“Early days but after the Pirelli's that came with my car these tires have transformed the car! Feels very sure footed along sweeping country back roads. Nice & quiet and economy seems no worse than before. At this early...”
Achilles Winter 101
The Achilles Winter 101 is a Touring Winter tire designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.
The quick answer
Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tire - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated January 2025.
- 9owner reviews
- 71,750miles driven
- 3professional tests
All Tests
View Test ResultsTested 3 times by independent publications, the Achilles Winter 101 averages a finish of 24th.
Finishing position in each test
| Year | Test | Result | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2016 Winter Tire Market OverviewAuto Bild · 205/55 R16 | P22 / 49 | |
| 2015 | 2015 Winter Tire Market OverviewAuto Bild · 185/60 R14 | P35 / 51 | |
| 2014 | 2014 ADAC Winter Tire Test - 195/65 R15ADAC · 195/65 R15 | P14 / 14 |
On the full record: Record by disciplineHead-to-head recordEvery published verdict
Frequently Asked Questions
How comfortable and quiet are the Achilles Winter 101?
How well do the Achilles Winter 101 wear, according to owners?
Would owners buy the Achilles Winter 101 again?
Owner Questions
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Achilles Winter 101 Owner Reviews
Review this tireWhat owners say
Across 9 owner ratings the Achilles Winter 101 averages 85%. Owners rate Road Feedback highest at 8.6 out of 10 and Handling lowest at 8.3. 2 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 88% of owners score it 70% or better.
Owner ratings averaged from 9 ratings
- Owner score 85%
- Road Feedback 86%
- Dry Grip 84%
- Wet Grip 84%
- Comfort 84%
- Wear 84%
- Handling 83%
Featured reviews
“These tires I purchased on a whim as the hype about Winter tires was about. So I thought I'd buy a cheap set, try them out and if I didn't like them, then I could chuck them away and move on. I Fitted these tires on to...”
All 8 Achilles Winter 101 reviews
- Volvo XC70 D5
- 235/55 R17 V
- 250 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Spirited
- Citroën C4 Picasso (2013 )
- 225/45 R18
- 5,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Volkswagen Golf MK5 1.6 FSI
- 205/55 R16 H
- 1,000 miles
- Mostly Town
- Spirited
The day after the installation I was able to test them on the highway, I was pleasantly surprised by the silence and driving comfort.The poor week I could try them on the icy roads of the hills of Slovenia, very icy believe me, although I did not trust much of these cheap tires, the driving impression was safety and road feedback (the greatest strength).I have not had any dangerous situation. On wet roads, I must admit that nothing can compete with my loved AVON, however, the impression is overall positive even in this situation (esp intervened in rapid trajectory changes).Unfortunately I have not yet had the chance to test it on the snow. I can recommend this tire, because of the current price range.
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- Hyundai elantra
- 215/45 R17 V
- 14,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Spirited
Actually I made test speed-distance
- SEAT Leon FR tdi
- 215/45 R17 W
- 45,000 miles
- Mostly Motorways
- Easy Going
These tires surprised me. An M3, 300hp and no issues in British snow, ice or rain. I managed to get everywhere, up hills in Wales as well as 65mph on motorways on lanes that were slushy. No twitching or nothing.
When I moved these tires on to my Seat, they spent 99% of their time on motorways. They clocked 45000 miles on this car(+ whatever few thousand I did in the BMW's,) so the wear is excellent. The economy was not hindered over normal summer tires, the performance of the side loads on the tire were fine, but if I was to criticise them for anything, it would be the slight slip that you get from any winter tire in conditions above 15 degrees Celsius. From that last comment, you can see that I left them on all year round, and apart from a marginal increase in wear during the months of July and Aug on the hotter days of which there are few, they were fine. No issues with overheating or slip.
These tires assisted me on a road trip around the Yorkshire dales and Lake District in Summer last year, some spirited driving was undertaken on roads such as the Snake Pass and Buttertubs Pass, apart from knowing I would get a little more understeer than on a summer tire, they performed great.
The tires have been removed yesterday, (only because one was worn in the middle, I managed to remove a chunk out one on a kerb and I ran one flat for an unknown number of miles (which was very evident when removed),) and replaced with the same tire again, I liked them that much. They have gone back on the Seat, as well as another set for the 323 BMW. When removed, there was evidence of minor cracking above the letters for ‘Achilles' and ‘Winter' on the inside of the tire, so if you buy a set, keep an eye out for this. Bear in mind they were fitted in 2012 and removed in 2017 so the time of cyclic thermal loading may be the cause for this. I changed the tires at approx. 2-3mm, but that was out of choice as rear left was worn out due to a suspension issue creating an alignment issue.
These tires perform as well as some of the bigger brands, at a fraction of the cost. Granted that the bigger brands may perform at the extremes of weather, but in Britain, this is rare, so some carful driving on those days should suffice. I managed to get a deal on eBay, I paid for a set of 4 new from stock the same as you would pay for a Michelin Alpin with fitting and balance, so if it bothers anyone that much, change at 5mm as these tires come with 9.7mm from new not the 7mm that you get from Michelin and some others.
I know this may be sad, but I have recorded a graph of ‘mileage against wear' while on the Seat so this can be sent to anyone whom desires to review.
Enjoy!
- BMW 330d M Sport
- 225/35 R19
- 2,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Average
My choice was Achilles Winter 101 cuz I heard good opinion from my friend about them. First impression - not bad, more quiet than Nokian WR3 which I have had on my Audi A5 year ago, and what surprised me, better grip on wet roads. I like progressive driving and at the beginning I didn't trust them as they are still economy branded but now, I don't even think about it. I know that RWD car behave differently than FWD, but I didn't expect much from those tires and to be honest I'm really impressed so far. I don't feel that car is sliding while braking on wet or dry surfaces, corners are easy going too. I'm living in North East England where rain doesn't stop raining during winter, and roads are icy at 6am, but I'm not afraid, I've got good grip. Highly recommend those tires to all.
- Volvo V70 2.4
- 205/55 R16 R
- 1,500 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Easy Going
They are fitted to a 2003 Volvo V70 Auto with traction control.
Please be aware that I am a stereotypical Volvo driver, ie I do not drive fast. I used to be an advanced police driver. Therefore my 'fun' was had in police cars and not my own private cars.
My immediate impressions when first driving with the new tires was how quiet and comfortable they are. Top score for that.
The road feedback is good whereby you can feel the grip that is being generated. I have pulled away from stand still without wheel spin (don't forget it's an auto though!) and the grip is everything that you need in non-snowy conditions in both wet and dry and also on wet leaves.
We had a few days of very mild weather, up to 14 degrees, and the tires didn't seem to mind at all.
But recently there's been plenty of snow and this is where they excel!!
The grip is huge compared with summer tires.
I experimented with hill starts on compacted snow where summer tires would have been totally useless. The grip provided by the winter tires enabled an easy hill start. Cornering on compacted snow has proved equally as impressive.
Braking on sheet ice is reasonable if you are gentle on the brakes - after all, ice is ice!
I have covered a distance of 1500 miles so far so cannot reliably give an opinion on wear.
So my verdict is a simple one: Although it's a budget tire it does what you would want it to do and you should consider this brand in confidence.
- Ford Mondeo
- 225/40 R18
- 1,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Average
But then i upgraded from Doublstar tires so these are a substantial improvement
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