Choosing the right car rubber means good grip and, at the same time, the safety of the driver and passengers. An extremely wide range of tires is presented in specialized stores and on the market, and therefore most consumers are simply lost in all this variety of brands and models.
In order to somehow navigate and be, as they say, in the know, let's designate a rating which includes the most popular brands that are distinguished by the high quality of their products and have earned the love of motorists around the world. All the companies represented in the top constantly participate in some exhibitions, occupy high places, take prizes, awards and are encouraged in every possible way for the next successful series of tires.
- Bridgestone.
- Yokohama.
- Michelin.
- Goodyear.
- Dunlop.
- Pirelli.
- Nokian.
Let's consider each participant in more detail and note some distinctive features of the above brands.
Bridgestone
The Bridgestone Corporation is a recognized leader in the manufacture of high quality tires. The brand manufactures rubber using the latest technologies in this area and tests its products in a variety of weather conditions - from sultry heat to harsh winter.
For decades now, Bridgestone Corporation has been improving its tires from year to year and making a lot of efforts to produce high-tech rubber. Plus, the brand belongs to the ardent environmentalists, which means that the company's products are distinguished by the corresponding "green" standards.
Features of the models
Bridgestone got into the rating of tire manufacturers due to the versatility of its products. has excellent grip on both dry and wet roads, and the rolling resistance indicator will save the lion's share of fuel. Winter tire models belong to the elite class of studless products and are distinguished by the same excellent grip, whether it is snow-covered surfaces or bare ice.
Particularly noteworthy are the all-season models, which guarantee safe driving in the harshest environmental conditions. On clear ice, they may not be so good, but for a city with its winter problems, this is an ideal option.
Yokohama
The Yokohama Rubber Company began its history back in 1917. And for over a hundred years now, the brand has continued to delight us with excellent rubber. Both cyclists and mining equipment owners will find something for themselves in the assortment of this company.
Rubber is sold by the Yokohama company all over the world. There are buyers for it both in hot El Paso and in cold Yakutsk.
Thanks to a competent marketing company and, of course, extremely high-quality products, this manufacturer has overtaken even Bridgestone in rubber sales (the advantage is due to a narrowly targeted segment: bicycle, motorcycle, industrial equipment).
Years of production experience coupled with high-quality products allowed the company to conclude lucrative contracts with venerable brands, and now Yokohama (rubber) is a representative of such brands as Lexus, Porsche, Toyota, Mercedes, Aston Martin. , Subaru and Mazda.
Michelin
The history of this world famous company began in 1830. In a modest and unsightly place called Clermont-Ferrand, Michelin's grandfather organized a small backyard production that was engaged in the production of rubber for wheels. Half a century later, the cyclist who won the France-Germany-France marathon revealed the secret of his victory - Michelin tires. Literally in a year and a half, tens of thousands of athletes have adopted this high-quality product.
Fame flew for the company around the world, and Michelin tires became coveted because any owner of a vehicle with two or four wheels wanted tires that would bring victory. From year to year, the brand developed new technologies, attracted smart specialists and competently mastered the market, while expanding its production.
Michelin rubber remains true to its victorious tradition to this day. Many racers prefer the Michelin brand to other brands, not only because of some superstition, but also because of the really high quality of these products.
Goodyear
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company marketers did their best. The tires of this company are recognized all over the world. The brand enjoys enviable popularity among motorists not only due to the production of high-quality rubber, but also due to a competent marketing policy. On the shelves of "Goodyear" you can find models of different price categories.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the company entered into an open-ended contract with the Henry Ford network of factories, thereby ensuring itself a direct track to a bright future. By the middle of the century, the brand was producing rubber for almost all types of equipment, and the company was recognized all over the world.
Goodyear is included in the rating of tire manufacturers due to the use of the latest technologies in the production of its products, which directly affects the comfort of driving. The brand was the first to patent a spiked rubber with a fluid outlet. In addition, the technology of "silent movement" (no sound when the wheel is damaged) has also been developed by this company. Goodyear thoroughly tests its products on its own routes and during production excludes the use of any "heavy" chemical elements.
Dunlop
The Dunlop brand may not be familiar to every motorist, but surely everyone has used tubeless tires at least once. The brand was the first to receive a patent for the use of such technology, and Dunlop tubeless tires began to conquer the world.
In addition, the company's engineers were among the first to introduce steel tires for treads into production, which significantly increased the service life of the products. Among motorists, a clear expression stuck: “You need eternal tires - buy a Dunlop.
Dunlop rubber is very popular, and a huge number of branches around the world allows you to bring quality products to people. A significant part of the company's production capacity is located in the homeland of these tires - in the UK, but it also has large offices in the USA, Japan and France.
"Pirelli"
The priority direction of the company is the production of tires for sports cars of the Formula 1 class. Many sports car pilots choose Pirelli tires for a successful and competent combination of characteristics.
The brand's research teams are engaged in the development and implementation of the safest products produced with the latest technology. Pirelli tires have excellent grip and are virtually silent on the track.
