Data Explorer / Motor
2026 Motor Winter Tire Test
- Tested size
- 225/45 R17
- Tires tested
- 9
- Disciplines
- 15
- Test vehicle
- VW Golf
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Results
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| ft ↓ | s ↓ | Points ↑ | ft ↓ | s ↓ | g ↑ | mph ↑ | ft/s² ↑ | ft ↓ | ft ↓ | lbf ↑ | s ↓ | Points ↑ | dB ↓ | kg/t ↓ | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | 1 | 96.65 | 139 | 54.1 | 7.0 | 99.3 | 154 | 84.3 | 0.79 | 53.4 | 10.6 | 98.7 | 94 | 28 | 564 | 83.0 | 96.3 | 6.5 | 63.8 | 96.4 | 8.74 | 85.4 | |
StrengthsThe Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was the best tire for both straight and curved aquaplaning and the quietest in the test. It was close behind the Continental in every other wet test, near the front in dry braking and dry handling, rated best for dry handling feel, and second best for snow braking and the best for acceleration on snow. ConsiderationsThe Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was among the slowest tires round the snow handling course and only mid-field for snow traction. It was also one of the more expensive tires. Score contributionCategory score × of overall score Dry99.29 × 20% = 19.86 Wet98.7 × 35% = 34.55 Snow96.3 × 30% = 28.89 Comfort96.43 × 5% = 4.82 Rolling Resistance85.35 × 10% = 8.54 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1= | 2 | 96.31 | 138 | 54.0 | 6.9 | 99.6 | 149 | 83.5 | 0.79 | 49.0 | 9.6 | 98.8 | 97 | 30 | 538 | 81.5 | 93.9 | 6.5 | 64.8 | 95.7 | 8.41 | 88.7 | |
StrengthsThe Continental WinterContact TS 870 was the best tire on wet roads, stopping shortest, lapping fastest round the wet handling course and holding the most grip on the wet circle. It was also close to the best in dry braking and dry handling, quiet, and among the lowest for rolling resistance. ConsiderationsThe Continental WinterContact TS 870 was below average on snow, among the slower tires for braking, acceleration and handling and with less traction than most. It was also the most expensive tire in the test. Score contributionCategory score × of overall score Dry99.57 × 20% = 19.91 Wet98.78 × 35% = 34.57 Snow93.9 × 30% = 28.17 Comfort95.66 × 5% = 4.78 Rolling Resistance88.7 × 10% = 8.87 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | 95.69 | 138 | 54.4 | 6.4 | 98.8 | 154 | 85.0 | 0.76 | 45.3 | 7.8 | 94.5 | 96 | 29 | 565 | 81.3 | 96.5 | 7.0 | 64.9 | 99.2 | 8.34 | 89.5 | |
StrengthsThe Dunlop Winter stopped shortest of all on dry roads and was among the best in the wet for braking, handling and grip on the wet circle. It was rated the most comfortable tire in the test and had the second lowest rolling resistance. ConsiderationsThe Dunlop Winter was weak in curved aquaplaning and only mid-field in straight-line aquaplaning. On snow it was mid-pack in every test, and it was among the slower tires round the dry handling course. Score contributionCategory score × of overall score Dry98.81 × 20% = 19.76 Wet94.46 × 35% = 33.06 Snow96.53 × 30% = 28.96 Comfort99.16 × 5% = 4.96 Rolling Resistance89.45 × 10% = 8.95 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | 4 | 94.82 | 144 | 54.2 | 6.5 | 97.2 | 165 | 87.5 | 0.72 | 49.2 | 9.9 | 92.4 | 93 | 29 | 584 | 79.6 | 99.5 | 6.5 | 65.9 | 94.8 | 8.81 | 84.7 | |
StrengthsThe Kleber Krisalp HP3 stopped shortest on snow and was second best for snow traction and snow handling. It was also second best for both straight and curved aquaplaning, and it is far cheaper than the tires that finished ahead of it. ConsiderationsThe Kleber Krisalp HP3 was only mid-field in the wet braking, wet handling and wet circle tests, and mid-pack for dry braking. Its rolling resistance and noise were also mid-field. Score contributionCategory score × of overall score Dry97.22 × 20% = 19.44 Wet92.38 × 35% = 32.33 Snow99.45 × 30% = 29.84 Comfort94.84 × 5% = 4.74 Rolling Resistance84.68 × 10% = 8.47 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | 5 | 93.74 | 146 | 54.3 | 6.3 | 96.1 | 160 | 86.4 | 0.74 | 47.0 | 8.8 | 93.2 | 99 | 30 | 562 | 80.6 | 95.8 | 6.0 | 65.7 | 91.4 | 8.69 | 85.9 | |
