It is hard to find any reliable test information for these tires, with the exception of the 2005 Consumers Report where they placed a dismal 9th out of 12 choices. These tires are built with one purpose - to be cheap. With all that is riding on your tires, an additional 3 or 4 dollars per tire moves you up to the GT Winter, Hankook W409 or even the Cooper tires that we don’t love, but even the Cooper would be a substantial improvement over these tires.