The 2017 Auto Bild winter tire test started with fifty 225/50 R17 winter tire patterns which Auto Bild tested for wet braking performance, and then dropped the worse twenty tires from the test.

The next phase was testing the remaining thirty patterns for snow braking, which was then combined with the wet braking distances to allow the ten worst tires to be dropped. This left twenty winter tires which Auto Bild regarded as the best winter tires on the market, and deemed worthy enough to take through to the full testing.

As ever with Auto Bild testing, they undertake all the usual dry, wet and snow testing, but also including important factors such as wear and cost per 1,000 km, which a lot of tests are unable to include.

The results as closer than ever, and you'd be hard pressed to classify any of the top 10 tires as bad tires, but three in particular rose to the top.

Dry

In the dry grip testing, no tire got close the reference summer tire. During the braking tests, the Pirelli was the closest, but with all twenty winter tires separated by just 10 feet overall when braking from 62 mph, the differences between the top ten were small.

Dry Braking
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
RefReference Summer	124 ft	-19 ft
1Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	143 ft	Best
2Nokian WR D4	146 ft	+3 ft
2Continental WinterContact TS 860	146 ft	+3 ft
2Kumho WinterCraft WP71	146 ft	+3 ft
5Yokohama W drive V905	146 ft	+3 ft
6Firestone Winterhawk 3	147 ft	+4 ft
7Gislaved EuroFrost 5	147 ft	+4 ft
7Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	147 ft	+4 ft
9Dunlop Winter Sport 5	148 ft	+5 ft
10Uniroyal MS Plus 77	148 ft	+5 ft
11Michelin Alpin 5	149 ft	+6 ft
11Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	149 ft	+6 ft
13Fulda Kristall Control HP2	149 ft	+6 ft
14Hankook Winter i cept evo2	150 ft	+7 ft
14Semperit Speed Grip 3	150 ft	+7 ft
14Kleber Krisalp HP3	150 ft	+7 ft
17Barum Polaris 3	150 ft	+7 ft
18BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	151 ft	+8 ft
19Sava Eskimo HP2	152 ft	+9 ft
20Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	153 ft	+10 ft

The difference between best and worst was 23.2% (29 ft ≈ 2 Car Lengths).

The Continental winter tire was a step above the rest during dry handling, however it was still a large margin behind the summer reference tire in another closely contested category.

Dry Handling
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
RefReference Summer	70.3 mph	+1.5 mph
1Continental WinterContact TS 860	68.8 mph	Best
2Hankook Winter i cept evo2	68.2 mph	-0.6 mph
3Barum Polaris 3	68.1 mph	-0.7 mph
3Semperit Speed Grip 3	68.1 mph	-0.7 mph
5Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	68.0 mph	-0.8 mph
6Fulda Kristall Control HP2	68.0 mph	-0.8 mph
7Gislaved EuroFrost 5	67.9 mph	-0.9 mph
8Michelin Alpin 5	67.8 mph	-1.0 mph
8Sava Eskimo HP2	67.8 mph	-1.0 mph
10Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	67.7 mph	-1.1 mph
11Yokohama W drive V905	67.7 mph	-1.1 mph
12Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	67.6 mph	-1.2 mph
13Dunlop Winter Sport 5	67.5 mph	-1.3 mph
14Firestone Winterhawk 3	67.5 mph	-1.3 mph
15Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	67.4 mph	-1.4 mph
16Nokian WR D4	67.3 mph	-1.5 mph
16Uniroyal MS Plus 77	67.3 mph	-1.5 mph
18Kumho WinterCraft WP71	66.7 mph	-2.1 mph
18Kleber Krisalp HP3	66.7 mph	-2.1 mph
20BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	66.5 mph	-2.3 mph

The difference between best and worst was 5.5% (3.8 mph).

Winter tires often have a bad reputation for being noisy, but every winter tire managed to best the summer reference on test, with the Bridgestone winter tire quietest by some margin.

All tests are the combined results of drive by noise readings at both 31 mph and 50 mph.

