Tires with exceptional performance on ice and snow and that perform well in all other aspects. Recommended for those who are going to drive in winter areas on a regular basis.
SUV and 4x4 Winter High Performance Tires
All SUV and 4x4 Winter High Performance Tires on Tire Reviews, ranked. The 13 tires in this category are scored using 1 independent tire tests and 78 owner reviews covering 730,783 miles of driving.
- 13tires in this category
- 1professional tests
- 78owner reviews
- 730,783 milescovered on them
The quick answer
| Pick | Tire | The evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme 8.2 | TR Score 8.2 / 10 medium confidence score |
| Owners' favorite | Avon Ranger Ice | 97% from 3 owner reviews |
| Latest test winner | Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D 6.6 | 2010 Auto Bild Winter 4x4 Tire Test |
| Best budget brand | Zeetex WH1000 SUV 2.8 | TR Score 2.8 / 10 best of the Economy brands |
Best overall is the highest TR Score in the category; the owners' favorite is the highest rated by the drivers who run them. The full rankings and the evidence behind every pick are below.
The best SUV and 4x4 Winter High Performance Tires, ranked
The highest scoring tire in the category is the Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme, with a TR Score of 8.2 out of 10. 5 of the 13 tires here have earned a score; the rest are listed further down.
| # | Tire | TR Score | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme
|
8.2 | 84% | 44 | 465,283 miles |
| 2 |
Cooper WeatherMaster WSC
|
7.8 | 82% | 13 | 87,700 miles |
| 3 |
Continental 4x4 WinterContact
|
7.8 | 93% | 6 | 34,000 miles |
| 4 |
Kumho Izen RV KC15
|
6.8 | 73% | 5 | 58,500 miles |
| 5 |
Zeetex WH1000 SUV
|
2.8 | 62% | 2 | 35,000 miles |
TR Score rates each tire out of 10 using independent test results and the full body of owner reviews, weighted by how much evidence backs them. Tires are only scored once enough data exists; discontinued tires are not ranked but remain in the complete record below.
Want to see the data behind the top picks? Best Winter Tires → Test winner: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
What is a High Performance tire?
High Performance tires sit between the sporty and touring worlds: more grip and steering precision than a touring tire, more comfort and life than an ultra high performance one. A common fitment on warm hatches and quicker family cars.
Winter tires use soft, high-silica compounds and heavy siping that keep working below roughly 7C, on snow and on ice. The category spans three different products - Central European, Nordic friction and studded tires - built for different winters.
Professional tests of SUV and 4x4 Winter High Performance Tires
Every published comparison test of this category we have indexed - 1 in total, newest first. Test results feed directly into the TR Scores above.
| Year | Test | Size tested | Winner | Tires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2010 Auto Bild Winter 4x4 Tire Test | 215/65 r16 | Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D | 8 |
Winners are only named where a test crowned a single overall winner. Tests that rank tires within groups, or test too small a field to compare brands, still count as evidence but name no winner here.
The SUV and 4x4 Winter High Performance Tires owners rate highest
Rated purely by the people who drive on them, the top tire in the category is the Avon Ranger Ice - 97% from 3 owner reviews. 6 tires have enough reviews to qualify; this is the same ranking behind the category position shown on each tire's own page.
| # | Tire | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed | TR Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Avon Ranger Ice
|
97% | 3 | 11,300 miles | - |
| 2 |
Continental 4x4 WinterContact
|
93% | 6 | 34,000 miles | 7.8 |
| 3 |
Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme
|
84% | 44 | 465,283 miles | 8.2 |
| 4 |
Cooper WeatherMaster WSC
|
82% | 13 | 87,700 miles | 7.8 |
| 5 |
Bridgestone Blizzak LM80
|
74% | 3 | 16,000 miles | - |
| 6 |
Kumho Izen RV KC15
|
73% | 5 | 58,500 miles | 6.8 |
A tire needs at least 3 owner reviews to appear here. Owner ratings reward different things to tests - comfort, wear and value show up over thousands of miles, not on a test track.
What drivers say about SUV and 4x4 Winter High Performance Tires
The most recent owner reviews from this category, in their own words.
Average performance on snow. Studs are small an few so the ice grip is not so good. This is my second set of these tires, the previous one was almost impossible to wear out, and performed much better than the new one.
For some reasons the car has been wery little used, the tires is 18 month old and without any wear, but all 4 tires is on both sides dry rotten and redy to throw in the gabage. I have tried to send a complain but told this happend cause wrong storage and low tire pressure and all is my own fault.
Stay away these tirs unless you get a warranty of lifetime.
