Winter tires for the 2018/2019 season

With sadness and disbelief, we glance at the calendar in our office and confirm that autumn has arrived. Unfortunately, the weather outside has also changed, bringing low temperatures this morning. All this indicates that LADA we'll have to put away our summer wheels, or at least tires, and consider which winter tires to choose. Out of concern for our customers, we've decided to share a little about the most popular and best tires we'll soon be installing, whether on aluminum or steel rims (advice on which rims to choose for winter can be found in our older articles). Since safety is a top priority in road traffic, we'll try to suggest which winter tires to choose to achieve the best performance while staying affordable.

First, we'd like to present a new product from one of the leading brands: the Michelin Alpin 6. When designing this tire, the manufacturer focused on safety both when the tire is new and when it's approaching its wear limit. The tire's fantastic performance throughout its lifespan is achieved thanks to its innovative sipe design, which increases with tread wear, ensuring traction in snow. Furthermore, safety is ensured by a special compound called the "Traction Booster Compound" by the manufacturer, which is also intended to improve performance on worn tread.

Although the tire is brand new and we don't know driver reviews, which are always the biggest clue, we can recommend this tire based on the Michelin brand's reputation and the excellent performance of the Alpin 5. Furthermore, the manufacturer states that the most popular tire size, 205/55/R16, has a wet braking class of B and a noise level of 69 dB. The fuel consumption rating is lower, with a C rating, but this isn't a bad result for winter tires.

However, if we were to recommend the most reasonable tire, meaning one that provides safety at a moderate price, our favorite this year is again the Finnish brand Nokian, with the model designation WR D4. Our customer reviews also confirm our opinion that this tire performs excellently in winter conditions. The tire's performance label assures us that we can feel confident on wet roads, as its rain performance rating is A. Noise is also minimal, at just 69 dB. This is our absolute favorite and one of the most frequently chosen models by customers.

However, if you're looking for a more established tire brand, you should definitely consider the Continental TS860. These tires offer excellent performance on both dry and snow-covered roads. The tread is low-wear, which translates into lower costs. The tire is slightly louder than the previously mentioned models, but noise levels shouldn't be too high.

Tyres that should also be mentioned are the Dunlop Winter Sport 5, which also provides very good handling on wet surfaces (category B) and at the same time does not emit excessive noise, with a result of 69 dB.

A model that deserves more attention is the Michelin CrossClimate Plus. We typically never recommend all-season tires, as they always represent a compromise in terms of handling on both dry and snowy surfaces. However, this time, we deserve a shout-out to this model. Although these are summer tires with winter homologation, their grip in poorer conditions is very good. This is also confirmed by our customers who have chosen this model. Of course, it's still not a tire that will replace both sets of tires, but it can be an excellent choice for those who drive infrequently, whose journeys are limited to the city, and whose speeds aren't reminiscent of "The Fast and the Furious."

In conclusion, our favorite once again is Nokian with the WR D4 designation, which only confirms the excellent quality this manufacturer maintains with each new model. However, it's worth checking out the other tires we mentioned and which we hope will be installed on rims purchased from our store :) In closing, we remind you that no tire can replace common sense, so we ask you to drive carefully :)