17.11.2021
Studless tires for golf cars are a big test of the ZR. The best non-studded winter tires Winter friction tire test
Velcro is the most versatile and balanced option for city tires, which perform equally well on any road surface and, unlike studded tires, provide a quiet and comfortable ride.
We present the rating of the best studless velcro tires of 2019-2020. It includes 12 tire models designed for passenger cars, SUVs and crossovers. A tire's placement on the list has nothing to do with its rating. All models are first sorted by price segment (from premium to budget), and inside price segment arranged in alphabetical order.
1.
Segment: premium.
Classic Velcro with asymmetric tread pattern from Japanese company Bridgestone. Although the tire does not show particularly outstanding results in tests, it has very balanced characteristics and behaves equally effectively on any road surface: snow, ice, dry and wet asphalt. Therefore, it is a universal option for most road situations.
Country of origin: Japan.
2.
Segment: premium.
One more winter tire with an asymmetric tread pattern from the German Continental. The tire consistently takes leading positions in tests and ensures safe behavior on any road surface, which makes it an excellent option for use in urban areas and beyond.
Country of origin: Germany, Slovakia.
3.
Segment: premium.
Goodyear is a tire with a directional tread pattern and a slight imbalance in performance. Their best qualities reveals on dry and wet asphalt, where among premium competitors it provides one of the shortest braking distances. But on ice and snow the results are slightly behind, but the car’s behavior in any case remains stable and predictable.
Country of origin: Germany, Poland.
4.
Segment: premium.
The tire has a directional tread pattern and a large number of deep sipes that provide short braking distance and reliable grip on ice (in many tests the tire brakes no worse than studded models). Michelin also feels quite confident on snow, dry and wet asphalt, which makes it an excellent balanced solution for various road situations.
Country of origin: France, Italy, Romania, Russia, Spain, Thailand.
5.
Segment: premium.
Nokian - reverse version Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2. The tire also has a directional tread pattern, but reveals its best qualities on snow and ice, where it provides a short braking distance, high cross-country ability and effective handling. But on asphalt the results are slightly worse than those of most competitors, but the car’s behavior is generally stable.
Country of origin: Russia, Finland.
6.
Segment: premium.
The last premium Velcro on the list. The tire feels confident in the snow, brakes above average on dry and wet asphalt, but has difficulties with braking and handling on ice.
Country of origin: Russia, Romania.
7.
Segment: medium.
A quiet and economical middle-class tire with a directional tread pattern from the Korean Hankook. Despite the moderate price, the tire’s performance is not much inferior to premium brands like Michelin, Continental, etc., and generally behaves safely on any road surface. A good balanced option for the city and beyond.
Country of manufacture: South Korea.
8.
Segment: medium.
Another tire from a Korean manufacturer with a directional tread pattern. Although the tire does not show particularly outstanding results in tests, it also has no obvious shortcomings. Typical average guy good price. It reveals its best qualities on snow, behaves a little weaker on ice and dry asphalt, and worst of all on wet asphalt.
Country of origin: South Korea, China.
9.
Segment: medium.
Nordman is a budget line from Finnish Nokian, which is traditionally based on discontinued premium models. This happened with the Nordman RS2 - in the past it Nokian Hakkapeliitta R.
The tire has a directional tread pattern and provides excellent cross-country ability, handling and braking on ice and snow, where it is in many ways superior to even premium analogues. There are some difficulties with behavior on asphalt, but within acceptable limits. Great option, especially for urban areas, which can be considered as an alternative to more expensive models.
Country of origin: Russia.
10.
Segment: medium.
Economical, comfortable and soft-running tire with an asymmetric tread pattern. It reveals its best qualities on ice and snow, where it provides short braking distances and confident handling. Also, the tire behaves relatively well on dry asphalt, but on a wet surface it has serious concerns regarding handling.
Country of origin: Japan.
11.
Segment: budget.
Budget winter tire from Russian plant Cordiant with asymmetric tread pattern. The tire has large and deep tread blocks, which prevent it from braking effectively on dry and wet asphalt, but give it confidence on ice and snow. Therefore, Cordiant is a good inexpensive solution for the city and beyond, where high performance is needed in difficult conditions.
Country of origin: Russia.
Winter non-studded friction tires (Velcro tires) became very popular several years ago, when the majority of car owners truly felt their advantages over traditional studded tires when used in big cities.
From this article you will learn:
The rating was compiled based on the results of tests of winter tire models from the well-known automobile publications “Behind the Wheel” and “Auto Review”, taking into account reviews on Yandex Market and, most importantly, taking into account the cost of a particular tire.
In our general rating of studless tires for 2017, we used data from the “Behind the Wheel” test of winter studded tires from September 2016 and the Autoreview winter tire test from September 2016 (there are no recent tests of winter tires in foreign publications for the fall of 2017).
The best studless tires
- Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2
- Nokian Nordman RS2
- Pirelli Ice Zero FR
- Michelin X-Ice 3
According to the results of the test of winter tires by the magazine “Behind the Wheel”, the places between the Velcro models were distributed as follows:
- Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2
- Bridgestone Blizzak VRX
To correctly compare the cost of these tire models with each other, you must choose the same size for all. One of the most common dimensions is 205\60\R16. The cost of each model and its rating among buyers are compiled using the YandexMarket service (September 2017):
The picture shows that the winners of the “Behind the Wheel” and “Auto Review” tests, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 and Continental ContiVikingContact 6 models, do not have the highest rating among buyers, but they have high cost. These two indicators carry a lot of weight when compiling our rating.