Noise
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	70.9 dB	Best
2Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	71.8 dB	+0.90 dB
3Kleber Krisalp HP3	71.9 dB	+1.00 dB
3BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	71.9 dB	+1.00 dB
5Firestone Winterhawk 3	72.2 dB	+1.30 dB
5Michelin Alpin 5	72.2 dB	+1.30 dB
5Kumho WinterCraft WP71	72.2 dB	+1.30 dB
8Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	72.4 dB	+1.50 dB
9Nokian WR D4	72.7 dB	+1.80 dB
10Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	72.8 dB	+1.90 dB
10Semperit Speed Grip 3	72.8 dB	+1.90 dB
12Continental WinterContact TS 860	73 dB	+2.10 dB
12Dunlop Winter Sport 5	73 dB	+2.10 dB
14Barum Polaris 3	73.1 dB	+2.20 dB
15Hankook Winter i cept evo2	73.5 dB	+2.60 dB
15Sava Eskimo HP2	73.5 dB	+2.60 dB
15Uniroyal MS Plus 77	73.5 dB	+2.60 dB
18Yokohama W drive V905	73.7 dB	+2.80 dB
19Gislaved EuroFrost 5	73.9 dB	+3.00 dB
20Fulda Kristall Control HP2	74 dB	+3.10 dB
RefReference Summer	75.3 dB	+4.40 dB

The difference between best and worst was 6.2% (4.4 dB).

Wet

The shallow water wet testing results were a little more spread out, but the summer tire still dominated. Again, the Pirelli was closest in wet braking, but this time there was over 13 feet separating the winter tires when braking from 50 mph.

Wet Braking
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
RefReference Summer	102 ft	-4 ft
1Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	106 ft	Best
2Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	107 ft	+1 ft
3Michelin Alpin 5	109 ft	+3 ft
4Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	110 ft	+4 ft
5Continental WinterContact TS 860	110 ft	+4 ft
6Dunlop Winter Sport 5	110 ft	+4 ft
7Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	112 ft	+6 ft
8Semperit Speed Grip 3	113 ft	+7 ft
9Yokohama W drive V905	114 ft	+8 ft
10Kumho WinterCraft WP71	114 ft	+8 ft
11Nokian WR D4	115 ft	+9 ft
12BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	115 ft	+9 ft
13Fulda Kristall Control HP2	116 ft	+10 ft
14Kleber Krisalp HP3	117 ft	+11 ft
15Barum Polaris 3	117 ft	+11 ft
16Hankook Winter i cept evo2	118 ft	+12 ft
17Uniroyal MS Plus 77	118 ft	+12 ft
18Firestone Winterhawk 3	119 ft	+13 ft
19Sava Eskimo HP2	119 ft	+13 ft
20Gislaved EuroFrost 5	120 ft	+14 ft

The difference between best and worst was 17.7% (18 ft ≈ 1.2 Car Lengths).

This time the Pirelli matched its wet braking peformance and finished the best winter tire during wet handling too.

Wet Handling
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
RefReference Summer	48.2 mph	+1.1 mph
1Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	47.1 mph	Best
2Michelin Alpin 5	46.5 mph	-0.6 mph
3Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	46.4 mph	-0.7 mph
4Continental WinterContact TS 860	46.4 mph	-0.7 mph
5Dunlop Winter Sport 5	46.1 mph	-1.0 mph
6Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	46.0 mph	-1.1 mph
7Nokian WR D4	45.7 mph	-1.4 mph
7Semperit Speed Grip 3	45.7 mph	-1.4 mph
9Yokohama W drive V905	45.7 mph	-1.4 mph
10Kleber Krisalp HP3	45.2 mph	-1.9 mph
11Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	45.1 mph	-2.0 mph
12BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	44.9 mph	-2.2 mph
13Firestone Winterhawk 3	44.9 mph	-2.2 mph
14Kumho WinterCraft WP71	44.8 mph	-2.3 mph
15Uniroyal MS Plus 77	44.7 mph	-2.4 mph
16Fulda Kristall Control HP2	44.3 mph	-2.8 mph
16Gislaved EuroFrost 5	44.3 mph	-2.8 mph
18Barum Polaris 3	44.2 mph	-2.9 mph
19Sava Eskimo HP2	44.2 mph	-2.9 mph
20Hankook Winter i cept evo2	43.9 mph	-3.2 mph

The difference between best and worst was 8.9% (4.3 mph).