StrengthsThe Firestone Winterhawk 4 was third fastest round the snow handling course and consistently fourth in the wet braking, wet handling and wet circle tests. It had relatively low rolling resistance. ConsiderationsThe Firestone Winterhawk 4 was among the weakest on snow for braking and acceleration, and it was below average in curved aquaplaning and dry braking. Its comfort was rated among the lowest. Score contributionCategory score × of overall score Dry96.09 × 20% = 19.22 Wet93.21 × 35% = 32.62 Snow95.8 × 30% = 28.74 Comfort91.41 × 5% = 4.57 Rolling Resistance85.85 × 10% = 8.59 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | 6 | 93.68 | 140 | 53.9 | 6.9 | 99.2 | 166 | 87.3 | 0.73 | 46.8 | 9.6 | 91.9 | 102 | 31 | 523 | 85.6 | 90.4 | 6.1 | 67.5 | 90.8 | 7.46 | 100.0 | |
StrengthsThe Nokian Snowproof 2 had by far the lowest rolling resistance in the test and set the fastest lap of the dry handling course, with high marks for dry handling feel. It was also close to the best in dry braking. ConsiderationsThe Nokian Snowproof 2 was the weakest tire on snow, last for braking, traction, acceleration and handling. In the wet it was only mid-field, and it was one of the louder tires. Score contributionCategory score × of overall score Dry99.22 × 20% = 19.84 Wet91.94 × 35% = 32.18 Snow90.37 × 30% = 27.11 Comfort90.83 × 5% = 4.54 Rolling Resistance100 × 10% = 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | 7 | 91.89 | 149 | 55.1 | 5.5 | 93.6 | 174 | 89.4 | 0.71 | 44.4 | 9.0 | 88.8 | 95 | 29 | 576 | 81.0 | 97.8 | 6.5 | 66.7 | 94.3 | 9.29 | 80.3 | |
StrengthsThe Debica Frigo HP2 performed well on snow, among the best for braking and acceleration and with good traction. It was also rated among the more comfortable tires. ConsiderationsThe Debica Frigo HP2 was below the premium and mid-range tires on wet and dry roads, with longer braking distances and slower laps. Its rolling resistance was among the higher in the test. Score contributionCategory score × of overall score Dry93.64 × 20% = 18.73 Wet88.78 × 35% = 31.07 Snow97.82 × 30% = 29.35 Comfort94.26 × 5% = 4.71 Rolling Resistance80.3 × 10% = 8.03 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | 8 | 87.61 | 151 | 55.7 | 4.9 | 91.9 | 196 | 94.6 | 0.61 | 35.9 | 4.4 | 76.7 | 95 | 29 | 587 | 78.9 | 99.5 | 6.0 | 64.8 | 92.1 | 9.39 | 79.5 | |
StrengthsThe Mazzini Snowleopard 2 had the most traction on snow and was the fastest round the snow handling course. It was also one of the quietest tires and the cheapest in the test. ConsiderationsThe Mazzini Snowleopard 2 was dangerous in the wet: it needed a very long distance to stop, had little grip on the wet circle and was the first to aquaplane both in a straight line and in a curve. It was also the slowest on the dry handling course and rated lowest for handling, with high rolling resistance. Score contributionCategory score × of overall score Dry91.94 × 20% = 18.39 Wet76.65 × 35% = 26.83 Snow99.47 × 30% = 29.84 Comfort92.09 × 5% = 4.6 Rolling Resistance79.45 × 10% = 7.95 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | 9 | 85.30 | 154 | 55.0 | 5.0 | 91.6 | 221 | 98.8 | 0.53 | 38.0 | 7.2 | 72.6 | 96 | 29 | 582 | 81.2 | 98.1 | 5.9 | 68.3 | 88.9 | 9.66 | 77.2 | |