Rating of the best studless winter tires
The first place is occupied by the GoodYear UltraGrip Ice 2 model. According to the results of both tests “Behind the Wheel” and “Auto Review”, this model received second place, has a very good rating among YandexMarket users, and the cost is noticeably lower than that of the leaders Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 and Continental ContiVikingContact 6.
The second place is occupied by the Nordman RS model. The tire took 4th place in the “Behind the Wheel” tests and has a very good rating from YandexMarket users and at the same time its cost is comparable to the cost of the most inexpensive tires that took part in the tests.
Model takes third place Pirelli Ice Zero FR. According to the results of the test of the Autoreview magazine, this tire took 5th place, it has a very good rating among users (though with the caveat that there are not many reviews for it), and its cost is approximately in the middle between the most expensive and the most cheap tires who took part in the tests.
You can often see the following comment on materials about the choice of tires: “It doesn’t matter what kind of tires are - in Soviet times they only drove summer tires. And nothing! So the main thing is not the tires, but the head on your shoulders.” In principle, the premise is correct, since a careless driver can “get away” on absolutely any tire, even the most titled one. But there is a small nuance: good tires They greatly facilitate control, so the likelihood of an emergency situation itself is reduced many times over.
Tests on ice and snow were carried out outdoors and indoors, where the effects of weather can be eliminated by controlling temperature and humidity. The dynamics of acceleration on icy and snowy surfaces were determined in the same way.
Here's an example. To stop on an ice “mirror” from a speed of 50 km/h, the studded Continental ContiIceContact tires require 30 meters, and the Chinese Sunny SN3860 require 20 meters more! Here, no amount of caution will help: you need to drive either twice as slow (can you imagine a car weaving around the city at a speed of 25 km/h?), or have the gift of foresight to know when to pedestrian crossing a schoolboy suddenly jumps out or when the traffic light turns red. It is clear that both conditions are impossible, while buying more or less decent tires is an absolutely realistic thing.
Handling was assessed in two ways: first, lap times were determined and the tires required a combination of fast acceleration, high lateral grip and effective braking to perform well, and then the drivers gave their subjective comments. Also, individual subjective ratings were given for directional stability.
Another example is the time it takes to travel an ice track. “I'm not a racer,” you say? The fact that the tester on the record-breaking Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 spends 48.1 seconds on the exercise, and on the aforementioned Sunny - 71.6 seconds, means that the driver has to drive much slower to avoid skidding. And this is - constant voltage and general uncertainty on the road. Winter is already a continuous stress for the human body, and here the banal road to work will add even more stress...
The noise level was assessed by several pilots in both the front and rear cabins. In the rolling resistance test, the car rolled from 80 to 50 km/h on a flat surface without exposure to wind and with the engine turned off. Tests were carried out at two different temperatures
Finally, one more note. The tire industry is developing fantastically quickly, so tires that were the undisputed leaders in tests several seasons ago may now be hopelessly behind modern competitors. Nokian Nordman 4. The legendary, once beloved by rally drivers, the fourth Hakka (Nokian Hakkapeliitta 4), now produced under the budget sub-brand Nordman, unexpectedly took penultimate place! Therefore, there is no need to be surprised by the fact that each new generation of rubber costs more than the previous one - this is an additional payment for progress.
Experts Test World You always buy tires yourself, in regular stores, otherwise manufacturers can put out an improved version of the tires. In cases where the new product has not yet reached the retail chain, testers have to conduct control tests to determine whether there are differences between the regular tire and the one sent by the manufacturer.
On what basis did we draw all these conclusions? Based on tests from Test World: these Finnish guys, who test tires at a test site in the Arctic Circle, are considered true authorities on tire testing, and their bus tests published by the world's leading auto publications. This year, the Finns came across 25 models of winter tires - 13 studded and 12 non-studded - with dimensions 205/55 R16. Let us immediately note that tires from premium brands took first place in the final protocols. But! Great surprise inexpensive tires, some of which were able to show very good results.
Friction tires
1-2 places: 8.2 points. Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2
Country of origin: Poland
Thanks to their balanced characteristics, Goodyear showed good results in absolutely all disciplines. The UltraGrip Ice 2 performs well on snow and ice, as well as wet pavement - a combination that Goodyear engineers seem to have had to work hard to achieve. In addition, the model is distinguished by a low noise level, therefore it deserves first place.
1-2 places: 8.2 points. Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2
Load and speed indices: 94R
The creators of the Hakkapeliitta R2 model decided to rely on better grip on snow and ice: on these surfaces, Nokian not only turned out to be the most effective tires, but were also able to outperform (particularly in braking on slippery surfaces) some studded tires. But there are also some drawbacks: Finnish tires are weak on wet asphalt. Hence the conclusion: it is impossible to be the best in all areas.
