Preparing Your Genesis for Winter: A Guide to Winter Tires

Your Genesis is engineered to provide you with an elevated year-round driving experience. Winter tires are key to preserving your Genesis’s exceptional standards of safety and performance in cold weather.

Below, we explore the importance of winter tires, their advantages over all-season tires in colder conditions, how to identify the recommended winter tires for your Genesis vehicle, and more. We also discuss the Genesis Seasonal Care Plan, exclusive to the GV80 Coupe, which provides complimentary winter tires, tire installation, and off-season storage for added ease.¹

Why Winter Tires Are Important in Cold Weather

Winter tires offer an extensive range of benefits in cold temperatures and snowy weather from a greater degree of traction to improved safety and performance. Drivers who switch to winter tires typically enjoy the following advantages, which we explore in greater detail below:

• Enhanced traction and safety
• Preserved performance and AWD capabilities
• Protected tire longevity
• Legal compliance (in relevant regions)

Enhanced Traction and Safety

Winter tires are specifically designed to improve traction and safety under demanding winter driving conditions, including snow and ice. This is accomplished through the use of specialized materials and treads that are optimized for cold-weather driving.

Winter tires are made of a rubber compound that remains flexible in cold temperatures, allowing them to maximize their grip and improve traction. In contrast, summer and all-season tires are generally made of materials designed for warmer weather, and become too stiff to properly grip the road in cold temperatures. This can make the vehicle harder to steer and significantly increase braking distance, posing serious risks in winter conditions.

Likewise, winter tire treads are designed specifically for the colder months, and generally contain significantly larger grooves than summer or all-season tires. This pattern allows your tires to better grip the ground amid snowy weather, and funnels water away from the tire. Meanwhile, sipes—small slits within the treads—flex to provide better traction when driving over ice or packed snow. Winter tire treads are also designed to allow snow to pack into treads for increased friction with the snow-covered ground below, while expelling excess snow and water to prevent tires from filling with ice. Ultimately, these specialized patterns significantly improve stability when driving over snow and ice.

These precise design choices allow winter tires to offer a greater degree of traction under harsh winter road conditions, including heavy snow and ice. The enhanced traction improves handling, stopping distance, and driving safety.

Preserved Performance and AWD Capabilities

By switching to winter tires in colder months, you can continue to experience the maximum advantages of your Genesis’s performance systems, such as All-Wheel Drive and electronic Limited Slip Differential systems.

These advanced systems are designed to offer a thrilling driving dynamic by adjusting the amount of power that wheels receive, relying upon tire traction for a precise degree of control. Since winter tires preserve traction in colder months, they enhance the precision of these performance systems and maintain the vehicle’s driving experience.

Protected Tire Longevity

All tires are designed for specific driving conditions and naturally wear with use. Changing tires seasonally helps distribute that wear between two sets, extending the service life of each while allowing drivers to experience their intended performance for longer.

Additionally, when tires are adjusted seasonally, each set is kept away from environmental conditions it was not designed to handle, where materials are more vulnerable to damage. In particular, summer performance tires often stiffen enough during winter that they are prone to cracking when encountering bumps, which can compromise their structural integrity, reduce their lifespan, and introduce safety concerns.

Legal Compliance (in Relevant Regions)

Select Canadian provinces mandate the use of winter tires under specific circumstances; proper tires are essential for legal compliance.

• Quebec: Vehicles registered in Quebec must be equipped with compliant winter tires from December 1 to March 15.
• British Columbia: On designated routes in British Columbia, compliant winter tires are required from October 1 to March 31, extended to April 30 on certain routes. Chains are accepted in place of winter tires on some of these routes.

Note that winter tire regulations vary by province and by route, and are subject to change. The information above is provided for general reference only and is current as of publication. Drivers are responsible for confirming and complying with the requirements that apply to them; please consult the relevant provincial or territorial transportation authority for current rules.

When Should I Install Winter Tires on My Genesis?

Summer and all-season tires typically harden as temperatures drop, making it important to install winter tires in advance of cold weather. To account for fluctuations in temperatures, it is typically recommended to install winter tires when the average daily temperature stays at or below 7°C for seven days in a row. Conversely, in the spring, winter tires should be removed when the average daily temperature remains at or above 7°C for seven days in a row.

Which Tires Are Recommended for My Genesis?

Drivers interested in purchasing a new set of tires can explore our Parts and Accessories page, which includes our latest tire brochures. Alternatively, your local Genesis Distributor can provide you with more information about recommended tires and help you determine the best choice for your specific circumstances.

Genesis Seasonal Care Plan

Exclusive to the GV80 Coupe, the Genesis Seasonal Care Plan simplifies the process of acquiring, storing, and changing your vehicle’s winter tires.¹

The Genesis Seasonal Care Plan provides drivers with a set of 20” x 9.5” Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV winter tires and Premium Genesis branded gloss black mounted alloy wheels. Drivers can confidently approach winter driving knowing their tires are chosen to handle Canada’s harsh road conditions.

For added convenience, the Genesis Seasonal Care Plan also includes 5 years of seasonal tire installation, so drivers can ensure their Genesis receives the appropriate winter tires with ease. Drivers also receive 5 years of at-home valet access and courtesy vehicle service for tire installation appointments (available within 50 km driving distance of a Genesis Distributor), minimizing any potential disruptions to their day. Finally, off-season tire storage is provided for the duration of the Seasonal Care Plan to eliminate the need for separate storage arrangements.

Explore Your Genesis Winter Tire Options

If you are interested in installing winter tires on your Genesis, please contact your local Genesis Distributor; they can assist you with all tire-related inquiries, including when to switch your tires based on local weather.

Looking to purchase a new set of winter tires? Consider visiting our Parts and Accessories page to explore our latest tire brochures, which include curated lists of tires chosen for your Genesis. Or, your local Genesis Distributor can help you identify which tires best meet your needs.

This article is for informational purposes only and may not reflect the latest updates to tire offerings, program availability, or vehicle features. Winter tire guidance, including recommended installation timing, is general in nature — actual performance depends on road conditions, temperature, driving habits, tire condition, and vehicle maintenance. Please consult your Owner's Manual for the tire specifications applicable to your vehicle. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, please visit the Genesis Canada website or contact an authorized Genesis Distributor.