Auto123 presents our guide to the best winter tires in Canada in 2021-2022. Discover the best winter tires for SUVs and pickup trucks!
See also our Guide to The Best Winter Tires for Cars & Smaller SUVs in Canada for 2021-2022
In this second installment of our guide to the best tires for winter 2021-2022, we'll focus on tires designed for pickup trucks of all sizes, as well as for larger SUVs. Note that for most smaller SUVs and crossovers, you can consult the first section of our guide, since the majority of these vehicles run on so-called "passenger" tires.
On the other hand, size isn’t everything. In order to choose the right tire, it is important to determine the use that will be made of your vehicle. Is it mainly a passenger vehicle? A work truck or van? Or a SUV or pickup to be used for off-roading?
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By the way, one of the first misconceptions that many pickup truck or SUV owners have is that these vehicles need to have huge, wide tires so that they have better traction in the snow or on ice. This is completely false! The narrowness of the tread is an asset in snow and ice. However, this narrowness reduces some of the vehicle's lateral stability on dry pavement. This is just one the many ways that a winter tire is a compromise choice. You gain in some areas and sacrifice in others. And this holds true, regardless of the type of vehicle you drive.
As we mentioned in the first part of our buying guide, there have been no major new tire unveilings for the winter of 2021-2022 in any segment, except for the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10, which is available in countless sizes and dimensions for passenger vans. (Nokian also offers the R3 version, which is a studless tire that can compete effectively with studded tires.)
See also: Should You Buy a Second Set of Wheels for Winter?
See also: Are All-Weather Tires a Good Choice?
See also: Should You Buy Studded Tires or Not?
See also: Winter Tires: Calculating Tire Wear and Preventing It
See also: Are cheaper Chinese-Made Winter Tires a Smart Choice?
Nokian
In addition to the "Hakka 10" (also available in an SUV version), we should mention the LT3 winter tires for pickups and heavy-duty vans with 20-inch wheels. In this case, these LT3s (studded or unstudded) can take a single load of up to 3,700 lbs.
For larger, more rugged SUVs, Nokian offers the Rotiiva A/T. Nokian also offers winter tires designed specifically for delivery vans: the Hakkapeliitta C3 (studded) and CR3 (studless). This is a great idea as the Ford Transit, Ram ProMaster and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter become ever more widespread on our roads.
Of note, the Hakka 10 is currently on our list of tires to try, and we will do so on a Ram Classic truck. Read all about it in our guide next year!
