Winter Tire Test by Teknikens Värld — 2025
For a long time, the Swedish magazine Teknikens Värld has been testing tires of size 225/50 R17, but this time they decided to test larger tires of size 235/45 R18, as they are suitable for many new mid-size cars, and also had the opportunity to test two new non-studded tires from Pirelli: Ice Friction of the Scandinavian type (offered in Russia as Pirelli Ice Zero FR 3) and P Zero Winter 2 for soft winters (introduced in other European countries last year).
Sometimes, in tire tests, one of the participants is disqualified for some reason, and this time it happened to the studded Toyo Observe Ice-Freezer, and even before the tests began, due to the too large stud protrusion. According to the norms adopted in Sweden, no more than 50 studs per meter of tread can be installed in tires, or their number can be increased, but in this case, it is necessary to pass a test for road surface wear. Naturally, the stud protrusion of the tires on sale should be the same as that of the ones that passed the tests, and Toyo's data did not match. According to the certification data, tires with a protrusion of 0.95–0.96 mm were used in the tests, but the testers received a set in which all four tires had studs protruding by 1.53–1.76 mm. Although Toyo was immediately disqualified for non-compliance with the rules, it was decided to still use them in the tests to see how the increased stud protrusion would affect the characteristics of the tires, first of all, on ice.
In 2025, TV tested the following tires:
studded:
friction Scandinavian type:
friction European type:
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
The effectiveness of braking was evaluated on ice, snow, wet and dry asphalt, and priority was given to the first two types of coverage (the maximum number of points was doubled), and the tires with the best braking qualities were recognized as four "studded" and one friction model of the European type. The first places were taken by Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 and Goodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2, which both showed impressive results on ice and snow surfaces and average on asphalt, while the "European" from Pirelli, like other tires of this type, had an expected reduced grip on ice, but very good performance on snow, wet and dry surfaces.
The best in the handling tests were the studded Nokian, which work well on both ice and snow and help cope with difficult situations, while on wet surfaces the performance is again low, but this applies to all tires of this type. The second place was taken by the non-studded Continental VikingContact 8 of the Scandinavian type, which traditionally demonstrated either good or acceptable results on all surfaces. In addition, Continental surprised by performing on ice at the level of studded tires of the same brand and even surpassing Michelin X-Ice North 4 with their once record number of studs. In this test, Michelin generally showed themselves poorly on the ice track, and from a manufacturer of this level, one could expect more.
As for the "illegal" Toyo, the tests showed that only an increased stud protrusion is not enough for the tires to be truly effective on ice, and in fact, Observe Ice-Freezer took second place from the bottom in its class, and only the cheap Mazzini were worse, which generally performed at the level of non-studded tires of the European type. According to the experts, the result of Mazzini not only says that budget tires can very seriously worsen safety, but also confirms the groundlessness of the confidence of some drivers that if a car has studded tires, then you don't have to worry about grip on ice. The conclusion is that for the effective operation of tires on ice, not only the studs are important, but the entire set of characteristics.
In the tests for resistance to longitudinal aquaplaning, the "Europeans" are leading with a large margin, and the only exception was Toyo, and the two last lines were occupied by the "Scandinavians" from Nokian and Continental. In TV, it is noted that Hakkapeliitta R5 and VikingContact 8 "historically had difficulties with preventing aquaplaning", and besides, if friction tires with really good grip in winter conditions are needed, then, most likely, it is the resistance to aquaplaning that will have to be sacrificed. However, there are still tires of the Scandinavian type that combine these parameters, and in the 2025 test, this was true for Goodyear.
Although the "Scandinavians" still concede to other tires in this discipline, in fact, their characteristics are also improving, and if a few years before the pandemic they withstood speeds of about 50–52 km/h, then now the worst result was 55.7 km/h, and the best — 63.4 km/h, that is, progress is evident. Of course, tires of the European type are out of reach, and Goodyear showed a result of 76.8 km/h, but it should be said that models of this type have long been able to handle speeds around 78 km/h, so perhaps it is the improvement of the characteristics of the "Scandinavians" that manufacturers have paid the most attention to in recent years.
