The 2023 TESTIRENKAAT Snow Tire Test tested eight tires designed for extreme winters in the popular 205/55 R16 size.

This is a really interesting test as the four premium tires are studless friction tires, and the four budget tires are studded, so it gives us an interesting data point to compare the best of the new studless friction soft compound tires against the cheaper end of the studded market.

Friction Tires:

Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice 3
Michelin X-Ice Snow
Nokian Tires Hakkapeliitta R5
Pirelli Winter Ice Zero FR

Studded Tires:

Antares Grip 60 Ice
Sunfull SF-W11
Tigar Ice
Winrun Winter-Max S1 WR60

Test setup & methodology

The test setting, the conditions recorded and how the results contribute to the score.

Recorded test conditions

Dry Braking: 49.7 → 3.1 mph
Wet Braking: 49.7 → 3.1 mph
Snow Traction: 3.1 → 21.7 mph
Ice Braking: 15.5 → 3.1 mph
Ice Traction: 3.1 → 15.5 mph

The testers had a few surprises from the studs vs friction results. The test saw a kind of changing of the guard, as Goodyear's new tire rises to the top among Nordic friction tires. The improvement over its predecessor is significant, and the Ultra Grip Ice 3 narrowly snatched victory from the Hakkapeliitta R5. The third-place Michelin falls noticeably behind the top two.

As for the main point of the test—the battle between friction and studded tires—the differences were surprisingly large. We initially thought that even a slightly cheaper studded tire would perform better than studless ones on ice, but only Antares succeeded, and that too only in longitudinal grip tests.

On asphalt, cheaper studded tires generally perform better, which is not surprising since their rubber hardness is closer to summer than winter tires. However, summer rubber compounds won't work in winter conditions, especially if the studs are also installed too deep or in the wrong positions.

The winter driving tests revealed why some tires cost more than others. The performance of cheaper studded tires drops significantly, emphasizing that making a winter tire that works well in varying conditions is not easy. Bad winter tires might perform quite well up to the grip limit, but their behavior can change radically beyond that.

Dry and Wet

On asphalt, inexpensive studded tires hold better on average than on snow and ice, which is not surprising, because the hardness of the rubber is closer to summer tires than winter tires. Still, the cheap studded tires can have surprising and even dangerous behavior.

Dry Braking

Dry Braking
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best	Residual speed
1Pirelli Ice Zero FR	101 ft	Best	0 mph
2Sunfull SF W11	102 ft	+1 ft	8 mph
3Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5	102 ft	+1 ft	10 mph
4Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3	103 ft	+2 ft	11 mph
5Tigar Tigar Ice	103 ft	+2 ft	12 mph
6Michelin X Ice Snow	104 ft	+3 ft	15 mph
7Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60	107 ft	+6 ft	19 mph
8Antares GRIP 60 ice	108 ft	+7 ft	22 mph

The difference between best and worst was 7.8% (7 ft ≈ 0.5 Car Lengths). From 80 mph, the Antares GRIP 60 ice would still be travelling at 22 mph when the Pirelli Ice Zero FR had stopped.

Residual speed is calculated from the measured braking distances, assuming constant deceleration; it is not a separate measurement.

Wet Braking

Wet Braking
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best	Residual speed
1Sunfull SF W11	107 ft	Best	0 mph
2Tigar Tigar Ice	110 ft	+3 ft	14 mph
3Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60	119 ft	+12 ft	25 mph
4Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3	126 ft	+19 ft	31 mph
5Antares GRIP 60 ice	134 ft	+27 ft	36 mph
6Pirelli Ice Zero FR	135 ft	+28 ft	36 mph
7Michelin X Ice Snow	138 ft	+31 ft	38 mph
8Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5	142 ft	+35 ft	40 mph

The difference between best and worst was 32.7% (35 ft ≈ 2.4 Car Lengths). From 80 mph, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 would still be travelling at 40 mph when the Sunfull SF W11 had stopped.

Residual speed is calculated from the measured braking distances, assuming constant deceleration; it is not a separate measurement.

