The best winter tires of domestic production. “Changing shoes” for the summer: which Russian tires are better? The best manufacturer of winter tires for Russian roads

It's time to study the Summer 2017 tire rating, purchase a set of new tires and safely enter the spring-summer-autumn season. Many motorists are already planning technical inspections of vehicles, preparing them for high temperatures, "hot" asphalt surfaces in the summer, prolonged traffic jams, especially during summer holidays.

How to choose the right summer tires?

Rubber manufacturers compete in the sales market, regularly updating their lineup in order to enter the summer wheel tire rating and become a sales leader. Products differ in rubber composition, tread pattern, diameter and speed index. When choosing from a wide range of products, do not go wrong. What should you pay attention to?

A small list of those parameters is presented, which are recommended to pay attention to at the time of acquaintance with the assortment introduced in the Summer 2017 tire rating. It is impossible to make a mistake in choosing, because summer tires use a longer period, especially in regions with a long off-season and snowless winters.

The consumer has the right to choose tire models from domestic or foreign manufacturers, they most often differ in price, the presence or absence of innovative technologies, but their quality level is brought to international standards.

Tires of domestic production

On the territory of the Russian Federation, tires of such brands as Cordiant, Amtel, Contyre and others are manufactured. They often make up the rating of Russian summer tires, are valued among motorists. An attractive range of products today is offered by the Kirov Tire Plant, which provides rubber to domestic giants responsible for the production of GAZ, VAZ, UAZ cars.

Advantages:

• Reliable tread with asymmetric pattern
• Economy class product
• Acoustic comfort
• Good grip on asphalt
• At a speed of 110 km / h, the tire responds normally to steering requests
• Accurate entry into corners without skidding and breaking the sidewall

Thus, it is possible to pay attention to budget tires, and the Matador Stella 2 model, known even abroad, belongs to it. Note that in 2013 this product was included in the international rating of summer wheel tires, having received a lot of positive ratings for its technical characteristics.

Advantages:

• Acoustic comfort
• Economy class product
• Responsive steering even at high speeds
• Gives good grip on asphalt, but it is difficult to go off-road, especially on wet grass
• wear resistance

Thus, car owners who appreciate winter tires of the same brand also purchase Nokian Nordman SX and are not disappointed in any way. Moreover, the average price per tire will be 2000 rubles.

Advantages:

• Soft upper tread layer designed to provide cushioning
• Rigid inner layer is responsible for the strength and durability of the product
• Tread pattern symmetrical
• Acoustic comfort
• Ensuring stable and predictable maneuvering
• There is a water drainage system in the tread pattern
• Attributed braking efficiency

Thus, the Cordiant Road Runner, included in the summer 2017 tire ranking, is an excellent choice. The product combines European quality and reasonable price.

And if you haven’t had time to buy a set of summer tires in January-February, then today you can pay attention to economy-class models from domestic manufacturers - Matador Stella 2, Nokian Nordman SX, Cordiant Road Runner. The product may be subject to a system of discounts, and this is an attractive offer if the product has a market price of 2000 rubles. Sometimes free shipping is also offered.

So enjoy your shopping and make the right choice in the world of market diversity!

The car market offers a huge range of tires, it is very difficult to choose the best ones. Therefore, to simplify the choice of motorists, independent experts compile ratings of winter tires, they indicate the advantages and disadvantages of tires of various brands.

In the winter season, drivers have a question: “to stud or not to stud tires?”. Studded products are designed for harsh winters, ensure the normal stability of the car when driving on ice or deep snow. Studless tires are not only suitable for driving on icy or snowy roads, they can be used on dry or wet road surfaces. There is an alternative option - these are the so-called "Velcro", they have a large lamella of the tread blocks, this design, in the absence of spikes, ensures the stability of the car on snow or ice. Which of these tires is better depends on the preferences of the driver and the operating conditions of the vehicle.

When choosing tires for the winter on your own, use the ratings of winter tires, when they are compiled by independent experts, the following characteristics of tires of various brands are taken into account:

• stopping distance of a car on a dry, snowy, slushy, ice-covered road;
• maximum acceleration of the car;
• fuel consumption;
• rubber noise;
• driving comfort.

Comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of rubber from different brands allows you to identify leaders in the manufacture of high-quality tires.

Leaders and outsiders of budget classes of studded tires

First place

Tire Sava Eskimo Stud

The tire is designed for extreme winter conditions, it occupies a leading position among models of budget tire classes. It consists of a silicon-containing polymer, which provides the elastic properties of products at a sufficiently low ambient temperature.

