2022 Auto Zeitung Winter Tire Test

The 2022 Auto Zeitung performance winter tire test has tested eight popular winter tires in 225/45 R17.

Continental, Bridgestone and Michelin all perform well, with the Continental WinterContact TS870 taking another win in 2022 winter tire tests thanks to a well balanced performance in all conditions, the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 performing extremely well in the dry and wet, and the Michelin Alpin 6 offering good grip in all conditions.

Dry BrakingNokian Snowproof P: 45 MGiti GitiWinterW2: 49 M
Dry HandlingBridgestone Blizzak LM005: 63.1 sMichelin Alpin 6: 64.5 s
Subj. Dry HandlingContinental WinterContact TS 870: 30 PointsFulda Kristall Control HP2: 22 Points
Wet BrakingBridgestone Blizzak LM005: 50.3 MGiti GitiWinterW2: 61.4 M
Wet HandlingContinental WinterContact TS 870: 89.7 sGiti GitiWinterW2: 96.3 s
Subj. Wet HandlingContinental WinterContact TS 870: 45 PointsGiti GitiWinterW2: 17 Points
Straight AquaContinental WinterContact TS 870: 75.2 Km/HNokian Snowproof P: 64.8 Km/H
Curved AquaplaningContinental WinterContact TS 870: 2.96 m/sec2Nokian Snowproof P: 1.61 m/sec2
Snow BrakingContinental WinterContact TS 870: 26 MPirelli Cinturato Winter 2: 28.1 M
Snow TractionMichelin Alpin 6: 2782 NPirelli Cinturato Winter 2: 2661 N
Snow HandlingContinental WinterContact TS 870: 81.8 sPirelli Cinturato Winter 2: 85.2 s
Subj. Snow HandlingContinental WinterContact TS 870: 30 PointsPirelli Cinturato Winter 2: 14 Points
Subj. ComfortNokian Snowproof P: 8 PointsFulda Kristall Control HP2: 6 Points
NoiseNokian Snowproof P: 70 dBVredestein Wintrac Pro: 73 dB
PriceGiti GitiWinterW2: 375 Michelin Alpin 6: 660
Rolling ResistanceNokian Snowproof P: 7.3 kg / tGiti GitiWinterW2: 9.3 kg / t

Dry

The Nokian SnowProof P was the best in dry braking, stopping the Audi A3 four meters shorter than the worst of the group.

The Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 was the best tire during dry handling, narrowly beating the Continental WinterContact TS870.

The Continental and Bridgestone were also the best subjectively in the dry.

Wet

Wet braking was again led by the impressive Bridgestone and Continental pair.

As was wet handling, but this time with Continental in front of Bridgestone. Michelin again placed a respectable third.

Conti, Bridgestone and Michelin were the testers favorites subjectively too.

Continental and Bridgestone also had the best straight aquaplaning resistance.

Snow

Continental was again the best in snow braking, but this time Giti took second place with the GitiWinterW2!

Michelin led in snow traction, with the Fulda close behind.

Continental and Michelin were back at the front during snow handling.

Environment

The Nokian was the quietest tire on test externally.

And offered the best subjective comfort levels.

The Nokian also had the lowest fuel use on test, followed by Bridgestone and Continental.

The Giti was the cheapest tire in the test, and the Michelin the most expensive.

Results

View Results as a single table and adjust the score weighting

1st: Continental WinterContact TS 870

Continental WinterContact TS 870
  • 225/45 R17 94V
  • EU Label: C/B/70
  • Weight: 9.3kgs
  • Tread: 8.7mm
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking4th+1.1 M97.61%
Dry Handling2nd+0.2 s99.68%
Subj. Dry Handling1st100%
Wet Braking2nd+1.6 M96.92%
Wet Handling1st100%
Subj. Wet Handling1st100%
Straight Aqua1st100%
Curved Aquaplaning1st100%
Snow Braking1st100%
Snow Traction5th-70 N97.48%
Snow Traction5th-70 N97.48%
Snow Handling1st100%
Subj. Snow Handling1st100%
Subj. Comfort3rd-1 Points87.5%
Noise2nd+1 dB98.59%
Price7th+265 58.59%
Rolling Resistance3rd+0.8 kg / t90.12%
The Continental WinterContact TS870 is extremely strong on any surface, very safe and therefor the clear winner of this test.