StrengthsThe Insa Turbo Pirineos Plus, a retread, performed well on snow, among the best for traction and close to the middle of the field for braking, acceleration and handling. ConsiderationsThe Insa Turbo Pirineos Plus was the worst tire in the wet, with by far the longest braking distance, the slowest handling lap and the least grip on the wet circle. It also had the longest dry braking distance, the highest rolling resistance, the loudest noise and the lowest comfort rating. Score contributionCategory score × of overall score Dry91.63 × 20% = 18.33 Wet72.56 × 35% = 25.4 Snow98.06 × 30% = 29.42 Comfort88.85 × 5% = 4.44 Rolling Resistance77.23 × 10% = 7.72 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Raw results do not change when you move the sliders. Scroll horizontally to see every discipline.
Leading with these priorities
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3
These are calculated scenarios, not new test awards. The published verdict may reflect judgement, close results and factors outside this calculation.
Not ranked: a measurement needed for these weights is missing. Missing results are not treated as zero or redistributed.
Reference tires provide context only. They do not set the benchmark and cannot win the personalised ranking.
Weighting vs real impact
What decides this ranking
The weighting is how much each category counts. The real impact is how much of the difference between the tires it creates: a discipline in which every tire performed about the same barely changes the order, however much it counts.
No weighting is recorded for this test, so the weighting here starts from Tire Reviews’ season defaults, not from the test’s own scoring.
- Dry Weighting 20% Real impact 19%
- Wet Weighting 35% Real impact 49%
- Snow Weighting 30% Real impact 13%
- Comfort Weighting 5% Real impact 4%
- Rolling Resistance Weighting 10% Real impact 15%
- Wet Braking counts for 10.2% of the score but creates 19% of the difference between the tires, because their results in it were far apart.
- Dry Handling counts for 9% of the score but creates only 3% of the difference, because most tires performed about the same in it.
Every discipline 15
| Discipline | Weighting | Real impact |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 9.2% | 10% |
| Dry Handling | 9% | 3% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 1.8% | 6% |
| Wet Braking | 10.2% | 19% |
| Wet Handling | 10.2% | 9% |
| Wet Circle | 9.8% | 10% |
| Straight Aqua | 2.5% | 4% |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 2.5% | 7% |
| Snow Braking | 6.6% | 2% |
| Snow Traction | 7.8% | 5% |
| Snow Traction | 7.8% | 5% |
| Snow Handling | 7.8% | 1% |
| Subj. Comfort | 2.5% | 3% |
| Noise | 2.5% | 1% |
| Rolling Resistance | 10% | 15% |
How it is worked out: each discipline’s weighting is multiplied by the spread of its results (the gap across the middle half of the tires, as a percentage of the best result), then shared out so that all the disciplines add up to 100%. It estimates what separates the tires; it is not a second set of weights, and it follows the weights you set.
How your ranking is calculated
Each discipline is scored against the best non-reference tire in the full test field: best ÷ result × 100 when lower is better, or result ÷ best × 100 when higher is better. Discipline scores are rounded to two decimal places, then combined using your weights.
Within-category weights divide that category’s share of the overall score. A 50% wet category and 40% wet-braking share give wet braking 20% of the total. A weight is a scoring priority, not a measure of its actual effect on the ranking: the performance gaps matter too. What decides this ranking ↑
Published joint positions are preserved separately. Calculated positions tie only when their underlying scores match; two displayed scores can look equal after rounding.
A zero weight excludes that category or discipline. At least one active discipline is required, and the disciplines in every active category must have a positive total.
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