Winter Tyre Tests

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2023 Winter Tyre Tests

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

The 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP winter tyre test was an unusual test for Tyre Reviews. Due to travel schedules I was unable to drive the snow part of the testing, and as these tyres have been tested before this year I wouldn't have usually run such a similar test again, but this one had the possibility of a real world wear test which is hard to say no to. 

The results, well they are very interesting and shine a new light on some of the products tested.


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For the second winter test of 2023, Tyre Reviews as looked at nine of the best SUV performance winter tyres in the popular 235/60 R18 size. As always, all the tyres have been testing in the dry, wet and snow, and had the noise, comfort and rolling resistance analysed.

Will an heavier AWD vehicle have any impact on the overall results? Read on or watch the video below to find out!


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The 2023/24 Tyre Reviews winter tyre test has tested eleven of the most popular winter tyres on the market in the dry, wet and snow, and also analysed the rolling resistance, noise and comfort levels of the tyres to help you decide what the best tyre is for your own driving needs!


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Continental VikingContact 7

The extreme winter specialists at Vi Bilagare are back at it testing the latest and greatest studless friction winter tyres. This year they not only tested seven of the most popular studless friction nordic compounds in the popular 225/45 R17 tyre size, they also included an older tyre to see the effects of aging. The older tyre is am 8 year old, lightly used (6mm remaining) Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2, which has its work cut out as its "two-generation-newer" brother, the Hakkapeliitta R5 is also included in this test!


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Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

The 2023 AutoBild Allrad tyre test, conducted using a BMW X3, displayed various tyres' performance in numerous categories. Auto Bild tested the popular 225/60 R18 SUV / CUV crossover size and also included a summer tyre as reference.


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

The 2023 Sport Auto winter tyre test has tested ten uhp winter tyres using and Audi S3.

Why do you only see nine in the results below? The Kumho WinterCraft WP 52 was part of the tyre test but was eventually disqualified due to specific issues. While it showed moderate performance on snow and impressive braking capabilities on wet surfaces, it had a tendency to quickly lose grip in curves. The test tyres provided by the manufacturer demonstrated strong grip and a neutral, active behavior in wet conditions, along with very short braking distances on dry surfaces. 


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Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10

Sadly Tyre Reviews won't be conducting a studded tyre test this year, but thankfully the excellent testers at the Swedish magazine Vi Bilagare have, and as they're some of the best Nordic drivers in the world, you can be assured this is the best studded tyre test you'll see this year.

As always for a studded tyre test, the tyres were all tested in the dry, wet, snow and importantly ice, which is where studs really make a difference. To add another element to the testing this year Vi Bilagare bought a "joker" tyre, a lightly used Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 (the current version is the Hakkapeliitta 10) which was manufactured in 2015, making the tyre both old technology AND 8 years old. The testers noted that the tyre still had around 7mm of tread depth (compared to 9.1mm of the new Hakka 10) and that some studs had fallen out, and those which hadn't were somewhat blunted compared to new.


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Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

The 2023 TESTIRENKAAT Snow Tyre Test tested eight tyres designed for extreme winters in the popular 205/55 R16 size.

Interestingly 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.


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Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3

In the 2023 Sports Cars Winter Tyre Test conducted by AutoBild Sportscars, several tyres were evaluated on a Toyota GR Yaris, size 225/40 R18. The performance was evaluated across a range of parameters including dry braking, dry handling, wet braking, wet handling, straight aquaplaning, curved aquaplaning, snow braking, snow traction, snow handling, snow slalom, noise, and rolling resistance.

The Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 emerged as a strong performer, especially in wet conditions, securing the first position in both wet braking and wet handling. The tyre also performed well in snow scenarios, ranking third in snow traction, snow handling, and snow slalom. The rolling resistance of this tyre was found to be on the higher side, placing seventh, which might indicate a trade-off for its commendable grip in wet and snowy conditions. The tyre's performance in dry conditions was satisfactory but not leading, with a fourth-place finish in both dry braking and dry handling. The noise level was relatively low, scoring the second position, which might contribute to a quieter and more comfortable ride​.


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Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

Following on from the massive 54 winter tyre shootout in the popular 225/45 R18 size using a BMW 3 Series, Autobild have taken the top 20 tyres through to their full testing program to to work out exactly what tyre is best overall.

As always, the Autobild tests are amongst the best in the industry, so enjoy all the below data!


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Dunlop Winter Sport 5

Noteworthy performers from the 2023 16" ADAC winter tyre test included the Falken EUROWINTER HS02 with good dry braking, Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 showcasing remarkable wet braking, and the Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus excelling in snow and ice braking. On the flip side, the Austone SP 901 displayed weaknesses in wet conditions and aquaplaning scenarios. The Fulda Kristall Control HP2 emerged as a durable option with the longest wear, while the Barum Polaris 5 stood out for fuel efficiency. 

The biggest surprise is probably the winner. The  now aging Dunlop Winter Sport 5 emerged as the overall victor in the 2023 ADAC 16 Inch Tyre Test, exhibiting a balanced performance across various testing categories. Its well-rounded performance underscores its reliability and suitability for diverse road conditions, making it a commendable choice for motorists seeking a harmonized blend of safety, comfort, and efficiency


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

The 2023 Auto Bild winter tyre test has started by testing fifty-four performance winter tyres in wet braking, and then put the best thirty-one tyres through to a snow braking test, to find out the best fifteen tyres for their full winter testing program!

This is an impressive, and massive undertaking, and we applaud them for it. This test shows exactly which tyres perform well in the key safety braking tests, and where the cheap winter tyres can lose out.


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Continental WinterContact TS 870

Every year ADAC perform some of the most in depth tyre tests in the world, and this years 17 inch winter tyre test is no different.

For 2023 ADAC have taken15 of the most popular winter tyres in 225/45 R17 and tested them in all the usual tests, such as dry, wet and snow performance, but also put all 15 sets through ice braking, a real world road wear test, and measured particulate matter to tell you which tyre is best for the environment. 


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

The 2023 AMS SUV winter tyre test not only aims to answer what the best winter tyre in 255/45 R20 is, but also to find out if swapping from a regular diesel Kia Sorento to a fully electric Kia EV6 will make a difference to the results.