The summer tire could only manage fourth place overall in the deep water aquaplaning tests, with the Michelin owned BF Goodrich and Kleber taking the top two places.

Straight Aqua
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	58.0 mph	Best
2Kleber Krisalp HP3	56.5 mph	-1.5 mph
3Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	56.4 mph	-1.6 mph
RefReference Summer	56.2 mph	-1.8 mph
4Fulda Kristall Control HP2	56.2 mph	-1.8 mph
5Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	55.2 mph	-2.8 mph
6Michelin Alpin 5	55.1 mph	-2.9 mph
7Gislaved EuroFrost 5	54.9 mph	-3.1 mph
8Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	54.7 mph	-3.3 mph
9Nokian WR D4	54.6 mph	-3.4 mph
10Hankook Winter i cept evo2	54.4 mph	-3.6 mph
10Continental WinterContact TS 860	54.4 mph	-3.6 mph
10Uniroyal MS Plus 77	54.4 mph	-3.6 mph
13Dunlop Winter Sport 5	53.9 mph	-4.1 mph
14Semperit Speed Grip 3	53.7 mph	-4.3 mph
15Firestone Winterhawk 3	53.5 mph	-4.5 mph
16Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	53.1 mph	-4.9 mph
17Barum Polaris 3	53.1 mph	-4.9 mph
18Sava Eskimo HP2	52.8 mph	-5.2 mph
19Kumho WinterCraft WP71	52.7 mph	-5.3 mph
20Yokohama W drive V905	52.6 mph	-5.4 mph

The difference between best and worst was 9.3% (5.4 mph).

Snow

BF Goodrich and Kleber continued their success during the aquaplaning tests to stop the quickest when braking from 31 mph on snow.

Snow Braking
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	85 ft	Best
2Kleber Krisalp HP3	88 ft	+3 ft
3Sava Eskimo HP2	89 ft	+4 ft
4Semperit Speed Grip 3	90 ft	+5 ft
5Continental WinterContact TS 860	90 ft	+5 ft
6Barum Polaris 3	91 ft	+6 ft
6Dunlop Winter Sport 5	91 ft	+6 ft
8Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	91 ft	+6 ft
8Nokian WR D4	91 ft	+6 ft
10Firestone Winterhawk 3	92 ft	+7 ft
11Gislaved EuroFrost 5	92 ft	+7 ft
12Fulda Kristall Control HP2	92 ft	+7 ft
12Uniroyal MS Plus 77	92 ft	+7 ft
14Yokohama W drive V905	93 ft	+8 ft
14Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	93 ft	+8 ft
16Hankook Winter i cept evo2	94 ft	+9 ft
17Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	94 ft	+9 ft
17Michelin Alpin 5	94 ft	+9 ft
19Kumho WinterCraft WP71	96 ft	+11 ft
20Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	98 ft	+13 ft
RefReference Summer	199 ft	+114 ft

The difference between best and worst was 134.4% (114 ft ≈ 7.7 Car Lengths).

Barum took a surprise win during snow handling, with BF Goodrich a close second place. The reference summer tire couldn't even manage a lap of the snow handling course.

