Rubber. Pirelli or Goodyear? Pirelli or Michelin which is better

Tire war: Michelin or Pirelli?

The year 2006 was remembered for all of us by the confrontation between tire manufacturers in Formula 1 - Pirelli and Michelin. Almost 10 years have passed since then and the struggle continues again, only outside the tracks. Let's analyze the situation together with Dieter Rencken.

After the last incident, when Sebastian Vettel accused Pirelli of low-quality tires, every manufacturer is trying to "pull the blanket over himself" and prove that he is the best and only right choice for Formula 1 teams.

Thus, the FIA ​​changed its principles and rules for the selection of tire manufacturers after the conclusion of an agreement with Pirelli. So, the latter managed to do the next marketing ploy with Formula One Management - now the Pirelli logos will be present at every stage and this should lead to the fact that potential competitors will be slightly irritated.

Now the deadline for submitting applications for participation in the tender will end 18 months before the expiration of the contract with this supplier. After that, the leaders of motorsport will check the candidates for compliance with certain criteria: safety, quality, technical and sporting issues.

The list of criteria will be analyzed in detail by the FOM, and only after that the FIA ​​makes a decision regarding the prevailing preferences. At the end of these procedures, lengthy negotiations and meetings take place, at the end of which the World Motor Sport Council will decide to conclude a contract with a new manufacturer.

To date, the FIA ​​has received only two applications, and it is not difficult to guess from whom - from Pirelli and Michelin. They both passed the first stage of selection and on September 30th it will be announced who is ultimately selected as a supplier for Formula 1.

As for tire manufacturers, their main goal is to obtain a monopoly on the supply of rubber for F-1 for 2 years - from 2017 to 2019. Why exactly 2 years? In making this decision, the FOM was guided by the fact that the agreements with the teams expire in 2020.

In the current season, the supplier, which will be determined for further cooperation, will have to provide tires for only one championship, and after that the company will be forced to amend the product specification in accordance with the amended regulations.

Regarding the changes to the latter, it was a necessary measure in connection with the transition to 6-cylinder turbo engines, as this caused a revision of the entire chassis design.

In the struggle for the opportunity to become a monopoly, at this stage, Pirelli is confidently leading. Remember when in 2010 the company literally saved Formula 1 players by preparing tires in 12 months. In addition, the Italian company always tries to fulfill all the wishes of the teams, which is a competent and deliberate strategy. Naturally, the teams pay well for this - in the order of a million dollars per season, but this is more than covered, since the Pirelli logos are placed on both the chassis and the overalls.

Now let's look at the absolutely rigid and not at all flexible policy of Michelin, who refuse to take part in the tender unless Formula 1 refuses to use 13-inch wheels, which are rather outdated. Of course, the requirements are reasonable, but the company cannot win the tender with such unambiguity.

Who will win this race of manufacturers is not clear. Only one thing is clear that the question is not only the leadership of suppliers, but also what is more important for Formula 1 - sport, or profit.

inworldsport.com

Rubber. Pirelli or Goodyear? / personal blog AntonKharitonov / smotra.ru

and Goodyear Eagle F1

Despite the fact that lately there have been more and more posts about all sorts of leftist topics (how to fry meat, how to seduce a chick or what computer games do you play, etc.), this site is still a portal for people loving cars and versed in them! Therefore, I hope to hear useful tips / reviews, all the same, rubber has great importance in using our vehicles! For the price, Pirelli is about 30 euros more expensive, for each wheel. So far, I'm more inclined towards Pirelli, as I have always considered this brand to be one of the best, but if Goodyear is actually not worse, is there any point in overpaying? Thanks in advance and good luck on the road everyone!

Is it Pirelli or Goodyear?

1. Goodyear (41% - 84 votes)
2. Pirelli (45% - 93 votes)
3. I don't care anyway! (14% - 30 votes)

smotra.ru

) Which is better spike. pirelli or yukohama tires

the pirelli will be better, the Japanese have okohama summer tires of course good, but winter tires are not very good, even in car magazines in tests winter tires yokohama occupied low places. I have a winter gislaved, good rubber

Yokohama - Definitely

I would take. Yokohama. Excellent quality without extra charges

yokohama is better because it is softer, but if you drive on asphalt, it wears off quickly, so if you want to ride rubber longer and there is not so much snow in winter, then better than pirelli!!!:):)

I would take Yokohama.

