Winter studded tire test size 205/55 R16 (2013)

Tested tires list:

• Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000
• Continental ContiIceContact
• Dunlop ice touch
• Gislaved Nord * Frost 100
• Goodyear ultragrip ice arctic
• Hankook W409 I * Pike
• Kama EURO 519
• Michelin x ice north 2
• Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8
• Pirelli ice zero

"One hundred seventy, one hundred eighty, one hundred ninety ..." - this is Uncle Vanya counting the spikes in the next tire. Stop! What the hell is one hundred and ninety, if in northern European countries, where the use of studs is still allowed, the restriction came into force in July of this year: no more than 50 studs per running meter of tread? That is, a 16-inch tire (205/55 R16) should have no more than 96 studs! We recount again - and we are convinced that the tread of the new Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires still has 190 studs, almost twice as many!

Why did the Finns decide to bypass the new rules - and does such a number of thorns give any advantage over competitors? Let's figure it out in the course of our next comparative test, in which ten models of 205/55 R16 studded tires took part.

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. 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, will be the "hook" on the ice ... Shinniks 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!

Possibly, explains Mikko Lukkula, Head of Nokian Studded Tire Development. “For three years we have created fundamentally new lightweight studs, have carried out dozens of road surface wear tests and are confident that our tires perform well on ice.

So, the main intrigue of the test is indicated.

Uncle Vanya sits behind the wheel of an Audi A3, Andrey Mokhov, having checked the reliability of the optical sensor, sits on the right and opens the laptop. Now - a dozen of braking and acceleration, then - on the lift, changing tires, again accelerating and braking ...

Despite the fact that the acceleration is controlled by the traction control system, and the deceleration is from the ABS, the spikes crumble the smooth ice into snow powder.

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. And even if the advantage over the "bristling" Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires is very 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 “legitimate” studs - and they provide quite decent braking on ice, although during acceleration - only the eighth result. The Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic and Dunlop Ice Touch and Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires, familiar to us from last year's tests, were also ahead. 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 our 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. Excellent "grip" in turns, excellent control over the car on the track! By the way, I can safely recommend these tires 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 allowed me to very confidently drive the car on a winding road.

Another surprise awaited me when the Audi A3 was fitted with Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires. The car slows down and accelerates well, but it does not hold well in corners. In the first laps I even jumped off the ice track a couple of times. Fortunately, there are not meter-long snowdrifts around, but safety strips with a ten-centimeter layer of fluffy snow.

But around the track "snow" handling - just that the snowdrifts ...

The next day, the frost subsided from fourteen degrees to minus seven. We have at our 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 to prevent 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.

At the same time, the Audi A4 robotic car was perfecting its skills on the next track! The operator is still driving, but only in order to set the necessary driving modes and check the correctness of their execution by the robot. At the command of the electronics, the executive systems themselves step on the gas, on the brake - and even turn the steering wheel. At the end of the track, the car turns around on its own and continues to measure in the opposite direction.

I felt a slight surge of professional jealousy, but I quickly consoled myself with the fact that on the handling track such a piece of iron would not replace me for a long time! By the way, I was allowed to ride as a passenger in a car with a robot "at the wheel" - and ... Shouldn't I snatch, echoing the English Luddites, this impudent "arm" or "leg"? Soon there will be no need for testers on handling tracks! For example, this unmanned vehicle already knows how to make a "rearrangement" in the snow. The angular velocity sensors detect slippage, the command is immediately given to correct the steering wheel ... Another five years - and such cars will drive along winding tracks, revealing the difference between the tires!

As we look at the results of the manual snow tests for now, we 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 track, winding around the trees and snow-strewn boulders, I felt the most relaxed on Nokian tires: 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. By the way, this is also an indicator: if on Nokian tires I "woke up" the stabilization system only once, then on other tires I bothered it much more often - due to errors caused by stretched slips (they especially upset the Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 and Kama Euro-519 ).

At the beginning of spring, we supplemented the tests 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.

