High-quality winter tires - without exaggeration can be called a pledge with the advent of cold weather. This question requires the whole seriousness of the approach to the process of their purchase, in which the manufacturer's brand, driving style, vehicle brand and climatic conditions of the region of operation play a role. A significant responsibility is assigned to winter tires, because in cold weather it becomes more difficult to drive a car, especially when it snows, sleet, freezes, etc.
How to start choosing tires for winter weather
Any rating of winter tires should include products from different price segments, since not every car enthusiast can buy expensive tires that still have to be changed every year. At the same time, you should not save on the safety of yourself and your passengers, because mistakes on a snowy road are very expensive. When choosing these products, you need to pay attention to what exists for winter:
- studded. Designs owe their name, since such tires are equipped with metal spikes that play an anti-slip role. On such rubber, neither ice nor snow drifts are terrible, but they are of little use for dry asphalt. In addition, they significantly increase the noise level while driving;
- friction (they are also Velcro). They are characterized by a special lamelized surface. Tightly cut lamellas and a special tread ensure a reliable connection with the roadway. In extremely snowy areas, such winter tires may not be effective enough, but on dry roads they behave confidently and do not make noise.
Friction is divided into 2 varieties: European and Scandinavian. The first type is designed for damp regions with a predominance of slush and wet snow. They do not have a relief tread, but they are equipped with drainage grooves. Scandinavian ones are softer in themselves, equipped with slots and lamellae. They are characterized by high cross-country ability on ice or snow.
The most affordable and high quality winter tires
- SnowPROX S941. This is a budget manufacturer with a good reputation. Production is focused on cars of middle class. Such rubber behaves well both on a snow-covered surface and on wet porridge. It does not make noise and is quite soft due to the inclusion of silicone.
- MA STL from the Chinese company Maxxxis. The main advantage of this product is its low price compared to competitors in the 2019 season. However, this product also behaves normally on snow-covered road surfaces. The tires of this model are characterized by standard acceleration and braking characteristics and an average noise figure while driving.
- KrisAlp HP. The developer is considered to be the well-known company in the automotive world, Kleber, which is a subsidiary of the French Michelin. The decent quality of products is explained by the technologies and materials that are used in the creation of more expensive types of products. The model is positioned as focused on powerful cars that require increased cross-country ability.
- Hakkapeliitta 8. The most famous Finnish manufacturer has "noted" even in the budget price segment. He presented studded tires with special sipes and tread patterns to the attention of our drivers. For the 2019 winter season, they are good because they allow you to literally cling to the ice and overcome various road bumps with a decent level of grip.
- Norman N4. Another example of Finnish products. For a relatively small amount of money, the manufacturer provided spikes equipped with a special support pad. Thanks to these properties, due softness and elasticity are ensured.
- Blizzak Spike, featured in this category by manufacturer Bridgestone. He got into the rating of the best winter tires due to the good quality of production and low price. These tires have cross-shaped studs that not only hold themselves very well, but also provide the right grip on icy roads. Experts consider this a good solution for the domestic climate.
- Nordmaster ST. Tires that combine decent quality at an affordable price. Products are interesting in that they are produced by a domestic manufacturer. It boasts a reinforced side edge and an original tread pattern, which will provide the required grip on winter roads in some of our latitudes.
The middle class of winter tire manufacturers are the best representatives
The best winter tires can be in the middle price class. All such products are characterized by high quality at an affordable cost. 3-4 thousand rubles per wheel is a price tag that most Russian car owners are quite capable of pulling. For this price, they can become the owners of quality.
- The top of winter tires from the middle price category opens with the Winter Contact TS 860 tire. The manufacturer is the well-known company Continental. This model is considered by many experts to be the best in the middle range. First of all, this happened due to excellent sound insulation and driving performance.
- Cinturato Winter is another example of winter tires that approach the premium class in terms of properties. They have proven themselves as an excellent assistant when driving on dry or snowy surfaces in winter. Best suited for climates with moderate winters.
- Alpin 5. An example of good tires, in the development of which the legendary Michelin took part. The optimal solution for driving on snow-covered sections of the road. However, on wet and dry pavement it does not behave so well, and the noise level is far from ideal.
- Blizzak ML-01. An inexpensive representative of winter tires, which may well be the answer to the question of which one is better. For an extremely low price, the consumer receives products with average performance. It can be considered a profitable purchase in a limited budget.