Better YOKOHAMA... Pirelli has to pay a little more, but YOKOHAMA is both softer and, in my opinion, better ... All the same Japanese quality:)))

Do not take Yokohama in any case. I coveted a low price and a good name. The choice was, by the way, like yours. In the end, I regret that I did not buy Pirelli. From the yoki, almost all the spikes from the front axle flew out in a couple of months with a mixed style. I tried not to grind and didn’t slow down too much, the road is very sucky. ABS kicks in almost immediately. The only place these tires perform well is in loose snow. I didn’t stall even once, but otherwise it’s a complete city. I even corresponded with the Yoki representative office in Moscow, sent them pictures, they don’t admit that their products are of poor quality, they say that yes, the spikes flew out, but you can continue to ride. That's how! Better take pirelli, and even better, save up some dough and take a gislaved, I was very pleased with them!

Last test winter tires was in the magazine "Behind the wheel": h**p://www.zr.ru/articles/53965/ HERE ARE THE RESULTS

the coolest nokian hakkapelita-5 the only minus is the price but the tires are beyond praise

You should not save on rubber - at one time, for the same reason, they took Goodyear - a rare cocoa. They regretted later that they did not spend money on something more decent. To be honest, gislaved, I personally don’t feel very good either. Nokia impressed. The last time they put Michelin Energy - just super. They set it up in Finland, in the winter, respectively, arrived on the old ones, left on the new ones, if they are transported with goods, then the duty is levied, 4 R-16 wheels along with work, and the disposal of old wheels (they were only suitable for garbage) cost 450 Euro. So think about it - you are only 800 km from Helsinki.

Briefly about the first impressions of the hankook winter ipike rs2 w429. Once again, the weather forecasters threw me with snow))). I decided that I would not wait any longer and put the tires in advance.
Start: Balancing went well - at the level of tires that are more expensive and are considered premium. Rocked until the heat and asphalt 2.3, well, so that the car was not a strong jellied meat on a plate. From what you should probably pay attention to: the side shoulder on the tire looks more like summer than winter. On all my previous tires, this element was clearly more pronounced. Nearby they shod the car in Goodyear UltraGrip ice arctic - that's where the shoulder is like a shoulder, at least cut off pieces of the curb for them))). But how will it be real life winter will show. Although there is one point about which I don’t want to talk about it in advance until I check it in practice.
Moment 2: After installing on the disk and inflating the tire, I got the impression that the grooves between the checkers became even wider. (Maybe I'm driving ...) As a result, the tire looks already and not very urban. Large checkers and deep large ditches between them. Not one of the previous tires had such a combination for sure.
Moment 3: Tire noise. Here I was pleasantly surprised at speeds up to 70. Haven't tried it in the city yet. 190 small spikes were quieter than many tires with 130 spikes. From the last thing I remember - in my opinion, it is definitely quieter than Michelin x-ice north 2 and Nokian Hakkapelitta 7. And about the same level as Michelin x-ice north 1.
Moment 4: Brakes, acceleration and taxiing. In this weather, well, it’s very slippery at the start. The first couple of times I even polished the asphalt by pressing the gas as usual on summer tires(of course, we are not talking about any sneaker on the floor). Then I drove more carefully. I didn’t really understand the brakes, because I braked carefully. And yet, yes ... jelly again came into my life))). Although I don’t know more than one good winter tire (we don’t take runflat into account) that would be in above-zero temperatures and on dry pavement is similar in behavior to summer tires. A car floats on them, but in fairness, no more than on others winter tires Oh. The only thing that I did not like very much yet: it's taxiing at very low speeds. When turning and turning at right angles, the rubber slips strongly, as when starting from a place. As the speed increases, the situation gets better. Apparently, at a minimum, dry asphalt and a confident plus on the street are not her topic at all. Again, on all previous tires there was no such pronounced effect. To be fair, it should be noted that in tire tests she showed that on the pavement, it leaves much to be desired. But not for such conditions as today, I bought it.

The German automotive magazine Autozeitung conducted comparative tests on 14 year olds. car tires size 225/40 R18 92W/Y , which included European and Asian manufacturers installed on Audi car A3.

In tests, including on dry and wet road surfaces, the tires scored 269 points out of 300 possible and were named test winners.

Goodyear's tires were described as "safe, fast and even fuel efficient" in tests, although they were beaten by the tyre's tire in wet braking tests. In turn, the tire of the Italian manufacturer was called by the experts of the magazine "providing extremely powerful grip on wet roads and very well balanced on dry roads." Tire P Zero scored 263 points and placed second, beating a tire with 253 points, which, according to Autozeitung, “has very good performance in all areas, despite some shortcomings in wet braking”.

In fourth place are tires and, which earned 246 points each. They are followed by 245 and 244 points respectively.

