Well, we had to come to Sweden twice. The first time we sat for a week, skating the entire program of tests on snow and ice. And then, already in April, on the roads that had just been cleared of ice, they measured the braking distance on wet and dry asphalt - and assessed the acoustic comfort and ride smoothness. Well, then, using the traditional system of translating results into points, they summed up the results.

The main surprise in the studded category is no, not a tire win Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9. And the very high results of the Hankook Winter i * Pike RS2 tires: according to the results of tests on winter surfaces, they are the best! In order not to get into a mess, we decided to arrange a check on them. We waited for August, bought a set of tires in Moscow, and for a plane - to Germany. And there at the Contidrom training ground there is an indoor ice track where winter tires are tested all year round. A series of measurements paired with the test winners, Nokian Hakkapeliittа 9 tires (we also bought them and ran them in August in Moscow so that the tires had "one story") - and ... If in winter the Hankook spikes provided by Koreans slowed down better on ice, than Nokian, and by five percent, the situation with commodity tires has changed exactly the opposite: Nokian is better at braking by as much as eight percent! Despite the fact that after running in, the average protrusion of the studs on the Nokian and Hankook tires was approximately the same - 1.4 mm.

Of course, we can talk about a different quality of ice or that we were able to buy only the Hankook Winter i * Pike RS2 with a different load index (91 instead of 94). But neither one nor the other could radically change the braking properties on ice. Therefore, we put a red label on the Hankook Winter i * Pike RS2 tires: the commercial tires are not as good as those that took the honorable third place in our rating. By the way, there are no questions to Nokian: the set of tires produced at the Russian factory Hakkapeliitta 9 demonstrated the same properties on ice as the Finnish tires that we tested in March.

And Russian tires Cordiant Snow cross 2 we removed from the rating altogether: the pre-production tires were of too low quality. When braking on ice - the worst result! But the model of the current generation Snow Cross looked quite decent in our past tests. The tire workers of the Cordiant company, in parallel with us conducting their own tests, also fixed problems on the ice - and, in order not to lose their reputation, postponed the launch of mass production of the Snow Cross 2 tire for at least a year. According to preliminary information, suppliers of raw materials to Omsk are to blame tire factory, where the Snow Cross tires are produced. They decided to launch only four 14-inch sizes on sale - there seems to be no problem with them.

Winter tires rating 2018-2019

So, in the class of studded tires, once again, the victory goes to the Finnish Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9 tires. Cool tires, but expensive - and designed primarily for suburban use. After all, Continental IceContact 2 and Gislaved Nord * Frost 200, which took second and fourth places with a minimum lag, behave better on asphalt.

Well, among studless tires at the top of the rating new model Continental VikingContact 7, but the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2, Pirelli Ice Zero FR and Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 tires are just slightly behind. Again, when choosing tires, consider your habitat. If you never leave the streets of large cities, pay more attention to the asphalt indicators. And if you mainly have to drive on snow-covered and icy areas - on purely winter properties.

Toyo Obsreve GSi-5

If you believe the press releases, the rubber of these tires is mixed with both walnut shell particles and absorbent in the form of soot from burnt bamboo ... But on ice, the grip properties are mediocre: in the sliding corners, they are stretched and poorly controlled. On snow toyo tires provide effective deceleration and row well with slip, but glide is difficult. On wet pavement - failed braking. And the comfort level is low. Not recommended.

Hankook Winter i * cept iZ2

The Winter i * cept iZ2 tire is a new product from Hankook, but unlike the studded Winter i * Pike RS2 tire, it performed more than modestly. Both on ice and on packed snow there are not enough longitudinal grip properties - thanks at least that the grips are better in turns. On the asphalt, the tires are moderately comfortable, but again slippery. With the success of the latest summer tires from Hankook, we can expect much more from this model!

Bridgestone Blizzak VRX

Bridgestone friction tires perform modestly against the background of European models. In theory, the microporous tread rubber should remove moisture from the ice surface, thereby increasing the traction coefficient. In practice, however, grip on ice is clearly lacking. The situation is better on packed snow. But if you drive out of a snowdrift with a slip, then the Blizzak VRX is a poor helper. But on the asphalt, these tires work perfectly: on a dry surface, the minimum braking distance! This means we recommend them for large cities, albeit with some reservations.

