Best Winter Tires in Aquaplaning

When we hear the phrase "winter road," an icy or at least snow-covered road immediately comes to mind. Perhaps it was that way before, but in the conditions of modern winter in the city, more attention should be paid to the tire's ability to drain a huge amount of water. Yes, it's the hundreds of thousands of tons of reagent that we face with non-freezing puddles on the roads, and what's important is how effectively your tires handle aquaplaning.

Aquaplaning tests of winter tires, in turn, are a rare thing, and the leaders of the tests are always tires that win on ice. That's why the test by the Teknikens Värld magazine from December 2022, size 225/50 R17, can be considered a real find.

What's interesting about this test is that it not only compares studded and non-studded tires but also includes both Scandinavian Nordic tires and tires for European mild winters in the non-studded segment. And it was the so-called "European" tires that surprised everyone by outperforming all others in aquaplaning. The graph shows the speed at which the tires lose traction.

Winter tires for European winters have a shallower tread depth, which makes the test results even more surprising and confirms the importance of having a functional tread pattern. One where all elements work together and every channel and lamella operates at 100%.

Pay attention to this as well. Even the most branded tires, like Michelin and Nokian, in their new state, completely lose traction with the road at speeds below 60 km/h. While the average speed in the rain on much weaker tires is usually higher.