Sailun releases two new northern winter tires
In March 2026, in the Finnish town of Muonio, located 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, the Chinese Sailun conducted a test drive of three winter tires: the European-type friction Ice Blazer Alpine Evo2, presented last year, as well as the new studded Ice Blazer Arctic2 for the northern climate and the studded Ice Blazer Spike.
The temperatures in Muonio varied from -20 to +5 °C, which allowed testing the tires in a wide range of conditions, and at Sailun, they say that the roads were covered with "half snow, half water", turning them into an "ideal test site", and the guests also had the opportunity to evaluate the tires on specially prepared ice and snow tracks on the surface of a frozen river, which included sections for handling and acceleration and braking tests, as well as a circular drift section. In total, the event, called Sailun Polar Drive, was attended by about 120 representatives of automakers, retailers, and media from the Baltic countries, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, and Denmark.
Sailun Blazer Alpine Evo2 belongs to the High-Performance category and is designed to improve control and feedback, as well as reduce braking distance on snow and wet asphalt, and the manufacturer claims that the rubber compound has increased wear resistance while maintaining high elasticity, and the tire also helps to save fuel.
In turn, Ice Blazer Arctic2 is designed for colder winters and will be made from a compound that retains softness at extremely low temperatures. As they say at Sailun, the tread pattern has been optimized to enhance traction on ice and provide high performance in relatively warm weather and on wet roads. The presence of the Ice Grip symbol on the EU labels indicates that the Ice Blazer Arctic2 is suitable for the northern winter, and the special EV marking confirms that the tires are designed for use on both gasoline and electric vehicles.
Sailun Ice Blazer Spike is also designed for the most extreme winter conditions, and the tread pattern includes 18 rows of studs, and the manufacturer emphasizes that the studs are located as evenly as possible, which increases the level of safety on icy surfaces. Up to 236 studs can be installed in the tires, but the company says that even in the unstudded version, the Ice Blazer Spike is able to provide "impressive" traction on snow thanks to the directional tread pattern. The Ice Grip symbol and EV marking are also present.
"Sailun Polar Drive is a great opportunity to introduce our trading partners and journalists to the advantages of our winter tires and the Sailun philosophy," said Harry Van, CEO of Sailun Group Europe. "In addition, during numerous discussions, we were able to learn the opinions of professionals who work with tires on a daily basis and know what consumers want, and this data will be used to further develop our winter line, which is ongoing. Given our university origins [Sailun was founded by Yuan Zhongxue, who was a professor at Qingdao University of Science and Technology in the 1990s], we never stop developing, never stop at what we have achieved, and always look for what parameter can be improved by at least 1%. The most important thing is that we had the opportunity to spend time with our partners and together with them get fantastic memories."