This test will allow you to enjoy extreme tests and clearly see the advantages and disadvantages of a number of basic models of winter studded tires. For comparison, ten tires from various leading global manufacturers were selected, all of which are leaders in their industry. These tires are Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8, Continental ContiIceContact, Gislaved Nord Frost 100, Pirelli Winter Ice Zero, Michelin X-Ice North 2, Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic, Dunlop Ice Touch, Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000, Hankook Winter i*Pike and domestic Kama Euro -519.
The number of studs - road care or driver safety?
When comparing models of winter studded tires, it is necessary to separately highlight the problem of the number of studs themselves installed in the tire. Talk about tightening the rules for the use of studs has been going on in the Scandinavian countries for a long time, and the reason is the increased wear of the roadway. The "greens" began to argue that asphalt dust is also carcinogenic, that is, it causes cancer. And in 2009, a new standard was promulgated - up to 50 spikes per linear meter, regardless of the tread width or tire diameter. At the same time, the previous restrictions remained in force: the protrusion of the spikes above the tread surface should not exceed 1.2 mm.
But what about security? After all, the more spikes, the better, all other things being equal, the “hook” for the ice will be better ... The tire manufacturers have left a loophole! It turns out that you can install more studs, but then you have to prove that denser studding will not increase the destructive effect on the road. As a result, on the basis of the Finnish test center Test World, a method for the full-scale assessment of the impact of studded tires on the road surface was developed. In a nutshell, after a certain number of passages on a granite tile, the mass of this tile should not decrease more than after the same impact of reference tires with a "legal" number of studs.
However, there was no rush demand for such tests. For example, Michelin decided that this was not an entirely fair way to get around the new restrictions - and threw all their efforts into improving tires with a reduced number of studs. So did the developers of the new Gislaved Nord Frost 100 tires. And the rest?
The rest have fully loaded their production capacities in order to produce as many tires as possible, studded according to the old rules (no more than 130 studs for 16-inch tires). After all, the ban that came into force on July 1 applies specifically to the production, but not to sales of tires with the "wrong" studding!
And only Nokian Tires went its own way: the number of studs on the tires of the new Hakkapeliitta 8 model not only did not decrease, but increased one and a half times! Naturally, the mentioned test was passed, and, as we know, it was carried out not at the Test World test site, but in our own test center near the town of Nokia. It turns out that it is possible and so - under the supervision of an official observer from the Trafi transport security agency. Competitors, of course, raised a fuss - they say, with so many spikes it is impossible to successfully pass the test!
Ice tests
The test team is set to do their hard work. One by one, sets of tires are subjected to the toughest tests in the most icy conditions. Finally, the last, tenth set of studded tires was tested for "acceleration-braking" - and ... The first sensation! The smallest braking distance on the account of tires ContiIceContact. They also provided the car with better acceleration dynamics. And let the advantage over the "bristled" Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires is quite small, but it is there! That is, 190 spikes lined up in 18 rows work no better on ice than 130 spikes distributed over 12 rows. In any case, in 14-degree frost. Why? Yes, because in order to reduce the harmful effects on the roadway, the Finns really had to change the design of the studs: they are not only lighter, but also smaller - in height and in diameter - than those used in Continental tires. And those that were previously used in Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 tires. And the carbide insert of the "small" studs is not so powerful.
Two of the favorites are on the heels of the new Pirelli Winter Ice Zero tires.
Gislaved Nord Frost 100 tires promise to be another bright novelty of this season. There are already 96 "legitimate" spikes here - and they provide quite decent braking on ice, although during acceleration - only the eighth result. Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic and Dunlop Ice Touch and Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires, familiar to us from last year's tests, turned out to be ahead. By the way, why is Michelin represented by X-Ice North tires of the second, and not the third generation? The company decided that before the official launch of the new model on the market, it would be better not to give these tires to anyone for comparative tests.
Bridgestone also prepared new items for the winter season, but also refused to provide them before the official premiere. Therefore, in the overall standings - Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 tires, which will also be actively sold on our market this coming winter.
The Korean school is represented by Hankook Winter i*Pike tires, and the Russian school is represented by Kama Euro-519 tires. On ice, the results of both are very modest. But so far we are talking only about grip in the longitudinal direction.
The handling evaluation began with driving on the ice circle at the maximum possible speed, and continued on a winding track, where both the lap time and the subjective assessment of the convenience and reliability of control were taken into account. In these exercises, Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires are already winning a convincing victory. Perfectly keep the movement in corners, excellent control over the car on the track! Also, they can be safely recommended to those who go to amateur ice races: "removing" a couple of seconds from the circle is not a problem!
Tires Continental - in second place, and close behind them - and this is the second, albeit small, but still a sensation - Gislaved tires. They made it possible to drive the car very confidently along a winding track.
Another surprise was the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires. With them, the car slows down and accelerates well, but it doesn’t hold well in corners and even “jumped off” an icy track a couple of times. Fortunately, there are not meter-long snowdrifts around, but safety lanes with a ten-centimeter layer of fluffy snow.
snow element
The next day the frost dropped from fourteen degrees to minus seven. The testers have at their disposal a 600-meter track with perfectly rolled snow. The work will be monotonous: acceleration to 50 km / h, braking, accelerating again, braking again ... But if earlier the driver was required to work with pedals to eliminate unnecessary wheel slip at the start and blocking during braking, now electronics monitor this - Traction Control and ABS. And soon, it seems, it will be completely possible to do without a driver.
Let's look at the results of manual tests on snow. It is easy to see that they are very close when braking: the difference between the best tires (Dunlop Ice Touch) and the worst (Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000) is less than three meters, which is ten percent. When accelerating, the spread is a little more, about 20 percent, and the favorites here are already different - the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires. That is, the Finns conjured not only with the spikes, but also with the tread - after all, it is not so much the spikes that are important on the snow as the tread.
And on a handling track winding around fir trees and snow-covered boulders, Nokian tires are the quietest: fast responses and fully controlled slides. Moreover, it is better not to slow down in slips, otherwise the stabilization system turned off by the button will “wake up” and the pace will decrease. Another indicator: if on Nokian tires the stabilization system was "woken up" only once, then on other tires it was activated much more often - due to errors caused by stretched slips (they especially upset the Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 and Kama Euro-519 tires) .
Driving on asphalt
In early spring, winter tests were supplemented by a cycle of "asphalt" tests. First, we looked at how the tires behave in sludge - a snow-water porridge that covered the asphalt with an even layer. The depth of this layer is only 3.5 cm, and Hankook tires already float at a speed of 19.4 km/h. However, Bridgestone's best tires in this type of testing are not far away - their limit is 21.2 km / h. And on wet pavement, without any admixture of snow, Gislaved tires have the shortest braking distance, and Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 has the worst.
On wet pavement, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires worked rather poorly, but on dry pavement they showed one of the best results when braking. By the way, this is a reason to remind again that modern studded tires work on asphalt no worse, and sometimes even better than non-studded tires of the Scandinavian type - those that are popularly called Velcro. This is due to the stiffer rubber, which is necessary for reliable fixation of the spikes. Still in use is the myth that a studded tire rolls on asphalt, relying more on studs than on rubber. But in fact, the spikes, in contact with the asphalt, sink into the body of the tread, practically without reducing the contact patch of the rubber with the road. However, it all depends on what goals the manufacturer sets when creating a specific tire model. By changing the tread pattern, hardness and chemical composition of rubber, it is possible to shift the balance of qualities, giving preference either to behavior on slippery winter surfaces (ice, snow) or on asphalt.
The Dunlop Ice Touch tire model has this balance clearly shifted towards asphalt: the Audi A3 brakes confidently and responds best to sharp steering turns. But on ContiIceContact tires, the braking distance on both dry and wet pavement is a couple of meters longer, that is, preference is given to "winter" qualities.
Where studded tires always lose to non-studded tires is in acoustic comfort. There is clearly more noise from them, especially if there are as many as 190 spikes in the tread, like Nokian tires. However, even with fewer studs, Kama Euro, Pirelli, Continental and Bridgestone tires sound about the same. And the quietest tires are Michelin X-Ice 2. Along with the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires, they are also the softest.
How will such soft tires behave when they hit a hole or hit a ledge of asphalt? A team of testers subjected winter tires to a similar experiment. At a speed of 40 km / h, the car runs into a steel channel set at an angle of 30 degrees - a piece of a U-shaped beam. If the tire held, the attempt is repeated already at a speed of 45 km / h. And so on until the tire "expires". In order not to damage the suspension of the brand new Audi A3, it was replaced by a beat-up Mercedes-Benz C 180.
Bridgestone tires withstood the most blows: they managed to break through only at a speed of 70 km / h! And this is no coincidence: when developing their tires, the Japanese take into account the specifics of bad roads, strengthen the structure and test it themselves with crash tests.
Continental tires also hold up well - they gave up at a speed of 60 km / h. The bulk of the tires were finished off at a speed of 50 km / h, but the Michelin tires, which were initially liked so much by their softness, were pierced in the very first race, at a speed of 40 km / h. It was even decided to repeat the experiment - what if it was an accident? As a result, the second Michelin X-Ice North 2 tire with a through hole is sent to the landfill. Again, everything is understandable: the French company is paying more and more attention to reducing rolling resistance, for which the sidewall is becoming thinner (at the same time, the so-called hysteresis losses are reduced - the energy consumption for heating due to deformation).