Advantages:

• low noise;
• vehicle stability on ice, snow, dry and wet asphalt;
• average course stability.

Disadvantages: average handling, directional stability when tested on a wet road surface.

Second place

Tire Matador MP30 Sibir Ice 2

Tires are designed in compliance with world standards and taking into account the peculiarities of the Russian climate. The composition of rubber provides elasticity, resistance of products to low-temperature operating conditions.

Advantages:

• wear resistance;
• low weight due to the use of aluminum spikes;
• good acceleration on winter roads;
• short braking distance on wet and dry road surfaces;
• average grip on ice and snow.

Drawbacks:

• average directional stability and handling on roads covered with ice;
• noisy.

Third place

Tires Cordiant Snow Cross

These tires are designed for harsh Russian winters. The resistance of products to wear is ensured by the presence of silicon in the composition of rubber. These tires proved to be excellent when driving on packed snow, in some respects they even surpassed middle-class tires.

Advantages:

• average braking on the road covered with ice;
• good acceleration on packed snow and icy road surfaces;
• average exchange rate stability among test participants.

Flaws:

• not the shortest braking on dry and wet paved surfaces;
• spikes protrude strongly, creating additional noise while driving;
• increase in fuel consumption when moving the car at high speeds;
• there is a chance of getting stuck when driving on loose snow.

Fourth place

Rubber Kama Euro 519

Structurally tires consist of two layers of rubber. One makes the studs resistant to falling out, the second makes the tires flexible at very low temperatures.

Advantages:

• fast braking on snow and dry pavement;
• average cross-country ability on winter roads;

Drawbacks:

• increased braking on icy roads and wet pavement;
• tires respond slowly to steering commands;
• low stability on snowy, icy roads.

Fifth place

Tire Viatti Brina Nordico V-522

The products have an asymmetric tread pattern that provides traction with the road surface. The outer part of the tread ensures the stability of the machine during cornering.

Advantages:

• good directional stability of the car on a snow-covered road;
• elasticity.

Flaws:

• for all types of testing, tires showed low results;
• increased braking on any type of road surface;
• a small patch of rubber contact with the surface when driving on ice.

Leaders and outsiders of the middle class of studded tires

First place

Tire Hankook W419 iPike RS

These tires have a unique composition of the rubber compound, which provides increased rubber elasticity at fairly low temperatures. The silicon which is a part of rubber increases resistance of products to wear.

Advantages:

• good braking performance on winter roads;
• excellent tire grip with the road surface when driving on packed snow or a road covered with a shallow snow layer;
• provide directional stability of the car when driving on asphalt;
• help reduce fuel consumption;
• high wear resistance.

Flaws:

• poor cross-country ability while driving on slush or road surface covered with snow porridge;
• unpredictability of tires when performing maneuvers on dry pavement;
• not the quietest tyre.

Second place

Tires Gislaved Nord Frost 200

Rubber developed by a Swedish company using new technologies. The improvement in the performance of these tires when tested on a snowy road is provided by a large number of small tread blocks. The tread lamellas have a different design, providing greater grip of rubber with the road surface.

Advantages:

• provide confident movement of the car on a snow-covered or snow-covered road;
• good braking performance on asphalt;
• Tires make virtually no noise.

Drawbacks:

• tires respond to steering commands with a slight delay;
• poor handling on icy ruts.

Third place

Tire Nordman 5

The tire is designed with a special tread that provides good grip of tires on the road surface. The design feature of the tread is the location in its central part of the longitudinal rib, which has edges in the form of zigzags - this improves the directional stability of the car.

Advantages:

• light spikes that reduce the weight of the product;
• good braking performance on snowy or icy road surfaces;
• help reduce fuel consumption.

Flaws:

• in comparison with competitors, manageability is not the highest;
• poor braking performance on dry asphalt pavement;
• weak lateral part of the tread is often damaged;
• noisy.

Fourth place

TireYokohama IceGuard Stud IG55

Designed with a special tread design that provides good grip of rubber with the road surface. The spikes are located on the surface of the product in such a way as to reduce the amount of noise while driving.

Advantages:

• good indicator of directional stability and controllability;
• spikes rarely fly out due to their deep seating in rubber;
• practically silent.

Drawbacks:

• the braking performance on an icy or snowy road is not the highest among competitors;
• poor patency on a surface with icy ruts;
• average directional stability while driving on an asphalt road surface.

Fifth place

Tire Kumho WinterCraft ice WI31

The tire tread is covered with a large number of sipes to ensure a good grip of tires with the road surface. The aramid fibers that make up the tires give them rigidity and serve as micro-studs.

