The 2017 Auto Bild winter tyre test started with fifty 225/50 R17 winter tyre patterns which Auto Bild tested for wet braking performance, and then dropped the worse twenty tyres from the test.

The next phase was testing the remaining thirty patterns for snow braking, which was then combined with the wet braking distances to allow the ten worst tyres to be dropped. This left twenty winter tyres which Auto Bild regarded as the best winter tyres on the market, and deemed worthy enough to take through to the full testing.

As ever with Auto Bild testing, they undertake all the usual dry, wet and snow testing, but also including important factors such as wear and cost per 1,000 km, which a lot of tests are unable to include.

The results as closer than ever, and you'd be hard pressed to classify any of the top 10 tyres as bad tyres, but three in particular rose to the top.

Dry

In the dry grip testing, no tyre got close the reference summer tyre. During the braking tests, the Pirelli was the closest, but with all twenty winter tyres separated by just 3 meters overall when braking from 100 km/h, the differences between the top ten were small.

Dry Braking
Position / Tyre	Result	Gap to best
RefReference Summer	37.9 m	-5.80 m
1Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	43.7 m	Best
2Nokian WR D4	44.5 m	+0.80 m
2Continental WinterContact TS 860	44.5 m	+0.80 m
2Kumho WinterCraft WP71	44.5 m	+0.80 m
5Yokohama W drive V905	44.6 m	+0.90 m
6Firestone Winterhawk 3	44.8 m	+1.10 m
7Gislaved EuroFrost 5	44.9 m	+1.20 m
7Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	44.9 m	+1.20 m
9Dunlop Winter Sport 5	45.1 m	+1.40 m
10Uniroyal MS Plus 77	45.2 m	+1.50 m
11Michelin Alpin 5	45.4 m	+1.70 m
11Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	45.4 m	+1.70 m
13Fulda Kristall Control HP2	45.5 m	+1.80 m
14Hankook Winter i cept evo2	45.6 m	+1.90 m
14Semperit Speed Grip 3	45.6 m	+1.90 m
14Kleber Krisalp HP3	45.6 m	+1.90 m
17Barum Polaris 3	45.7 m	+2.00 m
18BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	46 m	+2.30 m
19Sava Eskimo HP2	46.3 m	+2.60 m
20Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	46.7 m	+3.00 m

The difference between best and worst was 23.2% (8.8 m ≈ 2 Car Lengths).

The Continental winter tyre was a step above the rest during dry handling, however it was still a large margin behind the summer reference tyre in another closely contested category.

Dry Handling
Position / Tyre	Result	Gap to best
RefReference Summer	113.2 km/h	+2.40 km/h
1Continental WinterContact TS 860	110.8 km/h	Best
2Hankook Winter i cept evo2	109.7 km/h	-1.10 km/h
3Barum Polaris 3	109.6 km/h	-1.20 km/h
3Semperit Speed Grip 3	109.6 km/h	-1.20 km/h
5Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	109.5 km/h	-1.30 km/h
6Fulda Kristall Control HP2	109.4 km/h	-1.40 km/h
7Gislaved EuroFrost 5	109.3 km/h	-1.50 km/h
8Michelin Alpin 5	109.1 km/h	-1.70 km/h
8Sava Eskimo HP2	109.1 km/h	-1.70 km/h
10Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	109 km/h	-1.80 km/h
11Yokohama W drive V905	108.9 km/h	-1.90 km/h
12Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	108.8 km/h	-2.00 km/h
13Dunlop Winter Sport 5	108.7 km/h	-2.10 km/h
14Firestone Winterhawk 3	108.6 km/h	-2.20 km/h
15Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	108.5 km/h	-2.30 km/h
16Nokian WR D4	108.3 km/h	-2.50 km/h
16Uniroyal MS Plus 77	108.3 km/h	-2.50 km/h
18Kumho WinterCraft WP71	107.3 km/h	-3.50 km/h
18Kleber Krisalp HP3	107.3 km/h	-3.50 km/h
20BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	107 km/h	-3.80 km/h

The difference between best and worst was 5.5% (6.2 Km/H).

Winter tyres often have a bad reputation for being noisy, but every winter tyre managed to best the summer reference on test, with the Bridgestone winter tyre quietest by some margin.