Yes, yes, skeptics from other tire companies have already managed to whisper that with so many studs, Nokian tires will not perform well on asphalt. On the wet - it is, but on the dry surface, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires performed one of the best results under braking. 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 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 North 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? Two years ago, we already conducted crash tests on summer tires. And now, for the first time, winter tires have been subjected to such an 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." We didn't scoff at the suspension of the new Audi A3 - we found a battered 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 we liked so much for their softness, were punched in the very first race, at a speed of 40 km / h. We even decided to repeat the experiment - what if it was an accident? Bang bang! Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… And the second Michelin X-Ice North 2 tire with a hole through it goes to landfill. And 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).

By the way, we also tested the tires for rolling resistance - using a treadmill. 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, we did not take into account its results when deriving the final estimates.

Test results

Experts' opinions on each tire are presented below.

A place	Tire	Expert opinion
1	Rating: 9.0 Nokian	Load / speed index: 94T Weight, kg9.2 Number of studs / studding lines 190/18 Protrusion of spikes, mm 1.2 Country of origin: Finland 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” spikes 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 drawback was the "itchy" sound from the spikes, which did not leave the cabin in the entire speed range. Braking properties on dry asphalt Noisiness High price
1	Rating: 9.0 Continental	Load / speed index: 94T Weight, kg9.8 Shore hardness, unit 49 Protrusion of spikes, mm 1.3 Country of origin: Germany 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 of the rear axle did not allow to give the highest point for "reliability of handling". On the pavement, 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. + Adhesion properties on ice and snow Handling on ice and snow Impact strength Adhesion on wet asphalt
3	Score: 8.8 Gislaved	Load / speed index: 94T Weight, kg8.8 Shore hardness of rubber, unit 48 Number of studs / studding lines Protrusion of spikes, mm 1.3 Country of origin: Germany "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. + Grip and handling on ice Snow grip Adhesion properties on asphalt Moderate handling on snow
4	Score: 8.7 Pirelli	Load / speed index: 94T Weight, kg9.1 Tread depth, mm: 9.5 Shore hardness, unit 50 Number of studs / studding lines Protrusion of spikes, mm 1.2 Country of origin: Germany These tires came to our test a month and a half before the official premiere - 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. + Adhesion properties on ice Moderate handling on ice and snow Noisiness
5	Score: 8.5 Michelin	Load / speed index: 94T Weight, kg 9.3 Tread depth, mm: 9.4 Shore hardness, unit 52 Number of studs / studding lines Protrusion of spikes, mm 1.0 Country of origin: Russia 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 slides prevented the “rearrangement” from being carried out at high speed. 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. + Comfort Adhesion properties on wet and dry asphalt Insufficient resistance to slashplaning Low impact strength
6	Score: 8.4 Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic	Load / speed index: 94T Weight, kg10.3 Protrusion of spikes, mm 0.9 Country of origin: Poland 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 have not changed, but most of them turned out to be overly sunk into the tread - the overhang averages 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. + Braking properties on ice and snow Adhesion properties on wet and dry asphalt Impact strength Handling on ice Traction ability on snow
7	Score: 8.3 Dunlop	Load / speed index: 94T Weight, kg10.1 Tread depth, mm: 9.8 Shore hardness, unit 55 Number of studs / studding lines Protrusion of spikes, mm 0.9 Country of origin: Poland 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 as "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. + Grip and handling on asphalt Braking properties on snow Smooth running
8	Score: 7.5 Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000	Load / Speed ​​Index: 91T Weight, kg 10.6 Tread depth, mm: 9.7 Number of studs / studding lines Protrusion of spikes, mm 1.0 Country of origin: Japan 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 the competitors, which is indirectly evidenced by its increased hardness - 20% more than 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 superbly: on the "rearrangement" the reactions are so fast and accurate, as if the car was "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 hinterland - where tires are often changed not because of tread wear, but because of holes in the pits. + High impact resistance High slash resistance Traction and handling on asphalt Handling on ice and snow Comfort
8	Score: 7.5 Hankook	Load / Speed ​​Index: 91T Weight, kg10.0 Tread depth, mm: 9.4 Shore hardness of rubber, unit 57 Number of studs / studding lines Protrusion of spikes, mm 0.7 Country of origin: South Korea 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 gets a decent rating for the reliability of control: yes, the car slides and therefore goes 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. + Price Dry grip and handling Adhesion properties on ice and snow Low slash resistance Adhesion on wet asphalt
10	Score: 7.1 Kama	Load / Speed ​​Index: 91T Weight, kg10.3 Tread depth, mm: 9.0 Shore hardness, unit 59 Number of studs / studding lines Protrusion of spikes, mm 0.8 Country of origin: Russia 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 corner, 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. + Price Braking properties on snow Adhesion properties on ice Handling on ice and snow Low comfort level