- I Cept RS 2. These products are manufactured by Hankook. It cannot be considered one of the leaders in its segment, since it makes quite a lot of noise. But on a dry surface, it feels great, it overcomes snow drift and ice on the pavement well.
Many of the winter tires in this segment could be translated into, given their positive characteristics. However, for the majority of domestic car owners, the decisive factor will still be acceptable quality at an affordable price.
Top premium winter tires 2019
Leading manufacturers will be happy to offer the best tires for snowy roads, ice and severe frosts with the highest performance. Each car owner determines the key criteria for himself, especially since for R15 or R16 tires they may differ slightly. No matter what tire you end up with, premium tires combine high levels of performance with excellent quality.
For the sake of objectivity, we offer some of the most popular varieties:
- Ice Contact2 from the world famous manufacturer Continental. The main advantages include the studded cover for more efficient and easier work. They are great for both ice and snow. Drivers will definitely be pleased with the low noise level from them when driving on a winter road. The main disadvantage is the high cost among analogues.
- Hakkapeliitta 9. Finnish-made products, which are familiar with the realities of harsh, and even extreme, winter weather. This is an ideal solution for those drivers who are forced to live in the northern regions for a long time. These tires are perfect for both urban and off-road use. Another interesting fact: they retain their qualities for a long time under various temperature conditions.
- Blizzak DMV2. Products of this brand, developed by Bridgestone, are not equipped with spikes, that is, they are of the Velcro type. A good sample of tires, in which the developers tried to take into account all the mistakes of the past analogues. They were able to demonstrate a high degree of controllability, a low level of generated noise and other performance characteristics.
- Nord Frost 100. Tires from a German manufacturer based on a composition of rubber and silicone with the addition of technical hydrocarbons, as well as special innovative polymer components. As a result, the products are characterized by impeccable adhesion to the roadway. She is not afraid of ice and snow in the same way as dry asphalt.
- Ice Zero. Products of the world-famous Pirelli studio. The company constantly introduces new developments, seeking to improve performance. The new tires have a significantly improved rubber composition, a changed tread pattern, and the products as a whole undergo more stringent technological selection. Thanks to all these factors, it satisfies the needs of domestic motorists by 100%.
- X Ice XI2. Another representative of the French manufacturer Michelin, which has won tens of millions of fans around the world. In the new tires for the winter of 2019, the manufacturer has managed to implement such innovations, thanks to which water is efficiently removed in order to successfully overcome icy and snowy sections of the road. On dry surfaces, they do not behave so ideally.
- Icept RW08. Few of us know this Korean-made rubber, but in vain, given the totality of its properties. To ensure good grip and maintain the elasticity of the rubber itself, the manufacturer adds ingredients such as silicone and silicon to the composition. Winter requires high-quality new tires, so computer simulation was used to create them. But they have acquired the characteristics of a truly premium product.
- Ultra Grip Ice 2. This friction-type winter tire is designed specifically for regions with high humidity, frequent low air temperatures and snow drifts. Its composition is so stable that it allows you to maintain performance throughout the resource allotted by the manufacturer.
- Hakkapelliitta R2. Developed by the legendary Finnish factory Nokian. This winter tire is characterized by a low noise level and high cross-country ability on difficult road sections. Some difficulties may be observed on icy sections of the road, but they are within the normal range.
This rating of the best winter tires for 2019 is a recommendation. Each car owner makes his choice based on individual preferences and features of his vehicle. Ceteris paribus, experts advise not to save on buying tires for the winter, as this significantly increases handling and safety.
Michelin- French company, one of the world leaders in the production of car tires. It has about 70 enterprises worldwide, as well as 5 research technology centers (in France, the USA and Japan) and 5 test sites (in France, the USA and Spain).
In addition to the main brand of the same name, the Michelin group of companies also owns other well-known brands, such as Kleber, Goodrich, Wolber, Riken, Tyremaster, Uniroyal, Taurus and others.
Website: www.michelin.ru
In Russia, Michelin also has its own tire manufacturing plant. It is located in the village of Davydovo, Orekhovo-Zuevsky district, Moscow region. The production capacity there is not the largest - about 2 million tires a year, but it is there that the only tire studding workshop in the company is located, in which all rubber produced by Michelin in Europe is studded.
In Russia, Michelin tires are sold either by our production, or by the company's European plants in Italy and Hungary.
