How much does a set of snow tires cost

Winter Tire Cost: What Can You Can Expect to Pay?

January 2, 2022

Updated: November 4, 2022

Whether your region requires you to install snow-rated tires during the cold months or you simply want to sport them for added safety, you should know how much a winter tire costs. Many car owners just don’t install winter tires because they believe they’re unaffordable.

While winter tires are typically known to be more expensive, affordable options from growing tire brands like Sailun Tire don’t compromise on the quality and performance drivers expect on the icy roads.

But even the pricer ones are more affordable than your rising insurance premium, likely medical bills, and automotive repairs (not covered in the insurance policy) that you must endure due to an accident in harsh winter conditions. 

Here, we will explain the cost of different winter tires and the additional expenses associated with them. If you’re in the market for new winter tires — from value-based to premium — check out our full buying guide here.

So, how much do winter tires cost & what should you expect to pay?

Many factors affect the price of winter tires, including brand, type, quality, and size. Since every brand has its own criteria to evaluate the price for its rubber, we would avoid commenting on it. However, we will specifically discuss type, quality and size to give you a fair idea of winter or snow tires.

For a compact car with a famous 205/55R16 size, below are approximate prices.

Type and Size

The three main types of winters you find in the market include studless, studded, and winter performance.

Studdless Tires

For most people, studdless winter tires are a perfect companion in cold conditions. These incorporate biting edges and soft rubber compounds, making them flexible for winter. A standard studdless tire will cost you anywhere between $60 and $550, each.

On average, for a typical compact car, expect to pay around $100-$150 per tire or $400-$600 for all four. For an SUV or light-duty pickup, the price goes up to $200-$400 each or $800-$1,200 for a set of four.

Studded Tires

For extreme weather conditions like freezing rain, sleet and wet ice, studded tires are ideal for a safe driving experience. The metal studs fixed on these tires bite into ice, giving you improved grip and handling. A studded rubber would cost you around $75-$550 or more per tire. For two pairs, you can expect to pay between $300 and $2,200.

There are also studdable options, like the Sailun Iceblazer WST1 studdable performance winter tire trusted by over 1-million drivers in Canada alone, which won’t break the bank yet designed for drivers that demand maximum traction in severe weather conditions.

Winter Performance Tires

For guys who do not want to leave their sports cars or performance sedans in their garage in winters, they should put on winter performance tires. They are designed to offer excellent traction at high speeds on wet and dry roads. However, they are not your perfect companion for ice or snow-packed roads. A regular high performer is available at around $100-$500 each or $400-$2,000 for all four.  

What factors affect the price of winters?

For all the prices we mentioned above, the smaller the size, the lower the cost. However, the price variation also depends on the tire brand, with American tires selling higher than Chinese-made tires.  

Other Expenses associated with winter tires

The prices we shared above are purely for snow tires; they do not include installation charges. For installation, you have two choices. You can either mount the winter rubber on the existing wheels or buy a new set of wheels for all tires. 

• If you go for a semi-annual tire change on your existing wheels, it will generally cost you around $40-$80 for all tires. The cost includes re-mounting and re-balancing. On the other hand, you can buy new wheels for all tires, making it effortless to put on winters when the snow, ice, and slush appear. The four new wheels will set you back $120-$500 or more. You can always try secondhand wheels; they may cost as low as $40-$80.
• In the U.S., federal law demands new vehicles to come with Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). According to the news by Consumer Reports, the cars with disabled TPMS can’t have the winter tires installed. So, to install the TPMS sensors, you have to additionally pay $50-$125 for each tire, according to your vehicle’s brand and model. 
• If you are going to use studdable winter tires, the optional metal studs will cost you an additional $15-$25 per tire.

Tips for shopping winter tires

• Before you shop for winter tires, you should know the recommended size, speed rating and load rating for your vehicles. You can find these details in the doorjamb, glove compartment, trunk lid, fuel-filler door, in addition to the car’s manual. 

• Nearly all tire manufacturers create winter and snow tires, so it is entirely up to you to pick a tire that suits your needs and budget. It is wise to compare prices of different tires, keeping in view “out the door” and “all in” costs. The latter comprises everything from the valve stem, tire installation, and wheel balancing. However, some workshops ask for an extra $2-$25 per tire for these services. 

• If you have to buy under a tight budget, you can consider used winter tires. However, you need to be very careful with certain things like tread depth. It is prudent to measure the tread depth and make sure not to buy a tire with less than 5/32″ (4 mm) depth. Furthermore, if you find any cuts or ruptures in the sidewall, swells, blisters or tread distortion, do not buy them. Last but not least, do not buy tires that have extensive exposure to the sun, rain or high temperature.

• Many tire manufacturers offer discounts throughout the year. Some retailers provide direct discounts, while others may give you mail-in rebates. You may find them in the shape of gift cards or prepaid cards. The discount amount may vary as per size and model. 

