Large winter tire test by Teknikens Värld (2024)

The Swedish magazine Teknikens Värld conducted a major test of winter tires, studying the characteristics of models in three categories: studded, as well as frictional Scandinavian and European types. In addition, worn-out "used" tires were taken for comparison, and a total of 18 sets of tires in size 225/50 R17 were tested.

The list of participants included studded tires Bridgestone Blizzak Spike 3, Continental IceContact 3, Goodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2 SUV, Michelin X-Ice North 4 (in new and worn-out condition), Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 and Pirelli Ice Zero 2, and since the main novelty was the "Scandinavian" Continental VikingContact 8, which had already won the UTAC test, it was decided to test it along with the previous generation tire, Continental VikingContact 7, to evaluate the work done by the engineers of the German concern in creating the new model. In addition to the two Continental tires, the test also included the following tires of this category: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3, Michelin X-Ice Snow, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 and worn-out Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2. Finally, the segment of tires for soft winter was represented by models Continental WinterContact TS 870, Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3, Michelin Alpin 6, Nokian Snowproof 2 and Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2.

The tests, as usual, were conducted on ice, snow, wet and dry asphalt, and comfort and fuel efficiency were also taken into account. Unlike UTAC, TV experts give equal importance to evaluations on icy and snowy surfaces (for the Finns, ice performance is the top priority), and probably that's why four out of five non-studded Scandinavian-type tires took the top spots. At the same time, another premium "Scandinavian" tire from a well-known brand unexpectedly took the last place among new tires.

The best tire in the test was the Continental VikingContact 8, which received very high scores for both safety in difficult conditions and comfort. According to the testers, when creating the new tire, the developers were able to improve the performance on wet pavement, which was a weak point of the VikingContact 7, and, in addition, the Continental VC8 were the most fuel-efficient new tires in the test. As for the VC7, they took second place, once again demonstrating very good traction on ice and snow.

In second place, along with Continental, were the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3, which did not have the best results on ice, but they "made up" for it in other disciplines, and, as TV notes, they actually have no serious drawbacks, which is why they took a high place in the ranking. Next come the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5, which, as before, received high scores in winter conditions, and also noted very good resistance to aquaplaning, which, according to experts, was previously lacking in Nokian tires.

The best studded tires were the Pirelli Ice Zero 2, which have no significant drawbacks and work effectively in any conditions. Although the traction on ice could be improved a bit, the Pirelli tires are very good, but they worsened their rating due to increased noise and rolling resistance.

Sixth place went to the Continental WinterContact TS 870 tires, which were also the best in their class. In general, they have a classic set of characteristics for European-type tires, i.e., priority is given to performance on wet and dry pavement, and, in addition, the Continental tires have very good fuel efficiency.

The studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10, which is used to winning tests, this time takes seventh place, but in the studded tire ranking, they took silver, and experts noted that the "ten" seems to have been modernized, as good performance on ice and snow has been added to high resistance to aquaplaning, which, of course, is a positive aspect. At the same time, fuel efficiency has become worse than before.

The non-studded Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 European-type tire took second place in the overall ranking in last year's TV test, but in 2024, they only took eighth place, as competitors are also not standing still and constantly evolving. Nevertheless, the Goodyear tires will be a very good choice for those who live in regions with mild winters. The eighth place was shared by the Goodyear tires with two other "European" tires: Michelin Alpin 6 and Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2, which also showed very good results (traction on ice and snow is reduced, but this is due to their positioning), but at the same time, they have increased rolling resistance, which is why they concede to Continental tires of this type.

Poor fuel efficiency also let down the studded Michelin X-Ice North 4 tires, which lost valuable points due to this. At the same time, the Michelin tires have very good traction on snow and ice, i.e., they cope with the task of ensuring safety. The 12th place was shared by the Michelin tires with the non-studded Nokian Snowproof 2 European-type tire, which conceded to the leader by 20 points, but has exactly the characteristics that can be expected from a model of this class, i.e., they performed poorly on snow and ice and well on asphalt. Fuel efficiency is average.

When a tire shows a clearly poor result in one of the disciplines, it is penalized by a certain number of points, and this happened to the studded Bridgestone Blizzak Spike 3 tire, which turned out to be one of the noisiest in the history of TV tests. At the same time, it was the Bridgestone tires that were the best in the ice tests (the number of studs is also the largest - 265 pieces), but the performance on wet asphalt is weak.

Slightly below the Bridgestone tires is the studded Goodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2 tire, which also provides high traction on ice and snow, but does not work very well on wet pavement, and, in addition, it has very high rolling resistance, which led to a penalty. The studded Continental IceContact 3 tire also lost points due to very high rolling resistance, but this is not the only problem, and experts even stated that "this tire needs to be replaced as soon as possible", since the traction on ice is also not very good.

As already mentioned, all Scandinavian-type models became the leaders of the test, but one of them unexpectedly took the last place among new tires, and this is a product not from some Chinese company, but from Michelin, and although the X-Ice Snow tire was released several years ago, this does not justify such a low result. As the testers noted, the traction on ice is clearly not what can be expected from Michelin tires, and the braking distance on wet asphalt was the longest among all the tested tires.

Regarding worn-out tires, the studded Michelin X-Ice North 4 tires of Russian production with a tread depth of 5.3 mm after 40,000 km of mileage were able to show acceptable results on snow and ice, but they had a very long braking distance on wet pavement and unsatisfactory resistance to aquaplaning. In turn, the non-studded Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2 Scandinavian-type tire after 38,000 km can hardly be considered a winter tire, since the traction on ice and snow is "almost completely absent", which creates a clear threat to safety.

Source: Teknikens Värld.