3-4 places: 7.8 points. Continental ContiViking Contact 6
Load and speed indices: 94T
Country of origin: Germany
The new product from Continental immediately hit the podium, only slightly losing to the two best tires. At Continental good performance on snow, but they lag behind others on wet asphalt - in critical situations, reactions can be too slow and inaccurate. But experts noted good behavior on dry surfaces, low noise levels and low rolling resistance.
3-4 places: 7.8 points. Michelin X-ice Xi3
Load and speed indices: 94H
Country of origin: Spain
Michelin has proven to be one of the best non-studded tires on snow and ice. However, on the asphalt, the tires from the French tire manufacturers performed somewhat weaker than others, although - regardless of the situation - the X-ice Xi3 provide safe driving without unpleasant surprises. The tires are not very noisy, but the rolling resistance is high.
5th place: 7.7 points. Maxxis SP02 Arctic Trekker
Load and speed indices: 94T
Country of origin: China
Exactly Maxxis tires for the first time they denied that tires from China would necessarily be bad. While not the best on slippery surfaces, the SP02 ArcticTrekker showed very even results in all exercises. And no unpleasant surprises! At the same time, Maxxis outperformed many other non-studded tires in snow and wet roads. Rolling resistance and noise levels are average. Overall, these are very decent tires at an attractive price.
6th place: 7.3 points. Bridgestone Blizzak WS70
Load and speed indices: 94T
Country of origin: Japan
Until recently, Bridgestone was one of the leaders among studless tires, but now the Blizzak WS70 is only average. They have effective braking on snow and ice, but lateral grip is average. But what alarmed the pilots most was the sudden drifts on wet asphalt. The noise level is low and the rolling resistance is high.
7-8 places: 7.2 points. Pirelli Winter IceControl
Load and speed indices: 94T
Country of origin: China
7-8 places: 7.2 points. Sailun Ice Blazer WSL2
Country of origin: China
Another cheap ones Chinese tires, who were able to furnish the products much more famous brands. The results on ice are average, but on snow Sailun turned out to be one of the best. On wet asphalt too, although experts noted some nervousness at the limit of adhesion, and on both surfaces. Rolling resistance is low and noise levels are high.
9th place: 6.8 points. Dunlop SP Ice Sport
Country of origin: Germany
Friction Dunlops surprised us with weak grip on ice, although the studded model of this brand became one of the leaders in this exercise! Moreover, experts complained about braking, acceleration, and handling... On snow the behavior is better, but on wet asphalt the Dunlops are very good. Directional stability is not bad, but the SP Ice Sport is noisier than the others.
10th place: 6.7 points. Vredestein Nord-Trac 2
Load and speed indices: 94T
11th-12th places: 7.1 points. Kumho I*ZEN KW31
Load and speed indices: 91R
Kumho behave decently only on wet asphalt, which is clearly not enough for harsh winter conditions. On ice, the I*ZEN KW31 takes too long to accelerate, on snow it shows only average results... Plus loud noise, mediocre directional stability and high rolling resistance.
12th place: 7.1 points. Sunny SnowMaster SN3830
Load and speed indices: 91H
Country of origin: China
Sunny tires, which have become the worst among friction models, are suitable for winter conditions in Central Europe, but not for northern winter. They perform horribly on snow and ice, although the SnowMaster SN3830 handles well in the wet.
Table 1
*How to use the table? In it, experts have placed marks that are divided into 5 categories (“ice”, “snow”, “wet asphalt”, etc.). The final score was not obtained by simple summation - the points for each exercise are multiplied by the weight coefficient (second column) before addition. Let's explain with an example: Goodyear earned 8 points for braking on ice - this result is multiplied by 15%, for acceleration on ice it received 7 points - this indicator is multiplied by 10%... We sum up the results of this multiplication for each exercise and get the same final score .
Studded tires
1st place: 8.8 points. Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8
Load and speed indices: 94T
Number of studs: 190
Country of origin: Finland
Studded Nokians received excellent marks in all disciplines. In difficult winter conditions The tires demonstrate extremely effective braking and a high level of safety. True, in the exercises for braking on wet roads and directional stability, the Hakkapeliitta 8 lagged a little behind the leaders, but this mistake did not prevent the Finnish tires from becoming the best.
2-3 places: 8.6 points. Continental ContiIceContact
Load and speed indices: 94T
Number of studs: 130
Country of origin: Germany
On ice, Continental tires performed excellently: both in terms of braking efficiency and in terms of handling. But on snow, the ContiIceContact turned out to be only slightly weaker than the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8. Because of this, it only took second place. And tires from Germany (despite the smaller number of studs) are quite noisy.
2-3 places: 8.6 points. Pirelli Ice Zero
Load and speed indices: 91T
Number of studs: 130
Country of origin: Germany
Pirelli will also not present any unpleasant surprises on winter roads of any quality: these “studs” are distinguished by very good stability on uneven roads. The main drawback Ice models Zero is a relatively long path on a wet surface. In addition, the noise of Italian brand tires could be quieter.
4th place: 8.4 points. Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
Load and speed indices: 94T
Number of studs: 130
Country of origin: Poland
The UltraGrip Ice Arctic model from Goodyear should be recognized as a very balanced winter tire for any conditions - the tires do not have any obvious disadvantages in terms of behavior on wet and dry asphalt, plus, excellent results on snow and ice surfaces. However, in “purely winter” disciplines, Goodyear is slightly behind its rivals.