“Michelin X-Ice North 3” is a new winter studded tire that incorporates a wide variety of innovative technologies developed by Michelin. Most of them are combined into one complex called “smart spike” (Smart Stud System) and includes:
- Thermoactive rubber compound, which is used as an inner tread layer and which is able to change its elasticity depending on the ambient temperature: at high temperatures it becomes soft and the studs seem to be pressed into the tread, significantly improving grip on asphalt; at low temperatures, it becomes stiff, making the very fixation of the spikes more rigid and thereby increasing grip on icy surfaces.
- The Ice Powder Remover technology is designed to remove ice chips and is a system of 6 wells that absorb this ice chips around each spike.
- The design of the stud itself, which has the form of a cylinder with a cone-shaped tip, which is installed on a wide base, which ensures reliable fixation of the stud.
The tread pattern of the “Michelin X-Ice North 3” tires received an increased number of gripping edges to improve grip on snowy roads. The angle of the drainage channels has also been changed, which increased the resistance to hydroplaning and slashplanning. These tires use the new Flex-Ice 3 tread compound, which contains proportionate natural and synthetic rubber for improved grip on wet roads. In addition, it contains silicon additives that contribute to wear resistance.
To reinforce the carcass of the tires, IronFlex technology was used, which consists in the use of an additional layer of steel threads and provides additional impact resistance.
For a good motorist, winter does not come unexpectedly. As a rule, experienced drivers do not wait for black ice to change their shoes. As they say, the road is a spoon for dinner, so your car should be fully equipped to meet the frosts. Of course, you want only the best winter tires on your car. And preferably at an affordable price. How to choose good inexpensive winter tires - this is what will be discussed in the material.
It is not necessary to spend money on expensive winter tires - you can always choose a quality budget option
Swap shoes for boots
First, let's define why? It is easy to understand this with a simple example. Do you yourself change shoes for boots with the advent of winter? Of course yes. Because it's warmer, more comfortable, safer. That is, just as there is no universal pair of sandals, so there is no universal rubber.
Don't suffocate...
Same principle with a car. Different rubber has different properties, which manifest themselves depending on the temperature regime. in the cold, they simply become dull, and as a result, at any moment the car can become completely uncontrollable.
Video on how to choose winter tires:
...and don't be shy
And in the manufacture of winter "shoes" manufacturers use a different chemical composition, which makes rubber resistant to low temperatures. At the same time, even at a light positive temperature, it loses strength and literally “deflates”. In addition, winter and summer tires differ in tread pattern.
Not two, but ... five!
When you are looking for good inexpensive winter tires, you may be offered to save money on the number of tires. For example, install new tires. But judge for yourself. If, for example, you are skidded or start to turn around on an icy “glass”, then in order to cope with such a situation, to resist centrifugal force, you need to use all four wheels. Do you still need to buy four tires? No. The correct answer is five, because your winter spare should be from the same "dough" as the working tires.
Top 10 best winter tires
And how to choose a decent tire model? Based on the opinions of experts and feedback from motorists, a rating of the "top 10 best winter tires" was compiled, which have been selling well for several seasons in a row. So, how were the sympathies of the drivers distributed?
Maxxis MA-STL - 10th place
This is a model. Its indisputable advantage is the price. For one tire of radius No. 13 in retail, they ask from 1,500 rubles. She behaves well in snowy weather, but, admittedly, she copes with large snowdrifts with difficulty. Maxxis MA-STL was only in tenth place due to a number of nuances. The tires are hard, “buzz” and duplicate the pits on the road. Also, this rubber does not differ in particular dynamism - it starts off, accelerates and slows down very mediocrely. 
Toyo Snowprox S94I - 9th place
Inexpensive Japanese tires. Designed for middle class cars. They cope well with snow porridge and are not afraid of uncleared roads. The composition of rubber includes silicone, which does not allow the tire to tan. For one such wheel, they ask an average of 1600 rubles.
Kleber Kris alp HP - 8th place
Kleber is a subsidiary of the famous Michelin premium tire manufacturer. Kleber uses technologies and materials similar to Michelin to manufacture its products, but these tires will be much cheaper than VIP ones. For example, there is an inexpensive winter model without studs Kris alp HP. It was created for representative, but it costs - from 1700 rubles. 
Hankook Winter I Cept W605- 7th place
The seventh in this race came Hankook. She presents tires Winter I Cept W605. The average cost is 1800–2000 rubles. In the manufacture of this rubber, materials containing silicon were used, which made it possible to achieve good grip, elasticity and traction.
