Nexen Tires in Calgary: History, Best Models & Our Take
Nexen Tires in Calgary: History, Best Models & Our Take
Nexen is a South Korean tire brand that’s been manufacturing since 1942 — one of the longer track records in the mid-range tier. They cover everything from budget-friendly all-seasons to dedicated winter and all-terrain options. We carry Nexen at Prince Tires, and customers ask about them regularly, mostly because the price point is genuinely attractive without the quality corners being cut in ways that matter.
Short answer: yes, Nexen makes solid tires, and there’s a good fit for most Calgary drivers in their lineup.
The Short Version
- Nexen Tire Corp. was founded in 1942 in South Korea, rebranded from Heung-A Tire to Nexen in 2000
- Mid-range pricing with competitive treadwear warranties and a broad size range
- Winter, all-season, all-terrain, and summer performance options — Calgary drivers are covered
- Prince Tires carries Nexen and can typically book a same-day install at 111 42 Ave SW, Calgary
- Price Match Guarantee applies — bring a legitimate quote from any Calgary shop and we’ll match it
A Quick History of Nexen Tire
Nexen’s roots go back to 1942, when Heung-A Tire Company began manufacturing in South Korea. The company grew steadily through decades of export expansion before rebranding as Nexen in 2000 — a name meant to signal their next-generation ambitions globally.
Today they operate manufacturing facilities in South Korea, China, and the Czech Republic, and they supply tires as original equipment to several automakers. That OEM relationship matters: carmakers are notoriously demanding about the tires that ship on their new vehicles, so being in that pipeline tells you something about build consistency.
Nexen also sponsors Formula Drift and the British Touring Car Championship. Tire companies use motorsport to stress-test compounds in conditions their engineers can’t replicate on a bench. For Calgary context: Nexen isn’t a household name the way Michelin or Bridgestone is, but they’ve been in the Canadian market long enough to build a real track record.
What Nexen Tires Are Actually Like — Our Honest Take
The gap between a decent mid-range tire and a bad budget tire is bigger than most drivers realize. Nexen sits on the good side of that line.
Ride quality stands out at the price point. Nexen tires tend to be relatively quiet and absorb road imperfections well — useful in Calgary, where pothole season runs roughly March through May and the roads near the Deerfoot ramps see serious wear. They’re not luxury-brand smooth, but they’re not jarring either.
Treadwear is competitive. Many Nexen all-season models carry warranties in the 60,000–80,000 km range. Manufacturers don’t publish those numbers casually — warranty claims are expensive, so there’s real engineering behind the figure.
The biggest selling point is the price-to-feature ratio. You’re often getting the three-peak mountain snowflake rating on their winter tires, solid wet traction specs on their all-seasons, and a range of sizes that covers most Calgary vehicles — at a price that’s noticeably below the premium brands. That’s not “decent for the money” in a condescending way. It’s a fair deal.
Best Nexen Models for Calgary Drivers
Not every Nexen model suits every vehicle or climate. Here’s what we’d point most Calgary drivers toward:
Nexen Winguard Sport 2 — A dedicated winter tire carrying the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) rating. It handles Calgary’s wet October snow, icy Deerfoot mornings, and mountain trips to Banff or Kananaskis without drama. This is the Nexen winter tire we install most often.
Nexen Winguard Ice Plus — Designed for hard-packed ice performance, with studdable capability. If you do a lot of parking lot manoeuvring on glare ice in January, this is the step up from the Sport 2.
Nexen N’Priz AH8 — An all-season for the April-to-October driving window. Good wet grip, reasonable treadlife, and it handles the Chinook temperature swings that make Calgary’s shoulder months hard on all-season compounds.
Nexen N’Fera RU5 — The all-season pick for SUVs and crossovers. If your vehicle spends most of its life on pavement with occasional light gravel, this covers the base well. Available in a wide range of popular SUV and CUV sizes.
Nexen ROADIAN ATX — For trucks and SUVs that split time between city streets and rougher terrain. It handles gravel roads and late-season mud without the excessive highway noise that old-school all-terrain tires are known for. A solid pick if you run a truck or SUV that sees both the city and the foothills.
Nexen Winter Tires: How Do They Hold Up in Alberta Cold?
