Cooper WM SA2 vs Barum Polaris 3
In the 4 independent tests that ran both tires, the Barum Polaris 3 finished ahead 3 times and the WM SA2 once.
Performance profile
Their shared tests recorded too few of the same measurements to chart, so the chart shows what owners rate each tire on every question.
Where owners rate each higher
WM SA2
Not ahead in any category
Polaris 3
Point at or tap any spoke for both tires' figures.
Owners rate the WM SA2 77% from 6 reviews and the Polaris 3 86% from 18. Each spoke is one question owners answer out of 10; reviews are vetted by hand before publication.
Head to head in 4 tests, 2014 to 2016
Each row is one published test in which both tires ran on the same car, in the same size, on the same day. The line is the whole field, winner on the left.
| Test | WM SA2 | Field | Polaris 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Winter Tire Market Overview | P9 of 49 | P8 of 49 | |
| 2015 Winter Tire Market Overview | P34 of 51 | P9 of 51 | |
| 2014 Auto Bild Winter Tire Test | P16 of 16 | P11 of 16 | |
| 2014 50 Winter Tire Braking Overview | P8 of 49 | P16 of 49 |
WM SA2 vs Polaris 3: your questions
Is the Cooper WM SA2 or the Barum Polaris 3 the better tire?
In the 4 independent tests that ran both tires, the Barum Polaris 3 finished ahead 3 times and the WM SA2 once. On the Tire Reviews Score, which weighs every test and review we hold, the WM SA2 scores 6.9 and the Polaris 3 7.2 out of 10.
Which is quieter and more comfortable?
Owners rate comfort 7.3/10 for the WM SA2 and 8.6/10 for the Polaris 3.
What do owners say?
Owners rate the WM SA2 77% from 6 reviews and the Polaris 3 86% from 18. 83% of WM SA2 owners would buy it again, against 94% for the Polaris 3.
More comparisons with these tires
Run either of these?
Your review is the part of this page no test can supply: how the tire wore, how it aged, what it was like in the rain in year three. It takes about five minutes.
Where this data comes from
Finishing positions and measurements are transcribed from each published test. A test only counts here when both tires ran in it, so every figure was recorded on the same car, size and day as the one it is compared to.
About the TR Score
The Tire Reviews Score rates each tire out of 10 from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold, so two tires can be compared even before a test has run them together.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tire Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tires independently since 2007.