The tires were also tested for rolling resistance using a running drum. And it turned out that Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires roll easier than others, and not Michelin X-Ice North 2. But this is without studs, since studded tires would damage the calibrated surface of the drum. It is not a fact that this rating will not change with spikes. However, in terms of fuel consumption, the difference is still small - the bulk of the tires share 0.2-0.3 l / 100 km. And the difference between the most "economical" and the most "gluttonous" tires (they were expected to be Bridgestone tires) is 0.6 l / 100 km. And yet, since the experiment was conducted without spikes, its results were not taken into account when deriving the final scores.
Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8
Overall score: 9.0
- Handling on ice and snow
- Braking properties on dry asphalt
- Noisiness
- High price
With such a number of spikes, a victory over competitors, especially in ice disciplines, should be simply devastating! But the matter was limited to a simple victory, without defeat. On the track, handling is the best time, driving a car is a pleasure. But the advantage over ContiIceContact tires, which have 60 fewer studs, is negligible, and in terms of accelerating dynamics, Continental tires are even better. Because there are a lot of spikes in the tread of Finnish tires, but they are small: the diameter, the height of the spike, the width of the carbide insert - everything here is smaller than that of Continental tires. Perhaps, at a higher temperature, on "soft" ice, the effectiveness of "small" spikes would be higher, but our tests took place in 14-degree frost.
Nokian tires are traditionally good on snow: accurate and timely reactions to the steering wheel and gas.
But on asphalt, the behavior is unstable. If on dry surfaces Nokian tires provide good deceleration, then on wet surfaces they provide the longest braking distance. And the expected drawback was the "itchy" sound from the spikes, which did not leave the cabin in the entire speed range.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (62 sizes available - from 175/70 R13 to 255/35 R20) |
| Speed index | T (190 km/h) |
| Load index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 9,2 |
| 9,0 | |
| 48 | |
| Number of spikes/studding lines | 190/18 |
| Protrusion of spikes, mm | 1,2 |
| Manufacturer country | Finland |
| Catalog of winter tires Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 » | |
Continental ContiIceContact
Overall score: 9.0
- Traction on ice and snow
- Handling on ice and snow
- impact strength
- Traction on wet pavement
On ice, the ContiIceContact tires are great. Acceleration and braking are the best in the test, and the balance of drift and skid on the ice handling track is as if you are driving not in a front-wheel drive car, but in an all-wheel drive car. I let off the gas a little at the entrance to the turn - and then you drive the car along an arc in a controlled sliding with four wheels!
On snow, the tires are also good, and only the slight tendency to skid the rear axle, which is not always appropriate, did not allow us to give the highest score for "handling reliability".
On the pavement, the grip is average, although the "Rearrangement" maneuver was done very well. The car reacts sluggishly to the first impulse, but then the tires “compress” and hold lateral overloads well. It's a pity that the soundtrack during such maneuvers is already very intrusive - the Continental tires howl pretty much even on the straight, and the rumble intensifies in turns.
These tires hold up well. And the spikes in them hold on to the last: in order to pull out the spike planted on the glue, you need to apply a force 2-2.5 times higher compared to other tires.
I wonder if the ContiIceContact tires will retain the same high performance on ice after switching to a lightweight stud? Such tires with the HD index, produced after July 1, 2013, have already appeared at Russian dealers.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (42 sizes available - from 155/80 R13 to 245/40 R18) |
| Speed index | T (190 km/h) |
| Load index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 9,8 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,5 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, units | 49 |
| Number of spikes/studding lines | 130/12 |
| Protrusion of spikes, mm | 1,3 |
| Manufacturer country | Germany |
| Buy winter tires Continental ContiIceContact » | |
Gislaved Nord Frost 100
Overall score: 9.0
- Traction and handling on ice
- Traction on snow
- Traction on asphalt
- Moderate snow handling
"Not by number, but by skill!" The Gislaved Nord Frost 100 has only 96 standard offset studs in its tread, but on ice these tires are better than many tires that have 130 studs. On the handling track - the third time, but behind the leader, who has almost twice as many spikes, less than a second! No wonder the German tire manufacturers (Gislaved today is 100 percent a product of Continental) have been working on a new tread and new "triangular" studs! The slides are small and easy to control.
And on the snow, decent behavior, although on the track the handling is hindered by harsh slips.
But on wet pavement - the minimum braking distance! At the same time, the tires make little noise and gently “swallow” bumps.
In general, they are well-balanced winter tires: they work confidently on country roads and are almost ideal for urban use. And the price looks reasonable.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (38 sizes available - from 155/70 R13 to 245/40 R18) |
| Speed index | T (190 km/h) |
| Load index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 8,8 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,4 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, units | 48 |
| Number of spikes/studding lines | 96/14 |
| Protrusion of spikes, mm | 1,3 |
| Manufacturer country | Germany |
| Winter tires Gislaved Nord Frost 100 in our online store » | |
Pirelli Winter Ice Zero
Overall rating: 8.7
- Traction on ice
- Moderate handling performance on ice and snow
- Noisiness
These tires got to our test a month and a half before the official premiere (AR No. 17, 2013) - we didn’t even know the real name of the model, since there was no marking on the smooth sidewall. But both the tread and the studs of the new design were already "commercial" - now both the insert and the stud body have a complex trapezoidal shape.
In terms of longitudinal dynamics on ice, the Pirelli tires are almost on par with the test leaders. But on the control track, there were sharp breakdowns in side slips. However, Pirelli tires, whether winter or summer, have always endowed the car with sharper, sportier responses.
A similar behavior is observed on snow, but here the adhesion properties in the longitudinal direction turned out to be at an average level.
Here on the pavement - a good deceleration, both on dry and wet.
Ride is good, but a lot of noise - the rumble is audible even when driving on packed snow.
Albeit with reservations, we also recommend these tires - first of all, to those who drive in winter mainly on city streets cleared of snow.
| Dimension | |
| Speed index | T (190 km/h) |
| Load index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 9,1 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,5 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, units | 50 |
| Number of spikes/studding lines | 130/16 |
| Protrusion of spikes, mm | 1,2 |
| Manufacturer country | Germany |
| Sale of winter tires Pirelli Winter Ice Zero » | |
Michelin X-Ice North 2
Overall rating: 8.5
- Comfort
- Traction on wet and dry pavement
- Insufficient resistance to slashplaning
- Low impact strength
When we did this test with the Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires in early February, we received an invitation to the official premiere of the next generation tire, the X-Ice North 3. But all attempts to get new tires to test failed! However, in Russia, the novelty will not appear in all dimensions, and half of the sales of Michelin studded tires will fall on the X-Ice North 2 model.
Decent tires, and with a pronounced family feature of Michelin tires - this is high stability on slippery roads and soft, understandable transients. Too bad the slides themselves last a little longer than we'd like.
This also manifested itself on the pavement: stretched slides prevented the “rearrangement” at high speed. But there are no problems with braking, and the level of comfort is beyond praise: these are the softest and quietest tires in our test!
They would have had a stronger sidewall, otherwise, when hitting an "obstacle", thin rubber is already torn at a speed of 40 km / h, although most tires hold up to 50 km / h, and some remain intact even at higher speeds.
In general, very comfortable winter tires that are best used on the streets of large cities.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (29 sizes available - from 205/55 R16 to 295/35 R21) |
| Speed index | T (190 km/h) |
| Load index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 9,3 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,4 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, units | 52 |
| Number of spikes/studding lines | 118/12 |
| Protrusion of spikes, mm | 1,0 |
| Manufacturer country | Russia |
| Winter tires Michelin X-Ice North 2 - all sizes in our store » | |
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
Overall rating: 8.4
- Braking performance on ice and snow
- Traction on wet and dry pavement
- impact strength
- Handling on ice
- Traction on snow
Introduced last year, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ace Arctic immediately topped our tests, but this year's performance has been less impressive. The reason could be the changed weather conditions, the progress of competitors, but it seems that the matter is in a lower quality studding. The cocked studs themselves have not changed, but most of them turned out to be excessively recessed into the tread - the offset averages 0.9 mm against 1.2-1.3 mm for competing tires. Here you need to look for the reason for lagging behind the leaders of the test both in acceleration and in braking on ice. And on the handling track, the lag is already beyond the bounds of decency: the Audi A3 on Goodyear tires covers an 800-meter track ten seconds longer than on Nokian tires! We noted last year that Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires work better in the longitudinal direction than in the transverse direction, and now the imbalance has worsened - the car keeps very poorly on the arc!
On snow, the handling situation is better, but there are problems with acceleration. On the pavement - at the level of the middle peasants. It is curious that the clatter of the spikes is almost inaudible, but the tread itself howls in the entire speed range.
That's what these tires definitely pleased with, so it's resistance to impact: in this discipline - the third place.