All tests are the combined results of drive by noise readings at both 50 km/h and 80 km/h.

Noise
Position / Tyre	Result	Gap to best
1Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	70.9 dB	Best
2Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	71.8 dB	+0.90 dB
3Kleber Krisalp HP3	71.9 dB	+1.00 dB
3BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	71.9 dB	+1.00 dB
5Firestone Winterhawk 3	72.2 dB	+1.30 dB
5Michelin Alpin 5	72.2 dB	+1.30 dB
5Kumho WinterCraft WP71	72.2 dB	+1.30 dB
8Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	72.4 dB	+1.50 dB
9Nokian WR D4	72.7 dB	+1.80 dB
10Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	72.8 dB	+1.90 dB
10Semperit Speed Grip 3	72.8 dB	+1.90 dB
12Continental WinterContact TS 860	73 dB	+2.10 dB
12Dunlop Winter Sport 5	73 dB	+2.10 dB
14Barum Polaris 3	73.1 dB	+2.20 dB
15Hankook Winter i cept evo2	73.5 dB	+2.60 dB
15Sava Eskimo HP2	73.5 dB	+2.60 dB
15Uniroyal MS Plus 77	73.5 dB	+2.60 dB
18Yokohama W drive V905	73.7 dB	+2.80 dB
19Gislaved EuroFrost 5	73.9 dB	+3.00 dB
20Fulda Kristall Control HP2	74 dB	+3.10 dB
RefReference Summer	75.3 dB	+4.40 dB

The difference between best and worst was 6.2% (4.4 dB).

Wet

The shallow water wet testing results were a little more spread out, but the summer tyre still dominated. Again, the Pirelli was closest in wet braking, but this time there was over 4 meters separating the winter tyres when braking from 80 km/h.

Wet Braking
Position / Tyre	Result	Gap to best
RefReference Summer	31 m	-1.20 m
1Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	32.2 m	Best
2Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	32.5 m	+0.30 m
3Michelin Alpin 5	33.3 m	+1.10 m
4Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	33.4 m	+1.20 m
5Continental WinterContact TS 860	33.5 m	+1.30 m
6Dunlop Winter Sport 5	33.6 m	+1.40 m
7Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	34 m	+1.80 m
8Semperit Speed Grip 3	34.4 m	+2.20 m
9Yokohama W drive V905	34.7 m	+2.50 m
10Kumho WinterCraft WP71	34.8 m	+2.60 m
11Nokian WR D4	35 m	+2.80 m
12BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	35.1 m	+2.90 m
13Fulda Kristall Control HP2	35.5 m	+3.30 m
14Kleber Krisalp HP3	35.7 m	+3.50 m
15Barum Polaris 3	35.8 m	+3.60 m
16Hankook Winter i cept evo2	35.9 m	+3.70 m
17Uniroyal MS Plus 77	36 m	+3.80 m
18Firestone Winterhawk 3	36.3 m	+4.10 m
19Sava Eskimo HP2	36.4 m	+4.20 m
20Gislaved EuroFrost 5	36.5 m	+4.30 m

The difference between best and worst was 17.7% (5.5 m ≈ 1.2 Car Lengths).

This time the Pirelli matched its wet braking peformance and finished the best winter tyre during wet handling too.

Wet Handling
Position / Tyre	Result	Gap to best
RefReference Summer	77.5 km/h	+1.70 km/h
1Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	75.8 km/h	Best
2Michelin Alpin 5	74.9 km/h	-0.90 km/h
3Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	74.7 km/h	-1.10 km/h
4Continental WinterContact TS 860	74.6 km/h	-1.20 km/h
5Dunlop Winter Sport 5	74.2 km/h	-1.60 km/h
6Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	74.1 km/h	-1.70 km/h
7Nokian WR D4	73.6 km/h	-2.20 km/h
7Semperit Speed Grip 3	73.6 km/h	-2.20 km/h
9Yokohama W drive V905	73.5 km/h	-2.30 km/h
10Kleber Krisalp HP3	72.8 km/h	-3.00 km/h
11Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	72.6 km/h	-3.20 km/h
12BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	72.3 km/h	-3.50 km/h
13Firestone Winterhawk 3	72.2 km/h	-3.60 km/h
14Kumho WinterCraft WP71	72.1 km/h	-3.70 km/h
15Uniroyal MS Plus 77	71.9 km/h	-3.90 km/h
16Fulda Kristall Control HP2	71.3 km/h	-4.50 km/h
16Gislaved EuroFrost 5	71.3 km/h	-4.50 km/h
18Barum Polaris 3	71.2 km/h	-4.60 km/h
19Sava Eskimo HP2	71.1 km/h	-4.70 km/h
20Hankook Winter i cept evo2	70.6 km/h	-5.20 km/h