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2nd: Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
  • 225/45 R17 94V
  • EU Label: C/A/71
  • Weight: 9.5kgs
  • Tread: 8.3mm
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking2nd+0.5 M98.9%
Dry Handling1st100%
Subj. Dry Handling2nd-1 Points96.67%
Wet Braking1st100%
Wet Handling2nd+0.5 s99.45%
Subj. Wet Handling2nd-3 Points93.33%
Straight Aqua2nd-0.8 Km/H98.94%
Curved Aquaplaning5th-0.16 m/sec294.59%
Snow Braking4th+1 M96.3%
Snow Traction8th-99 N96.44%
Snow Traction8th-2782 N0%
Snow Handling6th+2.6 s96.92%
Subj. Snow Handling6th-10 Points66.67%
Subj. Comfort3rd-1 Points87.5%
Noise4th+2 dB97.22%
Price4th+160 70.09%
Rolling Resistance2nd+0.7 kg / t91.25%
The LM005 grips extremely well in the dry and wet, but could benefit from a little more grip in the snow.

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3rd: Michelin Alpin 6

Michelin Alpin 6
  • 225/45 R17 94V
  • EU Label: C/B/69
  • Weight: 9.1kgs
  • Tread: 8mm
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking6th+1.4 M96.98%
Dry Handling7th+1.4 s97.83%
Subj. Dry Handling6th-6 Points80%
Wet Braking3rd+3 M94.37%
Wet Handling3rd+1.5 s98.36%
Subj. Wet Handling3rd-8 Points82.22%
Straight Aqua4th-1.8 Km/H97.61%
Curved Aquaplaning4th-0.11 m/sec296.28%
Snow Braking7th+1.3 M95.24%
Snow Traction1st100%
Snow Traction1st0%
Snow Handling2nd+1.1 s98.67%
Subj. Snow Handling4th-8 Points73.33%
Subj. Comfort3rd-1 Points87.5%
Noise4th+2 dB97.22%
Price8th+285 56.82%
Rolling Resistance6th+1.5 kg / t82.95%
Good grip on all surfaces. The Michelin Alpin 6 offers very good driving safety and is therefore highly recommended.

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4th: Nokian Snowproof P

Nokian Snowproof P
  • 225/45 R17 94V
  • EU Label: B/B/70
  • Weight: 9.6kgs
  • Tread: 8.5mm
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking1st100%
Dry Handling3rd+0.8 s98.75%
Subj. Dry Handling3rd-3 Points90%
Wet Braking5th+5.2 M90.63%
Wet Handling7th+5.8 s93.93%
Subj. Wet Handling7th-26 Points42.22%
Straight Aqua8th-10.4 Km/H86.17%
Curved Aquaplaning8th-1.35 m/sec254.39%
Snow Braking4th+1 M96.3%
Snow Traction6th-77 N97.23%
Snow Traction6th-2782 N0%
Snow Handling4th+1.4 s98.32%
Subj. Snow Handling3rd-7 Points76.67%
Subj. Comfort1st100%
Noise1st100%
Price5th+200 65.22%
Rolling Resistance1st100%
Good on snow and dry roads, but when it's wet the WR SnowProof P is weaker.