A wide range of rubber on the brand's shelves allows any car enthusiast to choose something of his own for his car, taking into account the climatic conditions of the region and the season. Summer tires do an excellent job on both dry and wet roads, providing the driver with a comfortable ride. Winter options are just as good as summer ones: modern technologies and high-quality materials allow you to clearly keep the car on the ice surface.
All-season models perfectly adapt to the current environmental conditions and are perfectly protected from temperature extremes, so they can be fully called universal. Many motorists, having tried the Pirelli brand once, can no longer refuse the comfort that it offers to its owner.
"Nokian"
The Nokian Tires brand is the leader in its segment in Northern Europe. The company is not only engaged in the production of tires for cars and bicycles, but also has long-term contracts with agricultural and mining tycoons.
The priority for the brand has been and remains winter tire models that can withstand the most severe frosts. Thanks to this attitude, the brand enjoys enviable popularity among our compatriots. After all, in Russia a blizzard, ice and cold are common things.
But, of course, summer tires of this brand also deserve attention: advanced technologies, excellent materials and numerous awards make the models quite competitive against the background of other manufacturers.
The company devotes a lot of time to bench tests and field tests for the durability of products in a harsh climatic environment, so when buying any winter model, be sure that it will not let you down either on ice or on snow.
This test will allow you to enjoy extreme testing and to clearly see the advantages and disadvantages of a number of main models of winter studded tires. For comparison, ten tires from various leading global manufacturers were selected, all of which are industry leaders. These tires are Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8, Continental ContiIceContact, Gislaved Nord Frost 100, Pirelli Winter Ice Zero, Michelin X-Ice North 2, Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic, Dunlop Ice Touch, Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000, Hankook Winter i * Pike and domestic Kama Euro -519.
Number of studs - road care or driver safety?
When comparing models of winter studded tires, it is necessary to separately highlight the problem of the number of studs themselves installed in the tire. Talks about toughening the rules for using studs have been going on in the Scandinavian countries for a long time, and the reason is the increased wear of the roadway. The "greens" began to argue that asphalt dust is also carcinogenic, that is, it causes cancer. And in 2009, a new norm was promulgated - up to 50 studs per linear meter, and regardless of the tread width or the rim diameter of the tire. At the same time, the previous restrictions remained in force: the protrusion of the studs above the tread surface should not exceed 1.2 mm.
What about security? After all, the more spikes, the better, all other things being equal, the "hook" on the ice will be better ... Shinniks have left a loophole! It turns out that you can install more studs, but then you have to prove that a denser stud will not increase the destructive effect on the road. As a result, on the basis of the Finnish testing center Test World, a method was developed for the full-scale assessment of the impact of studded tires on the road surface. In a nutshell, after a certain number of drives on a granite tile, the mass of this tile should not decrease more than after the same exposure to reference tires with a "legal" number of spikes.
However, the rush demand for such tests did not follow. For example, Michelin decided that this was not a completely fair way to get around the new restrictions - and threw all their efforts into improving tires with a reduced number of studs. The developers of the new Gislaved Nord Frost 100 tires did the same. What about the rest?
The rest fully loaded their production capacity to produce as many tires as possible, studded according to the old rules (no more than 130 studs for 16-inch tires). After all, the ban that came into force on July 1 concerns the production, but not the sales of tires with the "wrong" studding!
And only Nokian Tires went its own way: the number of studs on the tires of the new Hakkapeliitta 8 not only did not decrease, but increased by one and a half times! Naturally, the aforementioned test was passed, and, as we learned, it was carried out not at the Test World test site, but in its own test center near the town of Nokia. It turns out that you can do that - under the supervision of an official observer from the Trafi transport security agency. Competitors, of course, raised a fuss - they say, with so many spikes, it is impossible to pass the test successfully!
Ice tests
The testing team takes on their hard work. One by one, the tire sets are subjected to the most rigorous tests in the most icy conditions. Finally, the last, tenth set of studded tires was tested for "acceleration-deceleration" - and ... The first sensation! The smallest braking distance on account of the ContiIceContact tires. They also provided the car with better acceleration dynamics. Although the advantage over the "bristling" Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires is quite small, but it is! That is, 190 studs lined up in 18 rows perform no better on ice than 130 studs spread across 12 rows. In any case, in 14-degree frost. Why? Because in order to reduce the harmful effect on the roadway, the Finns really had to change the design of the studs: they are not only lighter, but also smaller - in height and in diameter - than those used in Continental tires. And those that were previously used in Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 tires. And the carbide insert in the "small" studs is not so powerful.
Two favorites are stepping on the heels of the new Pirelli Winter Ice Zero tires.
Gislaved Nord Frost 100 tires promise to become another striking novelty of this season. There are already 96 "legal" studs - and they provide quite decent braking on ice, although during acceleration - only the eighth result. Ahead were the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic and Dunlop Ice Touch and Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires familiar to us from last year's tests. By the way, why is Michelin represented by the second generation X-Ice North tires, and not the third generation? The company decided that it was better not to give these tires to anyone for comparative tests until the official launch of a new model on the market.
Bridgestone also prepared new items for the winter season, but also refused to provide them before the official premiere. Therefore, in the overall standings - Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 tires, which in the coming winter will also be actively sold in our market.