Wet Handling

Wet Handling
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3	40.4 s	Best
2Tigar Tigar Ice	40.8 s	+0.40 s
2Sunfull SF W11	40.8 s	+0.40 s
4Pirelli Ice Zero FR	41.4 s	+1.00 s
5Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5	42.2 s	+1.80 s
6Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60	42.7 s	+2.30 s
7Michelin X Ice Snow	42.8 s	+2.40 s
8Antares GRIP 60 ice	44.9 s	+4.50 s

The difference between best and worst was 11.1% (4.5 s).

Snow

In snow, the tires are rarely divided into two groups in all tests. In all tests, the friction tires are the best tires, with the low cost studs falling behind.

Snow Braking

Snow Braking
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3	37 ft	Best
2Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5	38 ft	+1 ft
3Michelin X Ice Snow	38 ft	+1 ft
4Pirelli Ice Zero FR	38 ft	+1 ft
5Antares GRIP 60 ice	39 ft	+2 ft
6Tigar Tigar Ice	40 ft	+3 ft
6Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60	40 ft	+3 ft
8Sunfull SF W11	43 ft	+6 ft

The difference between best and worst was 14.9% (6 ft ≈ 0.4 Car Lengths).

Snow Traction

Snow Traction
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Pirelli Ice Zero FR	4.34 s	Best
2Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3	4.39 s	+0.05 s
3Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5	4.45 s	+0.11 s
4Michelin X Ice Snow	4.47 s	+0.13 s
5Tigar Tigar Ice	4.91 s	+0.57 s
6Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60	5.16 s	+0.82 s
7Sunfull SF W11	5.41 s	+1.07 s
8Antares GRIP 60 ice	5.44 s	+1.10 s

The difference between best and worst was 25.3% (1.1 s).

Snow Handling

Snow Handling
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5	83.04 s	Best
2Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3	83.28 s	+0.24 s
3Michelin X Ice Snow	84.04 s	+1.00 s
4Pirelli Ice Zero FR	85.19 s	+2.15 s
5Antares GRIP 60 ice	90.82 s	+7.78 s
6Tigar Tigar Ice	91.69 s	+8.65 s
7Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60	93.33 s	+10.29 s
8Sunfull SF W11	93.73 s	+10.69 s

The difference between best and worst was 12.9% (10.69 s).

Ice

It was noteworthy that on ice the premium friction tires beat the cheap studded tires in the handling tests. When the tires are straight, the studs bite better on slippery ice, and in the acceleration tests two studded tires fit in the top three - but only one in the braking test.

Ice Braking

Ice Braking
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best	Residual speed
1Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3	48 ft	Best	0 mph
2Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5	49 ft	+1 ft	11 mph
3Antares GRIP 60 ice	50 ft	+2 ft	14 mph
4Michelin X Ice Snow	50 ft	+2 ft	15 mph
5Pirelli Ice Zero FR	52 ft	+4 ft	22 mph
6Sunfull SF W11	52 ft	+4 ft	22 mph
7Tigar Tigar Ice	54 ft	+6 ft	26 mph
8Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60	56 ft	+8 ft	29 mph

The difference between best and worst was 14.9% (8 ft ≈ 0.5 Car Lengths). From 80 mph, the Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60 would still be travelling at 29 mph when the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 had stopped.

Residual speed is calculated from the measured braking distances, assuming constant deceleration; it is not a separate measurement.

Ice Traction

Ice Traction
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Antares GRIP 60 ice	5.95 s	Best
2Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3	6.39 s	+0.44 s
3Sunfull SF W11	6.67 s	+0.72 s
4Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5	6.68 s	+0.73 s
5Pirelli Ice Zero FR	6.93 s	+0.98 s
5Tigar Tigar Ice	6.93 s	+0.98 s
7Michelin X Ice Snow	7.01 s	+1.06 s
8Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60	7.71 s	+1.76 s

The difference between best and worst was 29.6% (1.76 s).

Ice Handling

Ice Handling
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3	69.76 s	Best
2Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5	69.9 s	+0.14 s
3Michelin X Ice Snow	71.21 s	+1.45 s
4Pirelli Ice Zero FR	77.09 s	+7.33 s
5Antares GRIP 60 ice	81.25 s	+11.49 s
6Tigar Tigar Ice	82.21 s	+12.45 s
7Sunfull SF W11	83.04 s	+13.28 s
8Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60	89.39 s	+19.63 s

The difference between best and worst was 28.1% (19.63 s).