Snow Handling
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Barum Polaris 3	32.7 mph	Best
2BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	32.5 mph	-0.2 mph
3Fulda Kristall Control HP2	32.4 mph	-0.3 mph
3Continental WinterContact TS 860	32.4 mph	-0.3 mph
5Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	32.3 mph	-0.4 mph
6Sava Eskimo HP2	32.2 mph	-0.5 mph
7Kleber Krisalp HP3	32.1 mph	-0.6 mph
8Dunlop Winter Sport 5	32.1 mph	-0.6 mph
9Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	31.9 mph	-0.8 mph
10Michelin Alpin 5	31.8 mph	-0.9 mph
11Semperit Speed Grip 3	31.8 mph	-0.9 mph
12Gislaved EuroFrost 5	31.6 mph	-1.1 mph
12Nokian WR D4	31.6 mph	-1.1 mph
12Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	31.6 mph	-1.1 mph
15Kumho WinterCraft WP71	31.5 mph	-1.2 mph
16Yokohama W drive V905	31.4 mph	-1.3 mph
17Firestone Winterhawk 3	31.3 mph	-1.4 mph
18Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	31.2 mph	-1.5 mph
19Hankook Winter i cept evo2	31.1 mph	-1.6 mph
20Uniroyal MS Plus 77	30.9 mph	-1.8 mph

The difference between best and worst was 5.5% (1.8 mph).

Cost

Difference between value and wear is an important distinction. Wear simply shows the projected mileage of the tire, based on Auto Bild's testing. Value looks at the projected mileage divided by the price Auto Bild paid for the set, giving you a "euro per 1,000 km" figure. While Michelin offered the best value of the premium tires on test, Nexen scored best in value thanks to excellent wear and a low purchase price.

Value
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best	cost per 1,000 miles
1Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	7.55 Price/1000	Best	€26.27
2Sava Eskimo HP2	7.57 Price/1000	+0.02 Price/1000	€19.10
3Fulda Kristall Control HP2	9.13 Price/1000	+1.58 Price/1000	€22.15
4Kumho WinterCraft WP71	9.2 Price/1000	+1.65 Price/1000	€22.31
5Barum Polaris 3	9.33 Price/1000	+1.78 Price/1000	€20.59
6Gislaved EuroFrost 5	9.87 Price/1000	+2.32 Price/1000	€22.96
7Uniroyal MS Plus 77	11.47 Price/1000	+3.92 Price/1000	€22.24
8Kleber Krisalp HP3	11.55 Price/1000	+4.00 Price/1000	€28.87
9BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	12.3 Price/1000	+4.75 Price/1000	€28.99
10Michelin Alpin 5	12.43 Price/1000	+4.88 Price/1000	€31.05
11Hankook Winter i cept evo2	12.47 Price/1000	+4.92 Price/1000	€29.94
12Firestone Winterhawk 3	12.62 Price/1000	+5.07 Price/1000	€32.64
13Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	12.71 Price/1000	+5.16 Price/1000	€29.84
14Yokohama W drive V905	12.72 Price/1000	+5.17 Price/1000	€32.72
15Semperit Speed Grip 3	13.78 Price/1000	+6.23 Price/1000	€30.22
16Dunlop Winter Sport 5	15.04 Price/1000	+7.49 Price/1000	€32.97
17Continental WinterContact TS 860	15.94 Price/1000	+8.39 Price/1000	€34.06
18Nokian WR D4	16.1 Price/1000	+8.55 Price/1000	€36.21
19Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	16.59 Price/1000	+9.04 Price/1000	€35.88
20Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	16.88 Price/1000	+9.33 Price/1000	€37.85

The difference between best and worst was 123.6% (9.33 Price/1000). Over 25,000 miles the cheapest tire to own (Sava Eskimo HP2) works out €469 cheaper than the most expensive (Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3).

How this is calculated

Assumes a typical car doing 29 mpg (rolling resistance causing 20% of fuel use), fuel at €6.25 per gallon and €70 fitting per set of four. Purchase prices are from the time of the 2017 test; financing costs are excluded.