Goodyear ultragrip ice arctic

Perhaps the most important thing: the new tires will sport not traditional "round" but "triangular" studs. Apparently, from the windows of Goodyear's European headquarters in Brussels, they are tired of watching the success of competitors (first of all, Continental and Nokian), which have been using multifaceted spikes for several years. A semicircular carbide insert was placed in a triangular case, and in order not to exceed the spike mass limited in the Scandinavian countries (1.1 g), excess metal was removed from this case - and at the base it looked like a cocked hat. When installing, the cleat is oriented so that the longer edge of the insert actively works during braking. The logic is clear: most often winter accidents happen due to the fact that it is not possible to brake on the ice. The "geography" of the studs has also changed: they are now dispersed over the entire tread surface - and leave on the ice when braking not 12 lines, like the previous UltraGrip Extreme model, but 22.

In addition, a new directional tread pattern, sipes with so-called waffle internal engagement, a two-layer rubber compound with a high silica content and new polymers in the surface layer that help maintain elasticity at low temperatures. According to the developers, the new Goodyear tires outperform the competition not only on ice and snow, but also on asphalt! Including in terms of wear resistance: the declared resource of Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires is one and a half times higher than that of Goodyear UltraGrip Extreme studded tires! And ten percent higher than that of Michelin X-Ice North 2 studded tires. Personally, I hardly believe it, but go and check: correct comparative tests of tire mileage is a long, troublesome and expensive business.

For snow and ice, a softer tread with fine sipes is needed, for asphalt, a harder one. A compromise is the internal "blocking" of the lamellae due to the so-called waffle engagement between adjacent rubber blocks

But I managed to evaluate the grip properties on ice. Fortunately, half of the diesel Audi A3 - with stickers "Competitor Tires". Competentors include Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7, Michelin X-Ice North 2 and Continental ContiIceContact. All cars are equipped with V-Box Mini measuring complexes.

When braking on ice from 40 km / h, the new Goodyear tires showed the same results as the ContiIceContact, with a 20-30 cm difference comparable to the measurement error. On Nokian and Michelin tires, the car passed from half a meter to a meter more to a full stop. The balance of power is similar when assessing handling on ice: Goodyear and Continental tires can take turns a little faster. But the breakdowns in sliding are sharper, which is why the non-disconnectable stabilization system works more rudely than when driving, for example, on Michelin tires. In general, throughout the day, both on ice and on snow, it was the Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires that stood out pleasantly with their soft, well-predictable transitions to sliding. For "civilian" driving, especially on a car without a stabilization system, that's what you need. There is a simple explanation for the fact that Michelin tires are inferior to both ContiIceContact and the new Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic in extreme ice performance. While 16-inch Goodyear and Continental tires have 130 studs each, Michelin tires of the same size have only 118 studs in their tread, which is in line with the new rules for the use of studs in the Scandinavian countries. If now the number of studs depends only on the landing diameter of tires (for example, for 16-inch - no more than 130, for 14- or 15-inch - no more than 110), then from July 2013 on each running meter of the tread there should be no more than 50 thorns. It is possible that in these rules there will also be a ban on studding the central part of the tread: studies have shown that it is in this zone that studs destroy asphalt most of all. Then what is Goodyear hoping for, since their new tires will be outlawed in Scandinavia in a year? And they hope for a loophole provided for in this regulation: in Finland there is a procedure for assessing the effect of studded tires on the road surface. A tire at a speed of 100 km / h is rolled 400 times on a granite stone, then it is measured how much the mass of this stone has decreased due to the abrasive action of the spikes. If the wear of the calibrated stone is within the standard, then tires can be approved for sale even with an increased number of studs. Difficult and uncertain. If such a scheme does not work, then Goodyear will be forced to adapt the tires to the new rules - to reduce the number of studs, the pattern of studding, which will most likely lead to a deterioration in their grip on ice.