With a normal studding quality, these tires would certainly be able to compete with the leaders, but according to the results of our test, we would not recommend using these tires on cars without electronic stabilization systems.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (25 sizes available - from 175/70 R13 to 225/55 R17) |
| Speed index | T (190 km/h) |
| Load index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,3 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,8 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, units | 55 |
| Number of spikes/studding lines | 130/14 |
| Protrusion of spikes, mm | 0,9 |
| Manufacturer country | Poland |
| Goodyear UltraGrip Ace Arctic Winter Tire Catalog » | |
Dunlop Ice Touch
Overall rating: 8.3
- Braking performance on snow
- Handling on ice and snow
- Smooth running
In the final score, Dunlop tires are only 0.1 points behind Goodyear tires. No wonder: the Dunlop brand is now three-quarters owned by Goodyear, and the Dunlop Ice Touch and Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires were developed by the same engineering team. The tread patterns are different, but everything else - the depth of the grooves, the hardness of the rubber and the studs - is the same. Unfortunately, the quality of the studding is the same: the studs in the Dunlop tires also turned out to be planted deeper than they should. By the way, tires are made at the same factory in Poland.
The problems with handling on ice are similar: in the transverse direction, Dunlop tires hold noticeably worse than in the longitudinal direction. It is difficult to drive a car along a winding track due to sharp, unexpected breakdowns in sliding.
But on the snow - the minimum braking distance! At the same time, acceleration and handling performance are as “sluggish” as on ice.
But on a dry surface - the minimum braking distance and the maximum speed of the "rearrangement". The car clearly and quickly responds to steering wheel turns, which is a rarity for winter tires! True, there is also a side effect - increased rigidity when passing small irregularities.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (16 sizes available - from 175/65 R14 to 225/55 R17) |
| Speed index | T (190 km/h) |
| Load index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,1 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,8 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, units | 55 |
| Number of spikes/studding lines | 130/14 |
| Protrusion of spikes, mm | 0,9 |
| Manufacturer country | Poland |
| Order Dunlop Ice Touch winter tires in our online store » | |
Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000
Overall rating: 7.5
- High impact strength
- High resistance to slashplaning
- Traction and handling on asphalt
- Traction on ice and snow
- Comfort
- Handling on ice and snow
Aggressive tread cut with a small network of wavy sipes - and spikes lined up in 14 lines. But the spikes are ordinary - with cylindrical inserts, and the tread rubber is not as "tenacious" as that of competitors, as indirectly evidenced by its increased hardness - 20% more compared to Nokian tires. And as a result - very modest traction properties both on ice and on snow. Handling also leaves much to be desired (speed in turns is limited by unpleasant sliding of the front axle).
Here on the snow-water porridge, Bridgestone tires emerge later than others. Yes, and they work perfectly on asphalt: on the “rearrangement” the reactions are so fast and accurate, as if the car is “shod” not in winter, but in all-season tires. And most of all I was pleased with the impenetrable sidewalls. But here, too, there is a compromise: a stronger sidewall is also more rigid, so Bridgestone tires do not have the best effect on ride smoothness.
Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 tires will surely find their poor buyer, especially in the outback - where tires are often changed not because of tread wear, but because of "holes" received in the pits. However, already this fall, dealers will offer an alternative to Ice Cruiser 7000 tires - the new Blizzak Spike-01 model (details - in the next issues of Autoreview), but we will be able to evaluate the improvements in a comparative test only next year.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (37 sizes available - from 175/70 R13 to 245/50 R20) |
| Speed index | T (190 km/h) |
| Load index | 91 (615 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,6 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,7 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, units | 59 |
| Number of spikes/studding lines | 130/14 |
| Protrusion of spikes, mm | 1,0 |
| Manufacturer country | Japan |
| Buy winter tires Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 of the right size » | |
Hankook Winter i*Pike
Overall rating: 7.5
- Traction and handling on dry pavement
- Traction on ice and snow
- Low resistance to slashplaning
- Traction on wet pavement
Even at the stage of "static" measurements, we assumed that the Hankook tires in this test are superfluous: most of the spikes barely protrude above the tread level. There are those that rise only 0.3 mm! On ice, such spikes, of course, do not work - the car slips menacingly both when braking and when cornering. But at the same time, it gets a decent mark for the reliability of control: yes, the car slides and therefore drives slowly, but the limit in traction is felt well, the breakdowns are soft, there is a good balance of drift and skid. It also happens.
However, the Hankook tires could not shine on the snow, where the studs no longer play a big role. The tread does not cope well with drainage functions - on sludge (snow-water mixture), Hankook tires emerge earlier than others. They also work poorly on wet pavement (the braking distance is too long) - and only on dry pavement everything is more or less in order. But this is not enough to recommend Hankook Winter i*Pike tires as winter tires. True, there is an argument that for many sounds stronger than safety arguments: Hankook tires are exactly two times cheaper than Nokian tires.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (64 sizes available - from 155/65 R13 to 245/45 R18) |
| Speed index | T (190 km/h) |
| Load index | 91 (615 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,0 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,74 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, units | 57 |
| Number of spikes/studding lines | 130/12 |
| Protrusion of spikes, mm | 0,7 |
| Manufacturer country | South Korea |
| Sales catalog of winter tires Hankook Winter i*Pike W409 » | |
| Sales catalog of winter tires Hankook Winter i*Pike W419 » | |
Kama Euro-519
Overall rating: 7.1
- Braking performance on snow
- Traction on ice
- Handling on ice and snow
- Low level of comfort
Despite the tread pattern, which is very reminiscent of Nokian Hakkapeliitta 4 tires, Russian Kama Euro-519 tires cannot yet compete on equal terms with imported counterparts. Longitudinal traction on snow is encouraging, but on the handling track, all hopes disappear. It is difficult to “refuel” the car into a turn, and therefore, before each of them, you need to slow down more than in the case of other tires.
A sad picture on the ice: slips are just as poorly predictable and poorly controlled. And there are problems with braking on ice. The reason seems to be the same as in the case of Hankook tires: insufficient protrusion of the studs above the tread surface. On average - 0.8 mm: such a departure is not enough for a good "hook" on ice.
On asphalt, the tires perform at an average level. When performing sharp maneuvers, the reactions to the steering wheel are "smeared". And let the spikes slightly annoy with a clatter, the tread buzzes pretty. And on bumps, these tires are some of the toughest.
Yes, the Kama Euro-519 took last place in our test. But if you keep in mind the price and the stellar composition of the participants, then this is not just the last, but an honorable last place. And if the manufacturer establishes control over the quality of the studding, then, you see, it will be possible to claim higher and no less honorable places.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (16 sizes available - from 175/70 R13 to 215/60 R16) |
| Speed index | T (190 km/h) |
| Load index | 91 (615 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,3 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,0 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, units | 59 |
| Number of spikes/studding lines | 136/14 |
| Protrusion of spikes, mm | 0,8 |
| Manufacturer country | Russia |
| Buy winter tires Kama Euro-519 in our store » | |
| Test results | Tire models | ||||||||||
| Options | Impact on overall score | Bridgestone | Continental | Dunlop | Gislaved | good year | Hankook | Kama Euro | Michelin | Nokian | Pirelli |
| Ice | 35% | ||||||||||
| Braking properties | 15% | 7 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Accelerating dynamics | 5% | 6 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Transverse grip properties | 5% | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Handling (lap time) | 5% | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Control Reliability | 5% | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Snow | 25% | ||||||||||
| Braking properties | 10% | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 |
| Accelerating dynamics | 5% | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Handling (lap time) | 5% | 5 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
| Control Reliability | 5% | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Slashplaning resistance | 5% | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Wet asphalt | 10% | ||||||||||
| Braking properties | 10% | 9 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 10 |
| dry asphalt | 10% | ||||||||||
| Braking properties | 5% | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Emergency (obstacle avoidance) | 5% | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| impact strength | 5% | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | Autoreview||||
There are a wide variety of tires available in the automotive market. Of these, we can distinguish the most popular, which have a good reputation among motorists. However, how to choose the best among manufacturers? Many drivers have long and steadily had their own preferences when purchasing tires, but no less number of car owners still cannot choose the best one. Therefore, we decided to consider Pirelli tires and compare them with products from other manufacturers: how are they better or worse?
history of the company
The creation of the Pirelli company took place in 1872 in Milan, where the main office is still located. The creator is Giovanni Battista Pirelli, who at the age of 23 knew for sure that he wanted to open his own business related to the production of rubber products.
The enterprise turned out to be small, the turnover was initially very small. Various rubber products were produced, and tires began to be made only in 1894, and then only for bicycles. The first car tires appeared in 1901.
Subsequently, the production of tires for sports cars participating in races began at the company's enterprise. In 1907, one of the participants with Pirelli tires took first place in the competition, which brought the company popularity.
Another no less significant event in the history of the company is the release of calendars in 1964. Then they were very popular. Currently, their release continues.
As before, the manufacturer offers quality tires. Therefore, many motorists are wondering which is better: Pirelli tires or analogues?
Pirelli or Michelin
For comparison, take the Pirelli Ice Zero and Michelin X-Ice North 3 models. Both copies are equipped with studs, and the tread pattern is very similar. Pirelli tires are particularly reliable, and are also able to provide a minimum braking distance.
Their quality is fully consistent with the price, but there is one significant drawback - at positive temperatures, tires lose their properties.
If we consider the model from Michelin, we can note that it has excellent grip on snow and asphalt, as well as effective braking. However, on ice, traction deteriorates.