Amtel Nordmaster ST - 6th place
Optimal combination of price and quality. A unique tread pattern, four rows of studs and a reinforced lip are the secret to excellent grip from the Amtel Nordmaster ST. On average, one tire will cost about 2000 rubles. 
Cordiant Polar 2 - 5th place
Also Russian tires. This model features an unusual "curly" groove in the tread. Stability is increased due to additional lamellas. Four rows of anti-slip studs guarantee good grip. The average cost is 2000 rubles. 
Bridgestone Blizzak Spike 01 - 4th place
When choosing good inexpensive winter tires, pay attention to the Bridgestone Blizzak Spike 01. These are solid Japanese tires with cross studs. "Crosses" give maximum grip during icy conditions. This model outperformed the popular Ice Cruiser, reducing the braking distance by 9% during tests. It is important that the Japanese developed this type of tire specifically for our roads, taking into account all the features and nuances. At the same time, it is interesting that back in 2013 Bridgestone Blizzak Spike 01 occupied the seventh step. The average cost of a tire is about 3000 rubles. 
Continental ContiIce Contact - 3rd place
This is a German brand. A model for those who want to achieve excellent cross-country ability and easy handling in any weather. On such tires, neither rain nor snow is terrible. It goes smoothly: you may not even notice that you drove through an icy area. It was specially developed for operation in countries with severe winters. Moreover, this model is applicable for both SUVs and for. Cost - from 2000 rubles. 
Nokian Nordman 4 - 2nd place
In second place is also the Russian tire. Nokian Nordman 4 - relatively inexpensive winter tires (average 3000 per wheel). Its “trick” is that each of the spikes is “supported” by a special pillow. This makes the tires more elastic and softer for the driver. 
Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 - 1st place
So, the leader of the tire race. In the first place are tires from Finland. The model is reinforced with additional spikes. The wheel itself has become lighter, and the clutch is just a sin to complain about. The blocks in the tread are closely intertwined with each other, the sipes have become more “grooved” and more than ever able to grip the snow. The average cost is 3000 rubles. 
Security drawing
We have already mentioned the importance of tread pattern when choosing tires several times. So what does he change? By choosing the right pattern, you have automatically selected tires that will perform best on the road in your region, with all its features. After all, on different surfaces, the functions of rubber vary. For example, in snow it is important that the wheels do not slip and brake well, literally grow together with the road. In slush - the main thing is to avoid drifts. In dry weather, you need good grip.
Off-road tires
In order not to miscalculate and buy a good one, it is important to have an idea for what tasks the tires are “sharpened”. For example, there is "off-road winter". In such tires, the pattern is made in the form of separate patterns (up to 10 mm high), which are placed at a decent distance from each other and in most cases are made in the form of snowflakes and rhombuses. You can safely buy this rubber if you live in a snowy area or often ride in "porridge". Such tires do not care about snowdrifts.
Excellent cross-country ability, but on a dry road you will encounter the fact that it will "sound", and also, possibly, the braking efficiency will increase and be reduced.
Such a Eurowinter
Another model is the "European winter". These are tires that allow you to drive even in winter. The drawing here is made in low elements - no more than 7 mm. But “European” tires are suitable only for dry and very well-groomed roads ... Therefore, it is unlikely that such tires will soon be in demand on the domestic market.
Asymmetry on the tread
Another option is tires with an asymmetric tread pattern. The drawing is divided longitudinally into two components. One of them looks traditional and is responsible for the quality of the clutch. The other - as in the case of "off-road winter", allows you to confidently steer in the snow and slush. 
This proposal in our market is relatively new and motorists are still skeptical about it. Like, such a “half-hearted” solution does not allow to fully implement any of the specified functions ... There is also an opinion that asymmetry is still a good option as a replacement for the classic version of tires. But for double functionality you will have to pay more.
Classic, sir
But what about the Winter Classic itself? These are traditional - 8 mm, medium gaps between elements, wide grooves. The best option for motorists who drive according to the principle: "You go quieter - you will continue." "Classic" assumes safe winter driving, without snow extreme and recklessness. And here is a surprise for those who need inexpensive winter tires. Such tires are cheaper than their "brothers" and at the same time much more durable.
Drive in winter
And finally: it really depends largely on the technical condition of your car, but not in everything. Even if you are driving on brand new tires, do not lose vigilance. In winter, it is unacceptable to adhere to the summer driving style. This is not the time for recklessness, so increase the distance to the nearest vehicle and reduce your speed by at least 20%.