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2022 Winter Tyre Tests

Snow tyres, studless friction tyres, extreme winter tyres, nordic winter tyres. This category of tyre goes by many names, and they have one design goal, to be the very best on snow and ice for harsh winter climates, where studded tyres aren't appropriate, or for people who don't want studs.

To find out which is the best, Tyre Reviews has taken 7 of the most popular tyres available to both the North American and Nordic markets, and will be putting them through a full range of tests, including ice, snow, wet and dry testing to find out which is best at what. Also, to help you understand where these tyres fit in the market, I'm also including the very best of the central european and studded winter tyres, the Continental WinterContact TS870 and the studded Nokian Happapelliita 10.


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For this year's Tyre Reviews winter tyre test, we've got nine sets of the most popular winter tyres, half of which are brand new tyres for this year!

As always I'll be testing in the snow, wet and dry, and looking at rolling resistance, noise and comfort, to ensure you get the best overview of all the new winter tyres!


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Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV

We're going to let the test do the talking for this one. The excellent Swedish testers at ViBilagare have tested eight SUV studless friction winter tyres, included the new Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV and Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V3 using a Volvo V40 wearing 235/55 R18 tires. Fortunately, where the tyre patterns match those in the Tyre Reviews Nordic Winter Tyre Test, the results are very similar!


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Sadly here at Tyre Reviews we've not had time to do a studded tyre test for 2022, but fortunately the excellent testers at the Nordic publication Vibilagare have tested eight sets of studded winter tyres to show us which of the studded tyres on the market are the best! While the test size is an SUV size (235/55 R18) and the test vehicle a Volvo XC40, these results should give you an idea of the balance between the tyres in all sizes.

As you would hope, the tyres have been tested in the dry, wet, snow and ice. Which is of course the reason studded tyres exist.

Studded Tyre Test

The data is interesting, and in full below, but as we saw in the Tyre Reviews Studless Winter Tyre Test there is a pretty clear inversion between the tyres which priorities wet performance, and the tyres which priorities ice performance.


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

The 2022 Auto Bild Sports Car UHP Winter Tyre Test has tested nine popular performance winter tyres in the large 245/40 R19 size using a Cupra Formenta.


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Michelin Alpin 6

Following on from the fifty six winter tyre braking shootout, these are the top twenty winter tyres in the full Auto Bild Full Winter Tyre Test! 

As with the Auto Bild All Season tyre test, Auto Bild have performed one of the best winter tyre tests of the year, and have even tested wear! Overall the results are going to cause a little confusion, as the Michelin Alpin 6 wins this test overall, after performing relatively poorly in the 2022/23 Tyre Reviews Winter Tyre Test.

While the test sizes are similar, both 17" wheels, it's important to note that the Tyre Reviews test was 225/45 R17 and this test 215/55 R17. This result for the Alpin 6 is far more in line with the norm for the French winter tyre, which makes us further believe there was a problem with the tyres we tested this year. In short, there's no need to avoid the Michelin Alpin 6!


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Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

The 2022 Auto Bild SUV tyre test has tested ten sets of performance suv winter tyres in the popular 225/45 R19 size using a BMW X1, and included a reference summer tyre so we can compare the differences.


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

Once again the German publication Auto Bild have tested more winter tyres than anyone else in 2022! This years Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test starts with 56 winter tyres in 215/55 R17 which are all put through a wet braking test, with the top 30 also placed in a snow braking test, then the top 20 will be carried over to the full test.


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Continental WinterContact TS 870

For 2022, the excellent German test organisation ADAC have tested 15 winter tyres in 185/65 R15 and 15 crossover SUV winter tyres in 215/60 R16.

The results below are for the 185/65 R15 test, where we have no real surprises in the overall results. 


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Continental WinterContact TS 870

For 2022, the excellent German test organisation ADAC have tested 15 crossover SUV winter tyres in 215/60 R16 and 15 winter tyres in 185/65 R15.

The results below are for the 215/60 R16 test, where we have a few interesting quirks in the overall results. 


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Continental WinterContact TS 870

The 2022 Auto Zeitung performance winter tyre test has tested eight popular winter tyres in 225/45 R17.

Continental, Bridgestone and Michelin all perform well, with the Continental WinterContact TS870 taking another win in 2022 winter tyre tests thanks to a well balanced performance in all conditions, the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 performing extremely well in the dry and wet, and the Michelin Alpin 6 offering good grip in all conditions.


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Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

The first winter tyre test for 2022 is here, and it's the Auto Motor Und Sport UHP winter tyre test! This year AMS tested eight patterns in 245/45 R19 using an Audi A6 test vehicle.

There's almost nothing surprising about this test, it's nice when a test makes sense. At the front we have the Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 and Continental WinterContact TS870P (two of Tyre Reviews favorite UHP Winter tyres), with the wet masters Vredestein and Bridgestone following them up in third and fourth places overall.


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2021 Winter Tyre Tests

In this tyre test we take nine of the best performance winter tyres in the popular 225/40 R18 size and test them in the dry, wet and of course snow to see what the best winter tyre is for the 2021/22 autumn and winter.


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Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10

We're a little late posting this so there won't be much commentary, but hopefully someone will find it useful in 2022! In 2021, Moottori performed an excellent studded tyre test, and included 8 of the best studded winter tyres, including the new Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 which goes on to win the test, with the Michelin X-Ice North 4 also performing really well. 


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Hankook Winter i cept evo3

The 2021 Auto Bild Sportscars winter tyre test has tested twelve of the best winter tyres in 245/40 R18 size using a Mercedes C Class, AND have included a summer and all season tyre as reference.

This is exceptionally useful for those of us wondering whether to fit winter or all season tyres for the bigger while size, and for a change Auto Bild named the all season tyre used, it's the Vredestein Quatrac Pro. 

There are however some drawbacks to the single reference tyre. The Quatrac Pro is an older patter now, and certainly not the best all season tyre on the market anymore. This means while it was good in the dry, it didn't beat all the winter tyres as you'd expect (the Michelin CrossClimate 2 certainly would have), it struggled in the wet, and if you'd expected it to come last in a group of winter tyres in the snow tests, you're also in for a surprise.


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

For the 2021 Auto Express winter tyre test, Auto Express tested eight 225/45 R17 winter tyres using a VW Golf.

As usual we'll keep commentary to a minimum, instead encouraging you to head over to the Auto Express website to check out the full test.

The tyres included were very similar to the 2020 Auto Express winter tyre test, with Bridgestone winning the test again, with the new Continental second.