This test will allow you to enjoy extreme tests and clearly see the advantages and disadvantages of a number of basic models of winter studded tires. For comparison, ten tires from various leading global manufacturers were selected, all of which are leaders in their industry. These tires are Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8, Continental ContiIceContact, Gislaved nord frost 100, Pirelli Winter Ice Zero, Michelin X-Ice North 2, Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic, Dunlop ice touch, Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000, Hankook Winter i*Pike and domestic Kama Euro-519.

The number of studs - road care or driver safety?

When comparing models of winter studded tires, it is necessary to separately highlight the problem of the number of studs themselves installed in the tire. Talk about tightening the rules for the use of studs has been going on in the Scandinavian countries for a long time, and the reason is the increased wear of the roadway. The "greens" began to argue that asphalt dust is also carcinogenic, that is, it causes cancer. And in 2009, a new standard was promulgated - up to 50 spikes per linear meter, regardless of the tread width or tire diameter. At the same time, the previous restrictions remained in force: the protrusion of the spikes above the tread surface should not exceed 1.2 mm.

But what about security? After all, the more spikes, the better, all other things being equal, the “hook” for the ice will be better ... The tire manufacturers have left a loophole! It turns out that you can install more studs, but then you have to prove that denser studding will not increase the destructive effect on the road. As a result, on the basis of the Finnish test center test world a method of natural assessment of the impact of studded tires on the road surface was developed. In a nutshell, after a certain number of passages on a granite tile, the mass of this tile should not decrease more than after the same impact of reference tires with a "legal" number of studs.

However, there was no rush demand for such tests. For example, Michelin decided that this was not an entirely fair way to get around the new restrictions - and threw all their efforts into improving tires with a reduced number of studs. So did the tire makers. Gislaved Nord Frost 100. And the rest?

The rest have fully loaded their production capacities in order to produce as many tires as possible, studded according to the old rules (no more than 130 studs for 16-inch tires). After all, the ban that came into force on July 1 applies specifically to the production, but not to sales of tires with the "wrong" studding!

And only the company Nokian Tires went its own way: the number of spikes on the tires of the new Hakkapeliitta 8 model not only did not decrease, but increased by one and a half times! Naturally, the mentioned test was passed, and, as we know, it was carried out not at the Test World test site, but in our own test center near the town of Nokia. It turns out that it is possible and so - under the supervision of an official observer from the Trafi transport security agency. Competitors, of course, raised a fuss - they say, with so many spikes it is impossible to successfully pass the test!

Ice tests

The test team is set to do their hard work. One by one, sets of tires are subjected to the toughest tests in the most icy conditions. Finally, the last, tenth set of studded tires was tested for "acceleration-braking" - and ... The first sensation! Least braking distances on account of tires ContiIceContact. They also provided the car with better acceleration dynamics. And let the advantage over the "bristled" Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires is quite small, but it is there! That is, 190 spikes lined up in 18 rows work no better on ice than 130 spikes distributed over 12 rows. In any case, in 14-degree frost. Why? Yes, because in order to reduce the harmful effects on the roadway, the Finns really had to change the design of the studs: they are not only lighter, but also smaller - in height and in diameter - than those used in Continental tires. And those that were previously used in Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 tires. And the carbide insert of the "small" studs is not so powerful.

Two of the favorites are on the heels of the new Pirelli Winter Ice Zero tires.

Gislaved Nord Frost 100 tires promise to be another bright novelty of this season. There are already 96 "legitimate" spikes here - and they provide quite decent braking on ice, although during acceleration - only the eighth result. Goodyear tires familiar to us from last year's tests were also ahead. Ultra Grip Ice Arctic and Dunlop Ice Touch and Michelin X-Ice North 2. By the way, why is Michelin represented tires X-Ice North of the second, and not the third generation? The company decided that before the official launch of the new model on the market, it would be better not to give these tires to anyone for comparative tests.

Bridgestone also prepared new items for the winter season, but also refused to provide them before the official premiere. Therefore, in the overall standings - Bridgestone tires Ice Cruiser 7000, which will also be actively sold on our market this coming winter.

Korean school represented Hankook tires Winter i*Pike, and the Russian one with Kama Euro-519 tires. On ice, the results of both are very modest. But so far we are talking only about grip in the longitudinal direction.

The handling evaluation began with driving on the ice circle at the maximum possible speed, and continued on a winding track, where both the lap time and the subjective assessment of the convenience and reliability of control were taken into account. In these exercises Nokian tires Hakkapeliitta 8 are already winning a convincing victory. Perfectly keep the movement in corners, excellent control over the car on the track! Also, they can be safely recommended to those who go to amateur ice races: "removing" a couple of seconds from the circle is not a problem!

