BC designated highways: Oct 1 – Apr 30 Quebec winter-tire law: Dec 1 – Mar 15 Switch when it's consistently around 7°C Ontario: ask your insurer about the winter-tire discount Mobile swaps at home, work or your condo parkade
Cybertron TireWinter & mobile service Book a swap
Four kinds of tire

Not every "winter" tire is one.

The symbol on the sidewall, not the name on the tread, tells you what the tire is built for.

Tire sidewall with the mountain-and-snowflake symbol
Winter · 3PMSF

Dedicated winter tires

Soft compound that stays flexible in the cold, with deep sipes that bite into snow and ice.

All-weather tire beside a winter tire showing different tread patterns
All-weather · 3PMSF

One set, year-round

Carries the snowflake symbol and stays on in summer; a compromise in deep snow.

Studded winter tire on ice with metal studs visible
Studded

Maximum ice grip

Allowed only in certain provinces, seasons and areas. Check before you buy.

Cars on a slushy highway in light snow
All-season · M+S

Not a winter tire

Meets BC's highway minimum with 3.5 mm of tread, but not Quebec's law.

Tread check

The toonie test, made exact.

Slip a toonie into the most worn groove, bear first. Then check the millimetres with a gauge.

Canadian two-dollar coin inserted in a tire tread groove
Tread checkToonie · gauge
Where does the tread reach on the toonie?
6.0 mm
Sidewall decoder

Read your tire like a technician.

Pick a size, then tap any part of the code to see what it means.

Example: passenger winter tireISO metric
Steel winter rim next to an alloy rim on a workbench
Rims

A second set of wheels pays off.

  • Steel winter rims shrug off salt and potholes
  • Swaps are quicker with no mounting or balancing each season
  • Cars with TPMS need sensors in both sets
Book mounting & balancing
Next step

Not sure your tires have another winter?

We'll measure every tire at your swap and tell you straight.

Book a tread check Check the law