• Ensure you buy new snow tires for all the wheels. For a two-wheel-drive car, if you think two new tires would be enough, you can’t be more wrong. With only two wheels gripping properly, the vehicle can simply pinwheel out of control.

• Do not buy studded tires unless your state or province allows them.

Takeaway

Consumer Reports says that winters tires increase the snow traction by 34%, thus making it easy for you to stop and maneuver the vehicle. These tires actually cut the braking distance by around six feet. That six feet distance is often the gap between you rear-ending a car or drifting into a crossing against carefully coming to a halt without causing a mishap. 

Buying the snow tires also enables you to enjoy insurance savings as well as better fuel mileage (if you maintain them well).    

Of note, 76% of all Canadians change their all-season tires with snow tires to enjoy better traction and control. Most car owners say that these tires have saved them a possibly dangerous condition.

Used winter tires

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Everyone knows that the degree of driving safety under any conditions largely depends on tires. Tires are what keep your car in contact with the road. It is on them that the handling and stability of your car depends on acceleration, maneuvering, braking, turning. In winter, driving becomes more dangerous, as the risk of skidding, slipping, etc. increases. Minimizing the risk when driving on winter roads is the main concern of vehicle owners.

Therefore, it is very important to choose the right winter tires for your car. If you drive on summer tires during the cold season, you will see a lot of disadvantages of wheels that are not used “for the weather”. It would seem, what's the difference, because both summer and winter tires are made of rubber. However, just look at the wheel treads.

Winter tires are characterized by deep grooves and a larger tread pattern. These tires are easier to push through the snow. Thanks to the “bumps” (lugs), a stable support for the car is provided. If the surface is loose and unstable, winter tires will show excellent handling and braking distances will be shorter. If there is ice on the roads, spikes will help you subdue the slippery road.

Winter tires can be Scandinavian or European style. The European type of pattern is similar to the rainy summer pattern. It is represented by many lamellas with a diagonal arrangement, and numerous channels that drain water. Such wheels are suitable for driving on melted snow. The Scandinavian pattern is characterized by a large number of diamond-shaped "checkers", distributed in a checkerboard pattern. These tires are great for driving in deep snow.

Summer tires do not perform well on winter roads. Their shallow tread will lead to loss of grip and will not be able to provide proper handling. And no wonder, because summer tires were modeled for completely different driving conditions! Due to the shallow tread on dry pavement, summer tires demonstrate excellent maneuverability. Due to the network of narrow tubules, moisture is quickly removed from under the lugs, which prevents hydroplaning and sliding of the car on a wet surface.

In addition, winter and summer tires are made from different rubber compounds. The rubber of summer wheels is more rigid, it has less elastomers and more rubber, which is resistant to abrasion. It is due to the more rigid rubber that the tires differ. Winter tires are softer, they do not lose their elasticity even in severe frosts, since the rubber compound contains silicon. It also improves road grip.

Okay, summer tires can't be used in winter, so why shouldn't winter tires be used in summer? The summer sun heats up the asphalt, which leads to faster wear of winter tires. They literally "melt" from the heat. In addition, on dry, heated pavement, winter tires show a longer braking distance and reduce safety. Soft rubber is easily erased, and the car slips during acceleration and braking.

Therefore, you should change your four-wheeled friend's shoes before the start of the winter and summer seasons. However, another difficult task arises, namely, which and where winter tires to buy? You can buy a new set of tires (four tires) from both imported and domestic manufacturers. It will cost quite a lot, especially imported tires. On the other hand, you can buy used winter tires. Now you can find a large number of offers for the sale of used rubber on the Internet, in the market and in specialty stores. Moreover, you can find used tires of excellent European quality of brands such as Michelin, Nokian, Yokohama, Continental, Dunlop, Gislaved, BF Goodrich, Goodyear, Bridgestone, GT Radial, Cooper, Hankook, Nordman, Kumho, Pirelli, and it will cost significantly less than new kits.

Quite a logical question: if the used rubber has already been used, then it is already worn out and will not be as good as new? Most used tire sellers import their goods from European countries (Finland, Germany, Austria) or Japan. There, car owners change tires much more often than in Russia. This is due to higher requirements for the technical condition of the machine, warranty service, in which not only the oil is changed, but also the wheels, regardless of their degree of wear. In addition, manufacturers are constantly releasing new tire models, making good advertising for them, buyers are purchasing new tires, replacing quite suitable old tires. Roads in European countries differ in their quality from our roads. The wheels wear evenly and much more slowly. Thus, Western car services, insurance companies, transport and leasing organizations supply to Russia, China, etc. a large number of used tires that are worn out by no more than 50-80%.

Our company sells used tires from various manufacturers. We carefully select used tires, check their degree of wear (no more than 50%) and inspect for mechanical damage, cracks, bumps, and so on. Here you can find used tires, both winter and summer, of the desired manufacturer and buy wheels of European quality at a very reasonable price.

Winter tires from Linaris LLC in Nizhny Novgorod

(831) 262-1-262 retail
(831) 262-1-176 persons
[email protected]

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