5th place: 8.3 points. Gislaved Nord*Frost 100
Load and speed indices: 94T
Number of studs: 95
Country of origin: Germany
Gislaved earned a lot of good marks, especially on snow. On ice, the Nord*Frost 100 is slightly inferior to the leaders, but the model is good on wet asphalt. Disadvantages include the relatively long braking distance on dry asphalt and high rolling resistance.
6th place: 8.1 points. Hankook Winter i*Pike RS W419
Load and speed indices: 94T
Number of studs: 170
Country of origin: South Korea
On ice, the Hankook requires a slightly longer distance to stop the car than the best tires, but on snow there is satisfaction: in most snow tests the Winter i*Pike RS W419 performed well. Although testers noted that the Hankooks behave a little nervously in the snow. On wet pavement, the Hankook scores highly for its predictability and ease of handling.
7th place: 8.0 points. Dunlop Ice Touch
Load and speed indices: 94T
Number of studs: 130
Country of origin: Poland
On Ice Dunlop We couldn’t boast of a confident grip, so the car often skidded. However, on wet asphalt the tires Ice Touch turned out to be one of the best, but tests on dry surfaces again turned into sudden drifts.
8th place: 7.9 points. Michelin X-Ice North 3
Load and speed indices: 94T
Number of studs: 95
Country of origin: Russia
In tests on snow, Michelin performed evenly, but on ice the performance was somewhat worse than that demonstrated by the leaders, although the X-Ice North 3 will not present any unpleasant surprises. On dry and wet asphalt, Michelin are clear leaders, and, moreover, the quietest among studded tires.
9th place: 7.7 points. Bridgestone Blizzak Spike-01
Load and speed indices: 94T
Number of studs: 130
Country of origin: Japan
In most snow disciplines, Bridgestone earned a 9 out of 10, so these tires are especially effective on snow. On Ice Blizzak Spike-01 brakes well, but the model passed the rest of the tests on slippery surfaces. Directional stability also leaves much to be desired... Only excellent performance on dry asphalt will be little consolation.
10th place: 7.5 points. Vredestein Arctrac
Load and speed indices: 94T
Number of studs: 130
Country of origin: Netherlands
Vredestein has only average results on the ice. On snow, the Arctrac brakes very effectively, but in terms of handling, its behavior does not inspire confidence. On wet asphalt it is also only rated “satisfactory”. To top it off, experts noted that directional stability was insufficient.
11th-12th places: 7.1 points. Jinyu YW53
Load and speed indices: 94T
Number of studs: 114
Country of origin: China
Cheap Jinyu from China provide very little grip on ice! In the snow, however, the situation is a little better, but the pilots believe that winter tires should behave much more confidently. On wet asphalt the results are good, but directional stability is not good enough. Plus, the YW53 is louder than most studded rivals.
12th place: 7.1 points. Nokian Nordman 4
Load and speed indices: 94T
Number of studs: 130
Country of origin: Russia
Alas, but Nordman tires Russian production on ice they turned out to be even worse than the Chinese Jinyu, so we cannot recommend them. In tests on snow, the results were noticeably better, although test drivers again did not feel completely confident behind the wheel. The list of disadvantages of the Nordman 4 is complemented by poor results on wet asphalt.
13th place: 5.9 points. Sunny SN3860
Load and speed indices: 91H
Number of studs: 130
Country of origin: China
Sunny tires confidently took the last line of the standings. In many of their characteristics, the “studded tires” from the Middle Kingdom resemble studless tires for the Central European winter: SN3860 was distinguished by high grip and good handling on asphalt, but performed disgustingly on snow and ice. For northern winter conditions, Chinese tires can hardly be considered a good choice.
Table 2
*How to use the table? In it, experts have placed marks that are divided into 5 categories (“ice”, “snow”, “wet asphalt”, etc.). The final score was not obtained by simple summation - the points for each exercise are multiplied by the weight coefficient (second column) before addition. Let's explain with an example: Nokian earned 10 points for braking on ice - we multiply this result by 15%, for acceleration on ice he received 10 points - we multiply this indicator by 10%... We sum up the results of this multiplication for each exercise and get the same final score .
Alexey Kovanov
Photos of Test World and manufacturing companies
Your own tests friction tires Swedes from Vi Bilägare conducted tests on studded tires at the same time, however, since the two types of tires cannot be tested simultaneously on the same surfaces, conditions such as temperature may differ.
Tests on snow and ice were carried out at the White Hell test site near the Finnish Ivalo at the end of January, as a result of which it was quite cold, and if on the first day the temperature was minus 15-16 degrees, then on the second day it dropped to -25 degrees. After this, the cold weather receded and the tests were completed at -6C. Volvo V40, V60 and M70 with driver assistance systems enabled were used.
The tires were tested on dry and wet asphalt in April in Tampere (Finland) using a Volvo V40 and V70. Noise was measured using special equipment, however, the noise was also subjectively assessed by two people in the cabin - in the driver's and rear passenger seats.
If you look only at the final ranking, you may miss a lot of important points. For example, Continental and Nokian were the best, but it must be taken into account that although they have the same number of points, they have different character. The Continentals performed better on snow and ice (although the differences were small), while the Nokians were more effective on dry and wet pavement. To make the best choice, it is necessary to take into account the tires' performance in individual disciplines.
