Ice-cold tested: 50 winter tires for, among other things, compact middle class cars from the C-segment. They perform well in snow and ice, but on wet roads some tires slip.
There is always a lot of discussion about the usefulness of winter tires. Some people think that you really don’t need it in the Netherlands, although last winter showed that snow can also disrupt things in our country. On the other hand, it is quite a hassle to have your tires changed twice a year, and of course it also entails costs. Not to mention the purchase of a second set of wheels. Whether you buy winter tires is a personal choice.
It is also true that your car must be equipped with winter tires if you go on winter sports and travel through Germany. At least, the legislation there requires that your car is equipped with ‘suitable tires in winter conditions’, which includes icy and snowy conditions. Since the weather can change just like that during a holiday or a weekend away, this actually amounts to an obligation. Since 2018, ‘suitable tyres’ only mean winter tires that bear the so-called Alpine symbol, a three-pointed mountain pictogram with a snowflake. The M+S sign was sufficient for that. However, tires purchased before 2018 are subject to an exception until 2024. This is of course not the case in our country, but it is still good to know. What also applies to us, however, is the minimum tread depth of 1.6 millimeters. In Austria it is even 4 millimeters. That is for a reason, because as soon as the tread depth falls below 3 millimeters, the performance on snow decreases rapidly. However, the twenty tires that qualified for this test are in new condition and are therefore completely in their element on snow and ice.
THE CANDIDATES
First of all, we performed a safety test with the 50 tires. In a first step, all tires must qualify for a wet braking test. Copies that underperform are immediately sidelined. Only the best performing tires therefore take part in the snow tests. Twenty winter tires with the shortest braking distances qualify for the final.
SNOW
It’s impressive what modern winter tires can do. They can transmit enormous transverse and longitudinal forces through just four postcard-sized contact surfaces. The summer tyre, which took part in all test items for comparison, does not even make it to the entrance to the handling course on the slippery surface. Bridgestones Blizzak LM005 comes out on top in the snow tests. In the royal discipline, the handling on solid snow, Hankook’s Winter i*cept R S2 takes the lead thanks to its perfect balance.
WET ROAD
At temperatures above 5 degrees, the summer tire has an advantage thanks to its harder rubber compound and closed tread structure. The rubber from Continental, Vredestein, Dunlop and Firestone scores well on this test item, but you give away decisive safety reserves with one of the underperforming tires.
DRY ROAD
There is no doubt about it: when braking on a dry road, winter tires have fewer safety reserves than summer tires. In this segment, the Wintrac from Vredestein and the i-Fit Plus from Laufenn lead the way, while the products from Nokian and Continental also impress with good driving dynamics.
COST
As a mile-eater you are well served with the WinterContact TS 870 from Continental. Even Michelin’s Alpin 6 is no match for it. Despite its high price, the Continental also wins this test item (as many points as the Fulda). The low rolling resistance values ​​of the Barum Polaris 5 and Nokian Snowproof help to save fuel.
CONCLUSION
Good winter tires are simply unbeatable on snow and ice, as this test proves once again. In the rain and on dry roads, however, it’s a completely different story. The four top candidates are the Continental WinterContact TS 870, the Michelin Alpine 6, the Kleber Crystal HP3 and the Vredestein Wintrac, have this problem well under control and impress with their balanced performance in all weather conditions.
The full results of all 50 winter tires and all test results, including statements and graphs, can be read this week in AutoWeek No. 45 (November 10-17), or digitally available at the bottom of this article.
Price comparator
With the AutoWeek Car Tire Price Comparator, 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 of all tire tests of the past 9 years.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl