The 4 Best Performance Winter tires

While some drivers may retire their performance vehicles, light trucks, and crossovers in the wintertime, others prefer to enjoy these cars year-round. For those drivers, the following four tires are great options.

1. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 RFT

The Blizzak LM-60 RFT, Bridgestone's performance winter run-flat tire, combines winter driving traction on dry, wet, and snow-covered roads with high-speed durability thanks to its high-silica rubber compound. It also allows you to travel up to 50 miles at speeds up to 50 mph after complete air pressure loss.

The high-silica tread compound replaces the traditional Multicell tread you’ll find on most Blizzak winter tires because they cannot support run-flat operation. Bridgestone molded this compound into a directional tread design with independent tread blocks that feature 3D zigzag sipes for water dispersion to enhance grip. This combination provides superior hydroplaning resistance and improved driving and braking force on snow-covered roads.

The Blizzak LM-60 RFT boasts Bridgestone's UNI-T Technology, which features twin steel belts and spirally wound nylon for optimal high-speed durability and a high-quality ride. The internal structure features Bridgestone Side Support Run-Flat technology reinforced sidewalls that can support the vehicle after complete air pressure loss.

Blizzak LM-60 RFT winter and snow tires meet industry severe-snow-service requirements and feature the accompanying three-peak mountain snowflake symbol.

While these are some of the best performance winter tires on the market, there’s one downside. Bridgestone developed them exclusively for the Mini Cooper, Mazda MX-5, Lexus IS coupe and convertible, BMW X5, and BMW X6. So, if you don’t own one of these vehicles, you may not find a tire size that fits your vehicle.

2. Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D

Dunlop specifically designed the SP Winter Sport 4D studless performance winter tires for high-performance sports cars, coupes, and sedans with factory-equipped low-profile tires on large-diameter wheels. These tires perform well in cold winter weather conditions and provide traction on wet, slushy, and deep-snow-covered roads. They’re also great on dry roads when the temperatures dip below freezing.

The Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D uses a motorsport-derived silica-plus tread compound that delivers a high level of grip in dry, snowy, and wet conditions. Dunlop molded the rubber compound into a directional tread pattern with long V-shaped grooves to prevent hydroplaning and maintain grip on wet and slush-covered roads. The tire’s exclusive 4D Sipe System combines Dunlops’s 3D sipe technology with transverse sipes, creating independent micro-blocks. This results in enhanced footprint pressure distribution for superior snow traction and cornering grip in all winter conditions.

The SP Winter Sport 4D’s structure features twin steel belts reinforced by Dunlop's jointless band, optimizing the contact patch shape and minimizing high-speed deformation.

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D are some of the best winter tires for performance cars and meet industry severe-snow-service requirements and feature the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol.

3. Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4

Of course, Michelin makes the list of our best snow tires with its Pilot Alpin PA4 performance winter tire that meets enthusiasts’ needs when they encounter snow-covered roads in their ultra-high-performance passenger cars. Beyond being great snow tires, the Pilot Alpin PA4 is built using eco-focused manufacturing methods and has low rolling resistance to maximize fuel efficiency.

Pilot Alpin PA4 has a full-silica-based, sunflower oil-enriched Helio Compound+ tread compound that retains its flexibility in low temperatures to deliver better traction in the cold winter season in Canada. The Alpin PA4 features an asymmetric tread design with a heavily grooved tread pattern, Michelin's Stabiligrip 3D sipe technology, and wrap-around shoulder designs with biting edges for improved acceleration, braking, and handling on snowy, slushy, and icy surfaces.

The tire's internal structure includes twin steel belts with Michelin's FAZ technology reinforcement that places spirally wound polyester cords under the tread that help deliver a stable feel, confident handling, high-speed capability, and superior ride comfort in cold, snowy, and icy conditions.

The Pilot Alpin PA4 snow tires feature the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol, indicating they meet the industry's severe-snow-service requirements.

4. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3

The Winter Sottozero 3 is the third-generation Sottozero, Italian for “below zero,” performance winter tire. With three generations under its belt, it’s no wonder it’s one of Canada's best performance winter tires.

Pirelli developed the Winter Sottozero 3 for premium, high-performance vehicles that encounter challenging winter road conditions, such as ice, deep snow, packed snow, and slush, because they prefer enjoying their cars year-round.

The Winter Sottozero 3 provides traction and handling in cool, cold, dry, wet, and wintry conditions. On top of being an excellent snow tire, the Sottozero 3 is a seasonal tire suitable for cold weather and freezing road conditions.

It uses an innovative compound with special polymers to improve the rubber compound’s mechanical, thermal and dynamic properties. The Winter Sottozero 3’s compound is formed into a directional tread pattern with a large contact patch comprised of arrow-shaped center blocks and more rounded shoulders that efficiently disperse water and slush. These tires also feature high-density 3D sipe technology that improves braking performance and snow-to-snow traction.

The internal structure features twin steel belts reinforced by spirally wrapped polyamide for enhanced thermal stability and reduced sensitivity to temperature changes.

Like the other tires on our best performance winter tires list, the Winter Sottozero 3 snow tires meet severe-snow-service requirements and feature the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol.

Get a High-Quality Winter Performance Car at Clutch

Now that you know the best performance winter tires, it’s time to secure a top-notch performance vehicle you can enjoy year-round. This is where Clutch, Canada’s premier online used car retailer, can help. We have countless performance vehicles in stock and ready for purchase entirely online — no need to set foot in a dealership.

Does buying a used car online make you a little nervous? You can put your mind at ease knowing that every Clutch vehicle passes a rigorous 210-point inspection and reconditioning process before we put it up for sale. Plus, every Clutch car comes with our extensive 90-Day Protection Plan for additional peace of mind.

 

Best of all, each and every one of our cars comes with a 10-Day Money-Back Guarantee, which means that if you don’t love your used performance vehicle from Clutch during this period, you can exchange it for a new one or return it for a no-questions-asked refund.

Check out our inventory of quality used cars today and choose a performance model suitable for you. You can even set up financing and get your trade-in vehicle appraised entirely online. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

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