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

The 2021 Auto Zeitung SUV winter tyre test has tested ten suv winter tyres in 235/55 R18 size using a VW Tiguan crossover SUV.

As this is a smaller test when compared to other winter tyre tests we'll keep the introduction short. All ten sets of tyres were placed through the usual blend of dry, wet and snow testing, plus rolling resistance and noise.


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Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10

If you live in a part of the world that sees an extreme winter such as the Northern USA, Canada, and the Northern parts of Europe, you'll know that regular central European winter tyres just don't cut it. 

Winters which see snow on the roads for many months and lots of ice need extreme winter tyres, and there are two types to choose from. The original is the studded winter tyre, a tyre which has studs (pieces of metal) inserted into the soft winter compound allowing the tyre to really bite into the snow and ice below. 

Sadly, as great as studs are, they're damaging to the roads which is why tyre companies invented a category of winter tyre called studless friction winter tyres. While these don't have studs, they do have a vastly improved ability on snow and ice when compared to a "normal" winter tyre, and with advances in compounding technology they are quickly becoming an excellent alternative for all but the most extreme climates.


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Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Plus SUV

The 2022 Auto Bild Allrad SUV tyre test tested ten SUV / 4x4 winter tyres in the popular 235/55 R18 size, and included a reference summer tyre.

As in the Tyre Reviews winter tyre test, there was a tie for first place with the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+ SUV and Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV tying for the win.

Both tyres had slightly different approaches to grip, the Goodyear the more balanced tyre, only winning the wet handling test but scoring well in nearly all other tests, where as the Michelin won every snow test but performed relatively poorly in the wet testing.

The Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 performed well again, it's a tyre that seems to perform well in all tests with its only real weakness the worst dry braking on test, and the Vredestein Wintrac Pro placed fourth with an excellent wet braking and snow grip result.


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Continental WinterContact TS 870

The 2021 Auto Bild winter tyre test started its life as a fifty tyre wet and snow braking test, with the best performing twenty tyres proceeding to this test. This means the twenty tyres in this test are some of the best winter tyres for 2021 on the market!

Additionally Auto Bild have included the usual reference summer tyre, but also a budget winter tyre. It wasn't clear from the article how this tyre was chosen, but I imagine it was one of the worst tyres from the fifty tyre braking test intended to highlight just how bad cheap tyres can be. The results confirm the theory, with the cheap winter tyre performing well below average in nearly all tests.

The results, as always, were close at the top, with the new Continental WinterContact TS870 narrowly beating the Michelin Alpin 6. The new German tyre had a very consistent test, performing well in nearly all categories, and having the best wear on test!


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

The 2021 Auto Motor und Sport winter tyre test tested ten popular central European winter tyres in 195/55 R16. This size is used for vehicles such as the Audi A1, Dacia Sandero, Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2, Peugeot 208 and many more.

The Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 took another convincing test win, proving to be excellent in the wet and dry while still having reasonable snow performance. 


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Dunlop Winter Sport 5

ADAC tyre tests are some of the most influential in the world, and for the 2021 winter season ADAC have chosen to test eighteen 225/50 R17 tyres and sixteen 195/65 R15 winter tyres, across two tests. This article covers the 17" test, to see the 15" test please click here.


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Dunlop Winter Response 2

ADAC tyre tests are some of the most influential in the world, and for the 2021 winter season ADAC have chosen to test eighteen 225/50 R17 tyres and sixteen 195/65 R15 winter tyres, across two tests. This article covers the 15" test, to see the 17" test please click here.


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

It's the start of the 2021 all season and winter tyre test season, and what better way to start than the massive Auto Bild winter tyre shootout.

This year Auto Bild have tested FIFTY 205/55 R16 winter tyres in wet braking, then tested the best thirty five in snow braking. With the wet and snow braking distances combined, the top twenty tyres, from Bridgestone to Nokian, will feature in the full Auto Bild winter tyre test out in a few weeks.


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2020 Winter Tyre Tests

Here are the Tyre Reviews best winter tyres for the 2020 winter tyre season.

As usual, all these tyres have been picked based on data from Tyre Reviews testing, other tests from around the world, and user reviews - think of this as one big meta-analysis of the best winter / snow / studded tyres on the market. This video covers European, Nordic and North American winter tyres / tyres, and covers cars, SUV's and Electric vehicles (EVs.)


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Continental AllSeasonContact

All season VS winter tires is a hotly discussed topic, and while we've done our own test at various temperatures, it sadly didn't include any ice testing, or things like wet handling and rolling resistance testing.

Fortunately, our friends at Vi Bilagare once again have us covered. During their Nordic winter testing in 2020, the magazine included an all season and "european" winter tire alongside their usual selection of Nordic friction and studded winter tires.

As the all-season and European winter tire were being tested from a Nordic perspective, they had a significant testing on ice, which is a rarity for an all-season tire.

The results... well, I’m sure you can guess how each of the four tire types performed on each surface, but it's really cool to see all this data from one source.


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Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

Sadly there are very few professional tire tests conducted in North America, however the magazine Consumer Reports does an excellent job of educating the market with a number of huge tire tests every year.

While the public data is limited, you have to be a member to see the full results, we thought it would be important to database the information we have to help our American audience pick the right winter tire.

The 2020 Consumer Reports Winter Tire Test has tested seventeen of the best winter tires on the market in the popular 215/60 R16 size.


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Continental VikingContact 7

For their second winter test of 2020, the excellent Vi Bilagare have tested eight Nordic friction (studless) winter tyres.

As with the studded version, Vi Bilagare have performed a thorough test covering dry, wet, snow and ice, and should be considered one of the benchmarks for extreme winter testing in Europe. 

This test is particularly interesting as it has the new Michelin X-Ice Snow, Bridgestone Blizzak Ice, Pirelli Ice Zero FR and Nexen Winguard Ice Plus WH43 placed up against the established Nordic winter tyres from Continental, Goodyear and Nokian.


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Michelin X Ice North 4

For the 2020 Vi Bilägare Winter studded tire test, the Swedish magazine has tested 8 of the most extreme studded winter tyres in 205/60 R16.

As this is a studded winter tyre test, the testers placed much more emphasis on snow and ice performance, so if you're in a region that sees a lot of compacted snow and ice on the road during normal winters, this is a very useful test.


