The Best Winter Tires for Trucks

The Best Winter Tires for Trucks as Suggested by Trail Tire

Winter tires are crucial in ensuring road safety in the winter. They improve traction on slippery surfaces, allowing your vehicle to accelerate, brake, and steer more effectively.

Recent tire technology and innovation advances have paved the way for winter tire designs that perform well on ice and snow. Tire manufacturers have various options to meet today’s market demands, including commercial vehicles, trucks, and large SUV winter tires.

But not all winter truck tires are built the same, meaning their performance also differs. Some models are only available in P-metric sizes to accommodate light-duty pickup trucks. Others, however, are designed to fit heavy-duty trucks in LT-metric dimensions.

While the former can tow lighter trailers, they cannot carry heavy cargo because their construction differs greatly from LT-metric trailers. 

To help you get the ideal tires for your truck, we have compiled a list of the best six truck tires, considering all the above factors and more. Keep reading to find your ideal snow tire!

The Best Snow Tires for Trucks 

Cooper Evolution Winter

The Evolution Winter is equipped with everything a heavy snow driver requires: stability, high traction, and consistent traction to get you through the harshest winters.

This sturdy tire has a one-of-a-kind rubber material moulded into a directional groove for improved braking and acceleration on slick road surfaces. Furthermore, the tire features wide and stiff tread blocks to improve steering response.

Cooper designed the Evolution Winter to accept studs for improved traction on ice. It is not only impressive on snow and ice, but it also performs admirably on dry roads. The handling is excellent, and the braking distances are extremely short.

The only drawback to this tire is its noise levels, which is especially noticeable on rough terrains such as gravel and rocks. 

Pros

• Dependable handling on snowy and dry terrain
• Great hydroplaning resistance
• Exceptionally short braking distances on ice and snow
• Studdable

Cons

• Tread is too soft to be used in off-road driving
• Noisy 

Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2

The Blizzak DM-V2 is considered one of the best studless winter tires for light-duty trucks. It is designed for the harshest winters and delivers unrivalled performance.

This tire performs admirably on packed and unpacked snow, providing excellent braking and acceleration. Furthermore, the handling is impressive, allowing the driver to maintain control of snow, even at high speeds, easily. Driving in slush is also no problem for this tire, thanks to its excellent hydroplaning resistance.

The lack of studs also does not affect ice performance—as it accelerates, brakes, and turns very well on ice. The wet traction is excellent, and the dry grip is among the best in the class. 

Pros

• Outstanding acceleration and braking on snow and ice
• Surefooted handling on snow with a strong lateral grip
• Impressive hydroplaning resistance

Cons

• Noisy on the highway
• Steering response could be better

Bridgestone Blizzak LT

The Bridgestone Blizzak LT is one of the few performing studless winter tires for heavy-duty trucks on the market.

This tire shines on ice, providing enough traction for a comfortable driving experience. And, like any other Blizzak tire, it easily handles packed and unpacked snow, with excellent traction and surefooted handling. More importantly, it provides safe handling and good braking.

The Blizzak LT feels a little cumbersome and unresponsive on dry and wet roads, but that’s probably due to its heavy-duty nature.

Pros

• Superior traction on packed and unpacked snow
• Exceptional braking and acceleration on ice 
• Good wet braking and handling
• Solid grip on dry roads 

Cons

• No treadwear warranty
• The steering isn’t very responsive

Firestone Winterforce LT

Firestone’s Winterforce family of tires is very popular among truck drivers, and for good reason: they provide consistent performance in the winter.

For instance, the Winterforce LT is among the best truck winter tires on snow-covered roads, where it accelerates quickly and has extremely short stopping distances.

Moreover, driving this tire on ice is very easy, especially when studs are attached. Steering remains responsive even when pushed to the limit. 

The Winterforce LT handles dry and wet roads well, with good corner stability and strong braking. The tough construction makes it ideal for towing, though it can be noisy on rough tarmac.

Pros

• Exceptional traction on snow
• Outstanding longitudinal traction on ice, especially with studs attached
• Superb wet traction and hydroplaning resistance
• An excellent option for towing large trailers

Cons

• Noisy over rough terrain and on the highway

General Grabber Arctic LT

Quality winter tires don’t come cheap, but more so for heavy-duty trucks. However, General Tire has designed an exceptional winter tire at a price point favourable to most truck drivers—the Grabber Arctic LT.

The Artic LT is a very good performer during the winter, providing the driver with safe traction in all conditions. Notably, the tire performance on snow is similar to that of a premium tire, with extremely high traction levels. Moreover, the Grabber Arctic LT performs admirably on ice, especially with the studs attached.

Thanks to its excellent hydroplaning resistance and traction, the tire continues to impress in slush. 

Pros

• Exceptional traction on snow-covered roads
• Good ice traction
• Strong performance on slush-covered roads
• Excellent ride quality
• Great value for money 

Cons

• Average performance on dry tarmac

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV

If you have a powerful sporty truck and want a good winter driving experience, the Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV is the tire for you.

Its steering is very responsive and linear, and the overall grip on dry and wet roads is above most winter tires on the market. 

The snow traction is also excellent for a performance tire, and the handling is exceptional. On the ice, you may experience discomfort, but that is to be expected. On the plus side, the ride is reasonably smooth, with almost no tread growl entering the cabin.

Michelin even provides a 30,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is rare for winter tires. 

Pros

• Best-in-class handling on dry roads in freezing conditions
• Very responsive 
• Excellent braking and balanced handling on snow
• Outstanding handling in wet conditions
• Very short braking distances in the rain
• Reasonably quiet for a winter tire

Cons

• Below-average performance on ice
• Expensive 

Wrapping Up

There is no denying that driving in winter can be a challenge without proper winter tires, regardless of how powerful your truck is. We are confident that the list above will serve as a guide to finding the perfect companion on all of the most difficult roads, including those covered in thick snow during the cold winter. What’s more, you can get these and more truck tires at Trail Tire Auto Centers at the best price possible!