Viking WinTech NewGen

I had the option to buy Laufenn I-Fit Plus or this tire due to premium winter tires being double the price, so I bought 4 new Vikings at a price of 110 Euros/tire with mounting included. Had some premium all-season options in the same price range also but with the car being RWD with 540Nm of torque I wanted to be sure that I get the best shot at snowy/icy roads, although in my region winters aren't usually that harsh anymore. Also, I saw that this is a newer tire without reviews, so the inner tire geek came out.

- Dry: Feels neutral, there isn't much feedback but you can just about feel where the wheels are pointing. Once you build up a bit of confidence it feels fine, it never felt dangerous even with sportier driving. Braking is solid.
- Wet: It felt decent, aquaplaning resistance was good, safe enough for motorway speeds. It felt a bit worse laterally, maybe a bit oversteery, but again, within safe limits at legal motorway speeds. Braking is solid as well, not extraordinary but safe and dependable.
- Snow: In light snow, it felt similar to wet conditions. Had the opportunity to drive on heavily snowing highway conditions (with light snow layers forming on lane 1 and about a 10cm layer on lane 2), I was very impressed with the grip. ESP never kicked in, changing lanes to overtake very slow cars was very safe, overall I was really happy with the performance in such challenging conditions. Also went for a ride towards a ski resort, and I am happy to report that grip on steep, snow-covered roads was good as well. Laterally it felt very safe, braking performance was great also, with ABS never kicking in when coming back down. In thicker snow it felt safe also, had 0 traction issues and the balance felt very neutral on both fresh and compacted snow. From a standstill and a blanket of 40cm of snow that fell overnight, I was, again, really happy with the tires, I got stuck only due to build-up under the car, and even then, I was able to reverse out easily and then get over a layer that passed the bumper easily.
- Ice: Didn't have much opportunity on proper ice, but on light glazed frost on national roads it was within safe limits once again. I will make sure to update if I encounter any serious icy conditions.
- Misc: Nothing out of the ordinary in terms of noise, maybe a bit less comfortable than my Firestone Roadhawk 2 summer tires, but there is not much in it to be honest. Rim protection exists, but is quite narrow. Fuel consumption is a bit higher than the summer tire but this is the case for all winter tires. I have driven in temps ranging from -12C to 10C on Eastern-European roads.

I highly recommend the tire for more budget-conscious motorists, more than mid-range in the snow and mid-range in dry-wet conditions. Not the best, obviously, but certainly doesn't feel like corners have been cut in any significant area to reduce the price. A massive step up from budget tires for sure.