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

The 2020 Auto Zeitung has tested fourteen winter tyres in 205/55 R16, including new winter tyres from Bridgestone, Goodyear and Maxxis, as well as a low cost retreaded tyre.

While all the tyres were tested in the dry, wet and snow, sadly Auto Zeitung didn't include any handling data, instead just providing subjective feel scoring.


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Continental IceContact 3

If you're planning on undertaking a massive Nordic friction and studded winter tyre test, having the right facilities to conduct the test in is key. Fortunately for Test World, they own one of the best independent arctic testing facilities in the world which is why we're super excited to see this 21 tyre test, covering all the key friction studless and studded winter tyres on the market.

All tyres are in the popular 205/55 R16, and were tested using a VW Golf. There were some interesting new tyres in the test, including the first test of the studless Michelin X-Ice Snow.


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

For the 2020 Auto Express winter tyre test, Auto Express tested nine 205/55 R16 winter tyres using a VW Golf.


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

The 2020 ACE / ARBÖ / GTÜ winter tyre test has tested nine winter tyres in the popular 225/50 R17 size using a BMW 3 Series.


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Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Plus

The 2020 Auto Bild SUV Tyre test has tested ten crossover SUV / 4x4 winter tyres in the popular 225/55 R17 size, with a summer tyre included as a reference.

Of the ten tyres on test, the top four tyres were given the "Exemplary" award, which included the new Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+, the much improved Bridgestone Blizzak LM005, the new Michelin Alpin 6 and the Vredestein Wintrac Pro.

The test winning Goodyear had a good all round performance, with the testers noting the winter tyre felt precise and dynamic in all conditions. The Bridgestone LM005 performed well in the dry and wet to secure second place, while the joint third Michelin and Vredestein pair performed well in all tests, but either cost more to buy (Michelin) or used more fuel (Vredestein.)


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

ADAC tyre tests are some of the most influential in the world, and for the 2020 winter season ADAC have chosen to test fifteen 205/55 R16 of the best winter tyres for cars, and thirteen 235/55 R17 winter tyres for SUV / 4x4.


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Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

ADAC tyre tests are some of the most influential in the world, and for the 2020 winter season ADAC have chosen to test thirteen 235/55 R17 winter tyres for SUV / 4x4 and fifteen 205/55 R16 of the best winter tyres for cars.


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Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

Following on from the 52 winter tyre braking test, the top 20 winter tyres in 245/45 R18 have been put through the usual Auto Bild winter tyre tests, to discover the best performance winter tyre for the 2020 season.


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

Every year, the German publication Auto Bild selects a tyre size, finds as many winter tyres as possible in that size, and tests them all in wet braking. The top thirty tyres proceed to snow braking, then the top twenty overall to the full winter tyre test.

For the 2020 winter tyre test, Auto Bild rounded up fifty one winter tyres in the rather huge 245/45 R18 size, and a summer tyre as reference.


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2019 Winter Tyre Tests

Nokian WR Snowproof

The 2019 Auto Center winter tyre test is both good and bad. The positive is that out of ten 205/55 R16 patterns, it only includes two premium manufacturers. This means we get a much better look at the midrange bracket of winter tyres, which is great for those of us who want to save a little money, and all ten patterns on test have been tested for ice braking and traction which is now usually omitted from central European tyre testing.


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Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Plus

For their third winter tyre test of 2019, Auto Bild have stepped up the fun and fitted an Audi S5 with eleven sets of 255/35 R19 ultra high performance winter tyres, and included the usual set of reference summer tyres!

Following on from a win in Auto Express, the new Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+ takes its second win of 2019, once again proving to have a near flawless blend of qualities. Vredestein have also continued their run of good results with a very strong second place for the Wintrac Pro. This tyre is significantly cheaper than the premium winter tyres in the UK, so is probably the best choice if you need to save a few pounds.


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Are cheap winter tyres safe? To find out, we travelled to Finland, twice, to do snow, ice, wet and dry testing.

All tests were done using two cars, a VW Golf wearing 205/55 R16 tyres, and a heavier, larger Volvo S90 fitted with 245/45 R18 tyres.


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Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Plus

The 2019 Auto Express winter tyre test has tested ten 225/45 R17 winter tyres, and included a summer and all season product as a benchmark.

The newest winter tyre from Goodyear is shaping up to be an excellent winter product. Thanks to a near perfect all round performance, it wins another tyre test, narrowly beating the established king of winter motoring, the Continental WinterContact TS860.


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Continental IceContact 3

While studded tyres don't have much use in the UK, for parts of the Nordic countries they are essential for safe mobility.

To find out which of the latest studded winter tyres are worth fitting, Swedish magazine Vi Bilagare have tested seven studded winter tyres in 225/50 R17, and included a studless nordic friction winter tyre as a comparison.


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

It's winter testing time, and as always, Auto Bild are leading the way! Following on from the 53 winter tyre shoot-out, Auto Bild have taken the top twenty 225/45 R17 tyres through to the full test, along with a summer tyre as reference. Each set of tyres has been tested in the dry, wet and snow using a RWD BMW 1 Series, and Auto Bild are one of the few publications which test for wear. It's an exciting test! (if you're into tyres...)


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Winter tyre buying can be a confusing challenge, as there are now six types of tyre you can realistically fit to your car. But which is best? To find out, I test summer, all season, all weather, winter, extreme winter and studded tyres in dry, wet, snow and ice testing, covering handling, braking and grip.


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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

Following on from the All Season tyre market overview, Auto Bild have published their winter version of the shootout style braking test.

For the winter test, Auto Bild have tested 53 winter tyres in 225/45 R17 in wet and snow braking. The two braking distances are combined, and the top twenty tyres go through to a full test covering all aspects of a tyres performance.


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Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Plus

Warning, lots of data ahead! For the 2019 winter, Auto Motor und Sport have tested eleven of the best winter tyres in the 215/55 R17 crossover SUV size.

The biggest plus of this test is the sheer amount of data they've produced, as they've rated the tyres both objectively and subjectively in a lot of categories.


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Dunlop Winter Response 2

This year the German motoring organisation ADAC have tested sixteen winter tyres in the popular 185/65 R15.


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Ever wondered what the best type of tire is to fit to your pickup truck? We can probably all agree that MT tyres look the coolest, but what drawbacks are you making by fitting an M/T tyre, then spending all your time on normal roads?