Previously, tests were also conducted for resistance to slushplaning, but, first, it is difficult to achieve reproducibility of results on slush, and second, tires with good resistance to aquaplaning, as a rule, effectively maintain grip on snowy porridge, so these tests were decided to be stopped.
In the moose test, traditional for the Swedes, which simulates a sharp bypass of an obstacle, the alignment of forces was clearly defined, and the "Europeans" are leading again, followed by the "Scandinavians", and below are the studded tires. At the same time, one tire was able to stand out, and it was Toyo of the European type, which showed itself much worse than expected, and took the last place in this discipline. As the testers say, the fact that the studded Goodyear and Nokian have such a low result is quite expected, but the fact that the "European" with a speed index V performed so weakly was unpredictable. On asphalt, it is precisely the tires of this type that behave most similarly to summer tires, and the leaders of the test again confirmed this, providing the best ease of handling and fast reactions to steering wheel turns even at not very high speeds.
The characteristics of the tires in the moose test have also changed over the years, and when the friction tires of the Scandinavian type, made from soft rubber compounds, were consistently the worst. Now the situation has changed, and Continental, Goodyear, Michelin, and Pirelli were able to make an emergency maneuver at 72 km/h, which should be considered a good result. According to the experts, the tires behave confidently, without skidding, and although they have a tendency to understeer, this is better than losing grip on the rear axle.
In the "comfort/stability" discipline, it is evaluated how the tires behave on ordinary roads at speeds of 70–110 km/h, and, as the testers note, although it may seem that in everyday life the tires do not have a significant impact on the driving process, but in fact, this is not the case. Often, the driver simply gets used to the behavior of their tires, and when they are given the opportunity to compare them with others, it turns out that the differences can be more than significant, and a good example of this is the noise level. It is believed that studded tires will always be louder than friction tires, but it should be said that the best "studded" tires in this regard are practically not inferior to the worst "Europeans", that is, the noise level is quite acceptable. At the same time, if the studded Continental and Pirelli had a satisfactory noise level, then Kumho of the same category destroys any semblance of acoustic comfort, and the experts said that they had previously tested noisy tires, but WinterCraft ice Wi32 still managed to surprise, and the noise "resembles the sounds of a propeller-driven aircraft engine", and driving a Volvo V60 suddenly becomes completely uncomfortable, while changing tires to friction Michelin X-Ice Snow of the Scandinavian type, the noise almost disappears. Studded Kumho also negatively affect other factors, and directional stability is significantly impaired, and when passing turns, the tires make the car's behavior "frighteningly unpredictable".
The best in terms of comfort and stability were Michelin X-Ice Snow, as well as Continental of the Scandinavian and European types. All three tires guarantee good handling and stability, low noise levels, and good shock absorption, and many other participants were close to them in one of the parameters, but they were unable to combine all the necessary characteristics.
Rolling resistance is becoming an increasingly important parameter of tires, and its role has increased in connection with the spread of electric cars, for which the range without recharging is extremely important. When reducing rolling resistance, the level of grip may worsen, and very often this is the case, but in the test, there were two tires with a good balance of these characteristics, namely the non-studded Continental and Goodyear for the northern winter. The best example of a parameter imbalance was the friction Goodride of the European type, which helps to save fuel, but has a reduced grip level.
Verdict
The friction Continental VikingContact 8 of the Scandinavian type won the overall standings, which combines high grip with good comfort and low rolling resistance. The only drawback was the weak resistance to aquaplaning, but in all other respects, this is a exemplary winter tire of the premium class.
The other two "Scandinavians" - Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 and Pirelli Ice Friction - shared second place, and the first tire had mediocre braking qualities on ice, but in all other respects, the performance is very good, and, like Continental, high grip is combined with fuel efficiency. As for the new product from Pirelli, the debut can be considered quite successful, and the only thing that prevented it from claiming victory was the high rolling resistance and not the best stability in everyday mode.
The best studded tire in the test was Goodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2, which quickly stops the car on ice and snow and generally provides reliable grip on these types of surfaces. The characteristics on asphalt are mediocre, but this is what can be expected from studded tires - at least for now.
