Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
Perhaps most importantly, the new tires will sport not the 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 (primarily Continental and Nokian), which have been using multi-faceted spikes for several years. A semicircular carbide insert was placed in a triangular body, and in order not to exceed the spike mass limited in the Scandinavian countries (1.1 g), excess metal was removed from this body - and at the base it became like a cocked hat. During installation, the spike 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 slow down on the ice. The "geography" of the spikes has also changed: they are now dispersed over the entire tread surface - and leave not 12 lines on the ice during braking, like the previous UltraGrip Extreme model, but 22.
In addition - a new directional tread pattern, sipes with the so-called waffle internal gearing, a two-layer rubber compound with a high content of silica 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 wear resistance: the declared resource of Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires is one and a half times higher than Goodyear UltraGrip Extreme studded tires! And ten percent higher than the studded Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires. Personally, I find it hard to believe, but go check: correct comparative tire mileage tests are a long, troublesome and expensive business.
For snow and ice, you need a softer tread with small slots-lamellas, for asphalt - a harder one. Compromise - internal "blocking" of the sipes due to the so-called waffle engagement between adjacent blocks of rubber
But I managed to evaluate the grip properties on ice. Fortunately, half of the diesel Audi A3s have “Competitor Tires” stickers. Competitors include Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7, Michelin X-Ice North 2 and Continental ContiIceContact. All cars - with measuring complexes V-Box Mini.
When braking on ice from 40 km / h, the new Goodyear tires showed the same results as the ContiIceContact - a difference of 20-30 cm is comparable to the measurement error. On tires Nokian and Michelin to a complete stop, the car passed from half a meter to a meter more. A similar alignment of forces and when assessing handling on ice: Goodyear and Continental tires can take corners a little faster. But slippages are also sharper, which is why the non-switchable stabilization system works rougher 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 soft, well-predicted transitions into slips. For "civilian" driving, especially in a car without a stabilization system, this is what you need. And there is a simple explanation for the fact that Michelin tires are inferior to both ContiIceContact tires and the new Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires in terms of ultimate capabilities on ice. While 16-inch Goodyear or Continental tires have 130 studs, Michelin tires of the same size have only 118 studs, which is in line with the new stud regulations in the Nordic countries. If now the number of studs depends only on the diameter of the tires (for example, for 16-inch tires - no more than 130, for 14- or 15-inch tires - no more than 110), then from July 2013 on each linear meter of tread there should be no more than 50 spikes. It is possible that these rules will also include a ban on studding the central part of the tread: studies have shown that it is in this zone that studs destroy asphalt the most. Then what are Goodyear hopes for, because their new tires will be illegal in Scandinavia in a year? And they hope for a loophole provided for in this standard: in Finland there is a procedure for assessing the impact of studded tires on the road surface. The tire is rolled 400 times over a granite stone at a speed of 100 km/h, and 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 allowed for sale even with an increased number of studs. Difficult and uncertain. If this scheme does not work, then Goodyear will be forced to adapt the tires to the new rules - reduce the number of studs, the studding scheme, which will certainly 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 surface 50) is responsible for reliable fixation of the studs.
However, Russia is not yet threatened with the introduction of such standards, so we will be supplied with “original” Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires, and if earlier Goodyear tires with empty holes came to Russia, and dealers produced studding, now the manufacturer himself will deal with this responsible matter.
By the way, this did not please everyone. In Ukraine, where only one in 20 Goodyear winter tire buyers chooses studded tires (in Russia, studded winter tires are preferred by two-thirds of drivers), many dealers have stopped buying UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires altogether.
The "triangular" studs in the new Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires are located across the entire width of the tread - 22 rows of studs!
Shoulder garland designed to enhance Dunlop and Goodyear tires' paddling ability in deep snow
0 / 0
Dunlop Ice Touch
Along with the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tyres, the new Dunlop Ice Touch studded tires will debut. Since Dunlop Tires is 75% owned by Goodyear (the remaining 25% is owned by the Japanese corporation Sumitomo Rubber Industries), it is not surprising that the same technologies were used in Dunlop tires as in the new Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic model. The same "triangular" spikes, two-layer tread, sipes with the same internal engagement. And what are the differences?
Christian Liz (right), one of the creators of the rubber compound of the new tires, demonstrates the elasticity of rubber at low temperatures: a strip of ordinary rubber dipped in liquid nitrogen breaks easily, while the tread rubber of Goodyear winter tires remains elastic
Dunlop Ice Touch tires are designed to give the car more sporty responses through less mobile tread blocks. If Goodyear tires have V-shaped sipes in the central part of the tread without internal engagement, then in Dunlop tires all sipes are “locked”, that is, the mobility of adjacent rubber strips is limited. And it is felt! On a winding road, the Audi A3 reacts faster to the steering wheel, but ... A little late with the skid correction - and the car "loses" the trajectory. Sliding slips 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 good: laconically working ahead of the wheel, you can go very fast! I already felt like I was three to four seconds faster on the 1.5-kilometer lap, although the V-Box stated a gain of only 0.7 seconds compared to the Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires, which I rode without any tension. And when braking from 40 km / h, Dunlop Ice Touch outperforms Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 tires by no more than half a meter. It's a pity that the organizers set things up in such a way that it was not possible to directly compare the new Dunlop and Goodyear tires ... If we compare the two new products with the eyes of a "blonde", then Dunlop tires with their ornate notch of 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 winter tire test, the results of which we plan to publish in September this year.