These tires are optimal for those who drive a car for a long time, as they contribute to comfortable driving. If indicators are important, then it is best to give preference to Pirelli.
Pirelli or Goodyear
If we compare Pirelli Ice Zero tires with Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice Arctic tires, then the second option, although a little, is still in the lead. They performed well both on asphalt and in difficult off-road conditions. At high speed they have good directional stability.
True, they have one significant disadvantage - when hitting a track, skidding begins. Therefore, Pirelli tires provide a safer driving experience.
Pirelli or Nokian
Nokian is also a well-known manufacturer with a good reputation. His leading model is Nokian Nordman 5. Is it better than Pirelli Ice Zero?
Nokian has good handling and grip on ice, but on asphalt, these figures deteriorate significantly. Also, the spikes on the protectors fall out quite quickly, which can not be attributed to positive qualities.
Pirelli tires, on the other hand, have an increased resource, and the spikes do not fall out almost throughout the entire operation. Grip on ice is about the same, but because of the wear resistance, Pirelli winter tires win.
As it turned out, Pirelli winter tires are better than almost all of their competitors. They have all the necessary properties, but at the same time they cannot be operated at positive air temperatures. This is the only significant drawback.
In winter you dream of summer, in summer you dream of winter. Familiar? We, too, are overcome by “seasonal” problems! After all, the results of comparative tests of summer tires should be ready by the beginning of the summer season, a spoon is expensive for dinner! So, the test itself should be carried out in winter. Where? The beloved Dmitrovsky auto-polygon is not suitable - it is 100 km north of Moscow, there is even more snow and ice in winter than in the capital, and there are no dry roads at all. This means that we will have to deal another blow to the editorial budget - and go to warmer climes, to the south of France. There is a wonderful training ground of the company here, which we, together with colleagues from Finland, Norway and Sweden, are a lot cheaper! - We rent for a week.
We will test summer tires of dimension 195/65 R15 with speed index H (up to 210 km/h). Among them there are models already familiar to us from past tests: Goodyear Eagle Ventura, Nokian NRH2. And there are newcomers: Bridgestone Turanza ER70, Hankook Optimo K406 and AGI ST2-65. Tires AGI - restored. They are made in Sweden and look like new tires - no visible seams, no rubber fringe that has always adorned our welded tires. The fact that these are still restored tires is indicated only by the inscription Retread. And our Commonwealth was represented by tires L-8 of the Bobruisk plant with the proud brand of Made in Belarus.
This is not the first time we come to this test site and every time we are delighted: ideal conditions for testing! A 3.3 km high-speed track was laid along the perimeter of the polygon to study handling on dry asphalt. Slightly increase the gravel safety fields - and you can conduct Formula 1 races! Inside the ring - a complete set of roads to assess the quality of modern tires.
We are not alone on the field. Goodyear testers are working side by side with us - they are worn like untied BMWs, the smoke is like a rocker. It's not generally accepted here to pry into other people's business and ask unnecessary questions, but we later learned that they were completing tests of the latest Eagle F1 tires (see AP # 4, 2002). And the Renault test team seems to be looking for tires for Espace and Laguna.
We report our plans to conduct braking tests to the dispatcher, who sits on the "captain's bridge" - in a two-story glass pavilion from which the entire test site is visible - and he gives us the go-ahead. But he asks us not to interfere with the guys on the Laguna. They hitched a “fifth wheel” to the trunk and scurry back and forth, measuring the braking distance on wet pavement. We will do the same. But instead of the fifth wheel, we will put on the roof of our “aggregate carrier” (this is Saab 9-5) an antenna of a small GPS receiver, which allows us to fix the speed and distance traveled with high accuracy.
Our methodology for evaluating the performance of tires when braking on wet pavement is as follows. At a speed of 85 km / h, the driver enters a wet area and hits the brakes. Under the chirping of ABS, the car stops, and the computer records the distance traveled during deceleration from 80 to 10 km / h. On each tire, the races are repeated at least 12 times. And after averaging the results, it becomes clear that Pirelli P6 tires have the best braking properties on wet pavement. And the worst, and by a huge margin, are our L-8s.
Now we move to the next lane. This is no longer just wet asphalt, but a huge puddle, and the thickness of the water layer is exactly 7 mm. Here we evaluate the tire's ability to resist hydroplaning in a straight line. The task of the driver is to accelerate with maximum intensity. Sooner or later, the tires begin to float, losing contact with the asphalt, and the acceleration, despite the fact that the driver continues to keep the gas pedal "on the floor", stops. And the device fixes the speed that you managed to gain. On tires Saab accelerated to 102 km / h. Noticeably less resistance to aquaplaning was shown by tires - 95 km / h. On our tires, the car scored 78 km / h. Again the worst result.
Now - resistance to hydroplaning in turn. Moving along a circle with a radius of 100 meters, the car enters a bath filled with an 8-mm layer of water, and under the action of centrifugal force begins to move outward. The maximum speed of passing the circle within the marked "corridor" is taken into account. Here is the best result behind tires. And the worst? You guessed. Alas.
Of course, it is not only interesting, but also safe to fight aquaplaning on the tracks of the polygon. Worse when "losing" a pop-up car on normal roads. What to do? Do not panic. You don’t need to put pressure on the brake - if there is no ABS, then the wheels will lock up, and it will be even more difficult to restore traction. No need to turn the steering wheel at large angles - after the restoration of adhesion, the car may “jump” not at all where you would like to direct it. It is best to wait for the end of the unpleasant process, preparing for the subsequent braking or maneuver.
The next test discipline is a quantitative assessment of the grip properties of tires in the transverse direction. The car drives in a circle with a diameter of 80 meters, and the asphalt is constantly wetted with water. The best tires are those that allow you to complete the circle at a higher speed. This is Pirelli. Known and worse.
Next in line is the most interesting: handling on wet pavement. The 1700 meters winding track is irrigated with water. It's nice that at the same time the wipers can not be turned on - instead of fountains for wetting the asphalt, a complex hydraulic system is used: tubes and drainage holes are hidden in the curbs along the route. Bundles of running turns alternate with sharp turns. In some areas, you can accelerate to 120 km / h, and somewhere you have to slow down to 20. Three or four laps - and the experts enter into the protocol subjective assessments of the car's handling on certain tires. Experts do not know on which ones exactly: they are only informed that “tires number one” or “tires number five” are installed. However, in addition to expert assessments, the time of the lap was also recorded in the protocol. After processing the results, it turned out that the best time was shown on Pirelli and tires. At the same time, all experts recognized that it was more convenient and safer to drive a car on tires. Outsiders are Hankook, AGI and... You know.
Having finished with "wet things", we move to dry asphalt. First - an imitation of a detour of an unexpected obstacle - a "rearrangement" maneuver. Pirelli tires turned out to be the best and, both on the basis of expert opinions and objective results, the speed of the maneuver was maximum. The most difficult thing was to cope with the car on tires L-8.
And now - the most temperamental part of the program: on a dry track - for all the money!
Acceleration, maximum lateral loads, sliding, braking, again acceleration. On the "straight" the course is under 200. The first to be retreaded AGI tires: "descent for technical reasons" - in some places the tread began to peel off. However, other tires after these races were pretty shabby.
Are the tests over? No, we still have a set of new tires in stock. We saved them for the subjective assessment of rolling noise. To do this, special roads of the landfill are no longer needed - you can drive along a regular highway in different modes, listening to the rustling of tires. And we really had to listen, especially when we evaluated the noise of tires and Hankook. You can't hear the bus at all, even if you open the window! And it’s a sin to reproach other test participants for their sonorous voices. The same tires AGI and L-8 became an exception. The latter not only sing, they yell at the top of their lungs.
Everything, the program of "summer" tests in this paradise is completed. We are flying to Moscow. And our Finnish friends load tires into a van and set off on a long journey to the North, to the Arctic town of Ivalo. There, according to a truncated program, they will also conduct “winter” tests. Why is this necessary, since we are talking about summer tires? Need to. After all, even the most disciplined drivers who “change shoes” for the season sometimes still have to drive on winter tires on summer tires. Well, if it's a Goodyear Eagle Ventura, that's okay - the traction on snow and ice is even better than our all-season L-8 tires. But winter operation is categorically contraindicated for Pirelli and Hankook tires. Very slippery tires!
As usual, we translate all measurement results and expert opinions into ratings on a ten-point scale. Then we summarize these scores, taking into account the weight of certain consumer qualities of tires. The most significant of them relate to behavior on wet pavement. After all, wet asphalt in summer is like ice in winter, the most dangerous surface. It's no secret that when it rains, the number of accidents increases dramatically. The behavior of a car on dry pavement often depends more not so much on the grip properties of the tires, but on the design of the car itself (primarily this applies to the suspension and steering). Therefore, the weight of the evaluation of dry handling in our case is lower. And our approach ensures that the results of this test fully apply not only to the Saab 9-5, but also to any other cars where tires of this size are used!
So, we name the winner: Pirelli P6! The closest pursuers are also very good - tires, and, especially since their separation from the leader is minimal. The low result of retreaded AGI tires is also natural. Well, the main and, perhaps, the only serious advantage of the Belarusian L-8 tires turned out to be that they are three times cheaper than the leader tires. But we won’t beat ourselves in the chest, assuring that our tires are the best in terms of “price / quality” ratio: when it comes to safety, the primitive division of price by “quality” is clearly inappropriate.