Wear
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	30,059 miles	Best
2Fulda Kristall Control HP2	29,593 miles	-466 miles
3Michelin Alpin 5	27,496 miles	-2,563 miles
3Sava Eskimo HP2	27,496 miles	-2,563 miles
5Kumho WinterCraft WP71	26,331 miles	-3,728 miles
6Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	24,933 miles	-5,126 miles
7BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	24,000 miles	-6,059 miles
8Uniroyal MS Plus 77	23,301 miles	-6,758 miles
8Gislaved EuroFrost 5	23,301 miles	-6,758 miles
8Barum Polaris 3	23,301 miles	-6,758 miles
11Kleber Krisalp HP3	22,602 miles	-7,457 miles
12Dunlop Winter Sport 5	21,903 miles	-8,156 miles
13Hankook Winter i cept evo2	21,670 miles	-8,389 miles
13Firestone Winterhawk 3	21,670 miles	-8,389 miles
15Continental WinterContact TS 860	21,437 miles	-8,622 miles
16Semperit Speed Grip 3	20,738 miles	-9,321 miles
17Yokohama W drive V905	20,272 miles	-9,787 miles
18Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	20,039 miles	-10,020 miles
19Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	18,408 miles	-11,651 miles
20Nokian WR D4	17,942 miles	-12,117 miles

The difference between best and worst was 40.3% (12,117 miles).

While none of the winter tires could beat the summer tire during the rolling resistance testing, a number of tires were close. Ironically, the best value tire on test had the worst rolling resistance, which will offset some of the savings made over the tires tread life.

Rolling Resistance
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best	Extra fuel / year
RefReference Summer	7.1 kg/t	-0.13 kg/t	$0
1Uniroyal MS Plus 77	7.23 kg/t	Best	$0
2Barum Polaris 3	7.53 kg/t	+0.30 kg/t	$12
3Gislaved EuroFrost 5	7.78 kg/t	+0.55 kg/t	$22
4Sava Eskimo HP2	7.83 kg/t	+0.60 kg/t	$24
5Semperit Speed Grip 3	7.88 kg/t	+0.65 kg/t	$26
6Kumho WinterCraft WP71	7.91 kg/t	+0.68 kg/t	$28
7Fulda Kristall Control HP2	7.95 kg/t	+0.72 kg/t	$29
8Continental WinterContact TS 860	7.96 kg/t	+0.73 kg/t	$30
9Dunlop Winter Sport 5	8.03 kg/t	+0.80 kg/t	$33
10Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	8.05 kg/t	+0.82 kg/t	$33
11BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	8.15 kg/t	+0.92 kg/t	$37
12Nokian WR D4	8.17 kg/t	+0.94 kg/t	$38
13Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	8.2 kg/t	+0.97 kg/t	$39
14Hankook Winter i cept evo2	8.21 kg/t	+0.98 kg/t	$40
15Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	8.25 kg/t	+1.02 kg/t	$41
16Kleber Krisalp HP3	8.3 kg/t	+1.07 kg/t	$43
17Michelin Alpin 5	8.52 kg/t	+1.29 kg/t	$52
18Yokohama W drive V905	8.57 kg/t	+1.34 kg/t	$54
19Firestone Winterhawk 3	8.62 kg/t	+1.39 kg/t	$56
20Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	9.07 kg/t	+1.84 kg/t	$75

The difference between best and worst was 27.7% (1.97 kg / t). Over 12,000 miles a year at $3.60/gal, the Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 uses about 21 gal ($75) more fuel than the Uniroyal MS Plus 77.

Adjust the assumptions

Calculated estimates, not additional measurements. Use the controls to explore the assumptions.

Gas/Diesel Electric

Annual Mileage

12,000 mi

km (L)

miles (US gal)

Fuel Price

$3.60/gal

GBP (£)

EUR (€)

USD ($)

Set my vehicle consumption

Estimates based on typical driving conditions. Rolling resistance accounts for approximately 20% of IC vehicle fuel consumption and 25% of EV energy consumption. Actual savings vary based on driving style, vehicle weight, road conditions, and tire age. For comparative purposes only. Lifetime savings based on a 40,000km / 25,000 mile tread life.