Tires Continental - in second place, and close behind them - and this is the second, albeit small, but still a sensation - Gislaved tires. They made it possible to drive the car very confidently along a winding track.

Another surprise was the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires. With them, the car slows down and accelerates well, but it doesn’t hold well in corners and even “jumped off” an icy track a couple of times. Fortunately, there are not meter-long snowdrifts around, but safety lanes with a ten-centimeter layer of fluffy snow.

snow element

The next day the frost dropped from fourteen degrees to minus seven. The testers have at their disposal a 600-meter track with perfectly rolled snow. The work will be monotonous: acceleration to 50 km / h, braking, accelerating again, braking again ... But if earlier the driver was required to work with pedals to eliminate unnecessary wheel slip at the start and blocking during braking, now electronics monitor this - Traction Control and ABS. And soon, it seems, it will be completely possible to do without a driver.

Let's look at the results of manual tests on snow. It is easy to see that they are very close when braking: the difference between the best tires(Dunlop Ice Touch) and the worst (Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000) is less than three meters, which is ten percent. When accelerating, the spread is a little more, about 20 percent, and the favorites here are already different - the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires. That is, the Finns conjured not only with the spikes, but also with the tread - after all, it is not so much the spikes that are important on the snow as the tread.

And on a handling track winding around fir trees and snow-covered boulders, Nokian tires are the quietest: fast responses and fully controlled slides. Moreover, it is better not to slow down in slips, otherwise the stabilization system turned off by the button will “wake up” and the pace will decrease. Another indicator: if on Nokian tires the stabilization system was "woken up" only once, then on other tires it was activated much more often - due to errors caused by stretched slips (they especially upset the Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 and Kama Euro-519 tires) .

Driving on asphalt

In early spring, winter tests were supplemented by a cycle of "asphalt" tests. First, we looked at how the tires behave in sludge - a snow-water porridge that covered the asphalt with an even layer. The depth of this layer is only 3.5 cm, and Hankook tires already float at a speed of 19.4 km/h. However, Bridgestone's best tires in this type of testing are not far away - their limit is 21.2 km / h. And on wet pavement, already without any admixture of snow, Gislaved tires have the shortest braking distance, and Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 has the worst.

On wet pavement, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires worked quite poorly, but on dry pavement they showed one of best results. By the way, this is a reason to remind again that modern studded tires work on asphalt no worse, and sometimes even better than non-studded tires. scandinavian type- those that are popularly called Velcro. This is due to the stiffer rubber, which is necessary for reliable fixation of the spikes. Still in use is the myth that a studded tire rolls on asphalt, relying more on studs than on rubber. But in fact, the spikes, in contact with the asphalt, sink into the body of the tread, practically without reducing the contact patch of the rubber with the road. However, it all depends on what goals the manufacturer sets when creating a specific tire model. By changing the tread pattern, hardness and chemical composition of rubber, it is possible to shift the balance of qualities, giving preference either to behavior on slippery winter surfaces (ice, snow) or on asphalt.

The Dunlop Ice Touch tire model has this balance clearly shifted towards asphalt: the Audi A3 brakes confidently and responds best to sharp steering turns. But on ContiIceContact tires, the braking distance on both dry and wet pavement is a couple of meters longer, that is, preference is given to "winter" qualities.

Where studded tires always lose to non-studded tires is in acoustic comfort. There is clearly more noise from them, especially if there are as many as 190 spikes in the tread, like Nokian tires. However, even with fewer studs, Kama Euro, Pirelli, Continental and Bridgestone tires sound about the same. And the quietest tires are Michelin X-Ice 2. Along with the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires, they are also the softest.

Like such soft tires behave when they fall into a hole or run into a ledge of asphalt? The test team subjected to a similar experiment winter tires. At a speed of 40 km / h, the car runs into a steel channel set at an angle of 30 degrees - a piece of a U-shaped beam. If the tire held, the attempt is repeated already at a speed of 45 km / h. And so on until the tire "expires". In order not to damage the suspension of the brand new Audi A3, it was replaced by a beat-up Mercedes-Benz C 180.

Bridgestone tires withstood the most blows: they managed to break through only at a speed of 70 km / h! And this is no coincidence: when developing their tires, the Japanese take into account the specifics of bad roads, strengthen the structure and test it themselves with crash tests.

Continental tires also hold up well - they gave up at a speed of 60 km / h. The bulk of the tires were finished off at a speed of 50 km / h, but the Michelin tires, which were initially liked so much by their softness, were pierced in the very first race, at a speed of 40 km / h. It was even decided to repeat the experiment - what if it was an accident? As a result, the second Michelin X-Ice North 2 tire with a through hole is sent to the landfill. Again, everything is understandable: the French company is paying more and more attention to reducing rolling resistance, for which the sidewall is becoming thinner (at the same time, the so-called hysteresis losses are reduced - the energy consumption for heating due to deformation).