In this test, I team up with General Tire to test a HT road tire, a mild all terrain tire, an aggressive AT tire, and of course a chunky MT tire in both 265/70 R17 and LT315/70 R17 sizes.
 

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2018 Winter Tyre Tests

Continental IceContact 2

While studded tyres aren't suitable for the normal UK winter, Tyre Reviews does have a lot of international readers, which is why we're covering this excellent studded winter tyre test from the Swedish publications Vi Bilägare.

Why this one? Well, they've used a Volvo V30 to test seven studded tyres in the very common 205/55 R16 tyre size, and they've also included a friction studless nordic winter tyre.


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

The 2018 Auto Motor und Sport [AMS] winter tyre test has tested eleven winter tyre patterns in the popular 205/55 R16 winter tyre size, using a Seat Ibiza.


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Michelin Latitude Alpin 2

For 2018, the German publication Auto Zeitung have tested nine SUV / 4X4 winter tyre patterns in 235/60 R18 using an Audi Q5.

The tyres on test covered the premium and midrange segments, with a single budget tyre included, the Wanli Snowgrip S1083. The Wanli tyre was less than half the price of the most expensive tyres on test, so it will be interesting to see whether the Chinese manufactured tyre can improve on past performances.


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Goodyear UltraGrip Performance SUV Gen 1

The 2018 Auto Bild SUV / 4x4 winter tyre test has used an Audi Q5 to test ten 235/60 R18 winter tyres, with the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen-1 SUV proving to be the best tyre on test thanks to an excellent all-round performance.

Surprisingly Pirelli edged out Continental to second place, with a brilliant result for the Pirelli Scorpion Winter. This tyre has been on the market a number of years now, and historically hasn't tested as well as Goodyear or Continental, so there must have been and update for the 2018 winter season.

The Continental Winter Contact TS850P SUV rounded out the top three, with its only real weakness appearing during the important dry braking tests.


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Vredestein Wintrac Pro

Following on from the 195/65 R15 winter tyre test, the excellent German publication Auto Bild have tested ten UHP winter tyres in 245/45 R18.

The biggest shock in the test is the winner - it's the brand new Vredestein WinTrac Pro. This new tyre from Vredestein proved to have Continental like qualities, displacing the Continental WinterContact TS850 P from it's usual top spot and performing well in the dry, wet and snow tests. The Continental WinterContact TS850 Pl, which has now been replaced by the Continental WinterContact TS860 S, proved that it's still a quality option and finished a very close second place.


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

The weekly UK publication Auto Express has just published their 2018 winter tyre test! This year Auto Express have tested eight winter tyre patterns in 205/55 R16 using a VW Golf.


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

As in 2017, the German club ACE have tested all season and winter tyres in exactly the same tests! On test are nine 185/65 R15 winter tyre patterns, and three all season tyres in the same size, and they used an Opel Corsa as the test vehicle.

All twelve tyres were put through identical dry, wet and snow testing, and to further highlight the point that most all season tyres are interchangeable with winter tyres, the all season tyres finished second, fifth and ten places overall.


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Dunlop Winter Sport 5

Following on from the 51 winter tyre braking test, the excellent German publication Auto Bild have promoted the best 20 tyres to their full winter test, which covers every aspect of the winter tyres performance.

As always, an (unnamed) summer and all season tyre have been included as reference, and to make a change from the past few years, it isn’t the remarkable Continental WinterContact TS860 taking the top spot overall…


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

This year the German motoring orginisation ADAC have tested winter tyres in 175/65 R14 and 205/55 R16.

Both tests continue Continentals winter dominance, with two win for the Continental WinterContact TS860. 


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

This year the German motoring orginisation ADAC have tested winter tyres in 205/55 R16 and 175/65 R14

Both tests continue Continentals winter dominance, with two win for the Continental WinterContact TS860. 

Second and third places were taken by the sisters brand Goodyear and Dunlop, with all three of the leading tyres proving to offer an excellent balance of winter performances.


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

This year AutoBild have placed 51 195/65 R15 winter tyres through wet braking tests, with the top thirty tyres also being tested for snow braking performance. Only the top twenty have gone through to the full Auto Bild winter tyre test!

With the best winter tyre on test stopping the VW Golf in 34.3 meters, and the worst tyre on test at 49.8 meters, you can see why it's extremely important to judge a winter tyres performance as much on wet grip as it is snow grip.


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2017 Winter Tyre Tests

Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9

While studded tyres aren't suitable for the UK climate, they are the best way of staying mobile in extreme winter conditions. Each tyre can have hundreds of studs, which bite into ice with far more grip than a studless friction winter tyre can give. There are of course drawbacks to studded tyres, they're very noisy, and they give up a lot of dry and wet performance when compared to a European winter tyre, but in climates such as Russia and the Nordic countries where you are likely to be driving on ice for weeks at a time, there's little alternative.


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Continental WinterContact TS 850 P

We're a little bit late with this one, as it's likely the UK has had most of its bad weather for winter 2017/18, however we can't resist covering a winter ultra high performance tyre test, especially when they use a RWD Toyota GT86 as the test car!

For this test, Sport Auto magazine fitted the GT86 with ten different patterns of 225/40 R18 sports winter tyres, and put the tyres through the normal dry, wet and snow testing.


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Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1

For 2017, the "All Road" edition of the German publication Auto Bild has tested ten 225/55 R17 winter tyres. This size is commonly used by compact crossovers, such as the BMW X1 used in this test.

The biggest interest in this test was the Chinese budget winter tyre from Pace. With the most expensive set of winter tyres costing 660 euros at time of test, the budget Pace tyres were a full 400 euros cheaper, at just 260 euros. Are the savings worth the performance drop? Read on below to find out.


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Nokian WR D4

For 2017 the Polish publication AutoCentrum has tested eight studless winter tyres in 185/65 R15. As with the other winter tyre tests we've featured across 2017, AutoCentrum tests the winter tyres in the dry, wet and snow, but also includes ice testing, a first for 2017.

Six of the tyres on test are European winter tyres which are available to the UK market, and two of the tyres (Debica Frigo 2 and Sava Eskimo Ice) are full nordic friction winter tyres, so it should give us a good overview of how these two different types of tyres perform, and why Nordic winter tyres aren't suitable for the UK market.