Pirelli P6
1st place
Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed index H (210 km/h)
The Pirelli P6 tires are the winners of our test. Excellent grip on wet pavement! On the water-filled special roads of the Saab training ground, it slows down perfectly, confidently keeps in turns. True, the Pirelli tire tread copes with large volumes of water somewhat worse, yielding the palm to competitors in the aquaplaning classification. But what a pleasure to drive a car on these tires! And on dry and wet pavement, you can do anything with the car - the responses are fast and very accurate. True, in some situations, too fast reactions can be an unpleasant surprise for an unprepared driver. Therefore, subjective assessments for handling had to be reduced by a point.
We were pleased with the Pirelli P6 and the level of comfort - these are soft and almost silent tires. But God forbid you ride them on snow or ice! These are the best, but summer tires.
+ handling characteristics
- traction on snow and ice
Overall rating: 8,5
Continental PremiumContact
2nd place
Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed index H (210 km/h)
Country of origin Germany
Two years ago, PremiumContact tires already took part in our tests (see AR No. 7, 2000). Then they lagged behind the leaders by some 0.1 points. This time events developed according to the same scenario. Excellent tires lacked the same tenth point to take the first step of the podium.
In terms of handling, the Continental tires were the undisputed favorites of the test. It doesn't matter if the asphalt is dry or wet. Saab on tires PremiumContact becomes not only powerful, but also very obedient car. The driver gets away with even gross errors in management - the tires themselves seem to suggest how to correct the oversight. This quality is especially important for drivers without extreme driving skills.
Coupling properties on wet surfaces, though not the best, but quite “smooth”. Things are not bad both with comfort and with behavior on winter drogs. That is, Continental PremiumContact are well-balanced tires without pronounced flaws.
Handling on dry pavement
Overall rating: 8,4
Goodyear Eagle Ventura
3rd place
Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed index H (210 km/h)
Country of origin Germany
The Goodyear Eagle Ventura made a brilliant debut in our tests, taking first place in 1999. Then they amazed the experts with amazing "immunity" to hydroplaning. This year the Eagle Venture tires are again head and shoulders above the competition in this discipline. However, if there are no puddles, but the asphalt is still wet, then there are complaints about the grip properties in the transverse and longitudinal directions. And to manageability - too. Soft, calm reactions of the car to steering actions are good in regular driving modes, but in an extreme situation, the driver is forced to work ahead of the curve, given the delay in the reactions of the car. In addition, Saab began to show a tendency to understeer. A little too much gas, turned the steering wheel more than necessary - and the car is already sliding out of the turn.
At the rearrangement, the Goodyear tires were completely disappointing, yielding even to the restored AGI tires! These tires are not for racing. But how easily they "swallow" road bumps! And they roll almost silently. Yes, and in winter they behave tolerably.
High hydroplaning resistance
+ comfort
- average handling characteristics
Overall rating: 8,4
Bridgestone Turanza ER70
4th place
Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed index H (210 km/h)
Tread depth 9.0 mm
Country of origin Japan
Bridgestone tires performed well this time, but last year's success, when the B330 was in first place, they failed to repeat. Tires Turanza ER70 pleased with excellent grip on wet pavement. But with handling, not everything is smooth. Up to a certain level of lateral acceleration, the Saab handles corners like it's on rails, with slight understeer, allowing for the best time in the wet handling sector. But these tires do not forgive mistakes in the choice of speed - a breakdown in sliding occurs abruptly and without “warnings”.
On dry pavement, unexpected slips into slip require even greater concentration from the driver - when, in a bunch of turns at a speed of 130 km / h, the car suddenly “jumps” off the trajectory, everything can end sadly ... However, if you stay “on the edge”, then you can turn around fairly quickly. It’s just that sometimes it’s difficult even for experienced experts to find this line.
But there are no problems with comfort. The overall high rating indicates that Bridgestone tires, despite the noted shortcomings, are a quality product. The only pity is that our drivers will not be able to appreciate this - the ER70 model is not officially delivered to Russia.
Traction on wet pavement
+ handling on wet pavement
- handling on dry pavement
Overall rating: 8,3
Michelin Pilot Primacy
5th place
Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed index H (210 km/h)
Tread depth 7.9 mm
Country of origin Germany
Primacy is translated from English as "primacy". Indeed, from year to year, Michelin tires occupy in our tests, if not the first, then at least one of the prizes. But this time, the Pilot Primacy tires literally failed the test on wet pavement. Both the braking distance and the wet track time turned out to be noticeably worse than those of the leaders. It doesn't look like Michelin...
It is noteworthy that the nature of handling raises no complaints - the car calmly and accurately executes the driver's commands, forgives mistakes. But all this happens at a relatively low speed. It is impossible to accelerate faster - the tires lose reliable grip on the road. At the same time, Michelin tires overcome more serious “water barriers” with a bang - only Goodyear tires resist hydroplaning better.
On dry pavement, rapid cornering is hampered by the drift of the front axle and insufficient clarity of reactions. However, those who place high demands on comfort will definitely like the Pilot Primacy tires - they are one of the quietest in our test. And on winter surfaces they are not very “slippery”.
Good hydroplaning resistance
+ low noise level
Overall rating: 8,0
Nokian NRH2
6th place
Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed index H (210 km/h)
Tread depth 7.8 mm
Country of origin Finland
Summer tires from Nokian Tires have so far rarely achieved success in comparative tests. That is what happened this time as well. Mediocre grip on wet pavement and a tendency to aquaplaning brought Finnish tires out of the list of contenders for prizes. However, in terms of handling, not everything is so bad. Saab, as if smelling native Scandinavian tires, quickly and accurately responded to the driver's commands. Even going into slips, the car does not get out of control. But in the next turn, the Saab suddenly “flies” off the path, and it is only possible to catch it on a gravel safety lane. Insidious tires. And on dry pavement, the behavior is similar: up to a certain level, everything is in order, but then - unexpected demolitions or drifts.
In other types of tests, Nokian tires are also not perfect. And in terms of noise, and in terms of "winter" qualities, they are inferior to competitors.
Average handling characteristics on wet pavement
- traction on wet pavement
- insufficient hydroplaning resistance
Overall rating: 7,3
Hankook Optimo K406
7th place
Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed index H (210 km/h)
Tread depth 7.9 mm
Country of origin Korea
Korean tires still cannot compete on equal terms with the products of leading concerns. Nevertheless, the Optimo K406 tires performed adequately in braking tests on wet pavement, demonstrated not the worst hydroplaning resistance (at the level of Nokian tires). But the grip properties of Hankook tires in the transverse direction do not stand up to scrutiny. Both on a circle and on a twisty track, the Saab starts to slide very early. Moreover, the rear axle breaks into sliding before the front one - this happens abruptly and without any "prelude". Hop - and the car is already "sweeping its tail." I hesitated a little, did not have time to correct the skid - and then a 180-degree turn. Disgusting and dangerous!
On dry pavement, the situation is slightly better, but the threat of sudden slippage remains.
But these tires are very quiet, the same as Michelin. And on winter roads, they were as helpless as Pirelli.
Low rolling noise
- handling characteristics
- low grip on winter surfaces
Overall rating: 7,1
AGI ST2-65
8th place
Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed index H (210 km/h)
Tread depth 8.1 mm
Country of origin Sweden
Retreaded tires from the Swedish company AGI have already taken part in our winter tests (see AR No. 20, 2001). This company is one of the largest in Scandinavia: it welds over 200,000 tires a year. The ST2-65 tread is a remake of the popular Michelin XT2 tires. Outwardly, if there are no corresponding inscriptions on the sidewall, you cannot distinguish a “fake” from the original. But the test results restore the status quo. On wet pavement - miserable grip, neither accelerate properly nor slow down. And in the corners, the Saab on retread tires becomes simply unmanageable. Unless, of course, you try to go fast. On dry pavement, the problems are the same, plus increased rubber consumption: the tread peels off.
AGI tires make much more noise than fresh tires. Although our L-8 tires are even louder. So the strongest argument in favor of retreaded tires is the price, on average 50% lower than the originals.
Traction in winter conditions
+ price
- traction on wet pavement
- manageability
- rolling noise
Overall rating: 6,2
L-8 Belshina
9th place
Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed index H (210 km/h)
Tread depth 8.3 mm
Country of origin Belarus
Unfortunately, domestic tires (we mean the products of Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian tire manufacturers) cannot yet compete with "thoroughbred" foreign tires. Even against the backdrop of remanufactured Swedish AGI tires, our tires look pale. L-8 tires are terribly afraid of water: not only deep puddles, but also a thin water film on the pavement is enough for the driver to lose control of the car. On wet pavement, the braking distance is increased by almost 50% compared to Pirelli P6 tires. The car now and then breaks into slips, which are very difficult to control. On dry pavement, the situation is slightly better - on a rearrangement, the driver does not experience any particular problems with avoiding a virtual obstacle, but the speed of the maneuver is still the lowest. And on a sports track, excessive drift of the front axle does not allow you to quickly and correctly take turns.
And the trouble is with comfort: a car on L-8 tires becomes not only the toughest, but also the noisiest. But on ice and snow, Belarusian tires performed well, not without reason there is an All Season inscription on the sidewalls.