In the class of non-studded tires for soft winters, Pirelli P Zero Winter 2 won, which works well on snow, and on asphalt, the car behaves almost like on summer tires. In winter conditions, the performance is unimpressive, and fuel efficiency is average.
If the tires were tested only on ice and snow, the winner would undoubtedly be Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10, but on asphalt, the performance is low, as well as the comfort ratings, so the tire from the Finnish brand takes only sixth place.
In seventh place is the studded Continental IceContact 3, which slightly inferior to Goodyear and Nokian of this category in terms of grip on ice, but surpasses them in terms of results on asphalt. In general, this is a tire with acceptable characteristics and low rolling resistance.
The friction Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 of the European type has parameters similar to those of Pirelli of the same class: both tires work well on snow, poorly on ice, and perfectly on asphalt, and Goodyear also had especially high results on wet surfaces.
The non-studded Michelin X-Ice Snow for the northern winter last year (tested in size 225/50 R17) managed to take the last place, but this time the results of the tires made in China (last year, Michelin of Canadian production was tested) were better, especially in terms of everyday stability. The grip on ice is slightly worse than that of the leaders, and on snow, the performance is good.
Michelin shares the ninth place with Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 of the same category, which in winter conditions provides almost the same grip as the best tires in the test, but at the same time, the car becomes less stable on them, and Nokian behaves less confidently. In addition, the tires of the Finnish brand have traditionally been distinguished by their economy, but not this time.
The studded Pirelli Ice Zero 2 in the test slightly lacked grip on ice, and on asphalt, the tires have mediocre stability, but this applies to all tires of this category. On the other hand, the tires showed themselves well on snow.
Continental WinterContact TS870 P of the European type works well on dry and wet asphalt, while the grip on ice was one of the worst among the tested tires. Continental also has increased rolling resistance.
Since TV gives priority to the results on snow and ice, it was more difficult for the "Europeans" to count on high places, but the fact that the same number of points as Continental WinterContact TS870 P was scored by the studded Michelin X-Ice North 4 is already surprising. The reason was the relatively weak grip on ice, namely transverse, that is, with braking, everything is in order, but in turns, there is less grip than it should be. Low fuel efficiency also worsened the final assessment.
The Falken Eurowinter HS02 Pro tires for soft winters, which are produced by the Japanese Sumitomo Rubber Industries in Turkey, performed at the level of their "classmates" on ice and snow, while the braking properties on wet asphalt are very good, and the rest of the results are no more than mediocre. In turn, Falken Winterpeak F-Snow 1 for the northern latitudes on ice concedes to the best tires in the test, and on snow, the grip is high, but in all other respects, the performance is again average, and the worst of all is the tires showed themselves on wet surfaces. In addition, Falken has increased rolling resistance.
Only 15th place is occupied by the studded Kumho Wintercraft ice Wi32, which are effective on ice and snow, but the problem is that, according to the experts, the noise level is "monstrously high", and everyday stability is "simply terrible". In addition to this, the tires very poorly resist aquaplaning.
Despite the studs with excessive protrusion, Toyo Observe Ice-Freezer on ice did not receive an advantage, and in fact, took second place from the bottom in its class, and only the cheap Mazzini were worse, which generally performed at the level of non-studded tires of the European type. In all other respects, Toyo has good properties on snow, but that's where the advantages end.
The friction Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP tires for warm winters somewhat puzzled the testers, as they are more like a "Scandinavian" in terms of pattern, but the speed class is typical for "Europeans". As for the results, 18th place out of 20 speaks for itself.
Even lower than Toyo are the Goodride ZuperSnow Z-507 tires of the European type, which were the cheapest tires of this category that could be found. In the test, Goodride distinguished themselves by good fuel efficiency, but the grip is predictably poor.
The last place is occupied by Mazzini Ice Leopard, which turned out to be a studded tire with grip on ice, like that of "friction" tires of the European type, which is quite surprising in itself. Mazzini were also the cheapest tires in their class among those that the testers could find, and they have no significant advantages except for the price.