Published May 04, 2026
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2025 Toyota Camry
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Tire manufacturers have put a lot of effort into improving the wintertime performance of both their winter and all-season products, leading to the emergence of several standards. The Alpine Symbol, also known as the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) is undoubtably one of the most recognizable.
It is present on every modern winter tire, and a good portion of all-season touring tires, which are referred to as "all-weather tires" when they have the 3PMSF symbol, though it bears mentioning: just because a tire has the Alpine/3MPSF symbol doesn't make it a "winter tire." We've proven, time and again, that true winter tires outperform anything else on snow and ice, and that brings us to one of the points of this test: what do you lose in winter capability by running one set of all-weather tires all year? Are winter tires really that much better than all-weather tires in the snow?
To answer these questions and more, we're looking at several examples of all-weather and winter products, but we've also included some non-3PMSF options, like Michelin's Defender2 and Primacy Tour A/S alongside their CrossClimate2 and X-Ice Snow. There are some brand new products to give a chance to shine too - Continental's VikingContact 8 is a super recent release; how does it stack up against veterans like Michelin's X-Ice Snow and Bridgestone's iconic Blizzak WS90?
We'll introduce each tire, break down our experiences with them on our real-world road ride to get an idea what you can expect from these tires during the daily commute. Naturally, we'll be covering ice and snow testing impressions and performance data to determine how these tires handle the harsh winter weather conditions they've been designed for. Because this is a test about cold-weather driving, we conducted the road rides and objective data collection in near-freezing temperatures to ensure we best represented these tires in the conditions they're actually driven on by millions of Americans every year. We used a common commuter car size in 215/55R17 on our Toyota Camry test vehicle.
An icon of wintertime driving: the Blizzak WS90 has remained one of the most popular and well-received winter driving options since its release, continuing the Blizzak lineage.
Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 Road Ride: A good on-road experience, albeit with noticeable up-and-down movement and a touch of firmness over high-speed bumps that hit a little hard. Nothing truly harsh, but enough to note. Noise levels on rough surfaces like cross-cut concrete were low, broad, inoffensive, but on smoother roads, we picked up some warble from the tread. The off-ramp gave off a higher-pitched consistent tone as well. Steering felt mildly pointy and eager early on with light inputs, but lost sharpness once loaded significantly in turns and on-ramps, making it feel slow and less responsive.
Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 Wet Traction: 117.6 feet to stop from 50 MPH and pulling a 0.6 lateral gs, the Blizzak WS90 wasn't a stellar performer in the wet, but it was far from the worst either.
Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 Winter Performance: Driving the Blizzak WS90 in its intended environment was one of those experiences that reminds us why testing (and comparison) is so important. It was such a step up over every all-season or all-weather product that it felt like a revelation. The difference between tip-toeing around the track and actually driving around the track was at the core of the experience here. Our drivers could tackle the course with technique, with speed, braking later, accelerating sooner, it was all easily managed with the help of the Blizzak WS90. It was still possible to exceed the tire's limits, or swing the rear around, but it remained forgiving and controllable when that happened. The objective numbers were just as encouraging: 57.3 feet to stop from 25 MPH, the second shortest in the test (only a foot off from another winter tire the X-Ice Snow), and 23.97 feet to accelerate to 12 MPH, the undisputed shortest distance in the test.
The WeatherPeak is Bridgestone's premium all-weather touring tire, positioned between their standard all-season models and dedicated winter tires like the Blizzak line, for year-round capability.
Bridgestone WeatherPeak Road Ride: "Good" was the prevailing sentiment for the on-road drive with the WeatherPeak, it was soft over the road, eating up imperfections, but not doing much to mute the post-impact movement. Noise was consistent throughout the ride, a bass-range growl that never left and was difficult to ignore once we became aware of it. It wasn't necessarily loud, but it was noticeable on every surface. The steering feel was appropriately responsive at higher speeds, but a little more vague and imprecise when we slowed down. In each instance for ride, for noise, for steering, there was nothing truly objectionable, or exciting, about the WeatherPeak, it was broadly fine - and that's not a bad place to be.
Bridgestone WeatherPeak Wet Traction: With 110.7 feet to stop in the wet from 50 MPH and 0.67 lateral gs, the WeatherPeak appropriately nestled right in the middle-ground between the winter and non-winter tires.
