Canadian Winter Tire Regulations

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Feb 22, 2003
Messages
4,476
Location
Somewhere in the US
As many of you are aware, I work for a major tire manufacturer. Every year at this time, we get lots of inquiries concerning the winter tire regulations in Canada.

Here's a summary:

The Snowflake symbol is required in British-Columbia on mountain roads from October 1st to April 30th.

It is also required in Quebec, but until December 15, 2014, some exceptions are also accepted for winter. The Quebec Government passed Law 55, which includes Article 36.1 making winter tires mandatory in winter. The key elements include:

Mandatory winter tire usage from December 15 – March 15

This applies to all passenger road vehicles, including taxi and rental cars. (For the purpose of the Act, a passenger road vehicle includes up to 9-passengers).

Winter tires must be on all wheel positions.

There is a transition period up to December 15, 2014, whereby the following tires will be accepted as winter tires:

1. Tires which carry the Three-Peaked Mountain Snowflake Symbol, or

2. Tires bearing one of the following key words on the sidewall:
- Arctic/Artic
- Blizzard
- Ice
- Snow (but not simply the snow in M&S)
- Stud
- Studdable
- Studless
- Winter
- LT

3. After Dec 15, 2014, only tires with the Three-Peaked Mountain Snowflake Symbol will be accepted.


At one point in time, there was a proposal that the Mountain/Snowflake sumbol could only appear on winter tires - but that proposal was NOT passed. That means that ANY tire, including All Season and All Terrain tires, that can pass the test can display the symbol.

There was also a clarification about the use of a letter from the tire manufacturer stating that IF the tire were tested it would pass the test - AND this is NOT ALLOWED. If the tire does NOT have the symbol, then it is not allowed. (with the exceptions listed above)
 
CapriRacer,

Canadians thank you!

Originally Posted By: HerrStig

Will the bureaucrats require summer tires in the summer as well?


Not in most of Canada where we actually don't have summer, we just have spring, fall and winter.
08.gif


BTW... Although I jest above, Alberta is known for having recorded snow during all 12 months of the year.
 
First off, the idea that this is a bad idea or bureaucratic nonsense is one I don't agree with. If I woke up on a Saturday morning and saw a car in the ditch every 1/4 mile I'd think "we really need to do something about the drunk driving around here, no more driving weekend nights"... or if I drove past a high school and saw a car in the ditch every 1/4 mile I'd think "16 year olds really shouldn't be driving, I need to avoid this place." Yet every snowstorm the sides of the freeway are littered with cars (or the evidence of one previously) and apparently that isn't a problem? Or are we just too cheap to do anything about it? And my climate has less snow/cold than Ontario... well... most parts of it anyway. Maybe there is a better way than an unfunded mandate of winter tires, but I also don't appreciate that my insurance is higher to pay for my neighbor who can't even spare 30 seconds and a quarter to check their tread depth (to say nothing for my safety).

As to the tires, my understanding is that the symbol is put on tires that pass a test vs. a standard all season. How hard of a test is this? Where aren't there a dozen all season tires that pass this already? Or, more bluntly why would a tire manufacturer sell an all season tire there that didn't have this symbol? How does Nokian not own the entire all season market there, since anyone who didn't care about handling and didn't want to deal with swapping tires could just buy some wr g2's and call it a day?
 
Not sure where I heard it, but I did hear that a fair number of folks in Quebec run winter tires year-round to avoid having to swap.

And, I'll see the same thing here in NY too once the snow hits in a few months. The number of cars around me with bald tires is shocking, even with mandatory yearly inspections.
 
So I guess we will be seeing a lot of "cool season" tires in the future because I could not imagine everyone will be swapping tires twice a year.

What happens to older tires that is not yet worn on by 2014? Will police gives out ticket to those installed it before the law pass? or is it just not allowed to be installed during winter season?
 
I personally agree with the winter tire law in certain provinces of Canada.

And the fine for it is $200-$300 CAD.

....the police and emergency road services have better things to do during snowy/icy conditions and constantly needing to clean up accidents and pull people out of ditches.....

over at Canadian Tire, one can buy (if available in their size) Hankook Optimo 4S, which falls into the category of the Nokian WR G2
 
Originally Posted By: bepperb
First off, the idea that this is a bad idea or bureaucratic nonsense is one I don't agree with. If I woke up on a Saturday morning and saw a car in the ditch every 1/4 mile I'd think "we really need to do something about the drunk driving around here, no more driving weekend nights"... or if I drove past a high school and saw a car in the ditch every 1/4 mile I'd think "16 year olds really shouldn't be driving, I need to avoid this place." Yet every snowstorm the sides of the freeway are littered with cars (or the evidence of one previously) and apparently that isn't a problem? Or are we just too cheap to do anything about it? And my climate has less snow/cold than Ontario... well... most parts of it anyway. Maybe there is a better way than an unfunded mandate of winter tires, but I also don't appreciate that my insurance is higher to pay for my neighbor who can't even spare 30 seconds and a quarter to check their tread depth (to say nothing for my safety).

As to the tires, my understanding is that the symbol is put on tires that pass a test vs. a standard all season. How hard of a test is this? Where aren't there a dozen all season tires that pass this already? Or, more bluntly why would a tire manufacturer sell an all season tire there that didn't have this symbol? How does Nokian not own the entire all season market there, since anyone who didn't care about handling and didn't want to deal with swapping tires could just buy some wr g2's and call it a day?
Super tires and AWD don't make up for idiot drivers behind the wheel. They just go FASTER, often to show off. Most common car in the ditch in these parts after a snow is an AWD.
 