The difference between best and worst was 8.9% (6.9 Km/H).

The summer tyre could only manage fourth place overall in the deep water aquaplaning tests, with the Michelin owned BF Goodrich and Kleber taking the top two places.

Straight Aqua
Position / Tyre	Result	Gap to best
1BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	93.3 km/h	Best
2Kleber Krisalp HP3	90.9 km/h	-2.40 km/h
3Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	90.7 km/h	-2.60 km/h
RefReference Summer	90.5 km/h	-2.80 km/h
4Fulda Kristall Control HP2	90.5 km/h	-2.80 km/h
5Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	88.9 km/h	-4.40 km/h
6Michelin Alpin 5	88.7 km/h	-4.60 km/h
7Gislaved EuroFrost 5	88.3 km/h	-5.00 km/h
8Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	88.1 km/h	-5.20 km/h
9Nokian WR D4	87.8 km/h	-5.50 km/h
10Hankook Winter i cept evo2	87.5 km/h	-5.80 km/h
10Continental WinterContact TS 860	87.5 km/h	-5.80 km/h
10Uniroyal MS Plus 77	87.5 km/h	-5.80 km/h
13Dunlop Winter Sport 5	86.8 km/h	-6.50 km/h
14Semperit Speed Grip 3	86.5 km/h	-6.80 km/h
15Firestone Winterhawk 3	86.1 km/h	-7.20 km/h
16Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	85.5 km/h	-7.80 km/h
17Barum Polaris 3	85.4 km/h	-7.90 km/h
18Sava Eskimo HP2	85 km/h	-8.30 km/h
19Kumho WinterCraft WP71	84.8 km/h	-8.50 km/h
20Yokohama W drive V905	84.6 km/h	-8.70 km/h

The difference between best and worst was 9.3% (8.7 Km/H).

Snow

BF Goodrich and Kleber continued their success during the aquaplaning tests to stop the quickest when braking from 50 km/h on snow.

Snow Braking
Position / Tyre	Result	Gap to best
1BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	25.9 m	Best
2Kleber Krisalp HP3	26.7 m	+0.80 m
3Sava Eskimo HP2	27.2 m	+1.30 m
4Semperit Speed Grip 3	27.4 m	+1.50 m
5Continental WinterContact TS 860	27.5 m	+1.60 m
6Barum Polaris 3	27.6 m	+1.70 m
6Dunlop Winter Sport 5	27.6 m	+1.70 m
8Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	27.7 m	+1.80 m
8Nokian WR D4	27.7 m	+1.80 m
10Firestone Winterhawk 3	27.9 m	+2.00 m
11Gislaved EuroFrost 5	28 m	+2.10 m
12Fulda Kristall Control HP2	28.1 m	+2.20 m
12Uniroyal MS Plus 77	28.1 m	+2.20 m
14Yokohama W drive V905	28.3 m	+2.40 m
14Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	28.3 m	+2.40 m
16Hankook Winter i cept evo2	28.6 m	+2.70 m
17Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	28.7 m	+2.80 m
17Michelin Alpin 5	28.7 m	+2.80 m
19Kumho WinterCraft WP71	29.2 m	+3.30 m
20Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	29.8 m	+3.90 m
RefReference Summer	60.7 m	+34.80 m

The difference between best and worst was 134.4% (34.8 m ≈ 7.7 Car Lengths).

Barum took a surprise win during snow handling, with BF Goodrich a close second place. The reference summer tyre couldn't even manage a lap of the snow handling course.