The only serious advantage is the low price.
Grip properties on winter surfaces
+ price
- extremely low grip on wet pavement
- low hydroplaning resistance
- rolling noise
Overall rating: 4,7
|
Tire specifications |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Influence at overall score |
AGI | Belshina | Bridgestone | Continental | good year | Hankook | Michelin | Nokian | Pirelli | |
| Traction on wet pavement | 60% | |||||||||
| ABS braking | 15% | 6 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 10 |
| Hydroplaning resistance in a straight line | 15% | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Hydroplaning resistance in corners | 15% | 6 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
| Transverse grip properties | 5% | 5 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| Controllability | 10% | 6 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| Characteristics in winter conditions | 10% | |||||||||
| Traction on ice | 5% | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Traction on snow | 5% | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Ease of driving | 25% | |||||||||
| On wet pavement | 15% | 7 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| On dry pavement | 10% | 6 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Acoustic comfort | 5% | 7 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Overall rating | 100% | 6,2 | 4,7 | 8,3 | 8,4 | 8,4 | 7,1 | 8,0 | 7,3 | 8,5 |
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In the coming weeks, Formula 1 will know the choice of tire supplier for 2017 to 2019 and it will make a huge difference to the sport.
Pirelli and Michelin are fighting for the opportunity to become an official supplier. The Italians have been providing F1 teams with tires since 2011, while the French were last involved in the Grand Prix in 2006.
At the same time, Michelin wants a radically new approach to the use of tires in F1, while Pirelli representatives generally adhere to their current philosophy. And the question arises which choice would be ideal for the sport.
Let's compare...
Pirelli: Philosophy F1
Having successfully coped with the task of sole tire supplier since 2011, Pirelli simply supported the ideas that were voiced by the F1 bosses.
Much of the slick requirement for the 2012 season was driven by the events of the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, so the Italians were tasked with developing tires with increased wear to allow drivers to average two or three pit stops per race.
With this concept in mind, Pirelli decided to keep the 13-inch wheels, which are extremely rare on today's road cars. It was this question that caused a lot of criticism from their potential competitors from the Michelin camp.
Michelin: Speed and low profile tires
Representatives of Michelin have voiced two simple requirements, under which they are ready to return to Formula 1.
The French manufacturer wants F1 to switch to tires that will allow drivers to attack at the limit for a long time with minimal wear. In addition, Michelin wants to ditch 13-inch wheels in favor of 18-inch wheels or even larger. In doing so, they advocate low-profile tires, which are more common on modern road cars, as they already use a similar approach in the World Endurance Championship and in Formula E.
Reviewer F1fanatic.co.uk Keith Collantine spoke on the pages of websites on this issue:
“It seems to me that since the creation of tires subject to wear, the teams have more or less coped with this challenge. This is reminiscent of the return of refueling in F1 in 1994: in the early years, several teams ran into problems, but pretty quickly everything returned to normal.
A reasonable question arises: does the current tire philosophy bring more harm or benefit to modern F1? It took some time for the drivers to begin to honestly express their dissatisfaction with the fact that they are able to drive at the limit for a rather limited section of the race due to the nature of the slicks.
In addition, F1 needs to address the slowdown in the pace of cars in recent years, and this can be achieved by changing tires, which will be an order of magnitude cheaper than complex changes to the technical regulations.
For me personally, the issue of tire size is purely aesthetic. But I would say that the current 13-inch wheels look outdated, and there is no doubt that with the freedom to choose the size of the wheels from the teams, they would all switch to larger diameter slicks, if only for the sake of speed.
Among studded tires, Continental, Nokian and Michelin have been sharing the podium for several years, not letting strangers into the circle of the elite. And this year was no exception.
The named trio of spikes is again the best on Russian roads: each has more than 900 points. First place goes to Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7, the most suitable for active drivers. But it is, alas, the most expensive and most disadvantageous: the price / quality ratio is 6.24. Very close, with a difference of less than half a percent, the Russian version of the Michelin X-Ice North 2: cool, confident and inexpensive, price / quality - 5.51. Continental, a little late with the presentation of the novelty ContiIceContact, threw its vassal Gislaved Nord Frost 5 (price / quality - 5.15) into the gap, slightly increasing its spikes. He did not disappoint and won the third place for the senior, and lagged behind the leader by less than 2%.
Pirelli and Goodyear tried their best to compete with the top three, but once again they successfully repulsed the attack. So, in fourth place is the Pirelli Winter Carving Edge lighter, in fifth is the intelligent Goodyear Ultra Grip Extreme. In terms of price / quality ratio, both tires are almost equivalent: 5.06 and 5.09, respectively.
The sixth and seventh lines were occupied by strong good players - the Dutch Vredestein Arctrac (862 points, price / quality - 4.29) and the domestic
Cordiant Sno-Max (856 points and 3.62).
A little behind, next to the bar of 840 points, are the Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 5000 (price / quality - 5.43) and the Korean "winter pike" Hankook Winter i-Pike, which clearly competes with Vredestein, since they have the same price / quality ratio. Nizhnekamsk's novelty Kama Euro 519 closes the top ten with a modest result of 828 points (price / quality - 3.62, like Cordiant), which turned out to be not as strong as expected. Let's hope for a quick update.
10th place: Kama Euro 519
- Despite the fact that the Kama has the most spikes, the grip on ice is very low: the car starts off and accelerates uncertainly, slows down in jerks. The lateral grip is the weakest among all the spikes. When sorting out the speed, the car is blown off the intended trajectory, it slides for a long time. Unexpected slippage and a sharp loss of grip are especially unpleasant. It is impossible to predict the beginning of a breakdown, you understand this only when the car has already “floated”.
- On snow, acceleration and braking are weak, lateral grip is the worst, the edge of transition to sliding, as well as on ice, is not felt.
- On a snowy road, the car goes smoothly, however, if you drop the steering wheel, it strives to go into deeper snow. When adjusting the course, the steering angles are large. Snowdrifts are best overcome with intense slipping. An undoubted advantage is a confident exit back if it was not possible to break forward.
- Course stability on the pavement is not bad, but there is not enough information on the steering wheel and delays when taxiing interfere. Braking on dry and wet pavement is worse than average.
- Fuel consumption is average at any speed. The spikes are too deep, which largely explains the low traction on ice.
- They make a lot of noise, they transmit the entire microprofile of the road to the car, as if they were heavily pumped.
9th place: Hankook Winter i-Pike
- "Pike" or "tip" - this is the last word in the name of tires with a tread pattern similar to the often copied Gislaved NF 3.
- On ice, the grip properties are weak, they make you move slowly. With a slight increase in speed, the car “does not hear” the steering wheel in a turn, loses its intended trajectory and slides for a long time. It's good that breakdowns and recovery occur quite smoothly.
- On snow, the tires brake and accelerate more confidently, but the lateral grip is much worse than the longitudinal one.
- At small angles of rotation, the “empty” steering wheel interferes with the driver, at large angles - breakdowns into a skid. It is impossible to feel the beginning of the slide.
- On a snowy road they carry a car without comment. They are reluctant to drive in deep snow, and you have to skid with caution, otherwise you can dig in.
- On asphalt, they lag a little when taxiing. They brake on dry and wet worse than others.
- They make an unpleasant noise at any speed, two rumbling peaks stand out from the general rumble - at urban (40-60 km / h) and suburban (90-110 km / h) speeds.
- Sensitively shake the car on bumps.
- Fuel consumption is average at any speed.
- Studded neatly, but a little too small, an extra two to three tenths of a millimeter of protrusion of the studs would have improved traction on ice.
8th place: Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 5000
- The model goes down in history, giving way to the new IC 7000, but so far it has been successfully sold.
- These tires have never been strong on ice: reluctant acceleration, below-average braking, frankly poor lateral grip and sluggish responses. Nevertheless, at moderate speed they behave quite adequately. There is only one problem: to guess this speed.
- I went a little faster - the steering angles and the reaction time of the car increase significantly, it begins to smear the trajectory and gets out of control.
- On snow, the steering angles are smaller, but the behavior is unstable, the front end drifts in the initial phase of the turn and skids on an arc of constant radius. In both cases, a little overspeed leads to long slides. They slow down worse than the rest, the rearrangement is performed at the lowest speed, on a par with the Kama.
- On a snowy road, they hold a straight line confidently. They are not afraid of deep snow marks on the road, overcoming them without stress.
- On clean pavement, I like the informative steering and precise execution of steering commands.
- Braking on asphalt of any condition is average.
- Not comfortable enough: the tread emits an almost helicopter drone, and the tires transmit shocks from any road bumps to the body, as well as vibrations to the floor and steering wheel.
- The studding is of very high quality in terms of dispersion (no more than 0.2 mm), but is somewhat small. And there are ten less studs than tires of other brands.
7th place: Cordiant Sno-Max
- Domestic tires; unlike the Kama, they correspond to European standards in terms of the number of spikes.
- They accelerate and slow down on the ice moderately, but in the turn they are forced to be careful: they hold noticeably worse across than in the longitudinal direction. They require a sweeping amplitude of steering, and on the curve of a turn, the feeling that the car turns not due to the rotation of the front wheels, but because of the withdrawal of the rear ones, does not leave.
