2014-2015 Best Winter Tires Review / Meilleur pneu d’hiver 2014-2015

With the winter season around the corner once again I have decided to post the top winter tires for 2014-2015 as tested once again by PMC tire.  
Reluctantly I post this article because PMC has decided not to included NOKIAN and VREDESTEIN tires in their testing, both companies have been previously rated consistently at the top year after year. Please read the note placed at the bottom of their test link below.
Link to PMC 2014-2015 winter tire test results: http://winter-tires.pmctire.com/x-stuff/docs/en/eval-winter/PMC-en-2014-2015-winter-car-evaluations.pdf
Here is the previous years winter tire test results from PMC including those companies for comparison: http://i.imgur.com/t65VLwd.jpg

As you can see both NOKIAN and VREDESTEIN have topped the charts, the Hakkapeliitta 8 has now replaced the Hakkapeliitta 7 at the top of the ranks.
Another item that buyers fail to look at is the durability of the winter tire. How deep the tread is, as an example Nokian Hakka 7's come with 13/32" (new) tread depth while the Michelin's come with 10.5/32" (new). In deep snow that difference in of 2.5/32" makes a world of difference. For those of you who actually care about your winter safety please do your research before you buy.
This may be the last year that I will be using PMC tire as my tire information source.

APA winter tire test results from 2013-2014 link: http://www.apa.ca/WinterTires2013-PassengerCars.asp

Auto123 top winter tire recommendations for 2014-2015: http://www.auto123.com/en/auto-parts/top-2014-15-car-winter-tire-recommendations?artid=171740
(is a compilation of winter tire test data from 7 different sources). The only tire I would have ruled out is the Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter. Any one of their other winter tire recommendations will be a good choice for you, choose which ever tire is best for your budget.

European winter tire test from TM (tekniikanmaailma) from Finland, written in English. Excellent comparison test, very strict testing on ice and snow, some tires only available for European market. Here is the link: http://www.aveq.ca/uploads/9/3/4/2/9342609/hakka_8_and_r_review.pdf

MTD Modern Tire Dealer article: " Testworld, an independent testing company, just tested braking on ice between 128 studded and studless tires. The top 10 tires were all studded. The Hakkapeliitta 8 was number 1. The number 11 tire was the new studless Hakkapeliitta R2. There were 30 brands of studded tires that did not work as well on ice as the studless. And that’s a complete change. "
If you would like to read the full article: http://www.moderntiredealer.com/channel/retailing/article/story/2014/03/will-chart-topping-snowfalls-mean-record-winter-tire-sales/page/3.aspx

In French (en Francais) La Presse test results 2014 on clicktire, (Auto & SUV VUS) best in class result Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8, full test results link: https://clicktire.com/evaluations-top-5/pneus-dhiver-2014-le-top-5-de-la-presse/