Yokohama iceGuard iG60

The iceGuard iG60 friction clutch is a new model. The asymmetric tread, which is traditional for Japanese tires, demonstrates an average level of grip on ice, but at the same time provides good balance in corners: there is no obvious tendency to drift or skid. On the snow, we were pleased with the traction ability of the tires. But the adhesion properties on the asphalt are not enough - especially on wet ones. So that yokohama tires iceGuard iG60 is more suitable for the hinterland than for large cities. And prices will not scare away.

Nokian Nordman RS2

The materials are slightly simpler than those of Nokian, the tread pattern is borrowed from the previous model Hakkapeliitta R. But in the final ranking the Nordman RS2 is only slightly behind the “head” model Hakkapeliitta R3. Both on ice and on snow - clear reactions, predicted sliding. On asphalt, traction is slightly worse than that of the Nokian, and bumps are felt more clearly. But the price is one and a half times lower!

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3

Nokian tires Hakkapeliitta R3 works great on ice - when decelerating, you can even hear the characteristic rustling of rubber edges clinging to microroughnesses of the surface. Acceleration and deceleration - top scores among the clutches! But on rolled snow, the indicators are more modest. And on asphalt, Nokian tires are inferior to the leaders in terms of grip and comfort. So the recommendation is traditional for Nokian models: they are created primarily for suburban use.

Prelli Ice Zero FR

It is gratifying that Pirelli's Russian factories do not save on raw materials: Ice Zero FR, produced in Voronezh, have become a worthy competitor to the class leaders. Both on ice and on snow - good grip properties, but, unfortunately, abrupt breakdowns in sliding in corners. Sports character! And on the pavement, everything is worthy: Pirelli tires share the title of the quietest in our test with the Continental friction tires.

Goodyear ultragrip ice 2

Three years ago we recognized these tires as the best friction tires (AP # 18, 2015). And even now they are superbly keeping on the ice: on a winding track they lost only four studded models! On snow, the directional tread works well in the longitudinal direction, but behaves a little worse in corners. But on the pavement, Goodyear is great! But in general - another worthy option for winter tires, appropriate both in the city and beyond.

Continental VicingContact 7

The directional tread pattern in a neat diamond shape looks beautiful and works great. Yes, the icy results are slightly worse than the main competitors. But what a gorgeous balance between performance on ice, snow and asphalt! Not a single puncture in the results. This means that these tires are ideal for urban winter operation... We especially recommend them for connoisseurs of comfort: the softest and quietest tires in our test.

GT Radial IcePro 3

Headquartered in Singapore, Giti Tire is one of the world's dozen tire manufacturers. The main factories of the company are located in China, but the development of tires under the Giti and GT Radial brands is carried out in Germany and in the USA. However, IcePro 3 studded tires are last century tire industry. The tread is as if welded from summer rubber grades: it does not cling to ice and snow at all. And it's scary to drive on the handling track: the loss to the leaders of the test from a kilometer reached 24 seconds!

Firestone ice cruiser 7

Firestone Ice Cruiser 7 tires are a replica produced in Ulyanovsk budget tires Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 model 2010. It is clear that they do not have enough stars from the winter skies: poor grip on slippery surfaces require extremely careful driving - especially in turns. Many tires without studs make you feel more confident!

On asphalt, the situation is somewhat better. But in general, we do not recommend it.

Toyo Observe Ice-Freezer

The novelty of the Toyo Tires company seems to have a modern tread pattern, and spikes with a figured core, and the rubber contains crushed walnut shells. But the nuts do not help: the grip on ice is mediocre, making the car turn is not easy. In the snow, the situation is about the same.

But you can ride on asphalt on these tires: the grip properties are good and there is less noise compared to other studs.