The Korean school is represented by Hankook Winter i * Pike tires, and the Russian school is represented by Kama Euro-519 tires. On the ice, the results of both those and others are very modest. But so far we are talking only about the grip properties in the longitudinal direction.
The controllability assessment began with driving on an ice circle at the maximum possible speed, and continued on a winding track, which took into account both the lap time and a subjective assessment of the convenience and reliability of control. In these exercises, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires have already achieved a convincing victory. Perfectly keep the movement in turns, excellent control over the car on the track! They can also be safely recommended to those who go to amateur ice races: "taking off" a couple of seconds from the circle is not a problem!
Continental tires are in second place, and right behind them - and this is the second, albeit small, but still sensation - the Gislaved tires. They made it possible to very confidently drive the car along a winding road.
Another surprise was the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires. With them, the car slows down and accelerates well, but in turns it keeps poorly and even "jumped" off the icy track a couple of times. Fortunately, there are not meter-long snowdrifts around, but safety strips with a ten-centimeter layer of fluffy snow.
Snow element
The next day, the frost subsided from fourteen degrees to minus seven. Testers have at their disposal a 600-meter track with perfectly packed snow. The work will be monotonous: acceleration to 50 km / h, braking, acceleration again, braking again ... But if earlier the driver was required to work with the pedals in order to exclude unnecessary wheel slip at the start and blocking during braking, now this is monitored by the electronics - Traction Control and ABS. And soon it seems that it will be possible to do without a driver altogether.
Let's take a look at the results of the manual snow tests. It is not hard to see that they are very close when braking: the difference between the best tires (Dunlop Ice Touch) and the worst (Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000) is less than three meters, which is ten percent. During acceleration, the spread is a little more, about 20 percent, and the favorites here are already different - the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires. That is, the Finns have conjured up not only with spikes, but also with the tread - after all, on the snow, it is not so much the spikes that are important as the tread.
And on the handling trail winding around trees and snow-strewn boulders, Nokian tires are quieter: quick reactions and fully controlled sliding. Moreover, in sliding it is better not to slow down, otherwise the stabilization system disabled by the button will "wake up" and the pace will decrease. Another indicator: if on Nokian tires the stabilization system was "awakened" only once, on other tires it was activated much more often - due to errors caused by stretched slips (they were especially upset by the Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 and Kama Euro-519 tires) ...
Driving on asphalt
At the beginning of spring, the winter tests were supplemented with a cycle of "asphalt" tests. First, we looked at how the tires behave on sludge - a snow-water slurry that covered the asphalt with an even layer. This layer is only 3.5 cm deep, and the Hankook tires already float at a speed of 19.4 km / h. However, the best Bridgestone tires in this type of testing are not far behind - their limit is 21.2 km / h. And on wet asphalt, already without admixture of snow, the shortest braking distances are on account of the Gislaved tires, and the worst is on the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8.
The Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 performed poorly on wet asphalt, but showed one of the best braking results on dry surfaces. By the way, this is a reason to remind again that modern studded tires work on asphalt no worse, and sometimes even better than non-studded Scandinavian-type tires - those that are commonly called Velcro. This is due to the stiffer rubber, which is needed to secure the cleats in place. There is still a popular myth that a studded tire rolls on the asphalt, leaning more on the spikes than on the rubber. But in fact, the studs, in contact with the asphalt, are sunk into the body of the tread, practically not reducing the contact spots of the rubber with the road. However, it all depends on what goals the manufacturer sets when creating a specific tire model. By changing the tread pattern, hardness and chemical composition of rubber, you can shift the balance of qualities, giving preference to either behavior on slippery winter surfaces (ice, snow), or on asphalt.
With the Dunlop Ice Touch tires, this balance is clearly shifted towards the asphalt: the Audi A3 brakes confidently and responds best to sharp turns of the steering wheel. But on ContiIceContact tires the braking distance on both dry and wet asphalt is a couple of meters longer, that is, preference is given to "winter" qualities.
This is where spike tires always lose out to non-studded ones, because it is in acoustic comfort. There is clearly more noise from them, especially if the tread already has 190 studs, like the Nokian tires. However, with fewer studs, the Kama Euro, Pirelli, Continental and Bridgestone tires clink in much the same way. And the quietest tires are Michelin X-Ice 2. They are the softest along with Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires.
How will such soft tires behave if they hit a hole or bump into an asphalt ledge? The testing team put winter tires through a similar experiment. At a speed of 40 km / h, the car runs into a steel channel set at an angle of 30 degrees - a piece of a U-shaped beam. If the tire withstands, the attempt is repeated already at a speed of 45 km / h. And so on until the tire "expires". In order not to damage the suspension of the brand new Audi A3, it was replaced with a well-worn Mercedes-Benz C 180.
Bridgestone tires withstood the most impacts: they managed to break through only at a speed of 70 km / h! And this is no coincidence: when developing their tires, the Japanese take into account the specifics of bad roads, strengthen the structure and check it themselves with crash tests.