The tires were also tested for rolling resistance using a running drum. And it turned out that Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires roll easier than others, and not Michelin X-Ice North 2. But this is without studs, since studded tires would damage the calibrated surface of the drum. It is not a fact that this rating will not change with spikes. However, in terms of fuel consumption, the difference is still small - the bulk of the tires share 0.2-0.3 l / 100 km. And the difference between the most "economical" and the most "gluttonous" tires (they were expected to be Bridgestone tires) is 0.6 l / 100 km. And yet, since the experiment was conducted without spikes, its results were not taken into account when deriving the final scores.

Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8

Overall rating: 9.0

• Handling on ice and snow
• Braking properties on dry asphalt

• Noisiness
• High price

With such a number of spikes, a victory over competitors, especially in ice disciplines, should be simply devastating! But the matter was limited to a simple victory, without defeat. On the track, handling is the best time, driving a car is a pleasure. But the advantage over ContiIceContact tires, which have 60 fewer studs, is negligible, and in terms of accelerating dynamics, Continental tires are even better. Because there are a lot of spikes in the tread of Finnish tires, but they are small: the diameter, the height of the spike, the width of the carbide insert - everything here is smaller than that of Continental tires. Perhaps with more high temperature, on "soft" ice, the effectiveness of "small" spikes would be higher, but our tests took place in 14-degree frost.

Nokian tires are traditionally good on snow: accurate and timely reactions to the steering wheel and gas.

But on asphalt, the behavior is unstable. If on dry surfaces Nokian tires provide good deceleration, then on wet surfaces they provide the longest braking distance. And the expected drawback was the "itchy" sound from the spikes, which did not leave the cabin in the entire speed range.

Continental ContiIceContact

Overall rating: 9.0

• Traction on ice and snow
• Handling on ice and snow
• impact strength

• Traction on wet pavement

On ice, the ContiIceContact tires are great. Acceleration and braking are the best in the test, and the balance of drift and skid on the ice handling track is such that you are driving not on the front, but on four-wheel drive vehicle. I let off the gas a little at the entrance to the turn - and then you drive the car along an arc in a controlled sliding with four wheels!

On snow, the tires are also good, and only a slight tendency to skid is not always appropriate. rear axle did not allow to put the highest score for "reliability of management".

On the pavement, the grip is average, although the "Rearrangement" maneuver was done very well. The car reacts sluggishly to the first impulse, but then the tires “compress” and hold lateral overloads well. It's a pity that the soundtrack during such maneuvers is already very intrusive - the Continental tires howl pretty much even on the straight, and the rumble intensifies in turns.

These tires hold up well. And the spikes in them hold on to the last: in order to pull out the spike planted on the glue, you need to apply a force 2-2.5 times higher compared to other tires.

I wonder if the ContiIceContact tires will retain the same high performance on ice after switching to a lightweight stud? Such tires with the HD index, produced after July 1, 2013, have already appeared at Russian dealers.

Gislaved Nord Frost 100

Overall rating: 9.0

• Traction and handling on ice
• Traction on snow
• Traction on asphalt

• Moderate snow handling

"Not by number, but by skill!" The Gislaved Nord Frost 100 has only 96 standard offset studs in its tread, but on ice these tires are better than many tires that have 130 studs. On the handling track - the third time, but behind the leader, who has almost twice as many spikes, less than a second! No wonder the German tire manufacturers (Gislaved today is 100 percent a product of Continental) have been working on a new tread and new "triangular" studs! The slides are small and easy to control.

And on the snow, decent behavior, although on the track the handling is hindered by harsh slips.

But on wet pavement - the minimum braking distance! At the same time, the tires make little noise and gently “swallow” bumps.

In general, they are well-balanced winter tires: they work confidently on country roads and are almost ideal for urban use. And the price looks reasonable.

Pirelli Winter Ice Zero

Overall rating: 8.7

• Traction on ice

• Moderate handling performance on ice and snow
• Noisiness

These tires got to our test a month and a half before the official premiere (AR No. 17, 2013) - we didn’t even know the real name of the model, since there was no marking on the smooth sidewall. But both the tread and the spikes new design were already "commodity" - now both the insert and the body of the spike have a complex trapezoidal shape.

In terms of longitudinal dynamics on ice, the Pirelli tires are almost on par with the test leaders. But on the control track, there were sharp breakdowns in side slips. However, Pirelli tires, whether winter or summer, have always endowed the car with sharper, sportier responses.

