Viatti Bosco H/T

After numerous tests, I came to the following conclusion: for crossovers and compact vans, you should take Bridgestone summer tires! European tires (Continental, Michelin, Pirelli, Nokian) cannot be taken - they only last for 25-30 thousand kilometers maximum (not wear-resistant), have a weak sidewall, and excessive bulging (forget about curbs), and can be punctured by self-tapping screws and nails even with a thick tread. The Europeans' fight for fuel efficiency with maximum lightening of tires by non-traditional methods personally disgusted me.

Among the Japanese tires, I had Yokohama Geolandar G091 (noisy and below 7 degrees Celsius becomes abruptly plastic-like, like sleds on asphalt when braking), Bridgestone Turanza (I first drove on this tire at a speed of 100 km/h under heavy rain when other cars were quietly pulling over to the side, excellent handling), and Bridgestone Ecopia 850 225/65 R17 (slightly softer than G091, excellent sidewall, reinforced tread and sidewall cord): 2 polyester layers, 2 steel layers, and 1 nylon layer; sidewall 2 polyester layers. The disadvantages include passing medium and large bumps somewhat stiffly (reinforced sidewall) and, unexpectedly, the tire does not like the beginning of strong rain in the summer. On dry asphalt, the handling is excellent, on wet asphalt it's ideal, but when it starts raining, the tire skids slightly and you need to slow down. I came to the conclusion that when driving on a dusty road, moisture gets in and creates an unstable layer - this moment needs to be considered. I drove 50-55 thousand kilometers on it and sold it with a remaining tread of 3.5-4.

I wanted to buy another EP 850, but it didn't work out. The sudden death of European and Japanese manufacturers occurred (I don't feel sorry for the first ones, but I'll miss the second ones a bit).

A long market analysis led me to Viatti Bosco V-238 H/T. The tread pattern resembles EP850 with a slightly greater inclination towards off-road capability. The cord is 2 polyester layers, 2 steel layers, and 1 nylon layer. The sidewall is 2 polyester layers, i.e., the tire reinforcement is based on the same principle as Bridgestone.

As for the weight, Viatti 235/65 R17 weighs 14.4 kg, the analogous Bridgestone weighs 15.5 kg, the analogous Yokohama weighs 14.5 kg, and Continental weighs 13 kg. The price was 6440 rubles per tire at the end of January 2023, with production dating back to week 39 of 2022 (the tire was 4 months old at the time of purchase). If I don't like Viatti V-238, I'll take Triangle TR259 or Maxxis HP-M3 Bravo, but definitely not our Cordiant Comfort 2 SUV - it has a weak Euro-style sidewall and a bursting cord with regular bulging! It balanced well, but if 2 wheels had weights of 25 and 30 grams, the other 2 had 65 and 70 grams.

I changed my tires at the end of March (warm beginning of spring 2023 in the Urals). In dry weather, at temperatures below +5 degrees Celsius, there's a slight stiffness (road defects are felt more strongly) and an unexpectedly increasing grip of the tires. I didn't risk driving in rain with snow below +5 degrees Celsius - the tire was still running in. The handling on the highway is identical to EP850, but with slightly more roll (the tire is 2 kg heavier than the previous one). The fuel consumption, predictably, increased on the highway from 6.4 to 6.8 - the tire is heavier and wider. Up to 70 km/h, the tire is quieter than EP850, above that, it's noisier.

We installed this tire by chance. The tread pattern was liked, as I drive a lot on the highway. The mileage I write is approximate (60 thousand), but the tire has traveled more. The car is a Honda CR-V. And we drove on this tire on routes such as Krasnodar-Rostov, Krasnodar-Sochi (Sirius). Like anyone who drives on the same routes, we soon stopped being afraid of serpentines and accelerated in turns to 60 where others did 20. Through the Shaumyan pass, under loads... For those who have not been to the Sochi serpentine, I will explain - these are turns where you need to make a full turn. It cuts through water perfectly, without aquaplaning on deep water up to 100, and on shallow water, it doesn't matter what speed, I mean not a wet road, but exactly puddles. Not a single blister, no complaints

Tires have high force non-uniformity, leading to difficult-to-eliminate vibration when driving at speeds above 100 km/h. Yes, their values are within the domestic GOST, but significantly higher than usual for tires from the world's top ten manufacturers. Ordinary balancing does not help. The problem was only solved by expensive balancing with tire rotation relative to the wheels on a rare Hunter RFE vibration stand. Otherwise, there are no complaints. The tires are soft enough on the road, brake well, are not prone to early aquaplaning, and are not sensitive to rutting.