The Continental tires also hold up to the blow - they gave up at a speed of 60 km / h. The bulk of the tires was finished at a speed of 50 km / h, but the Michelin tires, which they liked so much for their softness, were punched in the very first race, at a speed of 40 km / h. It was even decided to repeat the experiment - what if it was an accident? As a result, the second Michelin X-Ice North 2 tire with a through hole is sent to landfill. Again, everything is understandable: the French company pays more and more attention to reducing rolling resistance, for the sake of which the sidewall is getting thinner (thus reducing the so-called hysteresis losses - energy consumption for heating due to deformation).
The tires were also tested for rolling resistance using a treadmill drum. And it turned out that Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires roll easier than others, and not Michelin X-Ice North 2. But this is without studs, since studded tires would damage the calibrated drum surface. It is not a fact that this rating will not change with spikes. However, in terms of fuel consumption, the difference is still small - the bulk of the tires are separated by 0.2-0.3 l / 100 km. And the difference between the most "economical" and the most "voracious" tires (they were expected to be Bridgestone tires) is 0.6 l / 100 km. And yet, since the experiment was carried out without thorns, its results were not taken into account in the derivation of the final estimates.
Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8
Overall rating: 9.0
- Handling on ice and snow
- Braking properties on dry asphalt
- Noisiness
- High price
With so many pimples, a victory over competitors, especially in ice disciplines, should be simply devastating! But the matter was limited to simply victory, without defeat. On the handling track - the best time, driving is a pleasure. But the advantage over the ContiIceContact tires, which have 60 fewer studs, is negligible, and the Continental tires are even better in acceleration dynamics. Because there are many spikes in the tread of Finnish tires, but they are small: the diameter, the height of the spike, the width of the carbide insert - everything here is smaller than that of Continental tires. Perhaps, at a higher temperature, on "soft" ice, the effectiveness of "small" thorns would have been higher, but our tests took place in 14-degree frost.
On snow, Nokian tires are traditionally good: accurate and timely responses to the steering wheel and gas.
But on asphalt the behavior is unstable. While Nokian tires provide good deceleration on dry surfaces, they have the longest braking distances on wet surfaces. And the expected disadvantage was the "itchy" sound from the spikes, which did not leave the cabin in the entire speed range.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (62 standard sizes are available - from 175/70 R13 to 255/35 R20) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 9,2 |
| 9,0 | |
| 48 | |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 190/18 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 1,2 |
| Manufacturer country | Finland |
| Catalog of winter tires Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 " | |
Continental ContiIceContact
Overall rating: 9.0
- Adhesion properties on ice and snow
- Handling on ice and snow
- Impact strength
- Adhesion on wet asphalt
On ice, the ContiIceContact tires are great. Acceleration and braking are the best in the test, and the balance of drift and drift on the ice handling track is such as if you were driving not in a front-wheel drive, but in an all-wheel drive car. I slightly threw off the gas at the entrance to the turn - and then you drive the car in an arc in controlled sliding with four wheels!
On the snow, the tires are also good, and only the not always appropriate slight tendency to skid the rear axle did not allow to give the highest point for "reliability of handling".
On asphalt, the grip is average, although the "Change" maneuver was done very well. The car reacts sluggishly to the first impulse, but then the tires are "squeezed" and hold lateral overloads well. It's a pity that the soundtrack during such maneuvers is already very intrusive - the Continental tires whine on a straight line, and the rumble increases in corners.
These tires have excellent impact resistance. And the thorns in them hold to the last: in order to pull out a thorn planted on glue, you need to apply an effort 2-2.5 times higher compared to other tires.
I wonder if the ContiIceContact tires will continue to perform as well on ice after switching to a lightweight stud? Such tires with the HD index, produced after July 1, 2013, have already appeared at Russian dealers.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (42 standard sizes are available - from 155/80 R13 to 245/40 R18) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 9,8 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,5 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 49 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 130/12 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 1,3 |
| Manufacturer country | Germany |
| Buy winter tires Continental ContiIceContact " | |
Gislaved Nord Frost 100
Overall rating: 9.0
- Ice grip and handling
- Snow grip
- Adhesion properties on asphalt
- Moderate handling on snow
"Not by number, but by skill!" The tread of the Gislaved Nord Frost 100 tires has a total of 96 standard offset studs, but on ice these tires are better than many tires that have 130 studs each. On the handling track - the third time, but the lag behind the leader, who has almost twice as many studs, is less than a second! No wonder the German tire workers (Gislaved today is 100 percent a product of Continental) worked on a new tread and new "triangular" studs! Slides are small and easy to control.
And on the snow, decent behavior, although on the track, handling is hampered by sharp breaks in sliding.
But on wet asphalt - the minimum braking distance! At the same time, the tires do not make much noise and gently "swallow" irregularities.
In general, well balanced winter tires: they work confidently on country roads and are almost ideal for urban use. And the price looks reasonable.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (38 standard sizes are available - from 155/70 R13 to 245/40 R18) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 8,8 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,4 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 48 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 96/14 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 1,3 |
| Manufacturer country | Germany |
| Winter tires Gislaved Nord Frost 100 in our online store " | |
Pirelli Winter Ice Zero
Overall rating: 8.7
- Adhesion properties on ice
- Moderate handling on ice and snow
- Noisiness
These tires came to our test a month and a half before the official premiere (AR # 17, 2013) - we did not even know the real name of the model, since there was no marking on the smooth sidewall. But both the protector and the new design spikes were already "commercial" - now both the insert and the spike body have a complex trapezoidal shape.