Bridgestone WeatherPeak Winter Performance: The WeatherPeak delivered a well-mannered performance in the snow, with nice composure at the limit and predictable manners when pushed. Acceleration and braking traction were solid, along with a capable front end that offered good authority and response once we dialed into its preferences. While it glided a touch more than we'd prefer and felt slightly less locked-down or precise compared to the dedicated winter options, the WeatherPeak still maintained a respectable safety net and recovered reasonably well when limits were exceeded, making for a pleasant and competent all-weather option. It was good objectively too: 58.6 feet to stop from 25 MPH and 25.91 feet to accelerate to 12 MPH were near the kind of numbers we were seeing from dedicated winter products, and that's pretty darn good.
The VikingContact 8 is, naturally, the successor to the popular VikingContact 7 and the only tire in this test to carry the new Ice Grip Symbol on its sidewall, an emerging wintertime standard for ice performance. The VikingContact 8 features an updated compound, and a number of subtle adjustments to the tread pattern to iterate on the success of Continental's winter product line.
Continental VikingContact 8 Road Ride: On road manners stood out as a definite strong point for the VikingContact 8: ride quality felt plush and well damped over larger impacts, while smaller cracks and sharp bumps came through slightly but remained controlled. Noise levels varied with surface texture, producing a broad growl on coarser pavement and a faint low frequency thrum on very smooth sections, yet remaining impressively quiet on smooth asphalt. Steering response was a particular highlight for a winter tire: feeling natural, consistent, and appropriately quick without any nervousness or jumpiness. As a whole, this was a superb showing for most tires, and especially for a winter tire.
Continental VikingContact 8 Wet Traction: From 50 MPH, the VikingContact 8 took 117.8 feet to stop, and only managed 0.63 lateral gs, neither particularly impressive, nor out of line for a dedicated winter tire.
Continental VikingContact 8 Winter Performance: Objectively, the VikingContact 8 was right alongside the best winter tires in this test for braking and acceleration on both snow and ice. 59.3 feet to stop from 25 MPH in the snow, 24.53 feet to accelerate to 12 MPH in the same. Likewise on the ice: 43.3 feet to stop from 12 MPH and 5.3 seconds to accelerate 60 feet, where the closest all-season/all-weather options were 10+ feet farther to brake. The snowy track experience was similarly superior to the all-weather options, although it did feel like a slight step down from the best winter tires. It didn't feel as locked down in the rear, was just a bit less eager in the front end, and with more lateral movement through turns. There was still plenty of traction available, but it required attentive driving to truly maximize.
The only studdable tire in this test, the AltiMAX Arctic 12 has a reputation as a reliable value-oriented choice for winter, as even without studs, prior testing has found it to be an improvement over fielding an all-season tire. With that in mind, and for this test, we did not run this tire with studs.
General AltiMAX Arctic 12 Road Ride: We came away from the experience of riding on the AltiMAX Arctic 12 feeling positive: it was firm, but not overly so, taking care of most impacts and uneven spots in the road with only a bit of disturbance or excess motion. As for noise, there was little, if anything that stood out. There was a persistent tone that remained with us over the drive. It was low in tone and mostly nondescript, not quite white noise, but not intrusive either. The main step down compared to most of the other tires was in the steering department. It was decent, quick enough at lower speeds, but felt like it was missing any sense of returning to center once we needed to turn, change direction, or lanes. It felt fine during the movement, felt fine on-center, but imprecise getting back to that point.
General AltiMAX Arctic 12 Wet Traction: Pulling 0.65 lateral gs, and taking 122.4 feet to stop from 50 MPH placed the General on the lower end of the wet traction spectrum.
General AltiMAX Arctic 12 Winter Performance: It handled slides when they occurred confidently, never feeling truly out of control, with excellent recoverability from mistakes and enough grip to get the job done effectively when driven smoothly. Good front end authority, but the tire pushed aggressively once it broke loose under power, with a quick spin-up and higher spin rate that made limits feel sharper than ideal. Still, the package remained predictable, forgiving, and capable in the snow. Objectively and subjectively, it occupied a kind of middle ground between all-weather and the Studless Ice & Snow winter products, although still firmly competitive with its fellow dedicated winter tires. The AltiMAX Arctic 12 had a respectable 61.1 foot stopping distance from 25 MPH and a 25.59 foot acceleration to 12 MPH. Ice traction was in a similar position: 45.9 feet to stop from 12 MPH and 5.51 seconds to hit 60 feet.
If there is any tire in this test that likely needs no introduction, it's the CrossClimate2. A top-rated consumer favorite touring all season tire, it has also continuously tested well in winter conditions, often occupying a space somewhere between a typical Grand Touring All-Season tire and a dedicated winter tire.
Michelin CrossClimate2 Road Ride: Ride quality felt well controlled, handling larger impacts with composure, but allowing the texture of the road to come through clearly. Overall it leaned toward taut and precise, rather than soft or isolating. Noise stood out more than anything, with a constant underlying growl that occasionally shifted into a grind or a noticeable hiss at highway speeds on concrete. It wasn't terribly loud in the grand scheme of all tires, but among the test tires, volume was noticeably elevated. Steering performance was a highlight, with excellent precision, consistent response, and a natural effort level that made the vehicle feel sharp and well connected.
Michelin CrossClimate2 Wet Traction: 0.69 Lateral gs and a stopping distance of 99.6 feet from 50 MPH put the CrossClimate2 among the better options for wet traction among the group.
Michelin CrossClimate2 Winter Performance: We've tested the CrossClimate2 many times in the snow, and it remained largely consistent with past testing here too. It's balanced, stable, very capable of handling the demands we asked of it, but especially comparing it side-by-side with dedicated winter products, the fall-off in useable grip was noticeable. It could get up to, and carry, speed quite effectively, albeit with some torque steer and wheelspin along the way, but once it broke traction, the understeer consequences could be harsh. The lower limits were evident in the objective numbers too: 72.4 feet to brake from 25 MPH compared to 63 feet and below for the winter tires, 30 feet to accelerate to 12 MPH compared to 23~25 feet. Ice traction was right in the mix, not the best or worst, braking in just over 11 feet from the best winter tire (53 feet vs 38.7 from 12 MPH), and accelerating in 6.09 seconds to 60 feet, a full second longer than the best, but only a quarter second better than the weakest ice performance.
A category benchmark, few tires have the reputation for longevity, or general acclaim the Defender2 enjoys. It remains one of our "go to" tires for comparison.
Michelin Defender2 Road Ride: The Defender2 was undoubtably on the more taut side of the equation for ride quality. The ride was transparent: small cracks and sharper imperfections came through directly. Larger impacts were rounded off, but there was still a sense of stiffness in how it handled most imperfections. Noise was present across all surfaces, producing a persistent grind-like resonance on coarser surfaces that carried onto smoother sections where it blended into a steady tread growl. Volume stayed fairly consistent across most pavements, creating a constant layer of white noise rather than distinct peaks. Steering response was quick from the initial input from the wheel, but didn't ramp up naturally, giving the impression of quickness without the same intuitive progression.
Michelin Defender2 Wet Traction: The Defender2 finished right in the middle here, outperforming almost all of the dedicated winter options (apart from the Wintrac Pro+) in wet surface testing: 111 feet to come to a stop from 50 MPH and 0.69 lateral gs.
Michelin Defender2 Winter Performance: The Michelin Defender2's Longitudinal traction on the snow was the least impressive showing among the group in objective numbers: 84.5 feet to brake from 25 MPH, more than 30 feet off of the best in the test, and 36.44 feet to accelerate to 12 MPH. Around the track, steering offered almost no meaningful feedback, forcing us to anticipate sudden, unforgiving breakaway to the outside. Inputs had to stay gentle and measured across the board: too much steering rate, too much entry speed, or any throttle while turning needed to be carefully avoided, while braking felt merely adequate at the modest paces we could carry. Ice traction was among, but not quite the weakest: with a 55 foot stop from 12 MPH and 6.17 seconds to accelerate to 60 feet.
One of only two tires in this test to not have the 3PMSF on the sidewall, the Primacy Tour A/S serves as a great example of what drivers can expect from a "typical" Grand Touring All-Season option when asked to perform alongside their all-weather or winter-focused counterparts.
Michelin Primacy Tour A/S Road Ride: It did a decent job filtering bumps, although with noticeable up-and-down movement and some shake that kept it from feeling truly plush. Noise had a consistently high floor, with a two-tone high-pitched whine mixed with broad lower grind on rougher surfaces. It was still audible on smoother roads, and louder overall than quieter winter competitors on fresh pavement. Steering came across light and responsive, eliciting quicker turn-in that felt pretty good (if not exceptional).
Michelin Primacy Tour A/S Wet Traction: Keeping in-line with the categorical divide between tires, the Primacy Tour A/S had some of the better wet traction numbers in the test: 99.3 feet to stop from 50 MPH and 0.72 lateral gs.
Michelin Primacy Tour A/S Winter Performance: The Primacy Tour A/S turned out to be a good expression of both the positives, and some of the definite limitations of an all-season tire in the snow. The steering felt good: responsive, precise, sometimes even allowing for mid-corner correction, but the lower overall traction and steep drop-off in controllability made it difficult to ever get the most out of. Any combination of throttle and direction would result in understeer, wheel spin needed to be waited out, it just wasn't as capable or confidence inspiring as the winter options. Objective numbers were equally illustrative: 81.1 feet to stop from only 25 MPH, the second longest in the test, and nearly 25 feet from the shortest stopping distance. Extrapolated out to 50 MPH, that's a difference of nearly 100 feet. Ice was likewise a struggle for the Primacy Tour A/S with the farthest braking distance at 57.7 feet from 12 MPH and 6.24 seconds to accelerate to 60 feet, the longest in the test.