Acceleration on ice
During this test, the air temperature was about -14 and the ice temperature was about -8C. In such conditions, tire grip increases and as a result the differences between the candidates have decreased. On ice, Nordic-type tires accelerate the car better than European-type tires (Nokian WR D4 was taken for comparison), but an unpleasant surprise was presented by the “Scandinavian” GT Radial, which was significantly inferior even to the “European” tires.
Braking on ice
The composition of the leading quartet has not changed, but some tires have changed places, and Goodyear and Michelin became the best. GT Radial tires again performed worse than European tires.
Handling on ice
For a good result, tires required good informativeness and balanced behavior in corners, and the best were Continental, Goodyear and Nokian. The GT Radial's results make one question whether it is designed for the northern winter.
Acceleration in the snow
The differences between the tires were again minimal, with the exception of the GT Radial, which accelerates just as poorly on snow as it does on ice.
Braking on snow
Most of the tires in the test have a directional tread pattern, which increases braking performance. As a result, first place with a fairly large gap from the rest was taken by tires from Continental. There is no need to talk about which tires are in last place.
Handling on snow
The difference in the results of four tires at once was within one second; Goodyear tires also coped well with the task, but they are prone to skidding on rear axle, but Michelin unexpectedly demonstrated weak grip and slow reactions to steering turns. Only the GT Radial performed worse.
Braking on wet surfaces
It often happens that the better tires perform on snow and ice, the less effective they will be on wet and dry pavement. This rule does not always apply, but this time it was fully confirmed. At the same time, it is worth saying that Nokian’s grip on wet surfaces has increased significantly compared to the previous year, and Goodyear also performed better than its competitors. Continental and Bridgestone performed very poorly.
Dry braking
The first places are quite expectedly taken by GT Radial and European-type tires. The rest showed almost the same results.
Rolling resistance was determined in the laboratory in accordance with the ISO 28580 standard, and fuel consumption was also measured - using a Volvo V70 at a speed of 80 km/h.
Comfortable and soft friction tires do not bother you with the crunch and hum of spikes on the asphalt, which you sometimes drive on in winter more often than on ice or snow. And in order to choose the best performance ones, we tested 205/55 R16 tires, which fit almost all golf-class cars.
Friction tires are a complex product; not every manufacturer manages to provide a balance of grip on snow, ice and asphalt, which, in addition, can be dry and wet. No “nails” - everything is just due to the composition rubber compound and tread pattern. Here you can’t do without advanced technologies and experience in manufacturing complex molds for 3B lamellas. Therefore, we decided not to take tires cheaper than four thousand rubles: they always slip on at least one of the above-mentioned surfaces. We swam - we know.
The cheapest in our test (4130 rubles) is the Winter i*cept iZ2 model from the rapidly progressing Korean company Hankook. One and a half hundred more expensive is the Japanese Nitto SN2, which has just appeared on our market. Next comes the “Finn” of Russian origin, Nordman RS2, which is very popular among our motorists, and close to four and a half thousand is another purebred “Japanese” that is in steady demand - the Toyota Observe GSi-5.
The famous Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2 and Blizzak Revo GZ from Bridgestone, famous for its durable, indestructible sidewall, cost about five thousand.
Pirelli Ice Zero FR sells even more expensive (5,245 rubles). And of course, the leaders of our previous tests - the Continental ContiVikingContact 6 tires - were supposed to take part in the tests German quality, the price of which is close to six thousand, and expensive Finnish tires Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 (6435 rubles). This is not the first year that they have been butting heads with each other for leadership and will not allow the other rivals to relax.
Is it spring again?
This time, for the snow and ice “battle,” we gathered competitors in Sweden, at the Pirelli training ground. The ring was a small frozen lake near the northern town of Älvsbyn and its shores, covered with a blanket of snow. We gathered there in a completely winter month - February. However, a warm front that came out of nowhere heated the air to positive temperatures and melted all the snow and ice in the area. And when the heat receded, the lake quickly returned to its skating rink state. We started the tests on it, somewhat violating our traditional order of exercises due to force majeure.
During testing, the air temperature dropped to -1.. -15 °C.
Acted as a tire carrier Volkswagen Golf The seventh generation, used by almost all tire manufacturers in internal testing, is a car with classic front-wheel drive handling and transparent behavior.
Ice battle
The first track to be ready for the “battle” was to evaluate handling on ice. Turns of different radii and a straight line that allows you to accelerate to about 80 km/h are quite enough to evaluate how flexible the Volkswagen Golf, shod with the tested tires, is on slippery surfaces. The assessment is carried out by two experts, replacing each other. Together with the behavior of the car, they evaluate how easy and reliable it is to operate. Moreover, from the position of an ordinary driver who does not have special training. Therefore, in addition to “professional” driving, they imitate the typical mistakes of beginners: when accelerating and braking, in turns they act sharply, as on asphalt.
To increase the accuracy of the estimates, we decided to use halves when assigning points - to separate the results of our opponents. Highest score (nine)
points) earned in the first discipline Nokian tires: clear reactions, understandable, predictable behavior even when sliding. There are no difficulties in driving, with a full understanding of what is happening under your feet. This test did not reveal any weaklings: the minimum score was seven points for three participants, and higher for the rest.
