If you inhabit a region that frequently sees hefty amounts of ice, snow, and slush in the winter—or find yourself traveling to places that suffer from that kind of weather—we highly recommend that you invest in a set of winter tires. You may think that your all-season tires have you covered, but contrary to their name, all-season tires are far from great in the winter conditions.

Winter tires, on the other hand, use specialized rubber compounds and tread designs that are engineered to maximize traction in freezing temperatures and on icy surfaces.

•Winter-tire treads have specifically engineered grooves, channels, and biting edges designed to dig into snow and push water away from the tire’s contact patch.

• Winter tires come in shapes and sizes to fit all vehicles: there are passenger-car winter tires, high-performance winter tires, SUV winter tires, and even truck winter tires. If you can’t find a winter tire that fits your vehicle from our list of recommendations, try using Tire Rack’s selection tool. Additionally, the pricing of tires depends at least partially on the size you require; bigger often means more expensive. For safety, only fit winter tires in sets of four. And we find it convenient to have winter tires mounted on a separate set of steel or alloy wheels, so they're always ready to bolt on. That way, you don't have to get them swapped at a tire shop every fall and spring.