Bridgestone Blizzak Spike-02

Feature of tires Bridgestone Blizzak Spike-02 - Noticeable increase in stud outreach with running and testing. At the end of the tests, some towered over the tread by 1.8 mm! But they held on tightly - not a single empty hole even after a series of braking "to the floor" on dry asphalt. The main driving advantage is its excellent braking properties on ice. However, there are no achievements in the rest of the winter disciplines, and on the handling tracks there is a constant struggle with the front axle drifts. And on the asphalt, the grip and comfort indicators, alas, leave much to be desired.

Yokohama iceGuard iG65

The new Yokohama iceGuard iG65 studded tires were developed by Japanese tire makers in cooperation with Arctic Falls training ground specialists. Progress is evident, but the protrusion of the pimples is not enough, and the characteristics are poorly balanced. For example, Golf on these tires accelerates well on ice, but brakes very mediocre. And in turns it drives like a rear-wheel drive car - always in a skid!

But on the asphalt these tires are one of the best! Including acoustic comfort. In the city, the very thing - if your car has a stabilization system.

Pirelli ice zero

Pirelli Ice Zero tires russian production this season they did not perform as confidently as a year ago (AR # 17, 2017). The reason for this may be not so high-quality studding: many studs protruded above the tread by less than a millimeter before running in. And after the break-in, these tires lacked aggression on the ice - especially in corners.

The situation is better in the snow. But on the asphalt the main problem pirelli tires Ice Zero - low-frequency drone in the speed range of 60-100 km / h.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctiс

And again we did not wait for the change of generations goodyear tire UltraGrip Ice Arctiс, introduced in 2012. Instead, the budget Goodyear UltraGrip 600 tires are launched to play the role of a "second plan" model. And the aging flagship of the winter line from Goodyear continues to delight us with its tractor characteristics on virgin soil, excellent grip properties on rolled snow. But the handling characteristics - especially on ice - are still weak, and the characteristic rumble of the tread poisons life when driving on asphalt.

Nokian nordman 7

The Nordman 7 tires are the "second life" of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 tires. They are produced on the same equipment as the Nokian tires, but from cheaper raw materials. On ice, Nordman 7 tires, with fewer spikes, are inferior to the leaders of the test, but in the snow they behave excellently - they row even better on loose powder than Hakkapeliitta 9. But on asphalt they work mediocre.

A good option for affordable studded tires for out-of-town use. By the way, Nordman tires are covered by a guarantee: in case of unintentional damage, the dealer will provide the same tire at half price.

Gislaved Nord * Frost 200

Copying the protector contiIceContact tires the first generation, Gislaved Nord * Frost 200 tires are the ideal urban studs: they are fairly quiet in the toothy class and have a good balance of ice and asphalt grip. At the same time, Gislaved tires are among the best on snow. A reasonable (read - inexpensive) version of winter tires, not only for urban, but also for suburban use.

Hankook Winter i * Pike RS2

Pre-production samples of the new Hankook RS2 tires, tested by us even before the start of official sales, in terms of snow and ice indicators, left Continental and Nokian behind - at a price one and a half times lower! Unfortunately, additional tests on the Hankook Winter i * Pike RS2 commercial tires dispelled the myth of their magical properties. So for now we will refrain from making recommendations - we will wait for the manufacturer's explanation and the results of the next tests, which will involve Hankook tires purchased through the retail network.

Continental IceContact 2

The Continental IceContact 2 tires provide the shortest stopping distance on ice, but the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9 allows you to go faster on the twisty track. But on the asphalt, Continental tires are quieter, and the spikes in them have additional fixation - the unique technology of hot vulcanization has not yet been mastered by any of the competing companies. Considering the price, IceContact 2 is a great choice! And the third generation of this model is on the way: next year the new IceContact 3 tires with rubber studs will go into series.

Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9

The Hakkapeliitta 9, with its dual-studded tread, works great on ice and snow - but on asphalt it gives the car sluggish steering response and a lot of noise. So for the townspeople, Hakkapeliitta is still not the best fit. But you shouldn't pay attention to where Nokian tires are produced - in Russia or Finland: both factories produce tires high Quality, checked. Discover the best price on this bus in your city is possible.