Quote:
Super tires and AWD don't make up for idiot drivers behind the wheel. They just go FASTER, often to show off. Most common car in the ditch in these parts after a snow is an AWD.

Well I would completely agree with that. Not all people overcompensate for the reduced risk, but you certainly see that often. On the other hand unlike AWD snow tires don't just help you start... they help you stop too. To be honest most of those idiots with bald tires and AWD would probably be better off with two sets of tires and front wheel drive and even save 2000 purchase price on the car plus gas mileage increase, reduced insurance and interest, less parts to break...
 
bepperb, I think you hit the nail on the head there. They had talked about doing this here in Ontario and it didn't pass, many speculate because it was an election year. Disapointing.

The first thing I tell people when asked if they should invest in snow tires is that they will not believe how much more confidence they provide. Of course for some this is bad but for most it will help. Being nervous behind the wheel can be as bad or worse than being an idiot. Many people overcompensate for the weather as well which can also be unsafe.
 
Originally Posted By: cp3
bepperb, I think you hit the nail on the head there. They had talked about doing this here in Ontario and it didn't pass, many speculate because it was an election year. Disapointing.

The first thing I tell people when asked if they should invest in snow tires is that they will not believe how much more confidence they provide. Of course for some this is bad but for most it will help. Being nervous behind the wheel can be as bad or worse than being an idiot. Many people overcompensate for the weather as well which can also be unsafe.


The response is always "I HAVE AN AWD SUV, I DON'T NEED SNOW TIRES ON MY SUV. IT HAS [bald] ALL SEASONS" ... yes with the yelling.

I always get joy when I pass a subaru in a ditch and I'm in my econobox Focus with $300 snow tires.

My Jeep, with all terrain tires, sits on the bench when we have ice/snow ...
 
Last edited:
There are a lot more people on all seasons blocking the road when I'm trying to get to the ski mountain (and yes, I have a FWD car with snow tires)
 
To boil it down, the law says you gotta have safe tires. The end.
01.gif


We don't hear people saying, well I don't care if my headlights are burned out, I don't drive at night. Or their wipers are no good, they only go out in the sun. If you stay home in the snow, you may have to go out or get caught in it. "Just taking it easy" makes you an obstacle to others, and your disabled car will hinder snow removal, and might hinder emergency vehicles.

The 2014 thing is probably to help those "caught" with current but technically noncompliant snow tires.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
To boil it down, the law says you gotta have safe tires. The end.
01.gif


We don't hear people saying, well I don't care if my headlights are burned out, I don't drive at night. Or their wipers are no good, they only go out in the sun. If you stay home in the snow, you may have to go out or get caught in it. "Just taking it easy" makes you an obstacle to others, and your disabled car will hinder snow removal, and might hinder emergency vehicles.

The 2014 thing is probably to help those "caught" with current but technically noncompliant snow tires.


I could not of put it better myself.. If you cannot afford safe tires then you should not be driving.
 
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
......................1. Tires which carry the Three-Peaked Mountain Snowflake Symbol,..................


CapriRacer, does the industry ever plan to include an ice braking test as part of the qualification for the Snowflake Symbol?
 
Originally Posted By: bepperb
Quote:
Super tires and AWD don't make up for idiot drivers behind the wheel. They just go FASTER, often to show off. Most common car in the ditch in these parts after a snow is an AWD.

Well I would completely agree with that. Not all people overcompensate for the reduced risk, but you certainly see that often. On the other hand unlike AWD snow tires don't just help you start... they help you stop too. To be honest most of those idiots with bald tires and AWD would probably be better off with two sets of tires and front wheel drive and even save 2000 purchase price on the car plus gas mileage increase, reduced insurance and interest, less parts to break...


^^^
This!
AWD will get you going on really worn tires.
It can't help you stop or corner, though.
I've often thought that the cars I see ditched or spun into the median are simply on badly worn tires.
Considering the relatively low cost of the cheapest new tires, as well as what they cost per mile of use versus gasoline, I wonder why people don't have tires with plenty of tread going into winter?
If you're really broke, any old-school wrecking yard can set you up with matching tires with at least 6/32nds pretty cheaply and there are even online sellers of nearly new take-offs for less than half the price of new.
This is the reason I'm putting new tires on the Forester now.
Were this April, I'd leave the OEM tires in use through October.
It is October, though, and I don't feel that I want my wife driving on these tires through winter.
Winter may be like last year, a non-event, or it may be at the other extreme, with heavy snows and blizzard conditions as early as December.
Since I can't know, the safest course is to ditch a set of tires with maybe 10K left in them.
Still, nearly 50K out of a set of OEM tires isn't anything to cry about.
My experience has been that A/S tires are fine for their first winter and less so after that.
I may shop the spring clearances in '13 and get a set of dedicated winters for this car.
The weather here can be really treacherous, and we do typically see an ice storm or two each winter, something we almost never saw when I lived in the northern part of the state.
 
Originally Posted By: moto94536
I don't live in Canada. I am just curious if you have AWD, do you still need winter tires?


yes...The law mentions no exceptions for AWD/4WD

AWD, steering, braking, etc... is only as good as the 4 contact patches on ground.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top