Handling track on the ice of a frozen lake. It’s hard to believe, but just a couple of days ago it was “spring” here - the water surface was surrounded by those freed from snowshores.
Next exercise: we measure acceleration and braking distance on an ice plateau. We do not disable the ASR and ABS traction control systems. Start from a place. The VBOX measuring system records the time taken to reach a speed of 30 km/h, then the braking distance from 30 to 5 km/h. It's good that the sky is overcast. The bright sun melts the ice, and the results begin to float away. But even in cloudy weather, friction tires are open ice less stable than studded tires, so we repeat measurements with each set of tires 10-12 times. Moreover, every two test sets we change the Golf to base tires to assess how the condition of the surface has changed. After recalculating the results taking into account the behavior of the car on base tires, it turned out that on ice it accelerates fastest on Goodyear tires and Nokian. Nordman and Touo worsen the record result by one tenth of a second. The longest acceleration is on Pirelli tires, the difference with the leader is almost 20%. 
The shortest braking distance is on Nokian and Touo tires (15.5 m), ten centimeters behind them are Goodyear and Hankook, and the last ones are Bridgestone and Pirelli (17.3 m).
We estimate the time it takes to complete an ice circle - the shorter it is, the higher the transverse (lateral) grip. The driver tries to drive a circle as quickly as possible, making from 20 to 35 “revolutions” - on friction tires it is not easy to find the edge of maximum grip on ice. The scheme for changing wheels is the same as when measuring longitudinal grip: after every two test sets, change to the base one. After the exercise, we figured out how many laps our tester had completed and were horrified - more than four hundred! Anyone who thinks that tire testing is a romantic job is deeply mistaken. It's hellish work.
In this test, the Continental outperformed everyone: it managed to complete the lap in 15.9 seconds. Nokian, its closest rival, was three tenths behind. Lasts the list Bridgestone-on these tires failed to achieve a time under 18 seconds.
Snow battles Behind the Wheel
At the beginning of the second week, snow fell, and we got the opportunity to evaluate the “snow” characteristics. The first test is to assess controllability. We used not only a set of “flat” turns of different radii, including running ones, where the speedometer needle sometimes reached the “100” mark, but also an interesting hairpin on the hillside, the entry of which is on the rise, and the exit -on the descent. In some turns, the snow, due to the Golf's sideways slides, was “rubbed” down to the icy base of the track. We dubbed it the “Russian road”: snow interspersed with ice is a typical picture for our conditions.
Here we liked the Nokian and Touo tires the most. 
The impressions from them are similar: good reactions and information content, understandable and predictable behavior. The speed on the turning arc is limited by a soft skid, as if steering the car into the turn, which does not require adjustments by the steering wheel or releasing the gas. After some discussion, we decided not to give the number nine (half a point was knocked off) due to small errors in taxiing - the required steering angles seemed a little larger than we would like. The leaders in the number of complaints were Bridgestone and Nitto. In a Golf shod with Blizzak Revo GZ, the steering angles increase significantly, a skid appears on the arc, requiring compensation, and grip decreases when sliding. On the Nitto SN2, the car behaves unstable, the turning arc passes in jerks, as if along the perimeter of a polyhedron, quite abruptly breaks into a skid and recovers just as sharply after sliding.
Directional stability was assessed on a long rectangular plateau, accelerating to 90-100 km/h. They checked how clearly the car maintains a given direction and how it responds to soft maneuvering with small steering angles, simulating changing lanes to overtake or avoid obstacles.
Follow the driver's commands more clearly than others Pirelli tires: good reactions, tight, informative “steering wheel”. The Nitto tires were disappointing: when driving in a straight line, it felt wide, unclear due to the low information content of the steering wheel at small “zero” turning angles. The car scoots from side to side, the driver has a feeling of uncertainty. Delays in reactions and delayed steering of the rear axle were noted, requiring additional adjustments.
At the same site, controllability during extreme maneuvering was assessed - during rearrangement, that is, an abrupt change of lane, and due to the insufficiently hard track, they did not measure the maximum speed. The most precise behavior of the car is provided by Nokian tires: when the maximum speed is reached, a soft steering of the rear axle occurs, smoothly turning into a skid that does not require compensation. Nitto tires earned the lowest rating: delays in the first reactions and increased steering angles are complemented by a sharp skid when leveling the car in the second corridor, with a shooting effect.
We finish the “snow” tests with a cross-country ability test. Experts estimate in deep snow (thickness snow cover a little more ground clearance) the ability of tires to “carry” a car while moving, starting, turning, “backing away”. Special attention focus on how slippage affects traction. If the tires are ready to perform all maneuvers only by tensioning (anti-slip ASR system disabled), and when slipping the traction drops, we lower the rating. If at the same time the wheels are buried, we lower it further.
In the snowdrifts, Nokian tires made the best impression: confident movement forward and backward with any degree of slipping, ease of maneuvers. The laggards are Touo. On these tires you can only start and move under tension; at the slightest slipping, the traction disappears and the tires dig in. The car maneuvers and moves in reverse uncertain and reluctant.
