Winter tire cost in Canada
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You have a few issues driving the price up.
First, Nokians are very good snow tires, but they also carry a brand premium. I would also consider the new Blizzack DM V2's and Michelin X-ice both of which deliver very good performance at a lower price point.
Second, you live in Canada with some extra expenses baked in, and there is not much you can do about that unless you are close to the border and willing to buy in the US.
The other big item you can change is tire size. The low profile winter tires for 20" wheels are expensive and less than ideal anyway. I ended up buying a cheap set of 17" wheels plus TPMS sensors for winter and saved almost enough on the cheaper and better 17" tires to pay for the wheels. By not having to pay for mounting and balancing again in the spring, I will be ahead, and the savings will continue to accrue each winter and spring and also when I need another set of winter tires.
I ended up going with a set of over-sized 265/65/R17 DM V2's for my expected driving conditions. If you expect to drive through a lot of deep snow, you may want something narrower like a 245 or 235 width as long as it is XL rated for the SUV weight. If your driving does not involve a lot of snow but more cold roads and ice, I would look at a wider Michelin in addition to the Nokians.
First, Nokians are very good snow tires, but they also carry a brand premium. I would also consider the new Blizzack DM V2's and Michelin X-ice both of which deliver very good performance at a lower price point.
Second, you live in Canada with some extra expenses baked in, and there is not much you can do about that unless you are close to the border and willing to buy in the US.
The other big item you can change is tire size. The low profile winter tires for 20" wheels are expensive and less than ideal anyway. I ended up buying a cheap set of 17" wheels plus TPMS sensors for winter and saved almost enough on the cheaper and better 17" tires to pay for the wheels. By not having to pay for mounting and balancing again in the spring, I will be ahead, and the savings will continue to accrue each winter and spring and also when I need another set of winter tires.
I ended up going with a set of over-sized 265/65/R17 DM V2's for my expected driving conditions. If you expect to drive through a lot of deep snow, you may want something narrower like a 245 or 235 width as long as it is XL rated for the SUV weight. If your driving does not involve a lot of snow but more cold roads and ice, I would look at a wider Michelin in addition to the Nokians.
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209 Posts
Hi, have you tried the prices at Kaltire?
Mick
Mick
Just browsing the Nokian R2 SUV on Kaltire, you are paying $100-$110 more per tire by sticking with the 20" wheel over getting a set of 17" wheels for winter. I would strongly recommend a second set of wheels to save money and get better winter performance.
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304 Posts
It is to your advantage to get 17 inch rims and tires for a Montreal winter with snow, ice and the salt/calcium/sand on the roads? Your tires will last two to three years depending on your mileage in the winter and you save trashing your 20 inch rims and your summer tires will last you longer too. You can also save on tire changes every year x 2. You can do your own wheel change at home and save $ doing it as per TSB though.
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10,219 Posts
My experience with buying Nokians in Canada, is kaltire has has the best deals. when I asked what the deal was I was told Kal Tire has the Nokian distribution deal for Canada, so any tire dealer is buying from kaltire vs the usual distributor arrangement.
My go to place for snow tire/wheel packages is TireRack but not sure what it takes to get a package north of the boarder.
Did a quick look and you can get 18" Michelin Latitude Alpin snows mounted on an alloy rim with TPMS installed for $1,317 US $ so goes up about 30% I think for Canadian $$'s but is the way to go for winter set up.
Did a quick look and you can get 18" Michelin Latitude Alpin snows mounted on an alloy rim with TPMS installed for $1,317 US $ so goes up about 30% I think for Canadian $$'s but is the way to go for winter set up.
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41 Posts
I would strongly suggest going to 18" or 17", especially on the rough Montreal streets. A bent wheel or curb rash is a reasonably high probability over 4-5 years of driving with low profile on crap roads.
I picked up a set of Pirelli Scorpions in 255/55/18 for about $925 CDN balanced and installed. You can probably get a reasonable rim/tire package for under $2k.
I picked up a set of Pirelli Scorpions in 255/55/18 for about $925 CDN balanced and installed. You can probably get a reasonable rim/tire package for under $2k.
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805 Posts
You are spot on looking at the Hakka R2's in my opinion.
I'd echo what others have to say about 20 inchers though - Get 18's if you can swing an extra set of rims. I've got an Exec with 20's, but am running 18's in the winter. Just put on a set of 255/55/18 Hakka R2's. So far, they've been great rain tires (but that's a commentary on the lack of winter so far).
Price wise - here's what I was quoted for Hakka R2's - $273 each for 275/45/20 and $212 each for 255/55/18. That's the tire only cost in USD. Figure another $25 ish per wheel for mounting / balancing. And if you need TPMS, that's another $80 or so per wheel.
Good luck!
I'd echo what others have to say about 20 inchers though - Get 18's if you can swing an extra set of rims. I've got an Exec with 20's, but am running 18's in the winter. Just put on a set of 255/55/18 Hakka R2's. So far, they've been great rain tires (but that's a commentary on the lack of winter so far).
Price wise - here's what I was quoted for Hakka R2's - $273 each for 275/45/20 and $212 each for 255/55/18. That's the tire only cost in USD. Figure another $25 ish per wheel for mounting / balancing. And if you need TPMS, that's another $80 or so per wheel.
Good luck!
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132 Posts
FYI on TPMS - if your 2014 is like mine, it will just self-disable the first time you drive with wheels that don't have it. I was worried I'd get nagging from the car but nothing since.
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16 Posts
Little late, but I'll cast my support for the yoko iceguards, have been running them two winters now in north/south Manitoba and have done very well. Bought from PMCTire with 18" Audi Q7 replica rims and I think I was around 1700.00 after tax, TPMS making up around 200$ of that. Happy hunting
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