Results

Ice and Snow: Best control, excellent grip on ice, excellent grip on snow; Wet Conditions: Summer tire-like steering, safe and easy to drive in wet conditions, extreme situation behavior not as good as the best..

Dry98.1%

Wet92.3%

Snow99.5%

Ice97.7%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (9)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	4^th / 8	103 ft	+2 ft
Wet BrakingLower is better	4^th / 8	126 ft	+19 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	1^st / 8	40.4 s	Best in this discipline
Snow BrakingLower is better	1^st / 8	37 ft	Best in this discipline
Snow TractionLower is better	2^nd / 8	4.39 s	+0.05 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	2^nd / 8	83.28 s	+0.24 s
Ice BrakingLower is better	1^st / 8	48 ft	Best in this discipline
Ice TractionLower is better	2^nd / 8	6.39 s	+0.44 s
Ice HandlingLower is better	1^st / 8	69.76 s	Best in this discipline

3PMSF: Yes

Ice and Snow: Best control, excellent grip on snow, good braking grip; Wet Conditions: Excellent extreme situation behavior, good driving characteristics on dry surfaces, oversteers in wet conditions..

Dry98.6%

Wet85.6%

Snow98.5%

Ice95.7%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (9)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	3^rd / 8	102 ft	+1 ft
Wet BrakingLower is better	8^th / 8	142 ft	+35 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	5^th / 8	42.2 s	+1.80 s
Snow BrakingLower is better	2^nd / 8	38 ft	+1 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	3^rd / 8	4.45 s	+0.11 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	1^st / 8	83.04 s	Best in this discipline
Ice BrakingLower is better	2^nd / 8	49 ft	+1 ft
Ice TractionLower is better	4^th / 8	6.68 s	+0.73 s
Ice HandlingLower is better	2^nd / 8	69.9 s	+0.14 s

3PMSF: Yes

Ice and Snow: Safe driving behavior on snow, very good steering on snow, general grip level on ice is good; Wet Conditions: Excellent extreme situation behavior, good steering on dry surfaces, understeers in wet conditions..

Dry96.4%

Wet85.9%

Snow97.8%

Ice93.1%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (9)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	6^th / 8	104 ft	+3 ft
Wet BrakingLower is better	7^th / 8	138 ft	+31 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	7^th / 8	42.8 s	+2.40 s
Snow BrakingLower is better	3^rd / 8	38 ft	+1 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	4^th / 8	4.47 s	+0.13 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	3^rd / 8	84.04 s	+1.00 s
Ice BrakingLower is better	4^th / 8	50 ft	+2 ft
Ice TractionLower is better	7^th / 8	7.01 s	+1.06 s
Ice HandlingLower is better	3^rd / 8	71.21 s	+1.45 s

3PMSF: Yes

Ice and Snow: Best traction on snow, most oversteering among friction tires, weakest grip on ice among friction tires; Wet Conditions: Summer tire-like steering, best braking grip on dry surfaces, sharp grip limit in extreme situations..

Dry100%

Wet88.4%

Snow98.4%

Ice89.7%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (9)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	1^st / 8	101 ft	Best in this discipline
Wet BrakingLower is better	6^th / 8	135 ft	+28 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	4^th / 8	41.4 s	+1.00 s
Snow BrakingLower is better	4^th / 8	38 ft	+1 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	1^st / 8	4.34 s	Best in this discipline
Snow HandlingLower is better	4^th / 8	85.19 s	+2.15 s
Ice BrakingLower is better	5^th / 8	52 ft	+4 ft
Ice TractionLower is better	5^th / 8	6.93 s	+0.98 s
Ice HandlingLower is better	4^th / 8	77.09 s	+7.33 s

3PMSF: Yes

Ice and Snow: Most balanced driving behavior among studded tires, weak grip on ice, mediocre grip on snow; Wet Conditions: Good braking grip in wet conditions, good drivability in wet conditions, mediocre grip on dry surfaces..