We go by instruments
It remains to measure the longitudinal grip on snow. Fortunately, the snow plateau for measurements was well compacted so that the snow did not move from the ice.
The work is practically the same as on the ice straight - acceleration and braking - but with minor adjustments. Since the coefficient of adhesion on snow is higher than on ice, the end speed of acceleration and the beginning of braking is increased to 40 km/h. Especially for creative drivers, we measure acceleration in two modes - standard, with the traction control system, and “creative”, turning it off. We brake, of course, with ABS, measure the braking distance from 40 to 5 km/h. Don't forget to take measurements on the base tires every three sets of tests.
The best acceleration under the supervision of electronics for the Golf is provided by the Continental: 6.1 seconds. Bridgestone, Goodyear and Nokian are two tenths behind it. The weakest in overclocking are Nitto and Touo.
Acceleration time on snow was measured in two modes: with the traction control system turned on and with the traction control system turned off. Experienced testerIt maintains the optimal degree of slippage more accurately than electronics.
With traction control turned off, the car accelerates faster. For example, on Continental tires - in 5.6 seconds, and they are again in the lead. The closest competitors are Goodyear, Hankook, Nokian, which are only one “ten” behind. And in the rear, having spent 6.2 seconds on acceleration, was Bridgestone - the difference with the leader is almost 11%. It is noteworthy that on these tires, acceleration with the electronic limiter disabled improved by only one tenth of a second, which means that traction on snow is practically independent of the degree of slipping. While the rest of the test participants, without electronic intervention, accelerate faster by 0.5-1.0 seconds (8-14%).
The results of tests of braking properties on snow were pleasantly surprising. Of course, there are leaders in this exercise - Goodyear, Nokian and Pirelli with the same result of 14.7 meters. But everyone else is no more than half a meter behind - there were no weaklings in this discipline!
Final on home asphalt
Tests on asphalt according to an already proven scheme were carried out in May in Togliatti, at the AVTOVAZ testing ground - a neutral territory for tire manufacturers.
We start by assessing rolling resistance. One full circle (10 kilometers) along the speed ring at a speed of 120-130 km/h is enough for the temperature of the tires and oil in the gearbox to stabilize. During this time, the expert has time to assess the directional stability of the car on a straight line, as well as its reactions and behavior during soft changes from one lane to another.
The most important thing during measurements is to move back and forth along the same lane, without maneuvering, with the steering wheel fixed in the “straight” position to eliminate the possibility of lateral forces that could negatively affect the results. By the way, “there” and “back” are one measurement, not two. This eliminates measurement errors due to horizontal deviations in the road surface and wind direction. Three or four measurements, and the result is ready. However, it is not yet final: after two or three sets of tested tires, you have to repeat the “stove” - measurements on the basic set, taking into account which the final results are recalculated.
At a speed of 90 km/h (suburban limit) the three Continental, Nokian and Nordman are in the lead. The Golf is most reluctant to roll on Bridgestone, Goodyear and Pirelli tires. Although the difference between them and the “green” leaders is small - 0.3 l/100 km. At “city” speed (60 km/h), the “green” three retained their positions, but Hankook got into the company. Bridgestone tires have the worst performance in this driving mode: 0.4 l/100 km more than the leaders.
Hankook and Pirelli received the highest marks for directional stability. The reactions of the Golf, shod with these tires, are close to those demonstrated on summer tires. Bridgestone and Too deserved the least flattering words. The Golf has a wide “zero” at the “bridge” and insufficient information content of the steering wheel; on Touo tires there is also a fuzzy, wide “zero” and also rubber, that is, delayed reactions to steering actions. When trying to correct the course, the car begins to scour from side to side.
The previously obtained impressions of the noise and smoothness of the ride can only be clarified by additional driving along service roads with traditional irregularities - holes, potholes, chips and cracks. The results were somewhat surprising. The quietest of all - Bridgestone tires, although at the same time they are the toughest: the Golf itches and shakes on small and medium-sized bumps, as if pumped up to three atmospheres.
Goodyear tires unexpectedly turned out to be the loudest and loudest, despite the fact that tires from this brand are usually quiet. And experts recognized Touo tires as the softest.
Final exercises - assessment of braking properties on dry and wet asphalt. We brake in the corridor sandwiched by cones so that the tires roll along the same trajectory, “cleaned” before measurements - track after track. After each braking, cool the brakes. The start speed of braking is lower than in summer tests - this way we will protect the soft protector of the friction clutches from destruction.
On wet asphalt we brake from 60 km/h, and on dry asphalt - from 80 km/h.
On average, we brake six times on one set in each case. In these exercises, there is no need to repeat the “base tire”, since a change in tread temperature of several degrees during braking measurements does not in any way affect the grip.
properties - proven by many years of experience.
The shortest braking distance on dry asphalt is provided by Bridgestone (28.6 m). Then in the interval 29.0-29.2 m there are five tires with a difference of less than one percent. And only two tires “left” thirty meters - Nitto and Touo with results 7% worse than the leader.
On wet asphalt the spread is greater: here the Continental is in the lead with a result of 17.4 meters, and Nitto and Touo are in unison last result- 21.6 meters, which is a quarter more than the leader.