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BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2

Fifty winter tyres have been put through wet braking tests, with the top thirty also tested for snow braking performance. Only the top twenty have gone through to the full Auto Bild winter tyre test!


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

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.


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Dunlop Winter Sport 5 SUV

Sadly there's very little data available for this 235/55 R17 SUV tyre test conducted by the European motoring bodies ACE / ARBO / GTU, nor are Michelin featured, but it's still worth a read if you drive a crossover vehicle such as the Ford Kuga or Volkswagen Tiguan which uses this tyre size.


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Dunlop Winter Sport 5

This year the German motoring orginisation ADAC have tested winter tyres in 195/65 R15 and 215/65 R16.

Unusually for a winter tyre test, Continental faulter in this 215/65 R16 SUV tyre size, only finishing seventh overall. This leaves the door open for Dunlop to take first place with the Winter Sport 5 which proves to have a very balanced all round performance with no glaring weaknesses.

BF Goodrich finished in a very strong second place, winning the majority of the test categories but missing out on the top spot due to a slightly weak wet performance, where as the third placed Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen-1 proved to be extremely strong in the wet, but a little disappointing on snow.


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

This year the German motoring orginisation ADAC have tested winter tyres in 195/65 R15 and 215/65 R16.

The 195/65 R16 winter tyre test continues Continentals winter dominance, with another win for the Continental WinterContact TS860. 


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

Issue 1,495 of the weekly UK publication Auto Express contains their 2017 winter tyre test!

This year Auto Express have tested eight winter tyre patterns in 225/45 R17 using a VW Golf in the dry and wet, and an Audi A3 in the snow. 

Auto Express have previously asked us to keep our coverage of their tests to a minumum, so below is a summary of what went on. The full results can be found on the Auto Express website, which we will link as soon as they're online.

Overall, with just 3.9% covering the eight tyres on test, it's getting closer every year at the top.


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Continental WinterContact TS 850 P

The first winter tyre test of 2017 has been published! The German publication Auto Motor und Sport [AMS] have tested ten ultra high performance winter tyres in 225/40 R18. This extremely popular 18" tyre sizes is fitted to performance saloons such as the Audi A4, Skoda Octavia VRS, and the 232 bhp BMW 430i Grand Coupe used for this testing.


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2016 Winter Tyre Tests

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV

Winter tyres aren't exclusively reserved for two wheel drive vehicles, four wheel drive cars benefit too. This year Auto Bild have tested ten winter tyres in the popular 4x4 / SUV / Crossover size of 215/60 R17, which covers cars such as the Opel Mokka, Skoda Yeti, and the Volkswagen Tiguan.


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Continental WinterContact TS 850 P

This year Sport Auto magazine have tested six performance winter tyres in 235/40 R18.

Due to the limited number of patterns in the test, and no all season or summer comparison, we'll forgo the usual commentry and just present the results below.


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Goodyear UltraGrip Performance SUV Gen 1

While the four wheel drive systems and extra weight of large SUVs can give you a traction advantage in snow and ice over "normal" cars, you have roughly the same braking and turning ability as any other car on the road, which makes winter tyres a sensible option for anyone with an SUV requiring safe, year round motoring.

This year, Auto Bild have tested eight winter tyre patterns in 255/55 R18 using a BMW X5 in Northern Finland, across the usual array of dry, wet and snow tests, all while looking at the tyres comfort, rolling resistance and noise levels.


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

Issue 1,443 of the weekly UK publication Auto Express contains their excellent 2016 winter tyre test! This year Auto Express have tested eight winter tyre patterns in 205/55 R16 using a VW Golf, and like other publications have included an all season and summer tyre for comparison.


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

Each year, the German automotive publication Autobild trump all the other European magazines by putting out a huge winter tyre test, and this year is no different.

Starting out with fifty winter tyre patterns, Autobild tested all the tyres wet braking performance. Once the wet braking order was set, Autobild took the twenty seven patterns which stopped the car within 20% of the best through to snow braking, then the top twenty wet and snow braking results combined this, the full tyre test.


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Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1

Using a BMW 3 Series wearing 245/40 R18 tyres, Auto Bild placed eight ultra high performance winter tyre patterns to the test.


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

Most magazines look to test around ten different tyre patterns each test, with some pushing up to fifteen different tyres. Auto Bild like to go a step further and this year, have tested test fifty sets of 205/55 R16 winter tyres.


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Continental WinterContact TS 860

Once again in 2016, the German Magazine Auto Zeitung have provided one of the most exciting winter tyre tests we've covered. Testing thirteen of the latest winter tyres in 205/55 R16, including the Continental WinterContact TS860, Dunlop Winter Sport 5, Goodyear UltraGrip 9 and Nokian WR D4, Auto Zeitung have also included the Michelin CrossClimate summer-bias all season tyre as a comparison.


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2015 Winter Tyre Tests

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1

Testing 10 premium UHP winter tyres in 225/50 R17, including three patterns released in 2015, Auto Motor und Sport put the tyres through the usual range of dry, wet, snow and environmental tests across Finland and Germany.


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Continental WinterContact TS 850

Our copy of the 2015 ACE winter tyre test is a little thin on details, but we thought it was important to include as it tests many of the new winter tyres for 2015, in the popular 225/50 R17 tyre size.


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This year, Sport Auto have tested seven different UHP winter tyres in 235/35 R19, on a VW Golf R.

19


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Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1

There's not much we can say about the excellent 2015 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test, other than head over to the Auto Express site and check out the full review!


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Auto Bild MagazineBased on a combined snow and wet braking performance, this year Auto Bild have taken the best eightteen 185/60 R15 winter tyres through from their 2015 Winter Tyre Shootout, and one all season tyre, the Pirelli Cinturato All Season.

From the fifty tyres tested, there were some surprise drop outs. The Vredestein Snowtrac 5, Yokohama W.Drive, Toyo Snowprox S943 and Avon Ice Touring were a few of the 32 tyres which failed to make the grade. Equally, tyres like the Semperit Speed Grip 2, Barum Polaris 3, Gislavel Euro Frost 5 and Viking Snow Tech II were are few surprise inclusions, it will be interesting to find out if they can live up to the established competition in the full winter tyre test.

 


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Dunlop Winter Sport 5

Most winter tyre tests cover sizes up to 16 inch wheels, as these are by far the most common winter tyre sizes fitted across Europe. Unfortunately, if you're looking to keep your performance car mobile over winter, these tests are largely useless as a reference, as tyre patterns and performances can drastically change as the sizes increase.