A similar behavior is observed on snow, but here the adhesion properties in the longitudinal direction turned out to be at an average level.

Here on the pavement - a good deceleration, both on dry and wet.

Ride is good, but a lot of noise - the rumble is audible even when driving on packed snow.

Albeit with reservations, we also recommend these tires - first of all, to those who drive in winter mainly on city streets cleared of snow.

Michelin X-Ice North 2

Overall rating: 8.5

• Comfort
• Traction on wet and dry pavement

• Insufficient resistance to slashplaning
• Low impact strength

When we ran this test with the Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires in early February, we received an invitation to the official premiere of the next tire. generation-X-Ice North 3. But all attempts to get new tires for the test failed! However, in Russia, the novelty will not appear in all dimensions and half of the sales volume of Michelin studded tires will fall on Model X-Ice North 2.

Decent tires, and with a pronounced family feature of Michelin tires - this is high stability on slippery roads and soft, understandable transients. Too bad the slides themselves last a little longer than we'd like.

This also manifested itself on the pavement: stretched slides prevented the “rearrangement” at high speed. But there are no problems with braking, and the level of comfort is beyond praise: these are the softest and quietest tires in our test!

They would have had a stronger sidewall, otherwise, when hitting an "obstacle", thin rubber is already torn at a speed of 40 km / h, although most tires hold up to 50 km / h, and some remain intact even at higher speeds.

In general, very comfortable winter tires that are best used on the streets of large cities.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic

Overall rating: 8.4

• Braking performance on ice and snow
• Traction on wet and dry pavement
• impact strength

• Handling on ice
• Traction on snow

Introduced last year, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ace Arctic immediately topped our tests, but this year's performance has been less impressive. The reason could be the changed weather conditions, the progress of competitors, but it seems that the matter is in a lower quality studding. The cocked studs themselves have not changed, but most of them turned out to be excessively recessed into the tread - the offset averages 0.9 mm against 1.2-1.3 mm for competing tires. Here you need to look for the reason for lagging behind the leaders of the test both in acceleration and in braking on ice. And on the handling track, the lag is already beyond the bounds of decency: the Audi A3 on Goodyear tires covers an 800-meter track ten seconds longer than on Nokian tires! We noted last year that Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires work better in the longitudinal direction than in the transverse direction, and now the imbalance has worsened - the car keeps very poorly on the arc!

On snow, the handling situation is better, but there are problems with acceleration. On the pavement - at the level of the middle peasants. It is curious that the clatter of the spikes is almost inaudible, but the tread itself howls in the entire speed range.

That's what these tires definitely pleased with, so it's resistance to impact: in this discipline - the third place.

With normal studding quality, these tires would certainly be able to compete with the leaders, but according to the results of our test, we would not recommend using these tires on machines without electronic systems stabilization.

Dunlop Ice Touch

Overall rating: 8.3

• Braking performance on snow

• Handling on ice and snow
• Smooth running

In the final score, Dunlop tires are only 0.1 points behind Goodyear tires. No wonder: the Dunlop brand is now three-quarters owned by Goodyear, and the Dunlop Ice Touch and Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires were developed by the same engineering team. The tread patterns are different, but everything else - the depth of the grooves, the hardness of the rubber and the studs - is the same. Unfortunately, the quality of the studding is the same: the studs in Dunlop tires also turned out to be planted deeper than necessary. By the way, tires are made at the same factory in Poland.

The problems with handling on ice are similar: in the transverse direction, Dunlop tires hold noticeably worse than in the longitudinal direction. It is difficult to drive a car along a winding track due to sharp, unexpected breakdowns in sliding.

But on the snow - the minimum braking distance! At the same time, acceleration and handling performance are as “sluggish” as on ice.

But on a dry surface - the minimum braking distance and maximum speed performing a "rearrangement". The car clearly and quickly responds to steering wheel turns, which is a rarity for winter tires! True, there are by-effect- increased rigidity when passing small irregularities.

Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000

Overall rating: 7.5

• High impact strength
• High resistance to slashplaning
• Traction and handling on asphalt

• Traction on ice and snow
• Comfort
• Handling on ice and snow

Aggressive tread cut with a small network of wavy sipes - and spikes lined up in 14 lines. But the spikes are ordinary - with cylindrical inserts, and the tread rubber is not as "tenacious" as that of competitors, as indirectly evidenced by its increased hardness - 20% more compared to Nokian tires. And as a result - very modest traction properties both on ice and on snow. Handling also leaves much to be desired (speed in turns is limited by unpleasant sliding of the front axle).