The outer tread layer, saturated with silica, provides good grip on ice and wet asphalt, and the inner layer of harder rubber (about 60 Shore instead of the surface 50) is responsible for the secure fixation of the studs

However, Russia is not yet threatened with the introduction of such norms, therefore, “original” Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires will be supplied to us, and if earlier Goodyear tires with empty holes came to Russia, and studding was made by dealers, now this responsible business will be handled by the manufacturer itself.

By the way, this did not please everyone. In Ukraine, where studs are chosen by only every twentieth buyer of Goodyear winter tires (in Russia, winter tires with studs are preferred by two-thirds of drivers), many dealers have refused to buy UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires altogether.

The "triangle" studs in the new Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires are located across the full width of the tread - 22 rows of studs!

Garland of grooves in the shoulder area designed to enhance the "rowing" ability of Dunlop and Goodyear tires in deep snow

0 / 0

Dunlop ice touch

The new Dunlop Ice Touch studded tires also debut alongside the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires. Since 75% of Dunlop Tires is owned by Goodyear (the remaining 25% is owned by Japan's Sumitomo Rubber Industries), it should come as no surprise that Dunlop tires incorporate the same technologies found in the new Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic. The same "triangular" studs, two-layer tread, sipes with the same internal engagement. What are the differences?

Christian Lees (right) - one of the creators of the rubber compound for the new tires - demonstrates the elasticity of rubber at low temperatures: a strip of ordinary rubber immersed in liquid nitrogen breaks easily, and the tread rubber of Goodyear winter tires remains elastic

Dunlop Ice Touch tires are intended to give the car a sportier response through less flexible tread blocks. Whereas Goodyear tires have V-shaped sipes in the center of the tread without internal engagement, in Dunlop tires all sipes are "locked", that is, the movement of adjacent rubber strips is limited. And you can feel it! On a winding track, the Audi A3 responds more quickly to the steering wheel, but ... A little late with the skid correction - and the car “loses” its trajectory. Slip breaks are sharper, there is no time to correct mistakes. However, two or three sighting circles - and such reactions are already beginning to be used for the good: concisely driving ahead of the curve, you can go very fast! It already seemed to me that I go three to four seconds faster on a 1.5-mile lap, although the V-Box stated a gain of only 0.7 seconds compared to the Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires, on which I rode without any stress. And when braking from 40 km / h, Dunlop Ice Touch outperforms the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 tires by no more than half a meter. It's a pity that the organizers put things in such a way that they could not directly compare the new Dunlop and Goodyear tires ... But if we compare the two new products with the eyes of a "blonde", then Dunlop tires with their ornate grooves in the central grooves look more interesting.

In the meantime, I can safely say that both new products may well claim leadership in our next comparative test of winter tires, the results of which we plan to publish in September this year.

Dunlop Ice Touch tires with a beautiful tread pattern give the car a sporty response when driving on snow and ice

Dignity

disadvantages

What do they write here: rowing, little noise, controllability .. I got all the pimples out of the way, although I took it out of the structure, it behaves the same with other pins. The noise (hum) is terrible. I did not find anything good in it, I will try another one, I will not recommend it to my friends.

Fatuus

Dignity

Outwardly they look very nice, the tread pattern "checkered" is just class! The spike seat is triangular, the edges contribute to less spike falling out. although for seven seasons of use, several spikes still flew out) The snow, fresh, just fallen, is rowing with a bang, just like driving a tractor, it hollows into the wheel arches, in this regard, the tires are simply magnificent! The soft rubber compound contributes to good grip on frozen asphalt, although not on frozen asphalt either. Quiet, soft rubber.

disadvantages

When entering a turn on frozen, bare asphalt, as well as with freshly fallen snow, it can skid, so you need to very carefully enter the turns. On packed snow and ice, there are no problems with entering a turn, like on rails.

A comment

Tires are very soft in composition, subject to lateral deformation, therefore, store strictly vertically in the off-season, if horizontally, then there may be problems with installation, the cord is deformed.

Gennady

Dignity

Rows on loose snow perfectly.

disadvantages

A bit noisy when driving on asphalt.

A comment

I have been driving for the second season - the thorns are still in place, in the spring I have never got stuck, rowing perfectly!

Evgeniy

Dignity

Rows well in the snow, confidently on ice and packed snow.

disadvantages

Noise, 60-80 km / h, like a jet plane on takeoff, one of the noisiest (I'm not critical, I knew about it).