Dunlop Ice Touch tires with attractive tread pattern provide sporty response on snow and ice
Advantages
Flaws
What they write here: it rows, there is little noise, controllability .. All the spikes flew out of me, although I took it because of the design, it behaves the same with other spikes. The noise (hum) is terrible. I did not find anything good in it, I will try another one, I will not advise my friends.
fatuus
Advantages
Outwardly, they look very nice, the checkered tread pattern is just class! The seat for fastening the spikes is triangular, the edges contribute to less dropping of the spikes. although for seven seasons of use, several spikes nevertheless flew out) Snow, fresh, just fallen, rowing with a bang, just like driving a tractor, it hammers into the wheel arches, in this regard, the tires are just great! The soft rubber compound contributes to a good grip on frozen pavement, although not on frozen ones either. Quiet, soft rubber.
Flaws
When entering a turn on frozen, bare asphalt, as well as with freshly fallen snow, it can be skidding, so you need to be very careful when entering turns. On rolled snow and ice, there are no problems with entering a turn, like on rails.
A comment
The tires are very soft in composition, subject to lateral deformation, therefore, store strictly vertically during the off-season, if horizontally, there may be installation problems, the cord is deformed.
Gennady
Advantages
Rowing on loose snow is excellent.
Flaws
A bit noisy when driving on pavement.
A comment
I’ve been riding for the second season - the spikes are all in place, in the spring I haven’t got stuck yet, rowing is excellent!
Eugene
Advantages
It rows perfectly in the snow, confidently on ice and packed snow.
Flaws
Noise, 60-80 km / h, like a jet plane on takeoff, one of the noisiest (it's not critical for me, I knew about it).
A comment
Good handling on any surface. It rows through snow and porridge and does not burrow. Spikes for 4 months all in place. It’s going well along the track, I passed the crossings at speed, the car doesn’t pull in the direction of loose snow. I won’t say about softness, because I missed the load index, for my car it’s 95 a lot, my friend’s car is heavier, that’s where it’s really soft.
Vladislav
Advantages
In the snowy winter, that's it. Rows through snowdrifts like a tractor. Ice is fine too.
Test of winter studded tires in size 205/55 R16 (2013)
List of tires tested:
- 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 and seventy, one hundred and eighty, one hundred and ninety ...” - this is Uncle Vanya counting the spikes in the next tire. Stop! What the hell, one hundred and ninety, if in the northern European countries, where the use of studs is still allowed, in July of this year the restriction came into force: no more than 50 studs per linear meter of tread? That is, a 16-inch tire (205/55 R16) should have no more than 96 studs! We recalculate again - and we are convinced that the tread of the new Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires still has 190 spikes, almost twice as many!
Why did the Finns decide to circumvent the new rules - and does such a number of spikes give any advantage over competitors? Let's figure it out in the course of our next comparative test, in which ten models of studded tires of dimension 205/55 R16 took part.
Talk about tightening the rules for the use of studs has been going on in the Scandinavian countries for a long time, and the reason is the increased wear of the roadway. The Greens, on the other hand, began to argue that asphalt dust is also carcinogenic, that is, it causes cancer. And in 2009, a new standard was promulgated - up to 50 spikes per linear meter, regardless of the tread width or tire diameter. At the same time, the previous restrictions remained in force: the protrusion of the spikes above the tread surface should not exceed 1.2 mm.
But what about security? After all, the more spikes, the better, all other things being equal, the “hook” for the ice will be better ... The tire manufacturers have left a loophole! It turns out that you can install more studs, but then you have to prove that denser studding will not increase the destructive effect on the road. As a result, on the basis of the Finnish test center Test World, a method for the full-scale assessment of the impact of studded tires on the road surface was developed. In a nutshell, after a certain number of runs on a granite tile, the mass of this tile should not decrease more than after the same impact of reference tires with a "legal" number of studs.
However, there was no rush demand for such tests. For example, Michelin decided that this was not an entirely fair way to get around the new restrictions - and threw all their efforts into improving tires with a reduced number of studs. So did the developers of the new Gislaved Nord Frost 100 tires. And the rest?
The rest have fully loaded their production capacities in order 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 applies specifically to the production, but not to 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 model not only did not decrease, but increased one and a half times! Naturally, the mentioned test was passed, and, as we know, it was carried out not at the Test World test site, but in our own test center near the town of Nokia. It turns out that it is possible and so - 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 successfully pass the test!
