Here is our annual guide to summer tires and all-season tires in Canada for 2024. Today, we present a summary of the recommended summer and all-season tires for cars and small SUVs. Tomorrow, we look at tires for larger SUVs and pickups. And finally, we'll have a chapter dedicated to tires for electric vehicles.
See also: Buying Guide: The Best Summer and All-Season Tires for Larger SUVs and Pickups in Canada for 2024
See also: Buying Guide: The Best Summer and All-Season Tires for Electric Vehicles in Canada in 2024
Over the past few years, if you follow the tire sector, you might have thought that the major tire manufacturers had stopped innovating. Few new tires were hitting the market. But that was just a false impression.
Major changes are afoot in this field, and while some are linked to the arrival of electric vehicles, others are the result of climatic and even demographic change.
As mentioned, few new conventional summer tires have been introduced in recent months. But there has been a jump in tires of another category.
Winter-approved all-season tires in the spotlight for 2024
Tire manufacturers are finally producing tires that perform as well in winter as they do in summer. These are generally referred to as “all-weather” or winter-approved all-season tires.
The different names take different routes to describe, in essence, tires that are recognized as much for their capabilities on dry pavement in good weather conditions as on wet, snowy or icy pavement, including very cold temperatures.
This is made possible by a variety of techniques, including more advanced tread compounds that remain soft in cold weather, but don't wear out faster on dry pavement.
What's more, Canadian winters are becoming less harsh, with fewer snowfalls and big cold spells than in the past. This will encourage many motorists, especially older ones, to opt for year-round tires, especially if they don't cover as much mileage as in the past. If they can save themselves two tire changes a year and the cost of an expensive set of tires, so much the better.
The trend towards all-weather tires seems to be well underway. That's the opinion of Guy Hardiman, one of the tire marketing managers at Canadian Tire, who sees a trend in favor of this type of tire in the future.
In fact, some automakers have begun delivering new cars fitted with these tires. Ford recently unveiled the sportier Rally version of its all-electric Mustang Mach-e, which it equips out of the factory with Michelin Cross Climate 2 tires, one of the best examples of what an "approved" tire can be.
In 2024, the most recommended products are more or less the same as in previous years. We reiterate, however, that while perfect for summer, these tires may not perform as well in deep snow. Highly recommendable in urban conditions, they are less so in mountainous regions during winter.
That said, the many tests we carried out on them proved interesting.
Michelin Cross Climate 2
Possibly the best of the group. Tested on a 2012 Lincoln MKZ, this will be its third summer of use when the car is mainly used for long distances. There wasn't enough snow this winter to discuss it here. But in summer, when it rains, we've noticed exceptional grip. Above all, they're quiet.
Nokian WRG4/WRG5 or Nordman Solstice 4
We tested the WRG4 version of this tire on a 2010 Mercedes-Benz C300, and came to the same conclusions as with the Michelin tires. Again, in summer, they're very quiet and stable. Note that many European car magazines compare Nokian WRG4s head-to-head with the Michelin tire, and their results are almost equivalent.
Nokian has just announced the eventual arrival of the Remedy WRG5 range, specifically adapted to North American needs. This is an elaborate version of the WRG4.
Since the WRG4 will eventually give way to the WRG5, the manufacturer will not be eliminating it. On the contrary, it will be renamed Solstice 4 for its Nordman intermediate range. Depending on your budget, here's what you might want to experience on your vehicle!
Bridgestone Weather Peak
Launched last year, the Weather Peak is Japanese giant Bridgestone's answer to the Michelin and Nokian entries in the all-weather tire segment. It promises the same results as the latter, but since it's so new, driving impressions are not yet widely known. Nevertheless, it's a safe bet that this tire will perform as well as the first two mentioned.
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady
Another recently built tire, Goodyear's WeatherReady is part of the manufacturer's renowned Assurance family. Once again, this is a more elaborate all-conditions tire. In addition to its winter acronym, it features a tread pattern that is very well designed to evacuate water, making it a great candidate for use during the summer season.
Hankook Kinergy 4S2
Here's a surprise: Hankook's Kinergy 4S2 tire has been on the market for a few years now, and it seems to have slipped under the radar. Last year, the manufacturer supplied us with four of them, which were fitted to a 2010 Suzuki SX4.
With a tread pattern similar to that of Michelin Cross-Climate 2s, they proved to be very effective during the winter (even if snow was not as abundant as in the past in my corner of Quebec). Above all, on dry pavement, it proved even quieter than anticipated; it's also very solid on wet pavement. Highly recommendable and well-priced. This tire is available in some forty sizes.