Results

The full results are below, and have Auto Bild's usual confusing weighting attached to each of the criteria. For more information, be sure to check out the Auto Bild website (German).

Exemplary.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	7
Wet	7
Snow	7
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	6
Wear	5
Cost	4

Total: 48

Exemplary.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	7
Snow	6
Comfort	7
Rolling Resistance	4
Noise	7
Wear	8
Cost	6

Total: 51

Exemplary.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	7
Snow	6
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	6
Wear	5
Cost	5

Total: 47

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	7
Snow	7
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	7
Wear	4
Cost	3

Total: 46

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	6
Snow	7
Comfort	7
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	7
Wear	4
Cost	5

Total: 48

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	6
Snow	9
Comfort	7
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	8
Wear	6
Cost	6

Total: 53

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	6
Snow	7
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	5
Wear	9
Cost	8

Total: 53

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	8
Snow	6
Comfort	4
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	9
Wear	7
Cost	6

Total: 51

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	6
Snow	8
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	5
Noise	8
Wear	6
Cost	7

Total: 51

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	5
Snow	6
Comfort	5
Rolling Resistance	3
Noise	8
Wear	9
Cost	9

Total: 51

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	5
Snow	6
Comfort	5
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	5
Wear	6
Cost	8

Total: 47

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	5
Snow	6
Comfort	4
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	7
Wear	7
Cost	8

Total: 48

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	5
Snow	6
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	8
Noise	6
Wear	6
Cost	7

Total: 49

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	6
Snow	6
Comfort	5
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	7
Wear	3
Cost	4

Total: 42

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	5
Snow	6
Comfort	4
Rolling Resistance	4
Noise	6
Wear	4
Cost	6

Total: 40

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	4
Snow	8
Comfort	5
Rolling Resistance	7
Noise	6
Wear	6
Cost	8

Total: 50

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	4
Snow	6
Comfort	3
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	6
Wear	8
Cost	9

Total: 47

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	8
Snow	4
Comfort	4
Rolling Resistance	5
Noise	6
Wear	3
Cost	3

Total: 39

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	4
Snow	6
Comfort	5
Rolling Resistance	4
Noise	7
Wear	5
Cost	6

Total: 43

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	5
Snow	4
Comfort	3
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	6
Wear	5
Cost	6

Total: 41

Discussion

18 comments

Mickey Sep 18, 2018 archived

If you ditch the handling tests because the difference in speed is close to irrelevant, you can see that there is no way that Continental can be the best, mainly because high price and poor wear. Be sure on what surface you drive the most, it may be snowing but if the road is clear it is wet surface etc. I would suggest that you redo the results of the tes without the speed tests because they don't matter, safety comes first on winter tires !

#3856
1. Dataminer with PhD Mickey Aug 28, 2019 archived
  
  But the speed measurement is a direct metric on how safe the tire is. For example the higher the aquaplaning speed is the safer it is to drive in a wet condition if the speed is below that measurement.
  
  #5045
Riccardo Dec 14, 2017 archived

Hi Jonathan, I cannot understand the meaning of Dry and Wet Braking for Reference Summer. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't summer tires stop after winter tires during the bad season? Thanks for the clarification.

#3099
1. TireReviews Riccardo Dec 14, 2017 archived
  
  Do you mean in the dry and wet? A good summer tire will always beat a winter tire in the dry, and the wet braking can be very close between the best summer and winter tires.
  The summer tire behaves as you would expect in the snow!
  
  #3100
  1. Riccardo TireReviews Dec 14, 2017 archived
    
    So what is the utility of winter tires if the summer ones stop first in the wet???
    I am talking about my climate, very rainy but almost never snowy in Fall/Winter...
    
    #3101
    1. TireReviews Riccardo Dec 14, 2017 archived
      
      The winter tire works in lower / freezing temperatures, and obviously works on snow and ice. But I agree, a winter tire isn't always the best choice.
      https://www.youtube.com/wat...
      