For some reasons the car has been wery little used, the tires is 18 month old and without any wear, but all 4 tires is on both sides dry rotten and redy to throw in the gabage. I have tried to send a complain but told this happend cause wrong storage and low tire pressure and all is my own fault.
Stay away these tirs unless you get a warranty of lifetime.
Tested many times on different kinds of snow and always performed very well. The traction with AWD is surprisingly good and allows very secure pretty fast driving. Always safe on snowy descents, where the weight of the vehicle is your worst enemy, because the sideways behavior is reasonably grippy. Still have 4,5 mm after 28000 miles. One more winter and they're over.
These have been a great tire on the Q5, when pushed in the dry warmer months, which in the NE of Scotland is rare, they start to struggle.
But in snow ice and wet they have been excellent and the wear on them has been great, have ran them year round and they are holding up really well and not showing much sign of wear.
Wouldn't hesitate to get them again if they were available in the size needed.
I carefully chose the tires I fit on my car. Particularly, to me they have to be suitable for normal road driving and for some offroad. The car is 4x4 soft-roader but I often push her to the limits driving off the road. On road I like to drive fast but with these tires I didn't want to push it so much to test their limits and to speed the treadwear.
On my opinion these tires are as good as any true winter tires. Snow and ice performance is at high level. Wet performance too. And here I have to mention that when I drove trough several flooded patches of the road with quite high speed the aquaplaning didn't easily occur with these tires – contrary to what could be expected of winter tires. Another good characteristic is that the offroad performance on mud and other difficult slippery terrain is as good as one can ask for. So, to me, they are the best of both worlds – winter road and offroad tires for the type of car I own.
Excellent tire,performs well in all conditions. Only problem is on the painted lines, really doesn't like them.
I appreciate the time and effort the workers put into the tires. They are good all season tires but terrible snow tires even when new
The tires are very good throughout winter working well in all weather conditions. They can seem a bit vague on a dry road however makeup for this with good wet, snow and ice grip. The tires also work well doing some minor off-roading. Last for a long time I do a lot of driving and the tires wear very slowly. Have been using this model of tire since I bought my car in 2008 during the winter.
Replaced old road tires on my disco 2. Thought I would take a chance with these and I am impressed. Road handling is very good and in the wet I was pleasantly surprised as my old girl is approaching 2 1/4 tons and comes out of the corners well. Not tried on snow but good in the mud. Wear is only v light as only done 3000 miles.
SUV and 4x4 Winter High Performance Tires EU label data
8 of the 13 tires in this category carry EU label data. These are the category's label headliners, using each tire's best available size figures.
B Lowest rolling resistance
The most fuel efficient choice: 2 tires reach rolling resistance class B. The highest scoring:
70dB Quietest tires
The quietest tires in this category are labelled from 70 dB external noise:
Label values come from the EU EPREL database and vary by size - the figures here are each tire's best declared size. Wet grip and rolling resistance run from class A (best) to E; noise is the measured drive-by figure. A good label is a floor, not a verdict: the tests and rankings above tell you far more.
All SUV and 4x4 Winter High Performance Tires on Tire Reviews
The complete record, including discontinued tires and tires with too little evidence to rank, ordered by the amount of evidence. The most researched this month: Cooper WeatherMaster WSC, Continental 4x4 WinterContact, Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme.
| Tire | TR Score | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme | 8.2 | 84% | 44 | 465,283 miles |
| Cooper WeatherMaster WSC | 7.8 | 82% | 13 | 87,700 miles |
| Continental 4x4 WinterContact | 7.8 | 93% | 6 | 34,000 miles |
| Kumho Izen RV KC15 | 6.8 | 73% | 5 | 58,500 miles |
| Avon Ranger Ice | - | 97% | 3 | 11,300 miles |
| Bridgestone Blizzak LM80 | - | 74% | 3 | 16,000 miles |
| Zeetex WH1000 SUV | 2.8 | 62% | 2 | 35,000 miles |
| Cooper Discoverer MS Sport | - | 75% | 2 | 23,000 miles |
5 more tires in this category have no reviews yet
Landsail Winter Star, Michelin Latitude Alpin HP, Semperit Speed Grip 3 SUV, Syron Everest SUV, Westlake SW658
Run SUV and 4x4 Winter High Performance Tires?
Review your tires and help the next driver choose. It takes about five minutes, and every rating on this page came from a driver who took them.
Where this data comes from
Rankings combine independent test results with owner reviews submitted through this site, each naming the car, the tire, the size and the distance covered. Reviews are checked by hand before publication, and the page rebuilds automatically as new evidence arrives.
About the TR Score
The Tire Reviews Score rates each tire out of 10 using independent test results and the full body of owner reviews, weighted by how much evidence backs them.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tire Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tires independently since 2007.