- On the snow, the balance "along-across" changes. The weakest acceleration and braking are combined with an average level of lateral grip. When taxiing, the turning angles of the steering wheel are too big, the slip is a little longer than that of the giants, although they remain within reasonable limits.
- The course on the snow is kept clearly, but large steering angles complicate its correction. They are not afraid of snowdrifts and snowdrifts: they confidently start, move and turn, reliably get out in reverse.
- They float on asphalt, while the steering wheel is “empty”, it has to be turned at significant angles.
- On dry pavement, the brakes are average, on wet pavement they are better than average.
- They make a lot of noise on the asphalt with a tread and spikes and howl in dense snow. They transmit vibrations from small road bumps and shocks from road joints.
- In terms of fuel consumption, the most insatiable in the test.
- The quality of the studding: the protrusion spread is small (0.4 mm), but the spikes still stick out high, there is a risk of losing or breaking the cores out of them.
6th place: Vredestein Arctrac
- Feature of the tire - the small weight coexisting with the increased loading capacity.
- On ice, the longitudinal grip is weak, and the transverse grip is medium. They slip at the start, delaying the acceleration process; the car is stopped worst of all. At the same time, they show average results on the circle, although they do not at all inspire confidence in the corners: they either cling to or break off. They are sharply restored, unpleasantly jerking the car. They don't like slips.
- On snow, they accelerate modestly, brake and turn moderately.
- The car is clearly controlled on them, but only before the start of slips, into which it turns unexpectedly for the driver. The case ends with a sweeping skid.
- They move smoothly along the snow-covered straight line, without remarks.
- They overcome deep snow uncertainly, turn reluctantly, but get back well.
- On the pavement, we liked the clear course and clear “zero”.
- They brake well, and on a dry surface - very well, almost on a par with Goodyear. Wet show average results.
- They make noise and shake the car, voicing asphalt bumps, rustling loudly in dense snow.
- At a speed of 90 km / h, fuel consumption is average, at 60 km / h - increased.
- Studding is of high quality both in protrusion of spikes and in spread.
5th place: Goodyear Ultra Grip Extreme
- Acceleration and lateral grip on ice are average, braking is better. Each turn of the steering wheel at speeds above 30 km/h causes a slight steering skid. If you let off the gas at the same time, the skid will intensify and require steering adjustments.
- On snow, all characteristics are also not below average. In turns, the car is controlled clearly, the limit is limited by the demolition of the front end. However, in the second rearrangement corridor, skidding begins already at a low speed. Keeping the car in check and achieving high results is possible only with the help of an electronic assistant or proactive driver actions.
- Course stability on a snowy road is clear, without comment.
- Snow crossings are not for these tires. It is better to move only in tightness in snowdrifts, otherwise you will get up, or even dig in.
- On asphalt, they go straight in a straight line, but they are late with steering .. But they slow down best of all, both on wet and dry (in this they are almost on a par with Vredestein).
- They buzz with a tread, but the noise of spikes is a separate article. They howl at high speed and distinctly crunch at low speed. Shake the car on small and medium bumps.
- They roll well, because they consume average fuel.
- The quality of the studding is comparable to the Cordiant: the spread is within reasonable limits, but the performance is on the verge of the maximum allowable.
4th place: Pirelli Winter Carving Edge
- Ice, like Goodyear, is not afraid. Accelerate, brake and turn confidently. On an arc of constant radius, the limiting speed does not cause a pronounced drift or skid, the car's steering is close to neutral. On the ice ring, the speed is limited to a soft drift-skid. This allows you to change the curvature of the turn by resetting or adding gas.
- They also work quite conscientiously on snow: in braking, acceleration and rearrangement they show average results. The behavior is clear, understandable, without remarks, with an element of "ignition" - they provoke an active ride.
- On a snow-covered road they go smoothly, clearly responding to taxiing.
- It is better to overcome deep snow with a slight slip, but without excessive zeal, otherwise you can dig in.
- Asphalt line is held tenaciously in a summer way, braking on a wet surface is average, on a dry one it is above average.
- Annoyed by the hoarse-howling crunch of thorns. They shake noticeably on any irregularities, even small ones.
- Studding is satisfactory in all respects.
3rd place: Gislaved Nord Frost 5
- They differ from last year's ones in a slightly increased size of the solid insert of the spikes.
- Open the category of premium tires. Better braking and lateral grip, very good acceleration on ice. In corners they behave very confidently, at the limit the speed is limited by a slight skid, which requires a little adjustment.
- On the snow, they also hold up with dignity: very good braking, good acceleration and average lateral grip. There are no complaints about the handling of the car, its behavior and the clarity of reactions. Handles well even on slides.
- Stubbornly keep the course on a snowy road. In deep snow, however, they do not behave very confidently.
- On the pavement, they are reminiscent of Goodyear: they are a little late in reacting to course corrections.
- In braking on wet pavement, they are the best (on a par with Goodyear), on dry pavement - quite a decent average result.
- Noisy, very distinctly crunchy spikes, especially at low speeds.
- They transmit shocks from single irregularities to the body.
- Fuel consumption is increased at any speed.
- Studding: the spread of the protrusion is within reasonable limits, but the protrusion itself would be nice to slightly reduce - for the sake of the durability of the spikes.
2nd place: Michelin X-Ice North 2
- A nice feature of these tires, which inspire confidence in safety on any road, is well-balanced longitudinal and transverse grip. We note good braking on ice (despite the classic round spikes), average acceleration and very good lateral grip. On the arc of the turn, when the gas is released, the car is slightly twisted, helping to register the turn.
- On the snow, excellent traction properties: the shortest braking distance, intense acceleration and a record speed on the rearrangement. Stable behavior and clear reactions even in gliding. When overspeeding, they gently slide sideways, intensively decelerating.
- Better than others, they hold a snowy road, they are sensitive to the actions of the steering wheel. Deep snow is overcome confidently, allowing you to make any maneuvers.
- They are good on the pavement: they clearly keep the given direction, without delay they react to the actions of the steering wheel.
- Dry braking is average, but on wet tires they pass: the weakest result.
- Snorting noise on paved roads. Shake the car a little on road microroughnesses.
- The most economical (along with Nokian) at any speed.
- Studding is very high quality, gives reason to believe that the spikes will last a long time.
1st place: Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7
- There is only one step from confidence to aggressiveness. All ice performance, including lap times, is better than average and acceleration is the best. However, there is a feeling that the tires accelerate and brake better than they turn. Behavior in corners on ice is understandable and predictable, in the limit, a slight helping skid.
- On the snow, very good braking (only Michelin is better), the best acceleration, the second result in the rearrangement. They are well controlled even in slips, they react without delay to turning the steering wheel, due to this they fit into a turn of seemingly unimaginable steepness. All this provokes a fast ride, so you need to honestly assess the level of your skill.
- Clearly follow the set course on a snowy road.
- In deep snow, everything is done easily and naturally, without fear of stops, slip starts, or sharp turns.
- On asphalt, they float a little from side to side.
- They brake on a dry surface moderately, but on a wet one they show the most modest result.
- They rustle with spikes and tread, shake the car on small bumps.
- Economical at any speed.
- Studded very high quality, problems due to the loss of spikes are not expected.
Outside: Continental ContilceContact
- These tires were presented to the public after the completion of our "white" tests. But we found an opportunity to compare them with the test winner Nokian HKPL 7 in New Zealand, where winter is in full swing in June. They rented the same "Golf VI", on which they conducted their own tests, but could not find asphalt roads, because the duel took place only on ice and snow. However, for the first acquaintance and revealing the abilities of the novelty, this is enough.
- On ice, they accelerate and brake almost on a par with the Nokian, but in the transverse grip it’s just a cut above: the difference is more than 8% in favor of the German novelty. Handling is beyond praise, reactions to steering are clearer, behavior is more stable - at the limit, the car only slightly slips with the rear axle. And this is on very slippery ice, where the Nokian behaves like an average: it does not shine with information content on the steering wheel and stability of behavior - it breaks into a demolition, then into a skid and slides longer than we would like.
- On snow, the difference is almost the same, the braking distance and acceleration time are comparable to those of Nokian, but handling, like on ice, is better than that of the "seven". The steering wheel is filled with information on a straight line, clear reactions and understandable behavior in a turn. Tires draw the car into corners without a hint of drift HKPL 7 on the same track are less informative, give intermittent drift at the entrance to the turn and more active skid on the arc.
- In deep snow, the "Germans" lose a little to the "Finns": they start off uncertainly, requiring the addition of gas, but with intense slipping they strive to dig in.
- Studding is high quality and stable.
FRICTION TIRE RANKING
The non-studded tires collected in the test, they are also Velcro or Scandinavian, are already known to our readers. They were updated two or three years ago, with the exception of the long-lived Vredestein Nord-Trac and the new Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice +.
The results of the leaders were heaped - in the range from 899 to 924 points. The first five do not differ by more than 3%. But their characters are different, and each tire in our test set its own record, or even several.
When choosing, the reader should be guided not by the overall result, but by individual preferences and preferences, and, of course, take into account the advantages and disadvantages we have listed.