Snow Handling
Position / Tyre	Result	Gap to best
1Barum Polaris 3	52.6 km/h	Best
2BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	52.3 km/h	-0.30 km/h
3Fulda Kristall Control HP2	52.2 km/h	-0.40 km/h
3Continental WinterContact TS 860	52.2 km/h	-0.40 km/h
5Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	52 km/h	-0.60 km/h
6Sava Eskimo HP2	51.9 km/h	-0.70 km/h
7Kleber Krisalp HP3	51.7 km/h	-0.90 km/h
8Dunlop Winter Sport 5	51.6 km/h	-1.00 km/h
9Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	51.4 km/h	-1.20 km/h
10Michelin Alpin 5	51.2 km/h	-1.40 km/h
11Semperit Speed Grip 3	51.1 km/h	-1.50 km/h
12Gislaved EuroFrost 5	50.9 km/h	-1.70 km/h
12Nokian WR D4	50.9 km/h	-1.70 km/h
12Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	50.9 km/h	-1.70 km/h
15Kumho WinterCraft WP71	50.7 km/h	-1.90 km/h
16Yokohama W drive V905	50.6 km/h	-2.00 km/h
17Firestone Winterhawk 3	50.4 km/h	-2.20 km/h
18Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	50.2 km/h	-2.40 km/h
19Hankook Winter i cept evo2	50 km/h	-2.60 km/h
20Uniroyal MS Plus 77	49.7 km/h	-2.90 km/h

The difference between best and worst was 5.5% (2.9 Km/H).

Cost

Difference between value and wear is an important distinction. Wear simply shows the projected mileage of the tyre, based on Auto Bild's testing. Value looks at the projected mileage divided by the price Auto Bild paid for the set, giving you a "euro per 1,000 km" figure. While Michelin offered the best value of the premium tyres on test, Nexen scored best in value thanks to excellent wear and a low purchase price.

Value
Position / Tyre	Result	Gap to best	cost per 1,000 km
1Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	7.55 Price/1000	Best	€16.32
2Sava Eskimo HP2	7.57 Price/1000	+0.02 Price/1000	€11.87
3Fulda Kristall Control HP2	9.13 Price/1000	+1.58 Price/1000	€13.76
4Kumho WinterCraft WP71	9.2 Price/1000	+1.65 Price/1000	€13.86
5Barum Polaris 3	9.33 Price/1000	+1.78 Price/1000	€12.80
6Gislaved EuroFrost 5	9.87 Price/1000	+2.32 Price/1000	€14.27
7Uniroyal MS Plus 77	11.47 Price/1000	+3.92 Price/1000	€13.82
8Kleber Krisalp HP3	11.55 Price/1000	+4.00 Price/1000	€17.94
9BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	12.3 Price/1000	+4.75 Price/1000	€18.02
10Michelin Alpin 5	12.43 Price/1000	+4.88 Price/1000	€19.29
11Hankook Winter i cept evo2	12.47 Price/1000	+4.92 Price/1000	€18.60
12Firestone Winterhawk 3	12.62 Price/1000	+5.07 Price/1000	€20.28
13Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	12.71 Price/1000	+5.16 Price/1000	€18.54
14Yokohama W drive V905	12.72 Price/1000	+5.17 Price/1000	€20.33
15Semperit Speed Grip 3	13.78 Price/1000	+6.23 Price/1000	€18.78
16Dunlop Winter Sport 5	15.04 Price/1000	+7.49 Price/1000	€20.48
17Continental WinterContact TS 860	15.94 Price/1000	+8.39 Price/1000	€21.17
18Nokian WR D4	16.1 Price/1000	+8.55 Price/1000	€22.50
19Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	16.59 Price/1000	+9.04 Price/1000	€22.29
20Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	16.88 Price/1000	+9.33 Price/1000	€23.52

The difference between best and worst was 123.6% (9.33 Price/1000). Over 40,000 km the cheapest tyre to own (Sava Eskimo HP2) works out €466 cheaper than the most expensive (Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3).

How this is calculated

Assumes a typical car using 8 l/100km (with rolling resistance causing 20% of fuel use), fuel at €1.65 per litre and €70 fitting per set of four. Purchase prices are from the time of the 2017 test; financing costs are excluded.

