The 2023 TESTIRENKAAT Snow Tyre Test tested eight tyres designed for extreme winters in the popular 205/55 R16 size.
This is a really interesting test as the four premium tyres are studless friction tyres, and the four budget tyres are studded, so it gives us an interesting data point to compare the best of the new studless friction soft compound tyres against the cheaper end of the studded market.
Friction Tyres:
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Dry Braking | ▲Pirelli Ice Zero FR: 30.67 M | ▼Antares GRIP 60 ice: 33.06 M |
Wet Braking | ▲Sunfull SF W11: 32.53 M | ▼Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5: 43.16 M |
Wet Handling | ▲Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 40.4 s | ▼Antares GRIP 60 ice: 44.9 s |
Snow Braking | ▲Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 11.28 M | ▼Sunfull SF W11: 12.96 M |
Snow Traction | ▲Pirelli Ice Zero FR: 4.34 s | ▼Antares GRIP 60 ice: 5.44 s |
Snow Handling | ▲Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5: 83.04 s | ▼Sunfull SF W11: 93.73 s |
Ice Braking | ▲Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 14.75 M | ▼Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60: 16.95 M |
Ice Traction | ▲Antares GRIP 60 ice: 5.95 s | ▼Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60: 7.71 s |
Ice Handling | ▲Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 69.76 s | ▼Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60: 89.39 s |
The testers had a few surprises from the studs vs friction results. The test saw a kind of changing of the guard, as Goodyear's new tyre rises to the top among Nordic friction tyres. The improvement over its predecessor is significant, and the Ultra Grip Ice 3 narrowly snatched victory from the Hakkapeliitta R5. The third-place Michelin falls noticeably behind the top two.
As for the main point of the test—the battle between friction and studded tyres—the differences were surprisingly large. We initially thought that even a slightly cheaper studded tyre would perform better than studless ones on ice, but only Antares succeeded, and that too only in longitudinal grip tests.
On asphalt, cheaper studded tyres generally perform better, which is not surprising since their rubber hardness is closer to summer than winter tyres. However, summer rubber compounds won't work in winter conditions, especially if the studs are also installed too deep or in the wrong positions.
The winter driving tests revealed why some tyres cost more than others. The performance of cheaper studded tyres drops significantly, emphasizing that making a winter tyre that works well in varying conditions is not easy. Bad winter tyres might perform quite well up to the grip limit, but their behavior can change radically beyond that.
Dry and Wet
On asphalt, inexpensive studded tires hold better on average than on snow and ice, which is not surprising, because the hardness of the rubber is closer to summer tires than winter tires. Still, the cheap studded tyres can have surprising and even dangerous behavior.
Dry Braking
Wet Braking
Wet Handling
Snow
In snow, the tires are rarely divided into two groups in all tests. In all tests, the friction tyres are the best tyres, with the low cost studs falling behind.
Snow Braking
Snow Traction
Snow Handling
Ice
It was noteworthy that on ice the premium friction tires beat the cheap studded tyres in the handling tests. When the tires are straight, the studs bite better on slippery ice, and in the acceleration tests two studded tires fit in the top three - but only one in the braking test.