A comment

Good handling on all surfaces. Rows in the snow and porridge and does not bury. The thorns are all in place in 4 months. It goes well along the highway, there were changes at speed, the car does not pull in the direction of loose snow. I will not say about softness, because I missed the load index, for my car 95 is a lot, for a friend the car is heavier, that's where it really is soft.

Vladislav

Dignity

In a snowy winter, that's it. Rows through the snowdrifts like a tractor. It's okay on ice, too.

The Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic is a premium winter studded tire with directional tread pattern for passenger cars.

Also the model has for crossovers and SUVs.

Country of origin: Germany, Luxembourg, Poland.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic Test by Swedish Auto Motor & Sport in 2015

In 2015, experts from the Swedish publication Auto Motor & Sport tested the Goodyear Ultragrip Ice Arctic winter tire in the size 205/55 R16 and compared it with fifteen budget, medium and premium tires. For clarity of the results, not only similar spike tires, but also friction models of the Nordic type took part in the test.

Test results

According to the results of the test, Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic took the fifth place in the overall standings and, in general, showed balanced results in each of the disciplines (although it was not without its drawbacks).

The tire brakes very well on ice, snow, wet and dry asphalt (on each of the surfaces it was in the top three among similar studs), however, there are problems regarding acceleration and handling, which did not allow it to take a higher position in the overall rating.

Discipline		A place	A comment
	Braking on wet asphalt	3	a) with the best studded tire (test leader) - 0.59 meters longer; b) with the best friction tire - shorter by 0.74 meters.
	Handling on wet asphalt	3	a) with the best studded tire (test leader) - 1.13 sec longer; b) with a better friction tire - less by 0.27 sec.
	Dry braking	9	Difference in stopping distance: a) with the best friction tire (test leader) - 2.13 meters longer; b) with the best studded tire - 0.9 meters longer.
	Braking on ice	3	Difference in stopping distance: a) with the best studded tire - 1.05 meters longer; b) with the best friction tire - shorter by 0.04 meters.
	Lateral stability on ice	15	Lap time difference: a) with a better studded tire - 0.11 min longer. b) with the best friction tire (leader of the test) - longer by 0.08 min.
	Acceleration on ice	6	Difference in acceleration time to 25 km / h: a) with the best studded tire (test leader) - 1.44 sec longer; b) with a better friction tire - less by 0.12 sec.
	Snow braking	2	Difference in stopping distance: a) with the best studded tire (test leader) - longer by 0.05 meters; b) with the best friction tire - 0.31 meters longer.
	Acceleration in the snow	3	Difference in acceleration time to 30 km / h: a) with the best studded tire (test leader) - 0.16 sec longer; b) with a better friction tire - less by 0.1 sec.
	Lateral stability in snow	5	Lap time difference: a) with the best studded tire (test leader) - 0.79 sec longer; b) with a better friction tire - 0.97 sec longer.
	Profitability	13-15	Fuel consumption difference: a) with the best studded tire - more by 0.07 l / 10 km; b) with a better friction tire - more by 0.02 l / 10 km;

Review of the experts who conducted the test:

They behave very well on dry asphalt and well on wet ones. On ice and snow, handling is not effective enough.

In general, I read a whole bunch of reviews about different rubber and which ones to take with spikes or Velcro, but I liked this rubber with a price-quality ratio and did not lose it ..! On the road, the predictable skid behaves adequately, but does not like the track very much, since the sidewalls are too soft and therefore it is easy to damage it. In deep snow, like a tractor, it drove where on Hakka 7 they sat down, plus, in comparison with it, the braking distance on snow and ice is less! As for the minuses, I did not notice them, like everything is good

Evgeniy

One of the best tires in my memory. Goodyear always considered not a bad brand, but here they exceeded expectations at times. The tires are quite soft, but strong, reinforced sidewalls. I really liked the shape of the thorn, they are not ordinary sharp, they do their job perfectly, they move on ice and icy snow without sliding shadow. During the season, all the thorns except one in the front are in place. On dry and wet roads do not cause discomfort, handling is at the level.