The Russian Nokian Hakkapeliitta R set records in braking and acceleration on snow and at the same time showed the worst braking on dry pavement. It remains the most expensive on the market: price / quality - 6.16. The most attractive in this parameter is the Bridgestone Blizzak WS60 (4.99) - the best in terms of longitudinal grip on ice and braking on dry pavement, but the most voracious in terms of fuel consumption. The Michelin X-Ice 2 is a well balanced tyre, all performance is good except for acceleration on snow. The expensive ContiVikingContact 5 (price / quality - 6.04) has the best results on the ice lap and in acceleration on snow, and it turned out to be the worst in braking on wet pavement. The Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice+ is an all-round tire that is the best in repositioning. The price/quality ratio (5.45) is the same as that of a Michelin tire, and, apparently, they will have to compete with each other in the market. But the title of the most economical tire in the struggle between Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 and Michelin X-Ice 2 was won by the Russian-Finnish tire.
Far from the new Vredestein Nord-Trac with 852 points is noticeably behind the others. Even in terms of the price / quality ratio of 4.11, it is clear that he is no longer able to compete with younger giants.
Kama Euro 519 without studs scored 830 points. Here is an example of the misuse of a product originally created in a studded version. In terms of rubber hardness, Nizhnekamsk tires are closer to Europeans (such as ContiWinterContact TS 830, Michelin Alpine, Pirelli Snowsport, Kumho KW17), and therefore cannot compete on equal terms with Scandinavians on ice and snow. But on clean asphalt they feel very confident.
7th place: Kama Euro 519
- These tires are designed for studding, but the "bald" version is often sold - not the best solution for icy and snowy roads.
- On ice, the traction is worse than any real non-studded tire. Acceleration is prolonged, braking is ineffective, jerky. In corners, large steering angles, delayed reactions, prolonged slips, in the limit of demolition of the front end and a significant straightening of the trajectory.
- On snow, braking is very weak - only Vredestein is worse; acceleration is mediocre, like Michelin; at the rearrangement, the maximum speed and behavior are worse than those of the others. The comments are almost the same as on ice: insufficient information content on the steering wheel, large angles of its rotation, prolonged sliding. On a snowy straight, the car pulls in the direction of deeper snow, the correction of the course is complicated by large steering angles.
- In deep snow, they turn better than they go straight, so you can tack if necessary. On asphalt, they swim a little within the lane and are late when taxiing. They brake great. On a wet surface they show the best results, on a dry one - above average.
- One of the reasons: the tires are harder than others. Not comfortable enough: they make a lot of noise, periodically howl and shake the car noticeably. Fuel consumption at 60 km / h is too big, at 90 km / h is average.
6th place: Vredestein Nord-Trac
- On ice, traction leaves much to be desired; braking and acceleration are very weak (only Kama is worse). However, on the ice circle they are kept in the middle peasants, they creak like other “Scandinavians”. Nevertheless, the behavior of the car is predictable, without surprises and problems. Upon reaching the maximum speed, it begins to gently slide outward, straightening the trajectory.
- In the snow they perform about the same. In braking, the worst, lateral grip is weak, except that acceleration is average. When accelerating, it feels good how the electronics keep the tires from slipping. Maneuvering is complicated by increased steering angles. In corners, top speed results in slight oversteer.
- On a snow-covered straight line, with uniform movement and gas release, the car scours a little, in light acceleration it goes much more clearly. They do not like snowdrifts, it is better to overcome them on the move, without stopping and not to turn the steering wheel unnecessarily. It is not recommended to skid, otherwise you can dig in.
- On the asphalt they go smoothly, but they are late when adjusting the direction. Braking on pavement is also not brilliant, and on wet and dry brakes are weak.
- Loudly rustling tread on rough pavement, howling at high speed in corners, clapping on bumps. Large bumps are unpleasantly hard. Fuel consumption at 60 km / h is average, at 90 km / h it is increased.
5th place: Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice+
- A novelty of the company, which, in fact, fell into the category of premium tires.
- She does not have a noticeable preference for the surface, with the exception of asphalt. On any road, the tires show a fairly smooth character and similar behavior.
- On ice, both longitudinal and lateral grip are average. At the moment of starting off, it is easy to break the wheels into slipping, so you need to put pressure on the gas carefully.
- On snow, braking and acceleration are also average, and the speed at the rearrangement “jumps” into the lead. This is partly the merit of electronics (on the Golf it is non-switchable). The skid in the second corridor starts early, but ESP simply does not allow it to develop. The same thing happens during acceleration: as on the Vredestein, it feels good that the electronics are strangling the engine, otherwise the tires will slip into slip.
- On the snowy road, everything is smooth, without remarks.
- In deep snow they behave confidently, easily maneuver, do not dig in when slipping.
- On asphalt, when changing course, you feel a slight steering of the rear axle.
- Braking is not a record, but very effective on wet pavement, and (especially!) On dry pavement.
- Comfortable: softly rustling tread, rolling gently along the road.
- At 60 km / h, fuel is consumed economically, according to this indicator they compete with Michelin. However, at 90 km / h, the consumption increases to the average.
4th place: Continental ContiVikingContact 5
- The leader of our test two years ago. This time the results are more modest. Apparently, the new exercise “braking on wet pavement” influenced. Nevertheless, no weaknesses were found on snow and ice, they are held in the premium category (over 900 points).
- On the ice, they accelerate and brake in the top four, and on the lap they show the best result. They squeak, creak, as if instead of ice under the wheels there is wet concrete, but they hold on! When maneuvering, the steering turns are quite large.
- On the snow they feel much more confident: better acceleration, very good braking and an average result on the rearrangement. As on ice, steering angles are too big. The course on the snowy road is quite clear, the direction correction is responded without delay
- Deep snow is overcome confidently in any mode.
- On an asphalt straight line, they float slightly within the lane. They stop well on dry pavement, but on wet pavement they pass, braking the worst. Wet grip is considered by tire manufacturers to be the opposite of rolling resistance. Here, like the "bridge", no "wet" clutch, no fuel economy.
- Comfort comparable to Michelin: quiet and smooth.
- Fuel consumption at 60 km / h is average, at 90 km / h it is increased.
3rd place: Michelin X-Ice 2
- Feel confident on the "white" roads and off-road. There are no failures, except for weak acceleration on snow.
- They don’t shine on the ice, but they hold on confidently: they slow down and accelerate actively, on the lap they share the second result with Nokian. Unlike the "bridge", they captivate with a balanced clutch "along and across". Clear reactions, smooth transitions into slips - in general, they behave clearly and reliably.
- On snow, the characteristics are not leading: in braking, the worst of the top four, in rearrangement, it is also the fourth result, acceleration is the weakest.
- When you add gas, they actively screw into the turn, and on the reset they slightly straighten the trajectory.
- The snow-covered road is kept without comment.
- In deep snow behave confidently. Even with intensive slipping, they emerge, go forward, not trying to dig in, and are not afraid of slipping.
- On asphalt they go without comment, even to small turns of the steering wheel they react without delay, almost like summer tires.
- On dry pavement, they brake better than average, on wet pavement - very well.
- Comfortable, noise and smooth running without comment. Economical at any speed, but roll a little worse than the Nokian.
2nd place: Bridgestone Blizzak WS60
- On "white" surfaces they show outstanding results, but, alas, along with frankly weak ones. On ice, excellent braking and better acceleration. It would seem that the model is just right to declare the ice leader!
- But weak lateral grip spoils the whole picture (only the Kama passes the ice circle more slowly), makes you be careful in corners. Tires that inspire confidence during acceleration and braking noticeably lose grip in a turn.
- Management is clear, sliding is soft and understandable. On snow, braking is very good and a decent result on rearrangement, but acceleration is very weak. The tires require accuracy when starting off and are only ready to take full throttle when moving (it looks like Nokian behaves).
- On a snow-covered road they go better than others, they immediately respond to direction corrections.
- Snowdrifts are easily overcome, they are not afraid of slipping, because they do not dig in.
- On the pavement they go clearly, but the reactions, like most winter tires, are slightly smeared.
- On a dry road, they slow down best of all, they don’t favor wet roads - the result is worse than average.
- They make noise, transmit vibrations and slight itching from microroughnesses.
- Highest fuel consumption at any speed.
1st place: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R
- Almost equally strong on snow and ice, not a single weak characteristic.
- On the ice surface, very good braking is in harmony with the same lateral grip and acceleration. A light twisting skid helps in turning, they are well controlled in slips, they gently restore grip when exiting slips.
- On snow, all characteristics are the best. Confident braking, energetic acceleration, high speed (together with the Goodyear) of the rearrangement and clear behavior on it. Accept and forgive small mistakes in management.
- Confidently hold on to the snow-covered road. Snowdrifts and snow marks are not terrible. Start after a stop, turns of any curvature, departure back - all this is done without difficulty and special skills.
- On asphalt, they float slightly within the lane.
- On dry pavement, the brakes are weak, on wet pavement they are moderate. It seems that there is little left for the asphalt, all the “powers” went to the snow and ice.
- No comments on noise. But you can find fault with the smoothness of the ride: single irregularities are marked on the body with sharp shocks.
- They set a record for fuel efficiency, even ahead of Michelin.
The editors express their gratitude to all companies that provided tires for testing.
Special thanks to Nokian Tires for technical support.