In terms of longitudinal dynamics on ice, the Pirelli tires are almost on par with the leaders in the test. But on the handling track, there were sharp breaks in side slip. However, Pirelli tires, whether winter or summer, have always endowed the car with sharper, sportier reactions.
A similar behavior is observed on snow, but here the grip properties in the longitudinal direction were at an average level.
Here on the asphalt - good deceleration, both dry and wet.
The ride is good, but there is a lot of noise - the rumble is heard even when driving on packed snow.
Albeit with reservations, but we also recommend these tires - primarily to those who drive in winter mainly on city streets cleared of snow.
| Dimension | |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 9,1 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,5 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 50 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 130/16 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 1,2 |
| Manufacturer country | Germany |
| Sale of winter tires Pirelli Winter Ice Zero " | |
Michelin X-Ice North 2
Overall rating: 8.5
- Comfort
- Adhesion properties on wet and dry asphalt
- Insufficient resistance to slashplaning
- Low impact strength
When we ran this test with Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires in early February, we received an invitation to the official premiere of the next generation X-Ice North 3 tires. But all attempts to get new tires for the test failed! However, the novelty will not appear in all dimensions in Russia, and half of the sales of Michelin studded tires will fall on the X-Ice North 2 model.
Worthy tires, with a pronounced Michelin family feature - high stability on slippery roads and soft, understandable transients. It's bad that the slides themselves last a little longer than we would like.
This also manifested itself on the asphalt: the stretched sliding prevented the high speed "changeover". But there are no problems with braking, and the level of comfort is beyond praise: these are the softest and quietest tires in our test!
They would have a stronger sidewall, otherwise when hitting an "obstacle" thin rubber breaks at a speed of 40 km / h, although most tires hold up to 50 km / h, and some remain intact and at a higher speed.
In general, very comfortable winter tires, which are best used on the streets of large cities.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (29 standard sizes are available - from 205/55 R16 to 295/35 R21) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 9,3 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,4 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 52 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 118/12 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 1,0 |
| Manufacturer country | Russia |
| Winter tires Michelin X-Ice North 2 - all sizes in our store " | |
Goodyear ultragrip ice arctic
Overall rating: 8.4
- Braking properties on ice and snow
- Adhesion properties on wet and dry asphalt
- Impact strength
- Handling on ice
- Traction ability on snow
Introduced last year, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ace Arctic tires were immediately among the leaders in our tests, but this year they were not so impressive. The reason could be the changed weather conditions, the progress of competitors, but it seems that the matter is in the lower quality studding. The cocked hat spikes themselves did not change, but most of them turned out to be overly sunk into the tread - the projection averaged 0.9 mm versus 1.2-1.3 mm for competing tires. Here we need to look for the reason for lagging behind the leaders of the test both in acceleration and in braking on ice. And on the handling track, the lag is already beyond the bounds of decency: the Audi A3 on Goodyear tires covers an 800-meter track ten seconds longer than on Nokian tires! We also noted last year that Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires perform better in the longitudinal direction than in the lateral direction, and now the imbalance has worsened - the car holds very badly on the arc!
On snow, the handling situation is better, but there are problems with acceleration. On the asphalt - at the level of the average. It is curious that the clatter of the spikes is almost inaudible, but the tread itself howls in the entire speed range.
What these tires definitely pleased with was their impact resistance: in this discipline - the third place.
With normal studding quality, these tires could surely compete with the leaders, but according to the results of our test, we would not recommend using these tires on cars without electronic stabilization systems.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (25 standard sizes are available - from 175/70 R13 to 225/55 R17) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,3 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,8 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 55 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 130/14 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 0,9 |
| Manufacturer country | Poland |
| Goodyear UltraGrip Ace Arctic winter tires catalog | |
Dunlop ice touch
Overall rating: 8.3
- Braking properties on snow
- Handling on ice and snow
- Smooth running
According to the final assessment, Dunlop tires are only 0.1 points inferior to Goodyear tires. No surprise: the Dunlop brand today is three-quarters owned by Goodyear, and the Dunlop Ice Touch and Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires were developed by the same engineering team. The tread patterns are different, but everything else - groove depth, rubber hardness and studs - is the same. Unfortunately, the quality of studding is the same: the studs in Dunlop tires also turned out to be deeper than necessary. By the way, the tires were made at the same plant in Poland.
The problems with handling on ice are similar: in the lateral direction, the Dunlop tires hold much worse than in the longitudinal direction. It is difficult to drive on a winding track because of the sudden, unexpected slippage.
But on the snow - the minimum braking distance! At the same time, acceleration and handling indicators are the same "sluggish" as on ice.
