Test of studded winter tires 205/55 R16 from the publisher UTAC 2025 p.

Excellent traction and predictable behavior on ice

Inaccurate and slowed steering response on asphalt

Nokian still makes some of the best tires for the most challenging winter conditions

Good handling on snow, wet and dry asphalt

Relatively weak traction on ice
Increased noise

Although in terms of overall ice grip, the Continental is inferior to some other premium tires, the behavior is stable and logical

Good handling on snow
On ice, cross-country grip is not the highest among competitors, but the behavior is stable and predictable
Good handling on dry and wet asphalt, including in emergency situations

Effective in any winter conditions and have no obvious drawbacks

Good performance on ice (there is some sluggishness of reactions, but controllability is maintained in any situation)

Slowed response to driver input on snow (but rear tires hold grip well)
Strong tendency to understeer on asphalt

Tires have been released long enough and concede to competitors in terms of sharpness of response to steering wheel turns, but still provide a fairly high level of safety

Very short braking distance and excellent traction on ice
Stable handling on snow

During sharp maneuvers on ice, the grip on the rear axle can be lost too quickly
On asphalt, the tires react slowly to steering turns, and there are complaints about informativeness, and the rear tires can easily go into skid

Bridgestone has excellent longitudinal grip on ice, but the lateral grip is less impressive, and on asphalt, the performance leaves something to be desired

Short braking distance on wet surface
Good handling on dry surface
High traction force on snow

Tendency to skid on ice, complicating vehicle control
Tendency to skid in emergency situations on snow
Low transverse grip on wet surfaces, which impairs handling

Tire with not the most balanced properties, which showed its best qualities on asphalt and snow

Very short braking distance and excellent traction on ice
Good handling on snow (although steering turn reactions are somewhat imprecise)

Relatively weak lateral grip on ice
Tendency to understeer on wet and dry pavement

Kumho brakes and accelerates quickly on ice, and they also have acceptable handling on snow, but on asphalt the traction is noticeably reduced