For resellers, this is a no-brainer. High-quality tires are the best way to keep customers safe from most winter accidents. Here, the big brands stand out.

For example, a major manufacturer like the French company Michelin knows perfectly well that by offering tires such as the X-Ice Snow (or North if they're studded), it's giving customers a tire whose casing, sidewalls, and tread have been designed for maximum winter performance. While for most people rubber compounds may seem the same, Michelin's has been fine-tuned with laboratory technicians who miss nothing and with field tests that produce precise and detailed analyses. You get the point: by offering a Michelin X-Ice Snow, you're providing a very high-quality tire. Or, if you need to equip a high-performance car, there's the Pilot Alpin lineup…

In Quebec (and elsewhere around the world), the Finnish company Nokian has built an enviable reputation in the winter tire field. Its research and testing have been carried out in Finland, a Nordic country where winter roads are snowy or icy. Its Hakkapeliitta line needs no introduction for enthusiasts! But for non-experts (many of whom believe Nokian is a Chinese name when it's actually an old Scandinavian battle cry...), it's harder to understand how the tread design can perform equally well on ice and snow.

Incidentally, before selling a set of tires to a customer who doesn't seem knowledgeable but insists on a “good tire” that won't leave them stuck in the snow, it's important to ask about their EXACT regular driving habits. Many drivers assume they need an aggressive winter tire! That's generally not the case unless that customer regularly heads to the Laurentians for winter sports, often in areas with deep snow. Most people will drive mainly on dry but cold roads. In reality, a tire with a well-thought-out tread pattern should be considered. This is especially true for modern cars, which are usually equipped with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive and traction control systems. These would correct a developing problem.

Among other major brands, we can mention the Bridgestone Blizzak, LM, and others of a similar caliber that have been around for a while and proven themselves, or the Goodyear WinterCommand, which replaced the IceGrip of the past but with more technological innovations. Goodyear tires are among the best in the world and, despite their American origins, several models have been designed and even manufactured in Europe.

To these, we must add tires from manufacturers like the German company Continental with its IceContact XTRM winter tire or its brand-new Viking 8, the Italian company Pirelli with its P Zero Winter or Sottozero for performance cars. The big new release from Pirelli is the all-new Ice Friction! Among other excellent products, we must also include the Japanese brands Yokohama with its IG53 and Toyo with its Observe GSi.

From South Korea, we can rely on Hankook and Kumho, two brands that could be considered high-end. Nexen is slowly rising into this category with its Winguard and Winsport models.