Final parade
As he writes in 2017, first place with a decent margin from the rest is occupied by the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 model, which scored 939 points. These are excellent clutches for any winter roads- everyone will like it. They are especially good on ice, and will also delight you with their handling, cross-country ability and efficiency. There is only one drawback - the high price.
The Continental ContiVikingContact 6 tires are in second place in our rating, earning 912 points. A worthy choice for drivers of any level - from advanced to beginners. We were pleased with the excellent lateral grip on ice, grip on snow, braking on wet asphalt and efficiency. When checking the cross-country ability and directional stability on the asphalt, they gave a little slack.
The third step of our podium went to the Hankook Winter i*cept iZ2 tires with very even properties: 909 points - an excellent result. And these are the most inexpensive tires in the test! The only remark is that they are tough.
To category excellent tires included are the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2 and Nordman RS2, which each scored 907 points and tied for fourth and fifth place. Both are equally strong, so we recommend them without restrictions. The nuances differ
which only advanced drivers will catch. Goodyear has several extremes: very good in longitudinal grip on snow and ice, but let us down in comfort and efficiency. Nordman is close in character to Hankuk - it is also well balanced in all properties.
The sixth and seventh lines are occupied by the Pirelli Ice Zero FR and Toyo Observe GSi-5, which received no 888 points. Within our grading, these are very good tires, since their final results fall into the bracket from 870 to 899 points. Each has small weaknesses. Pirelli does not like ice (weak longitudinal grip), preferring snow and asphalt. Touo, on the contrary, demonstrates good longitudinal grip on ice surfaces and handling on snow, but is weak in deep snow, as well as on asphalt - both in grip properties and in directional stability.
The eighth-ninth steps were occupied by another couple - Bridgestone and Nitto. In the test they
scored 860 points, confirming the right to be named good tires(this title corresponds to a range from 840 to 869 final points). The level is the same, both are purebred “Japanese”, but their characters are different: Nitto clings to the ice more confidently, Bridgestone to the asphalt.
And on the snow there is parity. According to the results of the expert assessment, there is no fundamental difference between them. Just in comfort. Bridgestone is the quietest, but also the most rigid.
Now let’s compare the results with prices. The undisputed leader in this coordinate system is Hankook: third place in the overall standings at the most modest price. Nordman is in second position, followed by Nitto and Touo. Famous products on this list took modest positions. And it is closed by two leaders. So choose wisely, but also taking into account the thickness of your wallet.
8th and 9th place (840 points): Nitto SN2
Pros: Good maneuverability in deep snow. v Satisfactory handling on ice. Moderate noise level Cons: Weak braking properties on asphalt and acceleration on snow. Difficult handling during extreme maneuvering on snow. A few comments about handling on Russian roads and directional stability. Low level smooth ride.
8th and 9th place (840 points): Bridgestone Blizzak Revo GZ
Pros: Better braking on dry asphalt. v Satisfactory handling on ice and directional stability on snow. The quietest.
Cons: Weak grip on ice and snow. Mediocre cross-country ability. Unclear course following on asphalt. Minor complaints about handling on the “Russian road” and during extreme maneuvering in the snow. Worst efficiency and smoothness.
7th and 6th place (888 points): Toyo Observe GSi-5
Pros: Outstanding longitudinal grip on ice. Reliable handling on ice and “Russian roads”. Better ride quality. Low noise level.
Cons: Worse braking and difficult directional stability on asphalt. Limited cross-country ability in deep snow.
7th and 6th place (888 points): Pirelli Ice Zero FR
Pros: Excellent braking properties on snow. Excellent directional stability. Clear handling when performing extreme maneuvers on snow
Cons: Poor longitudinal grip on ice. w Low fuel efficiency at 90 km/h. Ride notes
5th and 4th place (907 points): Nordman RS2
Pros: Allows you to confidently accelerate and brake on ice. High efficiency, stable handling on ice and directional stability on asphalt.
Cons: Minor comments about handling on the “Russian road” and during extreme maneuvering in the snow, cross-country ability, as well as directional stability in the snow. Harsh and noisy.
5th and 4th place (907 points): Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2 
Pros: Outstanding longitudinal grip on ice and snow. Clear handling on ice and “Russian road”.
Cons: Low cross-country ability. A few comments about directional stability and handling during extreme maneuvering on snow. High fuel consumption at a speed of 90 km/h. Noisy and harsh.
3rd place (909 points): Hankook Winter i*cept iZ2
Pros: High braking properties on ice. v Reliable handling. Good directional stability. Attractive price. High efficiency.
Cons: Notes on ride quality. w Light comments regarding cross-country ability. Increased noise level in the cabin.
2nd place (912 points): Continental ContiVikingContact 6
Pros: The best lateral grip on ice, acceleration on snow and braking on wet asphalt. Stable handling on ice and directional stability on snow. Low fuel consumption.
Cons: Mediocre cross-country ability. Minor complaints about handling on the “Russian road” and during extreme maneuvering on snow, as well as about directional stability on asphalt and comfort.
1st place (912 points): Continental ContiVikingContact 6 
Pros: Excellent grip on ice and snow. Excellent handling. Strict adherence to the course. Excellent cross-country ability in deep snow. High efficiency.
Cons: Minor comments regarding ride quality. Increased noise level. High price.