Wear
Position / Tyre	Result	Gap to best
1Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	48,375 KM	Best
2Fulda Kristall Control HP2	47,625 KM	-750 KM
3Michelin Alpin 5	44,250 KM	-4,125 KM
3Sava Eskimo HP2	44,250 KM	-4,125 KM
5Kumho WinterCraft WP71	42,375 KM	-6,000 KM
6Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	40,125 KM	-8,250 KM
7BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	38,625 KM	-9,750 KM
8Uniroyal MS Plus 77	37,500 KM	-10,875 KM
8Gislaved EuroFrost 5	37,500 KM	-10,875 KM
8Barum Polaris 3	37,500 KM	-10,875 KM
11Kleber Krisalp HP3	36,375 KM	-12,000 KM
12Dunlop Winter Sport 5	35,250 KM	-13,125 KM
13Hankook Winter i cept evo2	34,875 KM	-13,500 KM
13Firestone Winterhawk 3	34,875 KM	-13,500 KM
15Continental WinterContact TS 860	34,500 KM	-13,875 KM
16Semperit Speed Grip 3	33,375 KM	-15,000 KM
17Yokohama W drive V905	32,625 KM	-15,750 KM
18Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	32,250 KM	-16,125 KM
19Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	29,625 KM	-18,750 KM
20Nokian WR D4	28,875 KM	-19,500 KM

The difference between best and worst was 40.3% (19,500 KM).

While none of the winter tyres could beat the summer tyre during the rolling resistance testing, a number of tyres were close. Ironically, the best value tyre on test had the worst rolling resistance, which will offset some of the savings made over the tyres tread life.

Rolling Resistance
Position / Tyre	Result	Gap to best	Extra fuel / year
RefReference Summer	7.1 kg/t	-0.13 kg/t	£0
1Uniroyal MS Plus 77	7.23 kg/t	Best	£0
2Barum Polaris 3	7.53 kg/t	+0.30 kg/t	£18
3Gislaved EuroFrost 5	7.78 kg/t	+0.55 kg/t	£34
4Sava Eskimo HP2	7.83 kg/t	+0.60 kg/t	£37
5Semperit Speed Grip 3	7.88 kg/t	+0.65 kg/t	£40
6Kumho WinterCraft WP71	7.91 kg/t	+0.68 kg/t	£41
7Fulda Kristall Control HP2	7.95 kg/t	+0.72 kg/t	£44
8Continental WinterContact TS 860	7.96 kg/t	+0.73 kg/t	£45
9Dunlop Winter Sport 5	8.03 kg/t	+0.80 kg/t	£49
10Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	8.05 kg/t	+0.82 kg/t	£50
11BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	8.15 kg/t	+0.92 kg/t	£56
12Nokian WR D4	8.17 kg/t	+0.94 kg/t	£57
13Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	8.2 kg/t	+0.97 kg/t	£59
14Hankook Winter i cept evo2	8.21 kg/t	+0.98 kg/t	£60
15Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	8.25 kg/t	+1.02 kg/t	£62
16Kleber Krisalp HP3	8.3 kg/t	+1.07 kg/t	£65
17Michelin Alpin 5	8.52 kg/t	+1.29 kg/t	£79
18Yokohama W drive V905	8.57 kg/t	+1.34 kg/t	£82
19Firestone Winterhawk 3	8.62 kg/t	+1.39 kg/t	£85
20Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	9.07 kg/t	+1.84 kg/t	£112

The difference between best and worst was 27.7% (1.97 kg / t). Over 19,000 km a year at £1.45/L, the Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 uses about 77 L (£112) more fuel than the Uniroyal MS Plus 77.

Adjust the assumptions

Calculated estimates, not additional measurements. Use the controls to explore the assumptions.

Petrol/Diesel Electric

Annual Mileage

19,000 km

km (L)

miles (US gal)

Fuel Price

£1.45/L

GBP (£)

EUR (€)

USD ($)

Set my vehicle consumption

Estimates based on typical driving conditions. Rolling resistance accounts for approximately 20% of IC vehicle fuel consumption and 25% of EV energy consumption. Actual savings vary based on driving style, vehicle weight, road conditions, and tyre age. For comparative purposes only. Lifetime savings based on a 40,000km / 25,000 mile tread life.

