Test sporty winter tires in size 245/40 R 19

North of the Arctic Circle, winter strikes mercilessly with freezing cold and up to half a meter of snow every day. In this extreme weather, the Scandinavian relies on the Ski-Doo, the tracked scooter of the far north, as a reliable means of transport. Our four-wheel drive Cupra Formentor VZ5 makes its way over the white surface almost as well, provided it has the right tires. At temperatures of 8 degrees below zero, we first measured the traction, lateral stability and braking distance of our test candidates in size 245/40 R 19 on specially prepared test tracks in Ivalo, Finland. Michelin tires clearly led the way every time, and after the latest driving behavior tests on the challenging hill course and on the fast flat course, there was no doubt: the ‘Snow King of 2022’ is Michelin’s Pilot Alpin 5.

Greater reserves on wet and dry roads

It is the tire of choice for the Scandinavian market, while Western European drivers want greater safety reserves on wet and dry roads due to the mild winter. With this in mind, winter tires from Hankook, Bridgestone and Continental impress with balanced performance at a high level. Due to their winter tire construction, they cannot match the top performance of a summer tyre, as shown by the direct comparison in the individual test disciplines. On the other hand, with these tires you are also safe on the road on ice and snow.

Participating bands

The following tires took part in the test, in alphabetical order:

• Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
• Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
• Cooper Discoverer Winter
• Falken Eurowinter HS0
• Hankook Winter i*cept evo³
• Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
• Michelin Pilot Alpine 5
• Minerva Ice Plus S210
• Vredestein Wintrac Pro

The test parts on snow

Winter fun: the power distribution of the Formentor V25 makes spectacular driving actions possible.

Driving behaviour: Crossing corners and performing well-controlled drifts? With the green marked tires it is no problem. Michelin’s Pilot Alpin 5 offers the best balance without a doubt. The cheap tire of the Minerva brand poses a serious safety risk.

1. Michelin 48.9
2. Continental 48.0
3. Hankook 47.7
4. Bridgestone 47.5
5. Falcon 47.0
6. Cooper 46.8
7. Vredestein 46.6
8. Maxxis 46.5
9. Minerva 42.2
10. Summer tyre* not drivable

Average speed in km/h *Average value of a high-end summer tyre.

Slalom: Whether going downhill or changing lanes quickly, good lateral control ensures a safe ride. With Vredestein’s Wintrac Pro tyres, understeer occurs early. Extreme caution is advised with Minerva tyres.

1. michelin 4.23
2. Continental 4.09
3. Hankook 3.97
4. Bridgestone 3.96
5. Cooper 3.94
6. Maxxis 3.91
7. Falcon 3.89
8. Vredestein 3.77
9. Mineva 3.21
10. Summer tyre* 1.26

Transverse acceleration in m/s²

Brakes: Every inch less braking distance can prevent an expensive repair – or worse. The cheap tire gives away eight meters. With the summer tire tested for reference, the braking distance is more than doubled.

1. Michelin 24.4
2. Bridgestone 24.6
3. Hankook 24.7
4. Continental 24.9
5. Cooper 25.1
6. Falcon 25.5
7. Maxxis 25.6
8. Vredestein 25.6
9. Minerva 32.4
10. Summer tyre* 59.8

Braking distance 50-0 km/h in metres

Traction:

1. Michelin 2.915
2. Continental 2,857
3. Bridgestone 2,850
4. Cooper 2,845
5. Vredestein 2,838
6. Maxxis 2.811
7. Hankook 2,800
8. Falcon 2.710
9. Minerva 2.118
10. Summer tyre* 710

Average tractive force in newtons

The test parts on wet roads

Driving behaviour: On wet, slippery roads, the candidates from Vredestein, Bridgestone and Hankook provide better lap times than the summer tire also tested. With a direct steering behavior and a good balance, the Vredestein Wintrac Pro takes the lead in this test part.

1. Vredestein 86.9
2. Bridgestone 86.7
3. Hankook 86.5
4. Summer tire 86.0
5. Michelin 85.8
6. Continental 85.7
7. Falcon 85.0
8. Cooper 84.8
9. Maxxis 84.6
10. Minerva 79.1

Average speed in km/h

Roundabout: The Wintrac Pro from Vredestein also manages to keep the summer tire behind on the roundabout. With Falken’s Eurowinter HS01 tyres, on the other hand, the test car slides much sooner over the front wheels and with Minerva tires it feels like you are driving on a layer of soap.

