Maxxis Premitra Ice 5 SP5 SUV

I purchased this Maxxis model for testing purposes (I wanted to save money, and there were no reviews available) after reading the advertisement about the new tread pattern, tire composition, etc. I've been driving on studded tires for a long time, including Pirelli Friction, Bridgestone DV 1, and DV 2, which I consider very successful, and Nokian R1 and R2 (which I didn't like, despite the "honest tests"). I have something to compare with - I drove on Maxxis on snow, ice, and "mash" and on asphalt, and it proved to be very reliable and predictable everywhere. This tire is very similar (in terms of basic parameters) to Bridgestone DV 2, but perhaps a bit noisier.

I bought these in November 2022. I decided to write a review, maybe it will help someone. Now it's autumn 2023. Accordingly, I have 1 season of experience. I compared them to Bridgestone at the time, but I couldn't afford Bridgestone. The price difference was almost 2 times. Bridgestone would have cost around 16.5 per piece, while Maxxis cost 8.5.

I don't regret my choice at all. I have a 4-wheel drive crossover (Freelander 2) that I didn't just buy to drive on asphalt. The tires handle snow like a tank. They also perform excellently on mud, wet snow, and any other messy conditions. As for wear, by the end of the season, it looks like they haven't been used at all, and if they don't become too hard, I think they will last 3-4 seasons (depending on mileage, of course. For me, this mileage was around 20-22 thousand km over the winter period).

On the highway, they behave perfectly. They are quite soft even in strong frosts. We don't have very many frosts in our region. I live in St. Petersburg.

In our climate, I don't see much point in studded tires. The roads are either semi-liquid or dry asphalt in frost. It's hard to find icy roads, unless you deliberately drive onto a lake. (Maybe you'll encounter such conditions a couple of times a season, but on those days, you can just drive a bit more carefully). Accordingly, I haven't encountered a situation in many years where studded tires were absolutely necessary.

On an asphalt track, they behave more than adequately, without throwing the car around. They also get out of deep snow or mud grooves well.

In general, I didn't have to dig out my car even once over the winter to get it out of a parking spot (of course, this is not just due to the characteristics of the tires, but also the characteristics of the car, but still).

If I have to find something to complain about, maybe they are a bit noisy on asphalt. This is not important to me at all, since my car is a square shape and you can't expect a quiet ride from it, but it might be important to someone else.

Decided to take a risk and buy for the upcoming season. The 2023 model has almost no reviews. This is advertising information. I had only heard about Maxxis in terms of off-road and bicycle tires. After reading, it turned out to be a serious company! What influenced the choice:

1 The tread pattern almost repeats the Conti Vicng Contact 7,

2 they were tested at the Ivalo test site,

3 the tires are all 2023,

4 the company is serious, with a history, and a test site,

5 an acquaintance, a tire specialist, praised Maxxis in general,

6 and, of course, the price.

Installed three days ago. Temperature in Murmansk is 0 to 6 degrees. No snow. Just need to break them in, get the lamellas moving. Balanced perfectly. The exterior looks super. Disk protection is present. The rubber is soft. There is a slight noise on the asphalt. So far, everything is fine. Waiting for winter!