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Achilles Winter 101

The Achilles Winter 101 is a Touring Winter tire designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.

The quick answer

Owners say 85% from 9 owner reviews 89% would buy again Read the reviews
Tests say 24th average finish across 3 independent tests Latest: P22 of 49 · 2016 See every test

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

Tire Reviews Score

Achilles Winter 101

7.7/10

From owner reviews only: no measured test results yet.

  • Limited Confidence
  • 9 owner reviews

How this score is built

Source Better than Weight
Independent testsNo measured test results yet – 0%
Owner reviews9 owner reviews · rated 85% 82% 38%
Typical tireWhere every score starts before its own data counts – 63%
Combined 60% 7.7

A fixed curve turns the combined figure into the 0 to 10 score, so roughly the top 10% of a group score 9 or more.

Confidence

  1. Limited
  2. Medium
  3. High

Owner reviews decide 38% of this score. The other 62% is the typical starting point, and it shrinks as more reviews arrive.

Scored on owner reviews alone, a tire is High once the reviews decide 90% or more, and Medium from 70%. Anything less is Limited: expect the number to move as reviews arrive.

The tests behind it

Only measured results count. A test that published its placings alone is listed, but not scored.

  1. 2016 2016 Winter Tire Market Overview Auto Bild · 205/55 R16 P22 / 49 Placing only
  2. 2015 2015 Winter Tire Market Overview Auto Bild · 185/60 R14 P35 / 51 Placing only
  3. 2014 2014 ADAC Winter Tire Test - 195/65 R15 ADAC · 195/65 R15 P14 / 14 Placing only

Tested 3 times by independent publications, the Achilles Winter 101 averages a finish of 24th.

3 Tests
0 Test Wins
24th Average
14th Best
35th Worst
Finishing position in each test1stLast20142016

Finishing position in each test

Every independent test of the Achilles Winter 101, newest first
YearTestResultAward
20162016 Winter Tire Market OverviewAuto Bild · 205/55 R16P22 / 49
20152015 Winter Tire Market OverviewAuto Bild · 185/60 R14P35 / 51
20142014 ADAC Winter Tire Test - 195/65 R15ADAC · 195/65 R15P14 / 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?
Owners rate the Achilles Winter 101 8.4 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 8 reviews.
How well do the Achilles Winter 101 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Achilles Winter 101 8.4 out of 10 for wear across 8 reviews. 2 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 1,750 miles.
Would owners buy the Achilles Winter 101 again?
89% of owners say they would buy the Achilles Winter 101 again, based on the 9 owner reviews that answered the question. 44% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
Owner Questions
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Questions and Answers for the Achilles Winter 101

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Achilles Winter 101 Owner Reviews

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What 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

Most helpful 82%

“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...”

  • Volvo XC70 D5
  • 250 miles
Read full review → 965 found this helpful
Longest term 93%

“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...”

  • SEAT Leon FR tdi
  • 45,000 miles
Read full review → 605 found this helpful

All 8 Achilles Winter 101 reviews

Score spread across 8 written reviews
82%
Member
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 stage i am really pleased more so that they cost half the price of some mid range tires!
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 8
  • Wet Grip 8
  • Road Feedback 8
  • Handling 8
  • Comfort 8
  • Buy again 9
Helpful 965
100%
Member
great tire!
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 10
  • Wet Grip 10
  • Road Feedback 10
  • Handling 10
  • Wear 10
  • Comfort 10
  • Buy again 10
Helpful 588
86%
Member
I purchased these tires for the price only, my previous AVON ice Touring St were now consumed.
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.
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 8
  • Wet Grip 8
  • Road Feedback 10
  • Handling 8
  • Wear 8
  • Comfort 9
  • Buy again 9
Helpful 630

Which tires do you drive?

Researching the Achilles Winter 101? Rate the tires you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.

Own the Achilles Winter 101?
86%
Member
It is sure that cannot used in summer, after 4 years I want to change it to new one (sure speaking for winter), so I used it in summer 28 to 38 degree Celsius most day temperature. The tire become as it cut by a cutter 1/3 of its circumference and some are less.
Actually I made test speed-distance
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 9
  • Wet Grip 8
  • Road Feedback 9
  • Handling 9
  • Wear 8
  • Comfort 8
  • Buy again 9
Helpful 590
93%
Member
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 My BMW E36 M3 initially, ran them for a few thousand miles, then took them off and put them on to my E36 323 Touring for a few thousand miles, but on the same rims, then changed them finally to a 1M Seat Leon FR TDi 150ps on to different rims where they stayed until exchange for a new set.

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!
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 7
  • Wet Grip 10
  • Road Feedback 9
  • Handling 9
  • Wear 10
  • Comfort 10
  • Buy again 10
Helpful 605
83%
Member
I needed to buy quickly some winter tires for my BMW front wheels.
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.
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 8
  • Wet Grip 7
  • Road Feedback 8
  • Handling 8
  • Wear 9
  • Comfort 9
  • Buy again 9
Helpful 628
93%
Member
These are the first winter tires I have ever had.
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.
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 10
  • Wet Grip 10
  • Road Feedback 8
  • Handling 8
  • Comfort 10
  • Buy again 10
Helpful 654
66%
Member
  • Ford Mondeo
  • 225/40 R18
  • 1,000 miles
  • A Combination of Roads
  • Average
Just fitted a pair of these to the front of my Mondeo. Decent tire for a budget brand.
But then i upgraded from Doublstar tires so these are a substantial improvement
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 7
  • Wet Grip 7
  • Road Feedback 7
  • Handling 7
  • Wear 7
  • Comfort 5
  • Buy again 6
Helpful 612
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