1. Vredestein 15.45
2. Summer tire 15.59
3. Bridgestone 15.60
4. Hankook 15.62
5. Continental 15.72
6. Cooper 15.81
7. Michelin 16.00
8. Maxxis 16.02
9. Falcon 16.10
10. Minerva 16.84

Average speed in km/h

Brakes: Wet braking separates the wheat from the chaff: Bridgestone’s Blizzak LM005 comes to a stop three meters behind the summer tyre, the Minerva gives away 16 meters of precious safety reserve.

1. Summer tire 41.3
2. Bridgestone 44.4
3. Falcon 44.8
4. Hankook 45.2
5. Vredestein 45.9
6. Continental 46.4
7. Michelin 48.3
8. Maxxis 48.5
9. Cooper 48.9
10. Minerva 57.1

Braking distance 100-0 km/h in metres

aquaplaning: A lot of water on the road due to heavy rain or condensation causes the tires on the front axle to lose contact with the road surface. The summer tire usually has the larger reserves, the Minerva already loses contact with the road at 75 km/h.

1. Summer tire 86.1
2. Falcon 84.9
3. Maxxis 84.8
4. Hankook 81.8
5. Michelin 80.7
6. Cooper 80.5
7. Bridgestone 80.3
8. Continental 79.7
9. Vredestein 79.5
10. Minerva 75.4

Loss of road contact in km/h

Curve aquaplaning: The aquaplaning performance of the test candidates also varies considerably in long spinners. Hankook’s Winter I*cept evo³ manages to maintain contact with the road the longest after the summer tyre.

1. Summer tire 3.81
2. Hankook 3.36
3. Continental 3.34
4. Cooper 3.15
5. Bridgestone 3.12
6. Michelin 3.02
7. Maxxis 2.94
8. Vredestein 2.89
9. Falcon 2.86
10. Minerva 2.51

Transverse acceleration in m/s²

The test parts on dry road surface

Brakes: Dry braking is not one of the strengths of a winter tyre. With a soft compound and tread blocks alternating with sipes, the tires lose between five and seven meters of safety reserve.

• Summer tire 37.5
• Minerva 42.4
• Michelin 42.6
• Falcon 42.9
• Vredestein 43.5
• Continental 43.7
• Hankook 43.7
• Bridgestone 44.0
• Cooper 44.4
• Maxxis 44.5

Braking distance 100-0 km/h in metres

Driving behaviour: On dry roads, Michelin’s snow king once again plays its trumps and impresses with direct steering and light-footed handling. The Cooper and Maxxis tires, on the other hand, prefer a calm driving style, as is typical for winter tires.

1. Summer tire 108.1
2. Michelin 107.1
3. Bridgestone 106.8
4. Hankook 106.8
5. Minerva 106.3
6. Vredestein 106.1
7. Falcon 105.8
8. Continental 105.4
9. Cooper 105.3
10. Maxxis 105.1

Average speed in km/h

Rolling resistance: Especially with the current high fuel prices, there is a demand for tires that contribute to lower consumption. The more expensive top brands promise savings of up to five percent.

1. Continental 7.31
2. Bridgestone 7.61
3. Hankook 8.19
4. Michelin 8.23
5. Summer tire 8.60
6. Minerva 8.80
7. Cooper 8.90
8. Maxxis 9.13
9. Vredestein 9.21
10. Falcon 9.33

Rolling resistance in kg/ton

Sound (when driving by): Noise reductions of up to three decibels are considered a major advance in development. Michelin has clearly committed to good environmental friendliness.

1. Michelin 72.2 68.2
2. Cooper 72.0 68.7
3. Minerva 72.3 68.5
4. Falcon 72.6 68.4
5. Maxxis 72.7 69.2
6. Continental 73.5 69.1
7. Summer tire 73.5 69.6
8. Bridgestone 74.0 69.3
9. Hankook 74.2 69.1
10. Vredestein 74.5 71.1

At 50 km/h and 80 km/h in dB(A)

Conclusion

The Snow King is the Michelin Pilot Alpine 5. Together with the Cupra Formentor VZ5, these tires form an unbeatable team on snow and ice. On the other hand, they score slightly less on wet roads. With balanced performance, good winter properties and the fact that they do not slip, the candidates are from Hankook, Bridgestone and continental the winners of this test. They deserve the predicate ‘exemplary’. Cheap tires such as Minerva, on the other hand, are better left untouched.

Extensive results and graphs

All results are also presented in graphs, as is an overview of all tires and their performance. We cannot show these on the web page, but you will find them in the PDF that you can download on this page.

Price comparator

With the AutoWeek Car Tire Price Comparison we offer you a handy tool to find the best offers on summer tires. The price comparator currently provides an overview of the full range of 16 different tire providers. Also here are the results all tire tests of the past 9 years.