Here on the snow-water porridge, Bridgestone tires emerge later than others. Yes, and they work perfectly on asphalt: on the “rearrangement” the reactions are so fast and accurate, as if the car is “shod” not in winter, but in all-season tires. And most of all I was pleased with the impenetrable sidewalls. But here, too, there is a compromise: a stronger sidewall is also more rigid, so Bridgestone tires do not have the best effect on ride smoothness.

Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 tires will surely find their poor buyer, especially in the outback - where tires are often changed not because of tread wear, but because of "holes" received in the pits. However, dealers will offer an alternative this fall. tires Ice Cruiser 7000- new model Blizzak Spike-01 (details - in the next issues of Autoreview), but evaluate the improvements within comparative test we can only next year.

Hankook Winter i*Pike

Overall rating: 7.5

• Traction and handling on dry pavement

• Traction on ice and snow
• Low resistance to slashplaning
• Traction on wet pavement

Even at the stage of "static" measurements, we assumed that the Hankook tires in this test are superfluous: most of the spikes barely protrude above the tread level. There are those that rise only 0.3 mm! On ice, such spikes, of course, do not work - the car slips menacingly both when braking and when cornering. But at the same time, it gets a decent mark for the reliability of control: yes, the car slides and therefore drives slowly, but the limit in traction is felt well, the breakdowns are soft, there is a good balance of drift and skid. It also happens.

However, the Hankook tires could not shine on the snow, where the studs no longer play a big role. The tread does not cope well with drainage functions - on sludge (snow-water mixture), Hankook tires emerge earlier than others. They also work poorly on wet pavement (the braking distance is too long) - and only on dry pavement everything is more or less in order. But this is not enough to recommend Hankook Winter i*Pike tires as winter tires. True, there is an argument that for many sounds stronger than safety arguments: Hankook tires are exactly two times cheaper than Nokian tires.

Kama Euro-519

Overall rating: 7.1

• Braking performance on snow

• Traction on ice
• Handling on ice and snow
• Low level comfort

Despite the tread pattern, which is very reminiscent of Nokian Hakkapeliitta 4 tires, Russian tires Kama Euro-519 cannot yet compete on equal terms with imported counterparts. Longitudinal traction on snow is encouraging, but on the handling track, all hopes disappear. It is difficult to “refuel” the car into a turn, and therefore, before each of them, you need to slow down more than in the case of other tires.

A sad picture on the ice: slips are just as poorly predictable and poorly controlled. And there are problems with braking on ice. The reason seems to be the same as in the case of Hankook tires: insufficient protrusion of the studs above the tread surface. On average - 0.8 mm: such a departure is not enough for a good "hook" on ice.

On asphalt, the tires perform at an average level. When performing sharp maneuvers, the reactions to the steering wheel are "smeared". And let the spikes slightly annoy with a clatter, the tread buzzes pretty. And on bumps, these tires are some of the toughest.

Yes, the Kama Euro-519 took last place in our test. But if you keep in mind the price and the stellar composition of the participants, then this is not just the last, but an honorable last place. And if the manufacturer establishes control over the quality of the studding, then, you see, it will be possible to claim higher and no less honorable places.

Choosing the Right automotive rubber- this is a good grip, and at the same time the safety of the driver and passengers. In specialized stores and on the market there is an extremely wide range of tires, and therefore most consumers are simply lost in all this variety of brands and models.

In order to somehow navigate and be, as they say, in the know, let's designate a rating that includes the most popular brands that are distinguished by the high quality of their products and have earned the love of motorists around the world. All companies represented in the top constantly participate in some exhibitions, occupy high places, take prizes, awards and are encouraged in every possible way for the next successful series of tires.

1. Bridgestone.
2. Yokohama.
3. Michelin.
4. goodyear.
5. Dunlop.
6. Pirelli.
7. Nokian.

Consider each participant in more detail and note some distinctive features the above brands.

Bridgestone

Bridgestone Corporation is a recognized leader in the production of high quality tires. The brand manufactures rubber using the latest technology in this area and tests its products in a variety of weather conditions - from sweltering heat to harsh winter.

For decades, Bridgestone Corporation has been improving its tires year by year and putting a lot of effort into making high-tech rubber. Plus, the brand belongs to the ardent defenders environment, which means that the company's products are distinguished by the corresponding "green" standards.

Model Features

Bridgestone got into the rating of tire manufacturers due to the versatility of its products. It has excellent grip both with dry and wet roads, and the rolling resistance indicator will save the lion's share of fuel. Winter tires belong to the elite class of non-studded products and are distinguished by the same excellent grip, whether on a snowy surface or bare ice.

All-season models deserve special attention, guaranteeing safe management vehicle under the harshest environmental conditions. By pure ice they may not be as good, but for a city with its winter problems, this is an ideal option.