We took tires from different price groups - from 2470 to 5150 rubles apiece. The most recent model - Toyo Observe GSi-6, rolled out to the market this season. There are two new items from last year: German Continental VikingContact 7 and Finnish Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3... Updated last year, Russian production.

To be fair

We have arranged the tires according to the points scored. And now let's see how economically profitable it is to buy these or those tires. To do this, let's compare the average price of each model with the so-called fair price - corresponding to the level of its consumer properties, that is, the number of points earned.

The most advantageous offer turned out to be Hankook Winter i * cept iZ² with a price 23% below the fair price. A little less (17%) will save Viatti. When you buy Nordman RS2, Pirelli Ice Zero FR, Toyo Observe GSi ‑ 6 or Triangle SnowLink PL01 tires, you can benefit from 9 to 5%.

You will have to pay extra for the rest of the test participants. The minimum overpayment - 3% - awaits when buying Gislaved Soft * Frost 200 tires. The cost of Roadstone WinGuard ice, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 and Sailun Ice Blazer WSL2 tires is 7-9% higher than the fair value. The rating is closed by two distinguished test participants - the winner ... and the loser. The outsider Cachland CH-W2002 will have to overpay 11%. He was not as cheap as weak. Continental VikingContact 7, the most expensive participant, is overvalued by 15%. If you want a quality and balanced product, be ready to fork out.

19.10.2015 Studded tires:

1. Continental IceContact 2
2. Cordiant Snow Cross
3. Dunlop ice touch
4. Gislaved Nord * Frost 100
5. Hankook Winter i * Pike RS Plus
6. Maxxis Arctictrekker NP3
7. Pirelli ice zero
8. Toyo observe g3-ice

Friction tires:

1. Continental ContiVikingContact 6
2. Cordiant Winter Drive
3. Goodyear ultragrip ice 2
4. Maxxis SP-02 Arctictrekker
5. Nokian nordman rs
6. Toyo Observe GSi-5

Among the novelties in the test were the Continental IceContact 2 winter tires with an increased number of studs (190 studs), the Hankook i * Pike RS (170 studs) and the new version of the Goodear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires with a reduced number of studs (100 studs). Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8, Nokian Nordman 5, Pirelli Ice Zero, Cordiant Snow Cross, Dunlop Ice Touch and Maxxis Arctictrekker NP3 also have a large number of thorns. We remind you that in European countries from July 1, 2013 there is a limit on the number of studs - 50 per 1 running meter of the tire tread. From January 1, 2016, a similar restriction will appear in Russia, but with a limit of 60 spikes per 1 running meter. It is not difficult to calculate that for tires of size 205/55 R16, the limit will be about 100 studs. What, then, to do with tires with more studs? Don't panic, everything is legal! To do this, companies that want to install too many studs on their tires need to prove that this will not increase road wear. To achieve this, manufacturers install lightweight studs, use a special studding system, etc.

Tests

Driving a car on a winter road requires a greater concentration of attention, experience and knowledge from the driver, since it includes all types of weather conditions: sun, rain, snow and ice. Thanks to modern technologies at the winter training ground, it was possible to create the necessary weather conditions for the test. A special heating system melted the ice in front of the pits and the entrance to the frozen lake, and a special “vacuum cleaner” shook, swept and blew snow off the track. The weather also helped - on the eve of the passability test, it started snowing.

In order to measure the characteristics when driving on a wet road, it was decided to return to Sweden in April, but to another training ground - to the city of Gislaved. There, close to buildings former factory of the tires of the same name, there is a polygon with several tracks, one of which is equipped with the irrigation system necessary for this test.

results

The winners of the ice track test were Nokian spike and friction tires and the new Continental IceContact 2 for the season. Overall, this test was won by the studded tires. On the ice circle, the situation is somewhat different - this is due to other characteristics of the ice surface. The top picks were Continental IceContact 2, Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8, and Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic.

On the snowy track, Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic, Cordiant Snow Cross and Pirelli Ice Zero became the leaders. They have shorter braking distances and shorter acceleration distances on loose and packed snow. The best in the winding track test are the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 and Cordiant Snow Cross.