Luckily Auto Bild Sportscars have us covered with their latest ultra high performance winter tyre test. Auto Bild have taken eight UHP winter tyres in 225/40 R18 and tested them on a RWD Mercedes C Class across the usual range of snow, wet and dry tests and have included a summer tyre as reference.


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Auto Bild MagazineThe 2015 winter tyre test season is here, and as usual the German magazine Auto Bild have done an excellent job of giving us an overview of this years contenders.

Testing 51 tyres in 185/60R15, Auto Bild put each tyre through a wet braking test, then took the top 28 tyres through to the snow braking test. Once the snow braking results were in, the magazine combined the wet and snow distances to give an over all result, taking the top 15 tyres through to their full 2015 Winter Tyre Test.


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2014 Winter Tyre Tests

Continental WinterContact TS 850

In previous years Auto Express have been slow to publish their tyre tests online, but not this year - Auto Express have done such a great job on their website, there's nothing left for us to add!


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Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3

Winter tyres can be a problem in the UK. Mainland Europe are very good at putting smaller wheels and tyres on, but in the UK where even the most modest town hatchback is being fitted with 17 or 18 inch wheels as standard, and performance car now being fitted with 19 or even 20 inch wheels, finding a test covering larger winter wheel sizes can be difficult.

Fortunately Auto Bild Sportscars is there to offer us some guidance for the 2014 season, and have tested 235/35 R19 winter tyres on a BMW M135i. Sadly, they only managed to find six patterns to test, compared to fifty in their 205/55 R16 tests, but it gives us a good indication of what winter tyres are like in larger sizes.


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Continental WinterContact TS 850

 In 2014 Auto Zeitung have tested eleven 205/55 R16 premium winter tyres. 


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Continental WinterContact TS 850

The 2014 Auto Motor Und Sport tyre test was carried out in Sweden and Germany, and covered ten winter tyres in 205/55 R16. 


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Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D

The 2014 Auto Bild winter tyre test tested sixteen 225/50 R17 winter tyres across fifteen disciplines, covering snow grip, wet grip, dry grip, rolling resistance and comfort. 

Starting with fifty different tyre models, Auto Bild put every tyre through a winter tyres toughest test - wet braking. Auto Bild then took the top twenty winter tyres from wet braking through to snow braking, and once it had combined the wet and snow braking distances for the top twenty, it chose the top sixteen tyres  for this more thorough "full" test. 


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Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3

It's the test we look forward to all year, the Auto Bild winter tyre shootout. 

2014 sees Auto Bild testing fifty different winter tyres in 225/50 R17. As usual, they test all fifty tyres in wet braking from 50 mph, then take the top twenty through to a snow braking test from 31mph. The top fifteen from this test then go on to the full winter tyre test, where Auto Bild crown the best winter tyre of 2014. 


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2013 Winter Tyre Tests

Continental WinterContact TS 850

Thanks to recent harsh winters, the best tyre for the UK roads is a hot topic, and with 2013 predicted to be the harshest winter of recent times, now is the time to be swapping tyres.

UK winter tyres need a different blend of abilities to northern Europe winter tyres, with priority being placed on cold wet driving, rather than all out snow and ice grip. We have no need for nordic “full winters”, or studded tyres, and on balance they’d perform worse in our climate.


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Michelin Alpin A4 After testing 50 different winter tyres in wet and snow braking tests, Auto Bild have taken the top 15 performers through to a final shootout. In this super test, they've examined 16 aspects of the tyres performance, including all aspects of their snow performance, wet and dry capabilities and various other tests, such as wear and rolling resistance in 195/65 R15 on a VW Golf.

Read on for the full test!
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Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 Nine different performance winter tyres on an F10 3 Series in 225/50 R17 have been put through their paces by Auto Bild magazine.
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Continental WinterContact TS 850 225/50 R17, a BMW 3 Series and 8 sets of the latest winter tyres summarise the 2013 Auto Motor Und Sport winter tyre test.


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2012 Winter Tyre Tests

Continental WinterContact TS 830 P While it's true that SUVs, 4x4s and four wheel drive vehicles can offer improved traction in the snow over their two wheel drive counterparts, they sadly don't offer any advantages under braking and steering, mean if you want to keep mobile in all conditions, winter tyres can help.
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Just because your car runs wide, low profile wheels and tyres, it doesn't mean it shouldn't work in the snow. Modern winter tyres are now made in extremely wide sizes, and can totally transform RWD cars such as a BMW 3 Series from an unusable drive way ordainment, to king of the roads in poor conditions.
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Continental WinterContact TS 850 Continuing on from the 42 tyre winter tyres shootout, Auto Bild carried the top 15 tyres across to the more in-depth group tests. Qualifying for this ultimate winter shoot out were tyres from each of the six premium manufacturers, along with eight midrange brands and one brand we consider a high end budget (Maxxis).
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Continental WinterContact TS 850 It's that time again - read on to find out which winter tyres we think you should be using this year!
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Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D Winter tyres shouldn't mean limited performance, and many modern winter tyres are rated up to V which means they're safe to run at 149mph for extended periods.

To test nine of the best, Auto Bild equipped a Golf GTI with the recommended 225/45 R17 winter tyre size in V rating, and subjected them to handling, braking and comfort tests in the dry, wet and snowy conditions.
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Continental WinterContact TS 850 The 2012 winter tyre test season is upon us, and the usually excellent Auto Zeitung have just realised their latest winter tyre test.

Focusing on the popular 205/55 R16 tyre size, Auto Zeitung have tested 8 tyres - one from each of the six premium manufacturers, and a tyre each from the two brands known best for their excellent winter offerings, Nokian and Vredestein.
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Continental WinterContact TS 850 By their very nature, cold weather, or winter tyres have more of a compromise built in than another other type of tyre on the market, due to the wide range of conditions they need to perform in.

Developing a tyre to perform well in snow conditions is actually relative easy for the tyre manufacturers. Lots of edges, a nice wide tread pattern and you have a reasonable snow performance. It's the balance between snow and wet performance which is extremely important to a lot of European countries, where the cold wet conditions far out weigh the snowy or icy driving conditions, and where a lot of cheaper winter tyres fail.