Advantages:

• excellent performance when driving on dry and wet asphalt;
• deep-set studs reduce rubber noise;
• good performance on packed snow.

Flaws:

• weak braking on ice;
• slipping on a slurry of snow;
• poor handling on snowy roads.

Conclusion

Winter tire ratings determine the top best manufacturers, allow you to choose the most suitable tire option for a specific car and its operating conditions. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that the winner does not always fit the characteristics of the operating conditions of the vehicle, and outsiders, in most cases, behave well when driving around the city.

Also take into account the tire sizes recommended by the vehicle manufacturer, and the matching of tires and wheels. As a rule, you can install larger diameter wheels and lower profile tires, for example, wheels with a radius of R14 can be replaced with R15 or R16, choosing the appropriate rubber.

The winter season will start soon. Experienced car owners begin to prepare for it in advance, first of all, looking closely at various models of winter tires to ensure safe driving in the upcoming ice and snowy roads. Usually the choice falls on foreign brands that occupy a leading position in world markets. However, do not forget about domestic models, because in many respects they are not inferior to foreign-made tires, but are much cheaper.

In addition, the advantage of domestic manufacturers lies in the fact that they develop car tires directly for the harsh and capricious conditions of the Russian winter. This ensures high adaptability of tires to our winter roads. In this review, we will focus on the most popular domestic winter tire models that can meet the requirements of most consumers.

CordiantPolar

Cordian tPolar studded tires have been among the most popular Russian-made winter tires for a long time. All thanks to a good ratio of affordable cost and quality. These tires have an optimized tread compound that results in lower rolling resistance and, as a result, better fuel economy. Cordiant Polar tires are distinguished by a directional tread pattern with a central groove in the form of a kind of “snake”.

Zigzag lamellas and expanding transverse grooves are provided for greater directional stability and rapid removal of snow from the contact patch. A distinctive feature of CordiantPolar winter tires is the ability to install 128 studs in four rows, which allows you to achieve better grip on slippery roads and in ice. According to the manufacturer, the noise level of these tires has been significantly reduced due to different block widths in the central and shoulder areas of the tread.

A further development of CordiantPolar winter tires is the Polar 2 model, which is more designed for installation on modern SUVs and mid-range cars. This studded tire was created by Cordiant engineers specifically for harsh climatic conditions and Russian off-road. It uses a rubber compound that can work in extreme temperature conditions - up to minus 45 degrees. This is the first winter tire in the Cordiant range to feature an asymmetric tread pattern.

Polar 2 tires feature a new studding technology. The spikes, which have the original “snowflake” shape, are fixed in the tire tread in two layers at once - the outer layer, where a soft rubber compound is used, and the inner layer, in which denser rubber is used. This technology provides higher tire performance and good braking dynamics on an icy track. The car owner can get information about the running-in period of the spikes through special indicators on the tire.

CordiantPolar SL

Cordiant also produces non-studded tires for the winter season, oriented to urban conditions. These are, in particular, Polar SL tires with a two-component rubber compound "Smart-Mix", designed to improve the grip of the car when driving on snowy and icy roads, as well as the efficiency of acceleration and braking in unpredictable winter conditions.

A distinctive feature of these tires is also a V-shaped tread design for even weight distribution over the entire tire contact area and a large number of zigzag sipes. To quickly remove snow, mud and water from the contact patch, lateral drainage channels are provided, which expand from the center of the tread to its edges. Thanks to the four longitudinal ribs, high directional stability is achieved.

Cordiant Sno Max

Sno-Max is another winter studded tire from Cordiant designed for use in harsh Russian winter conditions. The distinctive features of this tire are zigzag sipes for better grip on snowy and icy roads, a more even and wider tread for improved performance on dry roads. The service life of Sno-Max winter tires was increased by adding a layer of nylon to the carcass.

Sno-Max tires have sixteen rows of studs that reduce acceleration and braking times even on ice. The tires are distinguished by a directional tread pattern, which allows tires to more effectively overcome various snowdrifts and deep puddles that often occur on Russian roads in the winter season.

CordiantWinterDrive

Finally, one of the latest developments of the leading Russian company is WinterDrive non-studded winter tires for urban conditions. The asymmetric tread pattern of these tires was created using computer-aided 3D modeling tools, as a result of which the engineers managed to achieve an optimal balance between the performance and consumer qualities of the tire. The blocks of the central part and the shoulder zone of the WinterDrive tread are connected by special half-bridges into a single whole to increase the clarity and efficiency of control.