"Yokohama"

Yokohama Rubber Company began its history back in 1917. And for a hundred years now, the brand continues to delight us with excellent tires. Both cyclists and owners of mining equipment will find something for themselves in the assortment of this company.

Sold by Yokohama Tires worldwide. There will be buyers for it both in hot El Paso and in cold Yakutsk.

Thanks to a competent marketing company and, of course, extremely high-quality products, this manufacturer overtook even Bridgestone in rubber sales (predominance due to a narrowly focused segment: bicycles, motorcycles, industrial equipment).

Many years of production experience, coupled with quality products, allowed the company to conclude profitable contracts with venerable brands, and now Yokohama (rubber) is a representative of such brands as Lexus, Porsche, Toyota, Mercedes, Aston Martin , Subaru and Mazda.

Michelin

The history of this world famous company started in 1830. In a modest and unattractive place called Clermont-Ferrand, Michelin's grandfather organized a small household production that produced rubber for wheels. Half a century later, the cyclist who won the France-Germany-France marathon discovered the secret of his victory - Michelin tires. Literally a year and a half later, tens of thousands of athletes have adopted this quality product.

Glory followed the company around the world, and Michelin tires became desirable, because any owner vehicle on two or four wheels wanted to have tires that bring victory. Year by year, the brand developed new technologies, attracted smart specialists and competently mastered the market, while expanding its production.

Michelin tires are true to their victorious traditions to this day. Many racing drivers prefer the Michelin brand to other brands, not only because of some superstitions, but also because of the really high quality this product.

"Goodyear"

Marketers Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company did their best. The tires of this company are recognized all over the world. The brand enjoys enviable popularity among motorists not only due to the production quality rubber but also thanks to a competent marketing policy. On the shelves of "Goodyear" you can find models of different price categories.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the company entered into an indefinite contract with a network of Henry Ford factories, thereby providing itself with a direct track to a brighter future. By the middle of the century, the brand produced rubber for almost all types of equipment, and the company was known all over the world.

Goodyear is included in the rating of tire manufacturers due to the use the latest technologies in the production of their products, which directly affects the comfort of driving. The brand was the first to patent studded rubber with a channel for fluid output. In addition, the technology of "silent movement" (no sound when the wheel is damaged) was also developed by this company. Goodyear carefully tests its products on its own tracks and excludes the use of any "heavy" chemical elements during production.

"Dunlop"

The Dunlop brand may not be well known to every motorist, but for sure everyone has used it at least once tubeless tires. The brand was the first to receive a patent for the use of such technology, and Dunlop tubeless tires began to conquer the world.

In addition, the company's engineers were among the first to introduce steel tires for treads into production, which significantly increased the service life of the products. Among motorists, a clear expression has been fixed: “We need eternal tires - buy Dunlop”.

Dunlop rubber enjoys an enviable popularity, and a huge number of branches around the world allows you to bring quality products to people. An impressive part of the company's production capacity is located in the homeland of these tires - in the UK, but it also has large representative offices in the USA, Japan and France.

"Pirelli"

The priority direction of the company is the production of tires for sports cars class "Formula 1". Many sports car pilots choose Pirelli tires for their successful and competent combination of characteristics.

The brand's research teams are dedicated to the development and implementation of the safest products produced with the latest technology. Pirelli tires have excellent traction and are virtually silent on the track.

A wide range of tires on the shelves of the brand allows any motorist to choose something for their car, taking into account the climatic conditions of the region and the time of year. Summer tires perfectly cope with both dry and wet roads, providing the driver comfortable ride. Winter options as good as summer ones: modern technologies and high-quality materials allow you to clearly keep the car on the ice surface.

All-season models perfectly adapt to the current environmental conditions and are perfectly protected from temperature changes, so they can be fully called universal. Many motorists, having tried the Pirelli brand once, can no longer refuse the comfort that it offers to its owner.

Nokian

The Nokian Tires brand is the leader of its segment in Northern Europe. The company is engaged not only in the production of tires for cars and bicycles, but also has long-term contracts with agricultural and mining magnates.

The priority for the brand has been and remains winter tire models that can withstand the most severe frosts. Thanks to this attitude, the brand enjoys enviable popularity among our compatriots. Indeed, in Russia, a blizzard, ice and cold are commonplace.

But, of course, the summer tires of this brand also deserve attention: advanced technologies, excellent materials and numerous awards make the models quite competitive against other manufacturers.

The company devotes a lot of time to bench tests and field tests for the strength of products in a harsh climatic environment, so when buying any winter model, be sure that it will not let you down either on ice or on snow.