But on a dry surface - the minimum braking distance and the maximum speed of the "rearrangement". The car responds clearly and quickly to steering movements, which is a rarity for winter tires! True, there is also a side effect - increased rigidity when passing through small irregularities.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (16 standard sizes are available - from 175/65 R14 to 225/55 R17) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,1 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,8 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 55 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 130/14 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 0,9 |
| Manufacturer country | Poland |
| Order winter tires Dunlop Ice Touch in our online store " | |
Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000
Overall rating: 7.5
- High impact resistance
- High slash resistance
- Traction and handling on asphalt
- Adhesion properties on ice and snow
- Comfort
- Handling on ice and snow
Aggressive tread cut by a fine network of wavy lamellas - and spikes lined up in 14 lines. But the studs are ordinary - with cylindrical inserts, and the tread rubber is not as "tenacious" as that of competitors, which is indirectly evidenced by its increased hardness - 20% more compared to Nokian tires. And as a result - very modest grip properties both on ice and on snow. The handling also leaves much to be desired (cornering speed is limited by unpleasant sliding of the front axle).
Bridgestone tires float up later than others on a snow-water slurry. And on the asphalt they work perfectly: on the "rearrangement" the reactions are so fast and accurate, as if the car is "shod" not in winter, but in all-season tires. And most of all we were pleased with the impenetrable sidewalls. But there is a trade-off here too: a stronger sidewall is also stiffer, so Bridgestone tires do not have the best effect on ride comfort.
Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 tires will surely find their poor buyer, especially in the outback - where tires are often changed not because of tread wear, but because of "holes" received in the pits. However, already this fall dealers will offer an alternative to the Ice Cruiser 7000 tires - the new Blizzak Spike-01 model (details are in the next Autoreview issues), but we will be able to evaluate the improvements in the framework of the comparative test only next year.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (37 standard sizes are available - from 175/70 R13 to 245/50 R20) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 91 (615 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,6 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,7 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 59 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 130/14 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 1,0 |
| Manufacturer country | Japan |
| Buy winter tires Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 of the required size " | |
Hankook Winter i * Pike
Overall rating: 7.5
- Dry grip and handling
- Adhesion properties on ice and snow
- Low slash resistance
- Adhesion on wet asphalt
Even at the stage of "static" measurements, we assumed that the Hankook tires were superfluous in this test: most of the studs barely protrude above the tread level. There are some that rise only 0.3 mm! On ice, such spikes, of course, do not work - the car slides menacingly both when braking and cornering. But at the same time it receives a decent rating for the reliability of control: yes, the car slides and therefore drives slowly, but the limit in adhesion properties is felt well, the breakdowns are soft, there is a good balance of drift and skid. It also happens.
However, the Hankook tires failed to shine in the snow, where the studs no longer play a big role. The tread copes poorly with drainage functions - on the sludge (snow-water mixture), Hankook tires float before others. They also work poorly on wet asphalt (the braking distance is too long) - and only on dry asphalt everything is more or less in order. But this is not enough to recommend the Hankook Winter i * Pike as a winter tire. True, there is an argument that for many sounds stronger than arguments about safety: Hankook tires are exactly half the price of Nokian tires.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (64 standard sizes are available - from 155/65 R13 to 245/45 R18) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 91 (615 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,0 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,74 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 57 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 130/12 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 0,7 |
| Manufacturer country | South Korea |
| Sales catalog of winter tires Hankook Winter i * Pike W409 » | |
| Sales catalog of winter tires Hankook Winter i * Pike W419 » | |
Kama Euro-519
Overall rating: 7.1
- Braking properties on snow
- Adhesion properties on ice
- Handling on ice and snow
- Low comfort level
Despite the tread pattern very much reminiscent of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 4 tires, the Russian Kama Euro-519 tires cannot yet compete on equal terms with imported analogues. Longitudinal grip on snow is encouraging, but on the handling track, all hopes disappear. It is difficult to "fill" the car into a turn, and therefore before each of them you need to slow down more than in the case of other tires.
The picture is also sad on the ice: the slides are just as poorly predictable and poorly controlled. And there are problems with braking on ice. The reason seems to be the same as in the case of the Hankook tires: insufficient protrusion of the studs above the tread surface. On average - 0.8 mm: such a departure is not enough for a good "grip" on the ice.
On asphalt, the tires perform at an average level. When performing sharp maneuvers, the reactions to the steering wheel are "smeared". And let the thorns slightly annoy with a clatter, the protector hums fairly. And on bumps, these tires are one of the toughest.
Yes, the Kama Euro-519 tires came in last in our test. But if you keep in mind the price and the stellar composition of the participants, then this is not just the last, but the honorable last place. And if the manufacturer establishes control over the quality of studding, then, you see, it will be possible to apply for higher and no less honorable places.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (16 standard sizes are available - from 175/70 R13 to 215/60 R16) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 91 (615 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,3 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,0 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 59 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 136/14 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 0,8 |
| Manufacturer country | Russia |
| Buy winter tires Kama Euro-519 in our store " | |
| Test results | Tire Models | ||||||||||
| Options | Impact on overall grade | Bridgestone | Continental | Dunlop | Gislaved | Goodyear | Hankook | Kama euro | Michelin | Nokian | Pirelli |
| Ice | 35% | ||||||||||
| Braking properties | 15% | 7 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Accelerating dynamics | 5% | 6 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Transverse adhesion properties | 5% | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Handling (lap time) | 5% | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Reliability of management | 5% | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Snow | 25% | ||||||||||
| Braking properties | 10% | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 |
| Accelerating dynamics | 5% | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Handling (lap time) | 5% | 5 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
| Reliability of management | 5% | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Slash Planning Resistance | 5% | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Wet asphalt | 10% | ||||||||||
| Braking properties | 10% | 9 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 10 |
| Dry asphalt | 10% | ||||||||||
| Braking properties | 5% | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Emergency (avoidance of an obstacle) | 5% | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Impact strength | 5% | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | Autoreview||||
The German automotive magazine Autozeitung carried out a comparative test of 14 summer passenger car tires in size 225/40 R18 92W / Y, in which the tires of European and Asian manufacturers, fitted to the Audi A3, participated.