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5th: Vredestein Wintrac Pro

Vredestein Wintrac Pro
  • 225/45 R17 94V
  • EU Label: D/B/72
  • Weight: 9.7kgs
  • Tread: 8.2mm
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking5th+1.3 M97.19%
Dry Handling3rd+0.8 s98.75%
Subj. Dry Handling3rd-3 Points90%
Wet Braking4th+3.3 M93.84%
Wet Handling4th+2.5 s97.29%
Subj. Wet Handling5th-19 Points57.78%
Straight Aqua7th-3.8 Km/H94.95%
Curved Aquaplaning6th-0.29 m/sec290.2%
Snow Braking4th+1 M96.3%
Snow Traction6th-77 N97.23%
Snow Traction6th-2782 N0%
Snow Handling7th+2.9 s96.58%
Subj. Snow Handling7th-13 Points56.67%
Subj. Comfort3rd-1 Points87.5%
Noise7th+3 dB95.89%
Price3rd+140 72.82%
Rolling Resistance7th+1.8 kg / t80.22%
Overall, the Vredestein Wintrac Pro offers decent reserves. Snow grip and efficiency could be better - but still recommendable

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6th: Fulda Kristall Control HP2

Fulda Kristall Control HP2
  • 225/45 R17 94V
  • EU Label: C/C/72
  • Weight: 9.1kgs
  • Tread: 9mm
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking7th+3.1 M93.56%
Dry Handling7th+1.4 s97.83%
Subj. Dry Handling8th-8 Points73.33%
Wet Braking7th+8.9 M84.97%
Wet Handling6th+5.3 s94.42%
Subj. Wet Handling6th-24 Points46.67%
Straight Aqua5th-2.5 Km/H96.68%
Curved Aquaplaning3rd-0.04 m/sec298.65%
Snow Braking2nd+0.7 M97.38%
Snow Traction2nd-32 N98.85%
Snow Traction2nd-2782 N0%
Snow Handling2nd+1.1 s98.67%
Subj. Snow Handling2nd-3 Points90%
Subj. Comfort8th-2 Points75%
Noise7th+3 dB95.89%
Price2nd+100 78.95%
Rolling Resistance4th+1.2 kg / t85.88%
The Fulda Kristall Control HP2 is very strong on snow, but in the wet the tire struggles and it has long dry braking distances.

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7th: Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2
  • 225/45 R17 94V
  • EU Label: C/B/72
  • Weight: 9.3kgs
  • Tread: 8.9mm
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking3rd+0.8 M98.25%
Dry Handling6th+1.2 s98.13%
Subj. Dry Handling7th-7 Points76.67%
Wet Braking6th+5.5 M90.14%
Wet Handling5th+2.8 s96.97%
Subj. Wet Handling4th-16 Points64.44%
Straight Aqua6th-2.6 Km/H96.54%
Curved Aquaplaning7th-0.32 m/sec289.19%
Snow Braking8th+2.1 M92.53%
Snow Traction9th-121 N95.65%
Snow Traction9th-2782 N0%
Snow Handling8th+3.4 s96.01%
Subj. Snow Handling8th-16 Points46.67%
Subj. Comfort3rd-1 Points87.5%
Noise4th+2 dB97.22%
Price6th+225 62.5%
Rolling Resistance5th+1.3 kg / t84.88%
The compound has had an update since DOT 2622 which vastly improves the performance of the Cinturato Winter 2, see other tests.

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8th: Giti GitiWinterW2

Giti GitiWinterW2
  • 225/45 R17 94V
  • EU Label: D/B/71
  • Weight: 9.8kgs
  • Tread: 8.9mm
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking8th+4 M91.84%
Dry Handling5th+1 s98.44%
Subj. Dry Handling5th-4 Points86.67%
Wet Braking8th+11.1 M81.92%
Wet Handling8th+6.6 s93.15%
Subj. Wet Handling8th-28 Points37.78%
Straight Aqua3rd-1.3 Km/H98.27%
Curved Aquaplaning2nd-0.04 m/sec298.65%
Snow Braking2nd+0.7 M97.38%
Snow Traction3rd-47 N98.31%
Snow Traction3rd-2782 N0%
Snow Handling5th+2.1 s97.5%
Subj. Snow Handling5th-9 Points70%
Subj. Comfort2nd-1 Points87.5%
Noise3rd+1 dB98.59%
Price1st100%
Rolling Resistance8th+2 kg / t78.49%
The inexpensive Giti Winter W2 dominates snow, but lacks grip in the wet. The braking performance is weak on dry roads.

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