A longtime favorite winter option, the X-Ice Snow is a tire we've tested previously, and we've found it to be a good mix of cold and snowy weather performance with a more refined on-road experience than is typical of the category. How does it hold up against the latest winter offerings?
Michelin X-Ice Snow Road Ride: The X-Ice Snow filtered road imperfections well without letting any of them rise to the level of harsh. It stayed firm overall, muting peak impacts effectively while still transmitting a fair amount of detail, which kept things composed rather than plush. Noise was the noticeable downside: a medium-volume grind/ring on rougher surfaces, consistent grind, some hum at highway speeds, and a decently high white-noise floor across everything that didn't vary much; a small plus for predictability, but louder than the quietest tires we've sampled in this test. Steering, conversely, stood out as a real highlight: sharp, responsive, with precise buildup of effort and a smooth, natural reaction that felt almost sporty. It was confidence-inspiring, even without snow underneath, especially impressive for a dedicated winter tire.
WMichelin X-Ice Snow Wet Traction: 129 feet to stop from 50 MPH and 0.60 lateral gs put the X-Ice Snow at the lowest end of the wet grip spectrum, though not out of line with the rest of its cold-weather competition.
Michelin X-Ice Snow Winter Performance: The Michelin X-Ice Snow delivered solid traction across the board and maintained a capable, confidence-inspiring feeling during most of the drive. Acceleration felt good in a straight-line without steering inputs, and it managed a solid run around the snow covered track with relatively minimal issue. The X-Ice Snow slipped and slid more than we'd like once limits were approached, requiring a delicate touch rather than allowing for more aggressive handling. Recovery from any traction breakaway took longer than ideal, making it feel less forgiving than some of its fellow winter products. The X-Ice Snow boasted some of the strongest objective numbers in the test on both snow and ice: braking in 56.1 feet from 25 MPH in the snow (the best in the test) and taking just 25.61 feet to accelerate to 12 MPH. Ice was just as strong, as the X-Ice Snow was one of only two tires in the test to brake under 40 feet from 12 MPH (39.4 feet) and accelerated to 60 feet in only 5.09 seconds, the second fastest in the test and only off from the test leader by less than a tenth of a second, functionally tied.
Vredestein's all-weather offering is a tire we've tested on our previous platform (the 2022 Subaru BRZ) but have yet to revisit it on the Camry - and considering it was an impressively well-rounded option, particularly in the winter, we were looking forward to seeing how it stacked up with this group.
Vredestein Quatrac Road Ride: A nicely composed and versatile on-road ride that rounded over imperfections smoothly without being the plushest option in the test. It communicated the road clearly, but kept everything controlled and comfortable. Noise stayed generally unobtrusive; mild pattern noise with a bassy, slightly vibrato cyclical tone on smoother surfaces, a low "wooda-wooda" on the bypass, and only a mild high-pitched whine on coarser roads that was mostly masked by wind, making it solid overall without any glaring issues. Steering felt precise, sharp enough, and reassuringly connected, with nice weight and natural metering on ramps, even if it wasn't quite as immediate as some of the sharper tires we sampled.
Vredestein Quatrac Wet Traction: Pulling 0.74 gs and sporting a 93 foot braking distance from 50 MPH, the Quatrac had the strongest wet performance of any of the tires in the test.
Vredestein Quatrac Road Ride Winter Performance: The Vredestein Quatrac made a strong first impression during objective longitudinal testing: 73 feet to stop in the snow, 28.43 feet to accelerate to 12 MPH. It wasn't that the numbers themselves were necessarily stunning, but it felt good getting there. Unfortunately, it was also comparatively underwhelming on the track. It demanded careful, measured inputs at the front axle - too much throttle led to excessive spin with slow recovery, while excess entry or cornering speed triggered abrupt terminal understeer with little warning. Slick ice patches on the track were particularly punishing, amplifying spin-up events and confidence-sapping understeer, making the tire feel average at best and far from inspiring when conditions got truly slippery. Its objective numbers on the ice were good: 50.6 feet to stop from 12 MPH and 5.8 seconds to accelerate to 60 feet, better than most everything outside of the dedicated winter tires, but it just didn't put everything together as nicely as the numbers might suggest.
