UTAC Studded Winter Tire Test (2024)

Studded tires maintain their popularity in regions with cold winters, and for the new season, UTAC Ivalo experts tested 11 studded tire models in size 205/55 R16 from both global market leaders and companies from China.

The list of participants included tires from Bridgestone Blizzak Spike 3, Continental IceContact 3, Falken Winterpeak F-Ice 1, Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2, Kumho WinterCraft ice Wi32, Michelin X-Ice North 4, Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10, and Pirelli Ice Zero 2, while the Chinese "tire industry" was represented by models such as Linglong Green-Max Winter Grip 2 and Triangle IcelynX TI501.

The tests were conducted in Ivalo, Finland, where tires are also tested in indoor pavilions, and when compiling the rating, not only performance on ice, snow, wet, and dry asphalt was taken into account, but also economy and comfort.

The first place in the 2024 tests was taken by Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10, which confidently holds grip on snow and ice, while on asphalt it responds to steering wheel turns a bit slower. Additionally, Nokian has average grip on wet surfaces, the noise level is also average, and the tire was the best among all participants in terms of economy.

Next are the Goodyear tires, which also provide a high level of safety in winter conditions and performed particularly well on snow, where they had very short braking distances. While on ice, when performing an emergency maneuver at a really high speed, lateral grip may be lost relatively sharply, on a snowy surface, the tires work reliably in any situation. On asphalt, the performance indicators, such as braking efficiency, are also good, the noise level is average, and rolling resistance is high.

Michelin tires scored the same number of points as Goodyear, about which the experts said that on ice, the reactions to the driver's actions are a bit inaccurate, but the grip is generally high, especially lateral. On snow, the tires behave stably without sharp skidding, and on asphalt, the car is easy to control in a difficult situation due to good resistance to lateral drift. Noise and economy are average, and Michelin also received high marks for directional stability.

Kumho tires (which managed to overtake Continental, Pirelli, and Bridgestone, so the Koreans can be congratulated) approached the leaders closely, providing excellent grip on ice, both when braking and maneuvering, and behaving predictably in any situation. On snow, the sensitivity of control is not the most impressive, but the tires do not provide unpleasant surprises, while on asphalt, the grip is somewhat reduced, and the front wheels may start to skid sharply during an emergency maneuver. Additionally, the noise made by the studs is clearly audible, and the directional stability is also not the best.

Continental IceContact 3 takes fifth place, which in the ice tests failed to enter the top three, as although the reactions to steering wheel turns are fairly clear, in a critical situation, the grip on the rear axle may completely disappear. On snow, the behavior of the tires is reliable, and on asphalt, Continental was even recognized as the best in terms of its qualities. In addition, IceContact 3 provides good directional stability, but the rolling resistance was the highest among the tested tires.

Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 is slightly lower than Continental. According to the testers, on ice, the longitudinal grip is decent, but there is a risk of sharp skidding in a difficult situation, while on snow, there are no such problems, and the car is easy to control and quickly stops. On asphalt, Hankook also behaves stably, although with a slight delay in response to steering wheel turns. There is a slight noise, and the rolling resistance is average.

Pirelli Ice Zero 2 shares the sixth place with Hankook, which on the icy surface also had generally good performance indicators, but also had a tendency to sharp skidding when performing an emergency maneuver. On snow, the behavior of the tires is balanced, and on asphalt, the situation was the same as on ice. Noise and fuel efficiency are average.

Bridgestone tires, as the experts noted, provide very high longitudinal grip on ice, but lateral stability is not as good, and on snow, the tires behave predictably, but the grip is not as high as that of the best tires in this regard. On asphalt, Bridgestone has slightly inaccurate reactions to the driver's actions, and the tires also make a lot of noise and are not economical.

In turn, Falken, in terms of grip on icy surfaces, slightly lags behind the leaders, but at the same time, they behave very balanced, which improves control over the car in an emergency situation. On wet and dry asphalt, the performance indicators are also good, the rolling resistance is average, there is a clearly audible noise, and the tires are also quite sensitive to ruts.

The tenth place is occupied by the cheapest tires in the test - Linglong Green-Max Winter Grip 2, which with their 251 studs were able to quickly stop the car on ice, but the lateral grip is not as good, due to which skidding can easily occur. On snow, the situation is the same, and the tires, as the experts stated, "can suddenly lose grip at the moment when it is needed most". On wet asphalt, the performance indicators are frankly weak, but on dry asphalt, Linglong was one of the best. The noise level and rolling resistance are high.

The last place is occupied by another cheap Chinese tire - Triangle IcelynX TI501, which simply has too low a grip on ice. Due to this, the braking distance increases, controllability worsens, and the risk of both skidding and skidding increases. On asphalt, the tires showed themselves much better, and they have a sufficiently low noise level, but they are sensitive to ruts and have high rolling resistance.