In tests, including on dry and wet road surfaces, the tires scored 269 points out of 300 possible and were named test winners.
Goodyear's tires were described as “safe, fast and even economical” in tests, although in wet braking tests the tire was outperformed by the tire. In turn, the tire of the Italian manufacturer was called by experts of the magazine "providing extremely powerful grip on wet roads and very well balanced on dry roads." Tire P Zero scored 263 points and finished second, overtaking a tire with 253 points, which, according to the Autozeitung, “has very good performance in all areas, despite some disadvantages when braking on wet roads”.
In fourth place are the tires and, which earned 246 points each. They are followed with 245 and 244 points, respectively.
Rubber. Pirelli or Goodyear? Pirelli or Michelin which is better
Tire War: Michelin or Pirelli?
2006 was remembered for all of us by the opposition of tire manufacturers in Formula 1 - Pirelli and Michelin. Almost 10 years have passed since that moment and the struggle continues again, only this time outside the tracks. Let's analyze the situation together with Dieter Renken.
After the last incident, when Sebastian Vettel accused Pirelli of low-quality tires, each manufacturer is trying to "pull the blanket over himself" and prove that he is the best and only right choice for the Formula 1 teams.
For example, the FIA changed its principles and rules for the selection of tire manufacturers after the conclusion of an agreement with Pirelli. So, the latter managed to make the next marketing move with Formula One Management - now the Pirelli logos will be present at every stage and this should lead to the fact that potential competitors will be slightly irritated.
The bidding deadline will now end 18 months before the end of the contract with the current supplier. Thereafter, motorsport executives will screen candidates against certain criteria: safety, quality, technical and sporting issues.
The list of criteria will be analyzed in detail by the FOM, and only then the FIA will make a decision on the prevailing preferences. At the end of these procedures, lengthy negotiations and meetings take place, at the end of which the World Motorsport Council will decide on the conclusion of a contract with a new manufacturer.
To date, the FIA has received only two statements, and it is very easy to guess from whom - from Pirelli and Michelin. They both passed the first round of selection and on 30 September it will be announced who will ultimately be selected as the supplier for Formula 1.
As for tire manufacturers, their main goal is to obtain a monopoly on the supply of rubber for F1 for 2 years - from 2017 to 2019. Why exactly 2 years? In making this decision, FOM was guided by the fact that the agreements with the teams will expire in 2020.
In the current season, the supplier, who will be determined for further cooperation, will have to provide rubber for only one championship, and after that the company will be forced to amend the product specification in accordance with the amended regulations.
Regarding the changes in the latter, this was a forced measure in connection with the transition to 6-cylinder turbo engines, as this was the reason for the revision of the entire chassis design.
In the struggle for the opportunity to become a monopoly, at this stage, Pirelli is confidently leading. Remember when in 2010 the company literally saved Formula 1 players by preparing rubber in 12 months. In addition, the Italian company always tries to fulfill all the wishes of the teams, which is a competent and deliberate strategy. Naturally, the teams pay well for this - on the order of a million dollars per season, but this is more than covered, since the Pirelli logos are placed on the chassis and on the overalls.
Now let's look at the absolutely tough and not flexible policy of Michelin, which refuse to take part in the tender if Formula 1 does not abandon the use of 13-inch wheels, which are quite outdated. Of course, the requirements are reasonable, but with such unambiguousness of the tender the company cannot win.
It is not clear who will win this race of manufacturers. It is only clear that the question is not only the leadership of suppliers, but also what is more important for Formula 1 - sport, or profit.
inworldsport.com
Rubber. Pirelli or Goodyear? / personal blog AntonKharitonov / smotra.ru
personal blog AntonKharitonov → Hello everyone! So it's time to change the tires, otherwise it became unsafe to ride on too worn out .. Since I travel a lot by car, I decided to put back tires with Runflat technology, otherwise anything happens on the way, but here in case of a puncture of the wheel there will be an opportunity drive at a speed of 80 km / h to any car service. In general, from the Runflat category for my car (bmw 335i E92), there were three brands of rubber - Bridgestone, Pirelli and Goodyear. Since Bridgestone turned out to be significantly more expensive, I immediately ruled it out as an option) So, I choose between Pirelli PZeroand Goodyear Eagle F1
Despite the fact that lately more and more posts about all sorts of left-wing topics (how to fry meat, how to seduce a heifer or what computer games do you play, etc.) have come across at the show, this site still remains a portal for people loving cars and versed in them! Therefore, I hope to hear useful advice / feedback, after all, rubber is of great importance in the use of our vehicles! For the price, the Pirelli is about € 30 more expensive per wheel. For now, I'm more inclined towards Pirelli, as I have always considered this brand one of the best, but if Goodyear is actually not worse, is there any point in overpaying? Thanks in advance, and good luck on the road to everyone!)