On the wet road the studded tires Gislaved Nord * Frost 100, Nokian Nordman 5 and Pirelli Ice Zero proved to be the most efficient, and on dry - the frictional Continental ContiVikingContact 6 and Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2. The quietest tires among the participants were Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2, Continental ContiVikingContact 6 and Cordiant Winter Drive.

The results of each test were tabulated. Studded tires have been marked yellow, and frictional ones - green.

Outcome

All the indicators obtained were summarized in a general table.

According to the results of all tests, the top three were studded tires Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8, Continental IceContact 2 and Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic. The best friction tires are Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2 and Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2.

Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8

Minimum braking distance and acceleration on ice, works well on packed snow

Longer dry braking distances, acoustic effect, high price

Continental IceContact 2

Traction and handling on ice and snow, smooth ride

Noise, high price

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic

Grip on snowy, icy and wet roads, minimum braking distances

Controllability

Goodyear ultragrip ice 2

Low noise level, excellent performance on asphalt and snow

Traction on icy roads

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2

Best ice grip of a friction tire, handling on snow

Grip on wet roads, on packed and loose snow.

When and where

We answer the question that readers ask on the forum. Tests winter tires ZR holds winter and spring (asphalt part) to present the results in autumn when you are thinking about switching to winter tires. As a rule, winter and summer tires we are testing in the Volga region - at the AVTOVAZ test site or nearby.

This February turned out to be unusual: the Moscow region and St. Petersburg were covered with snow, and the Volga region suffered from its absence. In Tolyatti only in January very little fell and not a snowflake in February. For the first time in 17 years, we were unable to perform the exercise "rearrangement on the packed snow": there was nothing to roll. And the snow used for acceleration and deceleration and other disciplines was unusually dry, very similar to foam.

Due to the lack of rearrangement on the snow, the weight coefficients of other exercises were changed so that the maximum possible total score remains the same as before - 1000. For this reason, we do not recommend comparing overall results the current test with the previous ones - it will not turn out quite correctly.

Tested tires list:

"Scandinavians" - not everything is so smooth

Here again the Nokia novelty - the second generation HKPL R - is in the lead. She has the highest scores (952) and the price (3750 rubles). The ratio of price to quality is 3.94.

The second place in cost belongs to the Continental-ContiViking-Contact 5 bus: 3250 rubles. It has been on sale for a long time, but it is still strong: it lost only a point to the new Michelin, gaining 907 points and taking third place. In relation to price-quality ratio (3.58) it is also inferior to the “Frenchman”.

Michelin X-Ice 3 is slightly cheaper than Conti: the average price is 3215 rubles. In our table of ranks, the tire took a fancy to the second line, gaining 908 points. The price / quality ratio is slightly more attractive: 3.54.

The fourth price position belongs to Yokohama-iG50 with an average cost of 2915 rubles. But in the tests, the "Japanese" was in last place with a total of only 802 points. The price is clearly overpriced, because the ratio of price to quality, equal to 3.63, is even higher than that of Michelin and Conti, which are much stronger in terms of characteristics.

Quite another thing is the "Bridgestone-Blizzak Revo GZ", which ranks fifth in the price tag competition: 2730 rubles. This model is also in fifth position in the final list: 867 points. Surprisingly, "Yokohama" is more expensive than "Bridgestone" by almost 200 rubles, but at the same time it showed the result 65 points worse. The latter has a much more attractive price to quality ratio (3.15).

Sixth place in price belongs to Pirelli-Winter IceControl: 2600 rubles. These tires also took the same position in our tests, slightly yielding to Bridgestone in the final points - 858. The ratio of price to quality is even more tasty - 3.03.

The seventh place in terms of price tag belongs to the “Nordman-RS” tire: the average price is only 2330 re. However, in the final protocol of the test she has the fourth position, since with 878 points she is ahead of both Pirelli and both Japanese women. The 2.65 price-performance ratio is very tempting.

TEST RESULTS

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The expert opinions on each tire are presented below