Best winter tires are the ones that guarantee your safety and comfort while you're driving in cold weather conditions. They provide the optimal grip on icy roads and allow assured vehicle handling in slush and deep snow. If that is your case, you are in the right place: utires.com has a very vast choice of used winter tires for one of the best prices in the US.

What are winter tires?

The name speaks for itself: winter tires are designed for driving in winter conditions. Just like the weather — winter tires are the toughest ones! They can withstand severe frosts, black ice, slush or deep snow. In freezing temperatures the road's surface can become extremely dangerous, so the car has to be equipped with the best winter tires. In regions with predominantly icy roads — studded tires are a must. And, on the other hand, if you live in the area with mild winters, all-season tires can be your optimal choice. Each area in the country has its own tire usage regulations: you can find them on the official site of your state's Department of Transportation. Purchasing used winter tires can be as good as buying the new ones. Our selection of used winter tires features quality options for every budget and road condition. And a substantial number of them had been only driven once!

Check-list: do I need used winter tires?

Check out the list below. If you ticked at least 4 of the boxes, you definitely ought it to yourself, to your close ones and even to the state — to timely change into winter rubber. Check out our catalogue of used winter tires and secure yourself a safe ride for a cold season!

Your main destination is situated above 60 North latitude
Winter comes early and lasts up until late spring
The temperatures in winter steadily "freeze" below -45 ºF
Occasional snowstorm can cut you off from the civilization
During the frosts, the roads' surfaces turn into a skating rink
During the thaw, snow melts into a mushy swamp.

If the answer "Yes" prevails, buying winter tires is the only option for you. There are no alternatives to this choice: if Mother Nature of your lands has a cold heart, you need perfect vehicle handling, braking performance and traction. And even when her heart starts occasionally melting, you still need tires that provide confident driving.

When to put used winter tires on?

The exact time for a winter tire changeover completely depends on the area where you live. For your safety do it when the temperatures steadily drop below 45 ºF. For example, in mountainous states like Colorado it can be as early as October. And the time for summer tires can come as late as April or even May.

5 main characteristics of winter tires

Softer rubber compound with bigger amount of natural rubber. This helps the tire to be more responsive and flexible in tracking through tough snowy conditions, having a solid grip on icy, slushy or wet roads.
Deeper tread pattern with brutal, blocky treads. Tread depth allows to effectively channel water and have good traction in snow or slush.
Extra biting edges, created by sipes — deep cuts across the treads. If you look closely, these numerous slits look like tiny tentacles — and their function is similar: to grip the road's surface and allow necessary traction.
Ply rating / load index between 92-104 (1386-1980 lbs per 1 wheel). Tire load index shows the maximum weight carrying capacity of the vehicle going on maximum speed. In the size chart sequence it's the separate combination of two-three digit numbers and one-two letters, for example, 95T.
Usual speed capacity T, H or V, standing for max speeds of 118 / 130 / 149 mph accordingly with the maximum load, represented by the number next to it. Indexes Q and S are also quite common (99 / 112 mph accordingly).

How to identify a winter tire?

First of all, do the visual examination and check out if it falls into characteristics listed above. To make sure that it does, have a look at the tire's sidewall: winter one would have a three-peak mountain snowflake pictogram on it. It means that this tire type has been approved for driving in winter conditions by the Rubber Manufacturers Association.

Are used winter tires worth it?

Used winter tires featured on utires.com have undergone thorough manual check-ups and are recommended for driving in winter road conditions. Choosing a perfect used winter tire, check out its tread — the good condition indicator is 6/32 or 4/32 for 13-14 inch tires. Most of the winter tires in our catalogue fall into this category.

The most popular models of used winter tires among our customers are:

And the price for 1 tire can be as low as $47,99.

Kinds of winter tires

Studless winter tires. Are basically the tires that we have described above. Belonging to harsh winter conditions, they are designed for everyday drive in light or deep snow, slush and ice.
Studded tires. Could be also called ice tires — as the metal studs, embedded in the tread, allow solid grip with the icy roads. If the road surface isn't covered with ice, though, studded tires can damage it, also making quite significant noise.

Is it a good idea to buy winter tires with rims?

Yes, it is always a good idea to have an extra set of rims for your winter tires. Imagine getting through the snow or ice in your winter shoes: legs get much more tired than walking on a neat pavement in flip flops. Same with the wheels: their lifespan reduces drastically with each winter season. To prevent this, you can actually save yourself some cash for seasonal changeovers. Get the alloy rims, though they are pricier than the steel ones, they are much lighter, thus will help you to save on fuel. And they look nicer.

Why not use winter tires all year?

Because manufacturers design seasonal tires for a reason. Snow tires have a different rubber compound and tread design than summer or all-season tires. Thus, they will completely melt on summer hot highways and wear down on dry paved roads. If the place where you're driving has distinct winter and summer seasons, it totally makes sense to buy the right types of tires. Keep in mind that driving on right used tires not only saves cash, but lives.

Winter tires vs All-season tires

There is a lot of confusion when it comes to these two categories that suit driving in winter. Let's see their obvious differences.

Weather conditions

While all season tires are designed for all-year-round usage in mild climates (temperatures not above or below 40-45 ºF), winter tires are manufactured for stable cold winters (below 45 ºF). This also means no heavy snowfalls or black ice for all-season tires!

Tread design

New or used winter tires would always have deeper treads for snow / slush tracking capabilities. Brutal blocks with sharp edges "grind" the ice and allow perfect traction and grip with icy road's surface. All-season tires have a less brutal, mostly asymmetrical tread pattern with deep profound grooves. They are mostly designed for channeling water, not packed snow, ice or slush.

Rubber compound

Winter tires have to be flexible for the perfect performance, therefore, their rubber compound is much softer in comparison to all-season tires. Latter, on the other hand, have a harder rubber compound which is not suitable for temperatures below -40-45 ºF. In this weather all season tires will simply freeze, making the ride extremely unsafe.

Tread life

Average tread life of winter tires, depending on the driving conditions, is 4 to 6 winters. Tread longevity of all-season tires can be up to 10 years.

Best used winter tires? You can get them online!

Utires is one of the leading companies in the US with the best choice of new or used winter tires on sale. Tire manufacturer's names in our catalogue? The list is very extensive — from French Michelin or Japanese Bridgestone to Chinese Giti or Korean Hankook. We guarantee high quality and best prices. But more than that, we guarantee attentive service and personal approach, and our main goals — are your comfort and safety. So sit back and relax, we have done all the job for you, just choose the category that you are looking for.

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Set of (4) Used 265/75R16 General Altimax Arctic Studded 116Q - 10-11/32