Vladislav

I like the Goodyear spikes. Their price is adequate and the quality matches. The rubber is soft and quite firm. The main thing when driving is you feel confident, in any weather conditions it behaves well. I definitely recommend it.

Andrew Vladimirovich

I always go on business trips in my car, they keep the car well on the track. The tires are quite soft, hence not noisy. On them I do not even feel all the scarcity of our roads. The quality of the studs is five plus.

Igor

I bought Goodyear ultra grip ise Arctic tires and you know I don’t jelly yet, especially on ice and on snow they behave very well.

Khiryanov Denis

Minus - they buzz terribly. Plus - the car turned into a tank. The tires are pulled out of any snowdrift until they are planted on the bottom of the car. They cut the snow porridge with a bang. I did not notice anything supernatural on the ice, they behave predictably. Definitely tires for suburban use.

Dmitriy

I drove this tire before on a pontiac trans sport, beyond praise, I bought a new car and immediately bought the same tires

Alexey Goncharov

Decent tires, worth the money 100% Handling is excellent, gives confidence when driving on snow and ice. After them I sat down on Velcro and went nuts ..

I took this rubber in the winter of 2013 on a Camry 215/55/17, two tires have already covered about 60 thousand km of wear, 30-35%, This winter 2015-2016 I had to buy two new cylinders due to the fact that I caught the armature on one cylinder , on the second, a hernia jumped out. I took 7,000 rubles for a balloon in 13, hack 7 cost about 10 tr., bear 8-odd, I think the price-quality is 100%. The rubber is wear-resistant, on dry asphalt 180 is easy, comfortable and not noisy. A friend has a new continental for a set of 42 tr. (softer and quieter) but the price tag

Alexander 89 region

The tire just disappointed. One season in a taxi. The mileage was about 40,000 km. Sperndi left three spikes in each wheel. About thirty pieces remained behind. Snow rutting porridge rushing like a tank. and the dry asphalt the reaction is bad. In our taxi, three cars have never been put on such rubber again. Rubber for one season at best.

Yuri

The best of those that I had!

Michael

Good day! Tires for those who are outside the city in winter or for uncleaned streets. Rowing in the snow specifically, SUVs skid, and I'm driving. But there are 2 drawbacks: noise at a speed of more than 80 km / h and braking on the asphalt at high speed. But permeability is more important to me.

Dmitriy

Double opinion ... We skate the second season. The driving style is aggressive. After the first season, all the thorns are in place !!! Rows perfectly on wet asphalt, ice and dry snow! From the snowdrifts, knee-deep like a tank)) they never got stuck and the shovel was not useful at all))) maybe the merit of all-wheel drive and 238hp .. But it's better not to drive through puddles ... at a speed of 100 km / h you enter like sand. but keeps the trajectory. Worse in a wet snow porridge. Feelings-a cow on ice ... wet snow-trouble ...

Victoria

Price quality

Maxia

Great Rubber! I buy it for the third car. Satisfied in all respects. A small minus is noise. But a huge plus is safety!

Konstantin

I bought these tires after riding a toyo with Velcro. I feel much more confident on the winter road. I ran 1000 km. During the winter, not a single stud flew out. I like the tires.

Valery

After reading the reviews, I decided to write my own. Of course, from a man's point of view, it's hard for me to judge. But according to my feelings, the tires are super. I will ride the 4th winter. After 3 seasons, the loss of spikes% 15-20 somewhere. After the first winter I did not notice at all the loss of at least one spike. You have to drive a lot and on different surfaces, but the city-highway on the urra, neither ice, nor snow porridge are not terrible. Noise? Well, yes, like any other spike. The last rubber was Yokohama. So for my money is excellent tires. Next season I will take it.

Maria Dmitry

They make noise like an airplane taking off. In two months, 4500 km. No 30% thorns. I drive calmly. I ran in. For this money, I regret that I did not take the Michelin.

novel

I bought it at the beginning of winter and did not regret it! I left the season - normal flight! On the road they hold confidently, they make acceptable noise, that's why they are spikes. For the whole winter -1 thorn from 4 wheels! In general, take it, you will not regret it!

Alexander

Tires loved her departure for 5 winters! The thorns are still almost all in place! but time takes its start to crack exfoliate the next I will take the same !!!