The DoubleTread tread technology is implemented here, and a rubber compound is used, which includes components based on carbon black and silica. The drainage system of the tire consists of a large number of longitudinal and transverse grooves, which provides high resistance to aquaplaning. Tread blocks of various shapes and sizes are arranged with uneven pitch to reduce noise when driving.

Amtel Nordmaster

Under the Russian-Dutch brand Amtel, a fairly wide range of winter tires is produced. AmtelNordmaster and Nordmaster 2 tires are well-deservedly popular with Russian motorists. AmtelNordmaster winter tires have a large number of Z-shaped sipes to ensure the best grip. The high resource of this rubber is achieved by using a two-layer tread with a combination of synthetic and natural rubber, which adds durability and strength to it.

In addition, highly dispersed carbon black and silicic acids were included in the rubber compound, which should contribute to more efficient braking on snowy and icy roads. The sipes work in conjunction with the spikes on the tire tread, which are located in ten planes at once.

Amtel Nordmaster 2

Amtel Nordmaster 2 are winter studded tires that are characterized by high cross-country ability. They demonstrate their best qualities, first of all, when driving on snow-covered tracks. The engineers also paid close attention to the safety of driving on icy tracks, providing Nordmaster 2 tires with powerful checkers on the edges of the tread and wide elements of the shoulder zones for a higher level of grip on ice.

Excellent handling and flotation of the tire on loose snow, in turn, is ensured by inclined grooves that widen towards the edges of the tread and zigzag sipes. Nordmaster 2 tires have ten rows of studs arranged around the circumference of the tire in a mathematically calculated pattern.

Amtel Nordmaster ST-310

Amtel Nordmaster ST-310 winter tires with directional tread pattern are not a bad choice when driving in urban conditions and on light off-road conditions. Their main difference lies in the zigzag longitudinal and transverse grooves with sharp-angled edges, which contribute to better handling and greater vehicle stability on the road. This studded tire has special lug ribs for higher vehicle flotation when driving on loose snow. In addition to a large number of zigzag grooves, Nordmaster ST-310 tires are also characterized by the presence of zigzag sipes, the effective operation of which, when in contact with the road, reduces the braking distance and prevents slipping.

Amtel NordMaster CL

Amtel's range of winter car tires also includes non-studded tires designed specifically for comfortable and safe driving on city roads. This is a soft and quiet NordMaster CL tire, the tread of which immediately attracts attention with its central sawtooth groove and two stepped longitudinal grooves to quickly evacuate water from the contact patch and ensure reliable grip in winter conditions. Thanks to the curved lugs with transverse lamellas, a safe and fast movement of the car on loose snow is achieved. For greater stability, especially in corners, the NordMaster CL tire is equipped with elongated sipe blocks, which are characterized by variable depth and different directionality of the edges.

Kama Euro 519

The products of the Nizhnekamsk Tire Plant also deserve attention, in the assortment of which you can find a lot of relatively cheap, but high-quality tires for the winter season. First of all, this is a winter tire with Kama Euro 519 studs. Its tread consists of two separate layers: the lower layer has a dense structure, and the upper one is characterized by good elasticity to maintain high performance properties of the tire at low temperatures.

The fan-shaped arrangement of sipes in the tread of the Kama Euro 519 tire, according to its creators, guarantees excellent grip on snowy and icy road sections. The tread of these studded tires is characterized by the presence of V-shaped grooves, which contribute to the self-cleaning of rubber from dirt and snow. Tires Kama Euro 519 are adapted to harsh winter Russian operating conditions and are an excellent choice for installation on domestic cars.

Kama 515

Kama 515 is a winter tire designed mainly for use in exclusively cross-country vehicles, that is, SUVs and crossovers. It is noteworthy that these tires can have two versions - with spikes and without spikes. They are distinguished by a directional V-shaped tread pattern with no pronounced longitudinal ribs. The protector is divided into two equal parts by a longitudinal drainage groove.

Each of these parts has three rows of free-standing blocks of polygonal shape - with sharp corners, located in different directions, and curved edges, which ensures efficient acceleration and braking on all types of road surface. Due to the small radius of the profile of the shoulder zones, the engineers managed to achieve a significant increase in the contact patch. Another feature of this tire is a large number of S-shaped lamellae, which form numerous engagement edges for more reliable grip on slippery road surfaces.

This is just a small list of domestically produced tires that can boast of good performance. The range of winter tires produced by Russian manufacturing companies is quite wide, so you can always choose the right option based on your financial capabilities, safety requirements and driving comfort.