Results

The full results are below, and have Auto Bild's usual confusing weighting attached to each of the criteria. For more information, be sure to check out the Auto Bild website (German).

Exemplary.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	7
Wet	7
Snow	7
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	6
Wear	5
Cost	4

Total: 48

Exemplary.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	7
Snow	6
Comfort	7
Rolling Resistance	4
Noise	7
Wear	8
Cost	6

Total: 51

Exemplary.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	7
Snow	6
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	6
Wear	5
Cost	5

Total: 47

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	7
Snow	7
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	7
Wear	4
Cost	3

Total: 46

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	6
Snow	7
Comfort	7
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	7
Wear	4
Cost	5

Total: 48

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	6
Snow	9
Comfort	7
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	8
Wear	6
Cost	6

Total: 53

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	6
Snow	7
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	5
Wear	9
Cost	8

Total: 53

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	8
Snow	6
Comfort	4
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	9
Wear	7
Cost	6

Total: 51

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	6
Snow	8
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	5
Noise	8
Wear	6
Cost	7

Total: 51

Good.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	5
Snow	6
Comfort	5
Rolling Resistance	3
Noise	8
Wear	9
Cost	9

Total: 51

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	5
Snow	6
Comfort	5
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	5
Wear	6
Cost	8

Total: 47

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	5
Snow	6
Comfort	4
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	7
Wear	7
Cost	8

Total: 48

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	5
Snow	6
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	8
Noise	6
Wear	6
Cost	7

Total: 49

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	6
Snow	6
Comfort	5
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	7
Wear	3
Cost	4

Total: 42

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	5
Snow	6
Comfort	4
Rolling Resistance	4
Noise	6
Wear	4
Cost	6

Total: 40

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	4
Snow	8
Comfort	5
Rolling Resistance	7
Noise	6
Wear	6
Cost	8

Total: 50

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	5
Wet	4
Snow	6
Comfort	3
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	6
Wear	8
Cost	9

Total: 47

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	8
Snow	4
Comfort	4
Rolling Resistance	5
Noise	6
Wear	3
Cost	3

Total: 39

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	4
Snow	6
Comfort	5
Rolling Resistance	4
Noise	7
Wear	5
Cost	6

Total: 43

Average.

All discipline results (8)

Test	Result
Dry	6
Wet	5
Snow	4
Comfort	3
Rolling Resistance	6
Noise	6
Wear	5
Cost	6

Total: 41

Discussion

18 comments

Mickey Sep 18, 2018 archived

If you ditch the handling tests because the difference in speed is close to irrelevant, you can see that there is no way that Continental can be the best, mainly because high price and poor wear. Be sure on what surface you drive the most, it may be snowing but if the road is clear it is wet surface etc. I would suggest that you redo the results of the tes without the speed tests because they don't matter, safety comes first on winter tyres !

#3856
1. Dataminer with PhD Mickey Aug 28, 2019 archived
  
  But the speed measurement is a direct metric on how safe the tyre is. For example the higher the aquaplaning speed is the safer it is to drive in a wet condition if the speed is below that measurement.
  
  #5045
Riccardo Dec 14, 2017 archived

Hi Jonathan, I cannot understand the meaning of Dry and Wet Braking for Reference Summer. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't summer tires stop after winter tires during the bad season? Thanks for the clarification.

#3099
1. TyreReviews Riccardo Dec 14, 2017 archived
  
  Do you mean in the dry and wet? A good summer tyre will always beat a winter tyre in the dry, and the wet braking can be very close between the best summer and winter tyres.
  The summer tyre behaves as you would expect in the snow!
  
  #3100
  1. Riccardo TyreReviews Dec 14, 2017 archived
    
    So what is the utility of winter tires if the summer ones stop first in the wet???
    I am talking about my climate, very rainy but almost never snowy in Fall/Winter...
    
    #3101
    1. TyreReviews Riccardo Dec 14, 2017 archived
      
      The winter tyre works in lower / freezing temperatures, and obviously works on snow and ice. But I agree, a winter tyre isn't always the best choice.
      https://www.youtube.com/wat...
      