      #3102
      1. Riccardo TireReviews Dec 14, 2017 archived
        
        Anyway, one morning of the last week my Goodyear Ultragrip Performance Gen-1 saved me from a crash. It was cold and it was raining, so they did their job very well...
        
        #3103
Richard DuBois Nov 8, 2017 archived

Unable to find Nokian WRD4 on their website. Is this an old model ?
Also cannot find anywhere in this test a statement as to whether any of these tires are studded or non-studded.
Best current studded tire I know of is Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9

#2985
1. TireReviews Richard DuBois Nov 8, 2017 archived
  
  The Nokian WRD4 is a European winter, which are studless by default. It's their current leading central european product:
  https://www.nokiantires.com...
  
  #2986
Ursu Bogdan Nov 6, 2017 archived

The Bridgestone Blizzak LM 001 has class C for wet braking
How is possible in your test to be no 3 before Continental, Michelin, etc, which has B class?
Thank you for your answer

#2978
1. TireReviews Ursu Bogdan Nov 6, 2017 archived
  
  As with the Nokian question below, it might be this test used an newer version of the tire with better label scores, or that the Bridgestone tire is more sensitive to this braking test scenario - things such as temperature, vehicle used and Mu of the road surface all make a difference.
  
  #2979
  1. Ursu Bogdan TireReviews Nov 6, 2017 archived
    
    Thank you for answer.
    May you recommend me a tire model for a weather more wet than snow ?
    Also ice from time to time.
    Thank you
    
    #2980
    1. TireReviews Ursu Bogdan Nov 6, 2017 archived
      
      The winner of this test would be a good place to start your research :)
      
      #2981
Ufuk AKKAŞOĞLU Nov 3, 2017 archived

If you look at the EU label, Nokian has A grade wet braking performance; however, in this test, it sits behind the tires who has B grade wet braking performance in EU label.
How is this possible? Which one is wrong: EU label or the test :)
Another question: 205/55 R17 95V Goodyear winter tire tire has C grade wet braking performace in its EU label, while same tire has B grade performance in 215/55 R17 98V. Is it normal to have that difference? To be honest, I would expact better performance in 205 than 215, since width is smaller (only in wet and snow, in dry roads it's vice versa)

#2971
1. TireReviews Ufuk AKKAŞOĞLU Nov 6, 2017 archived
  
  It's normal to have a difference between sizes in the brands, you can even sometimes find the same tire / size on sale with different label scores if a more recent manufacturer date has had a compound update to improve the label score.
  As for the Nokian being an A, there's no way a company like Nokian would lie on the EU label test. It might be this test used an older version of the tire with worse label scores, or that the Nokian tire was more sensitive to this braking test scenario - things such as temperature, vehicle used and Mu of the road surface all make a difference.
  
  #2975
UK winter Oct 31, 2017 archived

So basically the almost last tire in this test(am looking at you Pirelli),is actually the best "winter" tire for our mild(less snowy) winters?

#2966
1. TireReviews UK winter Oct 31, 2017 archived
  
  It certainly wouldn't be that low in a UK based test, though if you're more concerned about dry and wet performance (which is good for the UK) I'd suggest something like the Michelin CrossClimate.
  
  #2967
  1. UK winter TireReviews Oct 31, 2017 archived
    
    Good suggestion,but in my size(205/50 r17) they are prohibitively expensive.
    And the all-season test only confirm that there isn't much else to choose from.So I guess my old(2010) wintersport 3d will have to hold on for a one more winter trough.
    
    #2968

Tire	Continental WinterContact TS 860	Michelin Alpin 5	Dunlop Winter Sport 5	Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	Semperit Speed Grip 3	BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	Fulda Kristall Control HP2	Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	Kleber Krisalp HP3	Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	Gislaved EuroFrost 5	Kumho WinterCraft WP71	Uniroyal MS Plus 77	Nokian WR D4	Yokohama W drive V905	Barum Polaris 3	Sava Eskimo HP2	Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	Firestone Winterhawk 3	Hankook Winter i cept evo2
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