Review of Gislaved ActiveControl Summer Tires
"Cordiant" continues to update the brand's assortment Gislaved, the rights to which the holding received after Continental left the Russian market, after which it was released into the premium segment, and in 2026, two summer novelties are put up for sale at once, one of which is Gislaved ActiveControl — and we will tell you about it in this article.
When "Cordiant" previously presented Gislaved tires, the tread patterns for them were taken from products from Continental or Bridgestone, whose factories in Russia were transferred to the holding, but with ActiveControl the story is different, and although the original model, which was Bridgestone Alenza 001, is also available, the design has been significantly changed, and, as the company says, the specialists of the NTC "Intair" were only inspired by the concept of a touring tire from the Japanese brand, and the modifications made allowed to improve a number of key driving qualities on dry and wet coverage.
Alenza 001, presented in 2016, is a classic touring class tire, i.e. a special emphasis was placed on increasing comfort and wear resistance, and since Gislaved already has a model of this class in its lineup — Gislaved PremiumControl with a pattern from Continental ContiPremiumContact 5 — when creating a new product, it was decided to "add a sports character" to it.
The demand for such a "sports touring", as noted in the manufacturer's company, is due, in particular, to the huge popularity of crossovers, which are heavier than passenger cars and at the same time often have increased dynamic characteristics and are bought by fans of aggressive driving style. At the same time, the owners of premium SUVs, of course, value high comfort, and the new Gislaved tires are designed to meet all the requirements of motorists in this segment.
As already mentioned, the developers were able to improve the characteristics of the tires compared to Alenza, and to confirm these statements, in July last year, the SHIC "Verhina" conducted comparative tests of the two models. Tires of size 225/55 R18 were tested using Haval Jolion, and the tests showed that Gislaved surpasses Bridgestone in terms of lateral stability, and the braking distance on wet pavement was reduced by 11%, which means that the level of safety in difficult weather conditions has been increased.
Tests were also carried out (tire size — 205/55 R16, car — Geely Emgrand), in which the new tires were compared with Hankook Ventus Prime and Pirelli Cinturato P7C2, and according to the results of these tests, ActiveControl performed at the level of tires from competing brands, becoming the best in terms of braking efficiency on dry asphalt.
From Alenza, the new Gislaved inherited a number of technical solutions, and, for example, the tread blocks have a rounded shape, which increases the specific pressure and reduces the acceleration and braking time.
The walls of the main grooves are inclined, which reduces the transverse deformation of the tread, improving stability when cornering and the accuracy of responses to the driver's actions.
If the tread blocks have sharp edges, they can deform under load, which reduces the contact patch and worsens braking efficiency. For this reason, the edges were given a beveled shape, which stabilizes the contact zone with the road, which means that the braking distance is reduced and safety is increased.
Tread blocks with sharp edges are deformed under load, reducing the contact patch, while beveled edges eliminate this problem
The tread contains both 2D and 3D lamellas, which not only increase traction on slippery surfaces but also increase the longitudinal stiffness of the tread, further improving the traction and braking properties of the tires, the predictability of their behavior, and stability when driving in a straight line.
In addition to everything else, the rubber compound of ActveControl contains highly dispersed silica, and its combination with "innovative rubbers" made it possible to enhance traction on wet roads.
Since the popularity of Chinese crossovers dictates the need for large-diameter tires, the novelty will be produced in 44 sizes from 205/65 R16 to 255/45 R20, some of which are equipped with rim protection. The target audience includes owners of such cars as Omoda S5 and C5, Haval F7, F7X and M6, Geely Monjaro and Tugella, Belgee X50, etc.
In conclusion, we add that although "Cordiant" currently continues to use developments from foreign manufacturers when releasing Gislaved tires, this period, which can be called transitional, will soon be completed, and it is expected that by 2027, a full-fledged product line created by the company itself will be available.
Photos: Geely