      #3102
      1. Riccardo TyreReviews Dec 14, 2017 archived
        
        Anyway, one morning of the last week my Goodyear Ultragrip Performance Gen-1 saved me from a crash. It was cold and it was raining, so they did their job very well...
        
        #3103
Richard DuBois Nov 8, 2017 archived

Unable to find Nokian WRD4 on their website. Is this an old model ?
Also cannot find anywhere in this test a statement as to whether any of these tires are studded or non-studded.
Best current studded tire I know of is Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9

#2985
1. TyreReviews Richard DuBois Nov 8, 2017 archived
  
  The Nokian WRD4 is a European winter, which are studless by default. It's their current leading central european product:
  https://www.nokiantyres.com...
  
  #2986
Ursu Bogdan Nov 6, 2017 archived

The Bridgestone Blizzak LM 001 has class C for wet braking
How is possible in your test to be no 3 before Continental, Michelin, etc, which has B class?
Thank you for your answer

#2978
1. TyreReviews Ursu Bogdan Nov 6, 2017 archived
  
  As with the Nokian question below, it might be this test used an newer version of the tyre with better label scores, or that the Bridgestone tyre is more sensitive to this braking test scenario - things such as temperature, vehicle used and Mu of the road surface all make a difference.
  
  #2979
  1. Ursu Bogdan TyreReviews Nov 6, 2017 archived
    
    Thank you for answer.
    May you recommend me a tire model for a weather more wet than snow ?
    Also ice from time to time.
    Thank you
    
    #2980
    1. TyreReviews Ursu Bogdan Nov 6, 2017 archived
      
      The winner of this test would be a good place to start your research :)
      
      #2981
Ufuk AKKAŞOĞLU Nov 3, 2017 archived

If you look at the EU label, Nokian has A grade wet braking performance; however, in this test, it sits behind the tyres who has B grade wet braking performance in EU label.
How is this possible? Which one is wrong: EU label or the test :)
Another question: 205/55 R17 95V Goodyear winter tire tyre has C grade wet braking performace in its EU label, while same tyre has B grade performance in 215/55 R17 98V. Is it normal to have that difference? To be honest, I would expact better performance in 205 than 215, since width is smaller (only in wet and snow, in dry roads it's vice versa)

#2971
1. TyreReviews Ufuk AKKAŞOĞLU Nov 6, 2017 archived
  
  It's normal to have a difference between sizes in the brands, you can even sometimes find the same tyre / size on sale with different label scores if a more recent manufacturer date has had a compound update to improve the label score.
  As for the Nokian being an A, there's no way a company like Nokian would lie on the EU label test. It might be this test used an older version of the tyre with worse label scores, or that the Nokian tyre was more sensitive to this braking test scenario - things such as temperature, vehicle used and Mu of the road surface all make a difference.
  
  #2975
UK winter Oct 31, 2017 archived

So basically the almost last tire in this test(am looking at you Pirelli),is actually the best "winter" tire for our mild(less snowy) winters?

#2966
1. TyreReviews UK winter Oct 31, 2017 archived
  
  It certainly wouldn't be that low in a UK based test, though if you're more concerned about dry and wet performance (which is good for the UK) I'd suggest something like the Michelin CrossClimate.
  
  #2967
  1. UK winter TyreReviews Oct 31, 2017 archived
    
    Good suggestion,but in my size(205/50 r17) they are prohibitively expensive.
    And the all-season test only confirm that there isn't much else to choose from.So I guess my old(2010) wintersport 3d will have to hold on for a one more winter trough.
    
    #2968

Tyre	Continental WinterContact TS 860	Michelin Alpin 5	Dunlop Winter Sport 5	Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1	Semperit Speed Grip 3	BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	Fulda Kristall Control HP2	Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO	Kleber Krisalp HP3	Nexen WinGuard Sport 2	Gislaved EuroFrost 5	Kumho WinterCraft WP71	Uniroyal MS Plus 77	Nokian WR D4	Yokohama W drive V905	Barum Polaris 3	Sava Eskimo HP2	Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3	Firestone Winterhawk 3	Hankook Winter i cept evo2
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