Cooper WM SA2 vs Barum Polaris 3
In the 4 independent tests that ran both tyres, the Barum Polaris 3 finished ahead 3 times and the WM SA2 once.
Performance profile
Their shared tests recorded too few of the same measurements to chart, so the chart shows what owners rate each tyre on every question.
Where owners rate each higher
WM SA2
Not ahead in any category
Polaris 3
Point at or tap any spoke for both tyres' figures.
Owners rate the WM SA2 77% from 6 reviews and the Polaris 3 86% from 18. Each spoke is one question owners answer out of 10; reviews are vetted by hand before publication.
Head to head in 4 tests, 2014 to 2016
Each row is one published test in which both tyres ran on the same car, in the same size, on the same day. The line is the whole field, winner on the left.
| Test | WM SA2 | Field | Polaris 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Winter Tyre Market Overview | P9 of 49 | P8 of 49 | |
| 2015 Winter Tyre Market Overview | P34 of 51 | P9 of 51 | |
| 2014 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | P16 of 16 | P11 of 16 | |
| 2014 50 Winter Tyre Braking Overview | P8 of 49 | P16 of 49 |
WM SA2 vs Polaris 3: your questions
Is the Cooper WM SA2 or the Barum Polaris 3 the better tyre?
In the 4 independent tests that ran both tyres, the Barum Polaris 3 finished ahead 3 times and the WM SA2 once. On the Tyre Reviews Score, which weighs every test and review we hold, the WM SA2 scores 6.9 and the Polaris 3 7.2 out of 10.
Which is quieter and more comfortable?
Owners rate comfort 7.3/10 for the WM SA2 and 8.6/10 for the Polaris 3.
What do owners say?
Owners rate the WM SA2 77% from 6 reviews and the Polaris 3 86% from 18. 83% of WM SA2 owners would buy it again, against 94% for the Polaris 3.
More comparisons with these tyres
Run either of these?
Your review is the part of this page no test can supply: how the tyre wore, how it aged, what it was like in the rain in year three. It takes about five minutes.
Where this data comes from
Finishing positions and measurements are transcribed from each published test. A test only counts here when both tyres ran in it, so every figure was recorded on the same car, size and day as the one it is compared to.
About the TR Score
The Tyre Reviews Score rates each tyre out of 10 from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold, so two tyres can be compared even before a test has run them together.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tyre Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tyres independently since 2007.