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2011 Winter Tyre Tests

image from auto bild issue 39 SUV and 4x4 winter tyre test As proven in many a video, buying a 4x4 doesn't necessarily mean good winter performance. A good all wheel drive system can offer better traction than a 2wd car, however once moving if the 4x4 is on standard summer tyres it will only be able to steer and brake as well as any other vehicle on the road.
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Goodyear UltraGrip 8 We might be well into the winter tyre season, but this excellent winter tyre test from Auto Motor und Sport was too good to ignore.

Covering 14 of the leading winter tyres in 205/55 R16, AMS puts them through their paces with the typical thoroughness of a German magazine.
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With wheel sizes steadily increasing, 225/45 R17 is fast becoming the most popular tyre size for the average car. With this in mind, Sport Auto have tested 5 high performance winter tyres in 225/45 R17 on a rear wheel drive BMW 3 Series to see which tyre combines best snow characteristics, with an all round sporty dry and wet performance.

Read More
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Auto Bild Performance, the German version of EVO magazine have put together the tyre test EVO should have. 7 wide 225/40 R18 tyres on a 260bhp Mazda 3 MPS.

On test are the usual premium brands, with only Bridgestone missing from the "big 6". Also included a midrange Hankook and a budget Rockstone.

Read the full tyre test
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Continental WinterContact TS 830 P Auto Express, the pillar of the UK automotive magazine scene, has just released its second ever winter tyre test.

Read on for the full winter test!
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Michelin Alpin A4 Auto Bild, well known for their excellent tyre tests, have recently tested 11 premium winter tyres and 1 premium all season tyre in the popular 225/45 R17 to create their 2011 winter tyre test.

Read on for the full results!
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With many of the major big brands introducing new winter tyres for the 2011 season, winter tyre tests have never seen so interesting. This year, Automobile Club Europe [ACE] tested 8 winter tyres in the popular 205/55 R16 91H size on a VW Golf.

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Due to two unusually harsh winters, interest in winter, or cold weather tyres has never been higher in the UK. The benefits are now being understood - while winter tyres naturally work wonders in snow, they also work extremely well any time the average temperature is below 7c, often out performing summer tyres even in the dry. During early morning commutes, where the road temperature is around freezing they can offer noticeable more grip than a summer tyre in the same conditions, allowing you to make progress safely, and can stop over 5 meters shorter than the equivalent summer tyre from 62mph.

Read on for our 2011 winter tyre buying guide!

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Goodyear UltraGrip 8 In 2011, the excellent German Auto Zeitung have tested 14 winter tyres throughout Europe. Running the popular 205/55 R16, fitted to a BMW 3 Series, the tyres have been thoroughly tested on snow, wet roads and in dry conditions.
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2010 Winter Tyre Tests

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D As proven in this video, owning a 4x4 off vehicle is no substitute for being on the correct tyre during the winter months.

Auto Bild have recently tested 8 tyres in 215/65 r16 on a Volvo XC70 for dry, wet and snow performance. As always the results were close amongst the premium brands, with Dunlop just beating Continental to the top spot.
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2010 marks the start of the UK automotive magazine industry taking winter tyres seriously with the largest weekly magazine publishing the 2010 Auto Express winter tyre test.

Auto Express launched its interest of winter tyres with style, testing 6 premium winter tyres against 13 rigorous tests and included an all season and summer tyre for comparison. All tyres were tested in 205/55 r15 on a VW Golf.






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Goodyear UltraGrip 7 Plus In 2010 Auto Motor Und Sport [AMS] visited Sweden to test ten 205/55 r16 winter tyres. On test were the usual mix of premium and mid range tyres, including the TyreReviews favourite Nokian WRG2.

Read more...
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Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D Auto Bild are known for their excellent tyre tests, so when they take 14 winter tyres, 1 summer tyre and 13 different tests you know you're in for a good write up!

This year Auto Bild chose the 195/65 R15 tyre size and used a fleet of FWD VW Golfs as the test beds. All 6 premium tyre manufacturer were represented along with 4 mid range brand tyres (Vredestein, Toyo, Kumho and Firestone) and 4 budget brands.


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Michelin Alpin A4

The European winter tyre test is the largest of the year, covering 28 tyres in 2 different sizes, 225/45 r17 and 185/65 r15.

This year the tests were more stringent than ever. Not only did the 28 tyres have their dry, wet, snow and ice grip tested but they were also scored on their wear, fuel consumption and comfort properties.

Read on
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Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D

Winter tyres are a hot subject at the moment, with new tests being released weekly. Usually winter tyre tests focus on the smaller tyre sizes winter tyres are often used in, meaning if you drive a performance car and are interested in ultra high performance winter tyres you have to hope the tyres tested in the smaller sizes have the same attributes in the larger sizes.

Read more...
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This year the 2010 winter tyre reviews season was opened by Auto Zeitung who put 14 different 195/65 r15 winter tyres on a Ford Focus to the test.

The good news for UK drivers is that this years report included a slush test which rates how the tyres cope with the road surface when the packed snow is melting and it's a mix of snow and standing water.






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2009 Winter Tyre Tests

It might still be August, but after an unusually snowy start to 2010 talk has already turned to winter tyres in the UK.

While we're waiting for the magazines to put together their 2010 winter tyre tests, here's one of the more interesting articles from 2009. This test is particularly good as it uses a powerful RWD car (Mercedes SLK350) which wears relatively wide 225/45 r17 performance tyres.

Each of the 8 tyres were tested in the snow, on wet roads and in the dry with the scoring emphasis bias towards wet weather and snow performance (these are winter tyres after all!)


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Continental WinterContact TS830 The Continental Winter Contact TS 830 once again proves it's the snow king, scoring a massive 98 points out of the possible 100 in the snow tests. It also proves extremely strong in both the wet and dry road tests, meaning it really is a tyre you could use all year round. The Goodyear Dunlop brands have placed second and third respectively with the Goodyear Ultra Grip Perf 2 proving the strongest tyre in the wet and the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D a good all round scorer.
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ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club e.V.), Europes largest motoring club have published their 2009 winter tyre test.

As is always the case, ADAC have been extremely thorough testing 34 different tyres across two tire sizes. All the tyres were purchased anonymously from independent retailers to avoid any "special" test samples being delivered by the manufacturers.

The winter tyres were tested on dry and wet roads, a specially created snow surface and the local ice ring to emulate icy condtions!

Read on for the full details
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