The Vredestein Wintrac Pro+ is (as of this writing) the top-rated tire by drivers for its category, which makes it the perfect choice as the sole Performance Winter/Snow representative for this test.
Vredestein Wintrac Pro+ Road Ride: For better or worse, the Wintrac Pro+ was the softest and most comfortable ride of the group in our on-road evaluations, rounding over big impacts very nicely, though it did trade a bit of damping for it. There was mild up-and-down and a touch of quiver on smoother surfaces, but the overall comfort was arguably a worthwhile tradeoff. Noise remained mostly unobtrusive: mild concrete hum, two-tone cyclical notes mixed with a high-pitched whisper on the bypass, and only light pattern growl that quickly faded. Steering felt smooth, natural, and intuitive with good response through on-ramps, even if it lacked a strong straight-ahead sense on the highway and moved around a little more than some peers.
Vredestein Wintrac Pro+ Wet Traction: Some of the better numbers for wet performance in the test, the Wintrac Pro+ achieved 0.71 lateral gs, one of only 3 tires in the test to manage above a 0.70, and at 100.2 feet to stop from 50 MPH, it was competitive with the strongest tires for wet braking too.
Vredestein Wintrac Pro+ Winter Performance: In objective terms, the Vredestein Wintrac Pro+ was, in most respects, the definition of "middle of the pack" - 63.1 feet to brake from 25 MPH placed it ahead of the all-season/all-weather products, but a bit behind its winter-focused peers. On the other hand, it did have the best 0-12 snow acceleration in the test, hitting the target in 23.60 feet. It was similar on the ice, right in-line with the all-weather products, but not quite hitting the highs or lows of the surrounding tires, just slotting right in-between everything else. The drive was similarly unexciting - it was noticeably stronger than the all-season tires, but fell short of feeling truly "locked down" the way the majority of the winter tires we tested did.
There's a lot to process here between the lines of data and tire testing notes. Obviously, any tire decision is going to be dependent on where, what, and how you drive, and the impact of winter performance on a tire is wrapped up in that. Almost everything here has been tested previously, and there's not a single tire in the test we'd really call lacking or not a worthy choice, but it's all dependent on circumstance. If you live in a state that deals with regular snow or icy roads, the single greatest takeaway we can share from this test is that a dedicated winter tire makes a significant difference in the key areas of winter and snow performance when traction is limited.
The results themselves aren't (and shouldn't be) surprising. Specialized winter tires do better in the circumstances they're designed for, and are less dominant in applications they're not designed for. Nothing shocking there.
Naturally, if you live in a region that doesn't experience much snowfall or ice, we still see an improvement with all-weather tires that makes for a compelling option because they will just handle most conditions without complaint. That's the beauty of a really good all-season/all-weather tire: tires like the WeatherPeak, the Quatrac, the CrossClimate2, even the Primacy Tour A/S are certainly drivable (with some caution) if you experience some unexpected weather or need to travel for holiday or work.
What is noteworthy is the gap. There's a notion, particularly among those of us that grew up driving in deep snow and month-long icy conditions. The notion is: if you learn how to drive "right", you don't need dedicated winter tires - but no amount of preparation or training, or AWD/4x4 can make a vehicle ready to stop at a moment's notice, or need to accelerate or change position to avoid a vehicle, a person, or an animal. On slippery winter roads, it doesn't take much to find your car sliding uncontrollably towards an accident.
It isn't just a matter of handling a little better or a few feet of braking distance, either. We test at lower speeds for a mix of both safety and literal physical constraints like running out of space to stop, but we can extrapolate that data to further prove the point: assuming the snow braking (for instance) was done at 50 MPH instead of 25, we would see vast differences emerge. 100+ feet between the first and last tires in the test, the difference between stopping at an intersection and sliding through to the other side of it. Contrast that with the same speed (50-0) in the wet and we only see a gap of around 30 feet top-to-bottom.
Ultimately, that gulf between "stopping at or where I meant to" and "oh no I'm still going" is one of the most visceral differences we can stress, because while individual circumstances may differ, the results are clear: if you drive on snow and ice, there is just no substitute for a dedicated winter tire.
Ready to find your next set of all-season tires or thinking you might want a more dedicated set of all-weather tires or winter tires? With over 10,000 Recommended Installer tire shops in our network, Tire Rack has what you need to find a deal and get rolling.
We can't help ourselves, we're always testing more tires out on the track. It's a good thing too, because with so many different categories and so many different features to evaluate, there aren't many places you're going to find this type of in-depth analysis. It's not a stretch to say with each tire test we do, you're going to learn something new - and maybe even find your next set of tires.
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