Alexey 40rus

The tires were just chic, he took the kit and put it on the cast, the car became like a tank, any snowdrift passed and did not notice, the spikes are all in place, in the first season I drove 15,000 thousand, the tread is like new, there is noise on the asphalt, but not great, great resistance when driving on dry and wet asphalt, the elements of these wheels are only snow, ice, mud !!! Recomend for everybody...

Vitaly

I drive like a freak. Drunk in the snow, he digs and carries for the additive as it should. I like the tires. There were no accidents with them. Fire rubber for this money. But bridgestone is better, albeit noisy, but better

Alexander

They cost their money, I have left the whole season, but I drive quite aggressively, sometimes I have to leave the traffic lights and play checkers a little, during this time they never gave a reason, they confidently hold the road, there are no slippage like on skates, as happens with thorns, those at whom the spikes are flying out, the wheels have apparently been pumped or under-pumped, this is important, check the pressure.

Vladimir

Alexey

Stanislav

The bus is definitely not for the city. It makes a lot of noise on the asphalt. But in the snow like a bulldozer! Rushing ahead. It is not particularly suitable for hard driving in winter track conditions; in two winters two tires can be replaced due to falling into holes.
Thorns drop 50-70% in one season.
In a word, for trips to the country in winter - a hurricane, you will not find a better tire. But for the city ....

Stanislav

The tires I took on the CIVIC hatch behave perfectly that on the track that I left in the snow for the sixth season, wear and tear, minimum spikes, everything is in place, everything is 5+, I will take the same model for another car !!!

Aleksey Aleksandrovich

I left for five seasons, sold for 500 rubles. I read the reviews, everything is true, it turns out that this is the tire that people take in the second round, I will definitely take the same one.)

Roma

Skated 2 seasons on it. Of course, the number of thorns decreased after season 2. By about 40%. I drive aggressively. Through the snowdrifts like a tractor! On the ice, too, confident. I will buy on the second round! One drawback is noisy.

Kirill

After two seasons of city driving, half of the studs are missing. Draw your own conclusions ...

Evgeniy

How I got acquainted with these tires: Probably many people in their life have had such situations when in their pocket it would not be rattling little things, and even used rubber was not in good condition, and on occasion they got a goodyear ultragrip 600 model, Fortunately, there was no limit, the run on it was a penny, it was practically new, but as they say youth is disgusting, and the rubber was destroyed in one winter, from the bad moments I can only say that it is noisy, everything else is at its best. Well, and then I decided to try, goodyear ultragrip ice arctic, and for the 4th winter I have not dismounted from these tires, the quality is at a height, rushing, rowing and happy. In snowfalls, when the bulk rides 45-70, I can confidently keep a 100-ku. In general, so far I haven’t found any better for MYSELF and my region, maybe it is, but this is really good rubber, and who needs silence, go down into the bunker under the ground.

P. S. My wife and I have both cars on this rubber, safety is above all!

Saab 9-3

Good afternoon, I want to write my review, I drove on these tires for 4 seasons, the tires are class, they leave any snow, the loss of spikes is 1-3-6, I threw out the fourth, there was an accident fluttered the wing while driving home, the sable was demolished at the intersection,
... Who says that the sidewalls are weak do not believe me, I have a Skoda Rapid car in 2019 decided to change the old rubber for a new one, the same one took 4 balconies of 4,280 each, the fresh tires of 2019 are satisfied, my dimension is 195 * 60 * 15. The main thing is to run in up to 1000 km no more than 80 km per hour, guys super recommended tires
friend. I read an article if you drive 90 km per hour the wear will be 40 percent less than if you drive 120 km, a winter studded tire does not like high speeds. For now, I hope the article will be useful.

Gennady Litovchinko

Rubber for snow and ice. When I took a new rubber, I drove gently on the bank of the spikes, smooth acceleration, braking, the change of tires took place on time, I watched the pressure, etc. Spikes fly out for the first season mercilessly, there is nothing to say about the second and subsequent ones ...

novel

at first it was good, but after 2 seasons there were 10 thorns in the circle. Without thorns, the rubber does not work at all. Even with my dead 1.6 120 horses of which a third have already scattered breaks into axle boxes on dry asphalt. I was very disappointed, I will not take any more. Summer Goodyear norms. skating season 3, no complaints

Alexander Khokhlov