Tyre reviews Tracmax X-Privilo S500 472

Review of TRACMAX X-PRIVILO S 500 studded tires 225/55/17 (wider than the native Camry)
I'll compare it to Michelin studded tires, since Michelin has 250 studs, while TRACMAX has 270 studs
My friend bought TRACMAX summer tires last summer and says he's very satisfied with the rubber, so I decided to look into this brand (TRACMAX X-PRIVILO S 500 studded) for 7500₽ per tire!
Only 4 points were working on December 31, 2023, but their price is higher than that of competitors, 8100₽!.
I arrived and bought them.
———After 1750 km, I'll tell you, I was very worried, after so many years of driving on NOKIAN Hakkapeliitta 5 and 7, that this is garbage, but I was deeply mistaken.
YES, time will tell, BUT, at the moment, all parameters are on the level of NOKIAN,
On the internet, there are only two reviews of this tire, that's where I learned about the number of studs, in general, this played a decisive role.
Those who drove on the highways these days will understand the amount of snow, slush, water, ice, and black ice on the road.
In general.
—-I WON'T RECOMMEND, as I won't take responsibility for the advice.
I've made conclusions for myself.
Time will tell.
The tire worked perfectly in all modes, 5+ out of 5 possible.
Dry asphalt, wet asphalt, ice, packed snow, snowy slush, loose snow, black ice, acceleration, and braking on all these surfaces were excellent.
On straight roads, the tire holds perfectly.
In terms of noise, the tire is quieter than Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7. I don't know how many studs disappeared during the trip.
The tire handled all turns 100%

I didn't expect such high-quality properties from Chinese tires, but I'm thrilled. It's well-balanced, it performs great in snow, ice, and snowy slush, and it grips the road like sandpaper when braking. The handling is confident, and it behaves well on the highway. I didn't notice much noise from the studs, it just hums along.

Excellent tires. I've been reading and interested in them for a long time. I bought them and never regretted it. Black ice is great (no worse than xin4), slush is great (haven't gotten stuck in any mess) and when cornering at speed it doesn't skid - I give it a 5. No matter what anyone else says, the tires are excellent. Don't buy European brands for cosmic money anymore. Here's real winter tires for you. Tested in Murmansk! And by the way, they're not noisy!!!

255/50/20. I agreed to this tire when buying a car as the only one available in this size. I thought I'd replace it. But I'll drive on it until it wears out. I really liked it. It's quiet, many times quieter than the standard summer Michelin!!! It handles winter on any road no worse than famous brands. Soft.

I've spent the winter season in Moscow. Unlike Nokian Nordman 7, my impressions are mixed. S500 is softer, better in terms of traction and handling, and quieter on straight roads than Nokian (I've driven on it for 3 seasons). But there's also a downside. In turns, the tire is noisy on dry asphalt (apparently due to the large number of studs, especially on the tire's shoulders), the studs are smaller but there are more of them, which is why they don't perform as well on ice as I'd like. The main thing is that it doesn't become rigid in the cold like the Russian Nokian. At -33°C, the tire performed great, unlike the Nordman, which at -25°C is already rigid and loses all its positive characteristics. In general, I recommend Toyo Tires S500, especially if you need budget-friendly tires!

P.S. I don't know about its durability, it's only been 3 months, so I'm giving it a 4 rating in advance

Normal tire. Makes a bit of noise. But otherwise I liked it. I caught potholes with both front wheels at the same time, had to throw away the struts and steering rod ends, but the tire withstood it. For this price, it's great.

I bought these tires because I have summer tires from the same manufacturer, which I really liked. The winter tires met my expectations. Previously, I had Dunlop Ice Touch. There's something to compare with. They are quieter in terms of noise. Handling is excellent. It grips snow perfectly. It exits icy ruts well. After 2000 km of mileage, the studs are all in place.

Excellent tires, I've been driving for 2 years, Moscow region, Dmitrov. January snowfalls of 2026 were no problem. Last year on New Year's, we drove to Elbrus on a highway at 150km/h for several hours, the studs were still in place. By the way, about the studs: their "non-standard" size is even a plus - they don't make too much noise on asphalt, but on ice, due to their quantity, they do their job. Before these tires, I had Continental Ice Contact 2 on my Touareg. I definitely like the Chinese ones better: their price, how they handle deep snow, and how they drive on black ice. By the way, after a year of driving on this brand, I put Tracmax tires on my parents' 200 Cruiser, but non-studded ones, which are perfect for Pyatigorsk. My dad is satisfied.

I bought them for the front axle, and left the Nordman 8 on the rear with 6mm tread remaining and almost all the studs still intact.
The pros of the Chinese tires are their price and wear resistance (after 6,000 km, including almost no snowy St. Petersburg winter, there's practically no wear, and I drove quite aggressively on dry asphalt, without being gentle. The studs are also all in place, and haven't sunk in.
In terms of noise, they're quiet for studded tires, but there's a small range around 90-95 km/h where there's a distinct hum, but you can just drive a bit faster or slower, or turn up the music.
Driving on asphalt is quite comfortable, with no floating or instability, and the steering is sharp enough.
I don't feel the wheel ruts much either, which is also comfortable.
The cons are that the braking on ice is weak for the number of studs, and the Nordman 8 stops the car much faster. Apparently, the rubber compound is too hard (which is also why the wear is so low). But steering on ice is very good, with no loss of traction, unless you deliberately try to push your luck.
The car doesn't have any electronic aids, not even ABS.
In short, the tires are average in terms of their overall qualities, but they're also the cheapest. I think they deserve 4 stars for that.
I didn't have any damage over the season, and they balanced well.
Next time, I'd probably try a different Chinese brand to see how they compare. Not because these are bad, but different tires give you a different feel when driving, like you're driving a slightly different car. There are always pros and cons.

A great winter tire. It holds the road well. On ice and asphalt, it behaves decently. Quiet, compared to, for example, IKON Avtograf 9.