This is the practical question that matters most in Calgary. Winter tires get stressed hard here — not just by cold temperatures, but by the freeze-thaw cycles a Chinook brings (temperatures can swing 20°C in a day), wet slush in October, packed powder in January, and refrozen slop after a mid-winter melt.
The Winguard Sport 2 and Ice Plus both carry the 3PMSF certification, meaning they’ve passed standardized snow-traction testing — not just a label the manufacturer applied themselves. The rubber compound stays flexible enough to grip at -30°C, which matters on the kind of January mornings Calgary occasionally delivers.
Customer feedback after installation is consistent: they perform where they’re supposed to, and they don’t wear prematurely when used seasonally. Compared to premium European winter tires, the very top-end ice braking metrics are different — premium brands do edge ahead in controlled tests. But for most Calgary drivers doing city commutes with occasional highway trips to the mountains, Nexen winter tires hold up fine.
According to Transport Canada’s tire safety guidance, winter tires should be mounted when temperatures consistently fall below 7°C. In Calgary, that’s typically late October — getting them on before the first real cold snap means you’re not competing with every other driver in the city for a booking slot.
Getting Nexen Tires at Prince Tires in Calgary
We carry Nexen across multiple categories at our Calgary shop and can usually book same-day installs. Call ahead to confirm we have your size in stock, and if we don’t, we can source through our wholesale network quickly.
Every install includes mount and balance. We also do a re-torque after your first 50–100 km of driving — a standard post-installation step to make sure your wheel hardware is properly seated after the tires settle. That’s included at no charge.
Prince Tires has been family-owned in Calgary since 2021. We hold a 4.9-star rating from over 560 Google reviews, and we back our pricing with a Price Match Guarantee. If you find a legitimate lower price at another Calgary shop, bring it in and we’ll match it.
Browse our Nexen tire page, shop the full Nexen collection, or read our comparison of Michelin vs Bridgestone vs Continental for Calgary if you want to see how the premium brands stack up. For value-focused shoppers across all brands, our best budget tires for Calgary guide is worth a look.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Nexen tires good quality?
Nexen sits in the mid-range tier — above cheap budget tires but below premium brands like Michelin and Bridgestone. They carry real treadwear warranties, pass the 3PMSF winter certification on their winter models, and serve as OEM fitments on some new vehicles. For most Calgary drivers who want reliable performance without paying top-tier prices, Nexen is a genuinely solid choice.
How long do Nexen tires last?
Nexen all-season tires typically carry warranties of 60,000–80,000 km. In Calgary conditions — including spring potholes, rough winter roads, and temperature swings — expect 60,000–70,000 km with regular rotations every 10,000–12,000 km. Seasonal tires of any brand last longer when you swap them each season rather than running them year-round.
Does Prince Tires carry Nexen tires in Calgary?
Yes. We stock Nexen across winter, all-season, all-terrain, and summer performance categories at 111 42 Ave SW in Calgary and can typically book a same-day installation. Call us at (403) 452-4283 to check availability in your size, or use our online booking page to lock in a time slot.
Are Nexen winter tires good for Calgary winters?
Yes, for most Calgary driving. The Winguard Sport 2 and Winguard Ice Plus carry the 3PMSF rating and stay flexible at low temperatures. They handle the wet snow, ice, and cold of a typical Calgary winter well for city commuting and highway trips. If you’re doing a lot of icy highway driving at speed, a premium European winter tire will give you a measurable edge in braking distance — but for daily driving, Nexen holds up well.
What’s a good Nexen tire for a Calgary SUV?
For year-round all-season use, the N’Fera RU5 covers most pavement-focused SUVs and crossovers. For a dedicated winter tire from October through April, the Winguard Sport 2 is the Nexen model we install most on Calgary SUVs. If your SUV or truck sees gravel roads or rough terrain, the ROADIAN ATX gives you genuine all-terrain capability without making the on-road experience unpleasant.
Ready to get Nexen tires on your vehicle? Prince Tires is at 111 42 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2G 0A4, open seven days a week. Call us at (403) 452-4283 or book your appointment online. We carry Nexen in stock, match any local price, and can usually get you in the same day.
Posted by the Prince Tires team. Last updated: August 2026.
Sources: Transport Canada — Tire Safety