Ice Braking
Ice Traction
Ice Handling
Results
1st: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ice and Snow: Best control, excellent grip on ice, excellent grip on snow; Wet Conditions: Summer tyre-like steering, safe and easy to drive in wet conditions, extreme situation behavior not as good as the best. .Buz ve Kar: En iyi kontrol, buzda mükemmel tutuş, karda mükemmel tutuş; Islak Koşullar: Yaz lastiği benzeri direksiyon, ıslak koşullarda güvenli ve kolay sürüş, ekstrem durumlardaki davranışları en iyiler kadar iyi değil. .Eis und Schnee: Beste Kontrolle, hervorragender Grip auf Eis, hervorragender Grip auf Schnee; Nasse Bedingungen: Sommerreifen-ähnliche Lenkung, sicheres und einfaches Fahren bei Nässe, Verhalten in Extremsituationen nicht so gut wie die Besten. .Glace et neige : Meilleur contrôle, excellente adhérence sur la glace, excellente adhérence sur la neige ; Conditions humides : direction semblable à celle d'un pneu d'été, conduite sûre et facile dans des conditions humides, comportement dans des situations extrêmes pas aussi bon que le meilleur. .Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2nd: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ice and Snow: Best control, excellent grip on snow, good braking grip; Wet Conditions: Excellent extreme situation behavior, good driving characteristics on dry surfaces, oversteers in wet conditions. .Buz ve Kar: En iyi kontrol, karda mükemmel tutuş, iyi fren tutuşu; Islak Koşullar: Mükemmel ekstrem durum davranışı, kuru yüzeylerde iyi sürüş özellikleri, ıslak koşullarda aşırı dönüşler. .Eis und Schnee: Beste Kontrolle, hervorragender Grip auf Schnee, guter Bremsgrip; Nasse Bedingungen: Hervorragendes Verhalten in Extremsituationen, gute Fahreigenschaften auf trockener Fahrbahn, Übersteuern bei Nässe. .Glace et neige : Meilleur contrôle, excellente adhérence sur la neige, bonne adhérence au freinage ; Conditions humides : Excellent comportement dans des situations extrêmes, bonnes caractéristiques de conduite sur surfaces sèches, survirage dans des conditions humides. .Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3rd: Michelin X Ice Snow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ice and Snow: Safe driving behavior on snow, very good steering on snow, general grip level on ice is good; Wet Conditions: Excellent extreme situation behavior, good steering on dry surfaces, understeers in wet conditions. .Buz ve Kar: Karda güvenli sürüş davranışı, karda çok iyi direksiyon hakimiyeti, buzda genel tutuş seviyesi iyi; Islak Koşullar: Mükemmel ekstrem durum davranışı, kuru yüzeylerde iyi direksiyon hakimiyeti, ıslak koşullarda önden kayma. .Eis und Schnee: Sicheres Fahrverhalten auf Schnee, sehr gute Lenkung auf Schnee, allgemeines Grip-Niveau auf Eis ist gut; Nasse Bedingungen: Hervorragendes Verhalten in Extremsituationen, gute Lenkung auf trockenen Oberflächen, Untersteuern bei Nässe. .Glace et neige : comportement de conduite sûr sur la neige, très bonne direction sur la neige, le niveau d'adhérence général sur la glace est bon ; Conditions humides : Excellent comportement en situations extrêmes, bonne direction sur surfaces sèches, sous-virage en conditions humides. .Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4th: Pirelli Ice Zero FR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ice and Snow: Best traction on snow, most oversteering among friction tyres, weakest grip on ice among friction tyres; Wet Conditions: Summer tyre-like steering, best braking grip on dry surfaces, sharp grip limit in extreme situations. .Buz ve Kar: Karda en iyi çekiş, sürtünmeli lastikler arasında en fazla aşırı dönüş, sürtünmeli lastikler arasında buzda en zayıf tutuş; Islak Zemin Koşulları: Yaz lastiği benzeri direksiyon, kuru zeminlerde en iyi fren tutuşu, ekstrem durumlarda keskin tutuş sınırı. .Eis und Schnee: Beste Traktion auf Schnee, größtes Übersteuern unter den Reibreifen, schwächster Grip auf Eis unter den Reibreifen; Nasse Bedingungen: Sommerreifenähnliches Lenkverhalten, bester Bremsgrip auf trockener Fahrbahn, scharfe Grip-Grenze in Extremsituationen. .Glace et neige : meilleure traction sur la neige, survirage le plus fréquent parmi les pneus à friction, adhérence la plus faible sur la glace parmi les pneus à friction ; Conditions humides : direction semblable à celle d'un pneu été, meilleure adhérence au freinage sur surfaces sèches, limite d'adhérence serrée dans les situations extrêmes. .Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5th: Tigar Tigar Ice | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ice and Snow: Most balanced driving behavior among studded tyres, weak grip on ice, mediocre grip on snow; Wet Conditions: Good braking grip in wet conditions, good drivability in wet conditions, mediocre grip on dry surfaces. .Buz ve Kar: Çivili lastikler arasında en dengeli sürüş davranışı, buzda zayıf yol tutuşu, karda vasat yol tutuşu; Islak Zemin Koşulları: Islak zemin koşullarında iyi frenleme, ıslak zemin koşullarında iyi sürüş, kuru zeminlerde vasat yol tutuşu. .Eis und Schnee: Ausgewogenstes Fahrverhalten unter den Spikereifen, schwacher Grip auf Eis, mittelmäßiger Grip auf Schnee; Nasse Bedingungen: Guter Bremsgrip bei Nässe, gutes Fahrverhalten bei Nässe, mittelmäßiger Grip auf trockener Fahrbahn. .Glace et neige : comportement de conduite le plus équilibré parmi les pneus cloutés, adhérence faible sur glace, adhérence médiocre sur neige ; Conditions humides : Bonne adhérence au freinage sur sol mouillé, bonne maniabilité sur sol mouillé, adhérence médiocre sur sol sec. .Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6th: Sunfull SF W11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ice and Snow: Weak grip on ice, weakest grip on snow, very poor driving behavior on snow; Wet Conditions: Very good braking grip in wet conditions, good drivability in wet conditions, mediocre drivability on dry surfaces. .Buz ve Kar: Buzda zayıf tutuş, karda en zayıf tutuş, karda çok kötü sürüş davranışı; Islak Zemin Koşulları: Islak zemin koşullarında çok iyi frenleme, ıslak zemin koşullarında iyi sürüş kabiliyeti, kuru zeminlerde vasat sürüş kabiliyeti. .Eis und Schnee: Schwacher Grip auf Eis, schwächster Grip auf Schnee, sehr schlechtes Fahrverhalten auf Schnee; Nasse Bedingungen: Sehr guter Bremsgrip bei Nässe, gutes Fahrverhalten bei Nässe, mäßiges Fahrverhalten auf trockener Fahrbahn. .Glace et neige : Faible adhérence sur la glace, adhérence la plus faible sur la neige, très mauvais comportement de conduite sur la neige ; Conditions humides : Très bonne adhérence au freinage sur sol mouillé, bonne maniabilité sur sol mouillé, maniabilité médiocre sur sol sec. .Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7th: Antares GRIP 60 ice | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ice and Snow: Best traction on ice, very poor driving behavior on ice, weak grip on snow; Wet Conditions: Weakest drivability on dry surfaces, worst extreme situation behavior, poor grip in wet conditions, very high tyre noise. .Buz ve Kar: Buz üzerinde en iyi çekiş, buz üzerinde çok zayıf sürüş davranışı, karda zayıf tutuş; Islak Koşullar: Kuru yüzeylerde en zayıf sürüş kabiliyeti, en kötü ekstrem durum davranışı, ıslak koşullarda zayıf tutuş, çok yüksek lastik gürültüsü. .Eis und Schnee: Beste Traktion auf Eis, sehr schlechtes Fahrverhalten auf Eis, schwacher Grip auf Schnee; Nasse Bedingungen: Schwächste Fahrbarkeit auf trockener Fahrbahn, schlechtestes Extremsituationsverhalten, schlechter Grip bei Nässe, sehr hohe Reifengeräusche. .Glace et neige : meilleure traction sur glace, très mauvais comportement de conduite sur glace, faible adhérence sur neige ; Conditions humides : maniabilité la plus faible sur surfaces sèches, comportement dans des situations extrêmes pires, mauvaise adhérence sur sol mouillé, bruit de pneu très élevé. .Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8th: Winrun Winter Max S1 WR60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ice and Snow: Weakest grip on ice, vague drivability, mediocre braking grip on snow; Wet Conditions: Average braking grip in wet conditions, poor extreme situation behavior, dangerous driving behavior in wet conditions. .Buz ve Kar: Buzda tutuş çok zayıf, sürüş kabiliyeti belirsiz, karda fren tutuşu vasat; Islak Koşullar: Islak koşullarda ortalama fren tutuşu, kötü ekstrem durum davranışı, ıslak koşullarda tehlikeli sürüş davranışı. .Eis und Schnee: Schwächster Grip auf Eis, ungenaue Fahrbarkeit, mittelmäßiger Bremsgrip auf Schnee; Nasse Bedingungen: Durchschnittlicher Bremsgrip bei Nässe, schlechtes Extremsituationsverhalten, gefährliches Fahrverhalten bei Nässe. .Glace et neige : adhérence la plus faible sur la glace, maniabilité vague, adhérence de freinage médiocre sur la neige ; Conditions humides : adhérence de freinage moyenne dans des conditions humides, mauvais comportement dans des situations extrêmes, comportement de conduite dangereux dans des conditions humides. .Read Reviews |