Dry97.9%

Wet97.9%

Snow90.3%

Ice86.9%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (9)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	5^th / 8	103 ft	+2 ft
Wet BrakingLower is better	2^nd / 8	110 ft	+3 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	2^nd / 8	40.8 s	+0.40 s
Snow BrakingLower is better	6^th / 8	40 ft	+3 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	5^th / 8	4.91 s	+0.57 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	6^th / 8	91.69 s	+8.65 s
Ice BrakingLower is better	7^th / 8	54 ft	+6 ft
Ice TractionLower is better	5^th / 8	6.93 s	+0.98 s
Ice HandlingLower is better	6^th / 8	82.21 s	+12.45 s

3PMSF: Yes

Ice and Snow: Weak grip on ice, weakest grip on snow, very poor driving behavior on snow; Wet Conditions: Very good braking grip in wet conditions, good drivability in wet conditions, mediocre drivability on dry surfaces..

Dry99%

Wet99.5%

Snow85.2%

Ice88.6%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (9)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	2^nd / 8	102 ft	+1 ft
Wet BrakingLower is better	1^st / 8	107 ft	Best in this discipline
Wet HandlingLower is better	2^nd / 8	40.8 s	+0.40 s
Snow BrakingLower is better	8^th / 8	43 ft	+6 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	7^th / 8	5.41 s	+1.07 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	8^th / 8	93.73 s	+10.69 s
Ice BrakingLower is better	6^th / 8	52 ft	+4 ft
Ice TractionLower is better	3^rd / 8	6.67 s	+0.72 s
Ice HandlingLower is better	7^th / 8	83.04 s	+13.28 s

3PMSF: Yes

Ice and Snow: Best traction on ice, very poor driving behavior on ice, weak grip on snow; Wet Conditions: Weakest drivability on dry surfaces, worst extreme situation behavior, poor grip in wet conditions, very high tire noise..

Dry92.8%

Wet84.8%

Snow88.1%

Ice94.2%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (9)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	8^th / 8	108 ft	+7 ft
Wet BrakingLower is better	5^th / 8	134 ft	+27 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	8^th / 8	44.9 s	+4.50 s
Snow BrakingLower is better	5^th / 8	39 ft	+2 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	8^th / 8	5.44 s	+1.10 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	5^th / 8	90.82 s	+7.78 s
Ice BrakingLower is better	3^rd / 8	50 ft	+2 ft
Ice TractionLower is better	1^st / 8	5.95 s	Best in this discipline
Ice HandlingLower is better	5^th / 8	81.25 s	+11.49 s

3PMSF: Yes

Ice and Snow: Weakest grip on ice, vague drivability, mediocre braking grip on snow; Wet Conditions: Average braking grip in wet conditions, poor extreme situation behavior, dangerous driving behavior in wet conditions..

Dry94.1%

Wet92.3%

Snow88.2%

Ice80.8%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (9)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	7^th / 8	107 ft	+6 ft
Wet BrakingLower is better	3^rd / 8	119 ft	+12 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	6^th / 8	42.7 s	+2.30 s
Snow BrakingLower is better	6^th / 8	40 ft	+3 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	6^th / 8	5.16 s	+0.82 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	7^th / 8	93.33 s	+10.29 s
Ice BrakingLower is better	8^th / 8	56 ft	+8 ft
Ice TractionLower is better	8^th / 8	7.71 s	+1.76 s
Ice HandlingLower is better	8^th / 8	89.39 s	+19.63 s

3PMSF: Yes

Tire	Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3	Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5	Michelin X Ice Snow	Pirelli Ice Zero FR	Tigar Tigar Ice	Sunfull SF W11	Antares GRIP 60 ice	Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60
Position	1^st	2^nd	3^rd	4^th	5^th	6^th	7^th	8^th
Category scores (% of best)
Dry	98.1%	98.6%	96.4%	100%	97.9%	99%	92.8%	94.1%
Wet	92.3%	85.6%	85.9%	88.4%	97.9%	99.5%	84.8%	92.3%
Snow	99.5%	98.5%	97.8%	98.4%	90.3%	85.2%	88.1%	88.2%
Ice	97.7%	95.7%	93.1%	89.7%	86.9%	88.6%	94.2%	80.8%
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Tire shortlist

The evidence behind the verdict

Test setup & methodology

Recorded test conditions

Dry and Wet

Snow

Ice

Results

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