Pirelli or Goodyear after all?
- Goodyear (41% - 84 votes)
- Pirelli (45% - 93 votes)
- I don't care! (14% - 30 votes)
smotra.ru
) Which is the best spike. rubber pirelli or yukohama
Pirelli will be better, the Japanese uokohama have good summer tires, but winter tires are not very good, even in car magazines, in tests of winter tires, uokohama took low places. I have winter gislaved, good tires
Yokohama - Definitely
I would take it. Yokohama. Excellent quality without unnecessary overpayments
yokohama is better because it is softer, but if you drive on the asphalt it will wear off quickly, so if you want to ride longer on rubber and there is not so much snow in winter, then it is better to pirelli !!! :) :)
I would take Yokohama.
Better than YOKOHAMA ... Pirelli that you need to overpay a little, but YOKOHAMA is softer and in my opinion better ... All the same, Japanese quality :)))
Do not take Yokohama under any circumstances. I coveted a low price and a good name. The choice was, by the way, like yours. In the end, I regret not having bought the Pirelli. From the yoki, almost all the cleats from the front axle flew out in a couple of months with a mixed style. I tried not to grind and did not slow down too much, the road was kept very sucks. The ABS works almost immediately. The only place these tires perform well is loose snow. I never skidded, but otherwise a complete g. I even corresponded with the Yoki office in Moscow, sent them pictures, they do not admit that their products are of poor quality, they say that yes, the spikes flew out, but you can continue to ride. Here's how! Take better Pirelli, or even better, save up some dough and take Gislaved, I was very pleased with them!
The last test of winter tires was in the magazine "Za Rulem": h ** p: //www.zr.ru/articles/53965/ THERE IS THE RESULTS
the coolest nokian hakkapelita-5 is the only minus the price but the rubber is beyond praise
You should not save on rubber - at one time, for the same reason, they took goodyear - a rare cocoa. We regretted very much later that they had not spent money on something more decent. To be honest, gislaved, I personally don't feel very good either. Nokia was impressed. The last time they put on Michelin Energy - just super. They put them in Finland, in winter, respectively, they arrived on the old ones - left for the new ones, if they are transported with goods, then the duty will be charged, 4 wheels R-16 along with work, and disposal of old wheels (they were only suitable for garbage) cost 450 Euro. So think - you are only 800 km from Helsinki.
Briefly about the first impressions of the hankook winter ipike rs2 w429. Once again, forecasters threw me with snow))). I decided that I would not wait any longer and put the tires in advance.
Start: Balancing went well - at the level of tires that are more expensive and are considered premium. So far I rocked the heat and asphalt 2.3, so that the car was not a strong jelly on a plate. From what you should probably pay attention: the side shoulder on the tire looks more like summer than winter. On all my previous tires, this element was clearly more pronounced. Next we put shoes on the car in Goodyear UltraGrip ice arctic - there is a shoulder so shoulder, even if you cut off pieces of the curb))). But how it will be in real life will show already winter. Although there is one point about which I do not want to talk in advance until I check it in practice.
Moment 2: After installing on the rim and inflating the tire, I got the impression that the grooves between the blocks became even wider. (Maybe I'm driving ...) As a result, the tire looks already and not very urban. Large checkers and deep large ditches between them. Not on one of the previous tires such a combination was definitely not.
Point 3: Noise from tires. Here I was pleasantly surprised at speeds up to 70. I have not tried it again in the city yet. 190 small studs were quieter than many tires with 130 studs. Of the last ones I remember - in my opinion, it is definitely quieter than Michelin x-ice north 2 and Nokian Hakkapelitta 7. And about on par with Michelin x-ice north 1.
Point 4: Brakes, acceleration and taxiing. In this weather, well, it is very slippery at the start. A couple of the first times I even grinded on the asphalt by pressing the gas as usual on summer tires (of course, we are not talking about any sneaker on the floor). Then he drove off more carefully. I didn't really understand the brakes, because I braked carefully. And yet, yes ... jellied meat again came into my life))). Although I do not know of any good winter tire (we do not take into account ranflat) that would be in freezing temperatures and on dry asphalt behave like a summer tire. The car floats on them, but in fairness, no more than on other winter tires. The only thing that I haven’t liked very much yet: this is taxiing at very low speeds. When cornering and cornering at right angles, the rubber slips strongly as when starting from a standstill. The situation is getting better with increasing speed. Apparently, at least, dry asphalt and a confident plus on the street is not her topic at all. Again, there was no such pronounced effect on all previous tires. For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that in tire tests it showed that it leaves much to be desired on asphalt. But not for conditions such as today, I bought it.