Possibly, explains Mikko Lukkula, Head of Studded Tire Development at Nokian. “In three years, we have created fundamentally new lightweight studs, conducted dozens of road surface wear tests and are confident that our tires work great on ice.
So, the main intrigue of the test is indicated.
Uncle Vanya gets 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 braking and acceleration, then - on the lift, changing tires, again accelerating and braking ...
Despite the fact that acceleration is under the control of the traction control system, and deceleration - with ABS, the spikes crumble smooth ice into snow powder.
The last, tenth set of studded tires was tested for "acceleration-braking" - and ... The first sensation! The smallest braking distance on the account of tires ContiIceContact. They also provided the car with better acceleration dynamics. And even if the advantage over the “bristle” tires Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 is quite small, but it is! That is, 190 spikes lined up in 18 rows work no better on ice than 130 spikes distributed over 12 rows. In any case, in 14-degree frost. Why? Yes, because in order to reduce the harmful effects 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 of the “small” studs is not so powerful.
Two of the favorites are on the heels of the new Pirelli Winter Ice Zero tires.
Gislaved Nord*Frost 100 tires promise to be another bright novelty of this season. There are already 96 "legitimate" spikes here - and they provide quite decent braking on ice, although during acceleration they are only the eighth result. Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic and Dunlop Ice Touch and Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires, familiar to us from last year's tests, turned out to be ahead. By the way, why is Michelin represented by X-Ice North tires of the second, and not the third generation? The company decided that before the official launch of the new model on the market, it would be better not to give these tires to anyone for comparative tests.
Bridgestone also prepared new items for the winter season, but also refused to provide them before the official premiere. Therefore, in our standings there are Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 tires, which will also be actively sold on our market this coming winter.
The Korean school is represented by Hankook Winter i*Pike tires, and the Russian school is represented by Kama Euro-519 tires. On ice, the results of both are very modest. But so far we are talking only about grip in the longitudinal direction.
The handling evaluation began with driving on the ice circle at the maximum possible speed, and continued on a winding track, where both the lap time and the subjective assessment of the convenience and reliability of control were taken into account. In these exercises, Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires are already winning a convincing victory. Excellent "hold" in the corners, 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: “removing” a couple of seconds from a circle is not a problem!
Tires Continental - in second place, and close behind them - and this is the second, albeit small, but still a sensation - Gislaved tires. They allowed me to drive the car very confidently on a winding track.
Another surprise was in store for me when the Audi A3 was fitted with Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires. The car brakes and accelerates well, but it does not hold well in corners. On the first laps, I even “jumped” off the icy track a couple of times. Fortunately, there are not meter-long snowdrifts around, but safety lanes with a ten-centimeter layer of fluffy snow.
But around the route of "snowy" controllability - that's what snowdrifts ...
The next day the frost dropped 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, accelerating again, braking again ... But if earlier the driver was required to work with pedals to eliminate unnecessary wheel slip at the start and blocking during braking, now electronics - Traction Control - monitors this and ABS. And soon, it seems, it will be completely possible to do without a driver.
At the same time, the Audi A4 robotic car was honing its skills on the next track! So far, the operator is sitting behind the wheel, but only in order to set the necessary movement modes and check the correctness of their execution by the robot. Executive systems at the command of the electronics themselves press the gas, brake - and even rotate 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 quickly consoled myself with the fact that such a “piece of iron” would not replace me for a long time on the handling track! By the way, I was allowed to ride as a passenger in a car with a robot "at the wheel" - and ... Shouldn't you pull out, echoing the English Luddites, this impudent "arm" or "leg"? Soon the need for testers will disappear on the handling tracks! For example, this self-driving car already knows how to rearrange in the snow. Angular velocity sensors detect slips, a command is immediately given for steering correction ... Another five years - and such cars will drive along winding roads, revealing the difference between the tires!
For now, we look at the results of manual tests on snow and see that when braking they are very close: the difference between the best tires (Dunlop Ice Touch) and the worst (Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000) is less than three meters, which fits into ten percent. When accelerating, 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 conjured not only with the spikes, but also with the tread - after all, it is not so much the spikes that are important on the snow as the tread.
And on a handling track winding around fir trees and snow-covered boulders, I felt most at ease on the Nokian tires: fast responses and fully controlled slides. Moreover, it is better not to slow down in slips, otherwise the stabilization system turned off 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 disturbed it much more often - due to errors caused by stretched slips (they especially upset the Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 and Kama Euro-519 tires ).
At the beginning of spring, we supplemented the tests with a cycle of "asphalt" tests.
First, we looked at how the tires behave in sludge - a snow-water porridge that covered the asphalt with an even layer. The depth of this layer is only 3.5 cm, and Hankook tires already float at a speed of 19.4 km/h. However, Bridgestone's best tires in this type of testing are not far away - their limit is 21.2 km / h.
And on wet pavement, without any admixture of snow, Gislaved tires have the shortest braking distance, and Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 has the worst.
Yes, yes, skeptics from other tire companies have already managed to whisper that with so many spikes, Nokian tires will not work well on asphalt. In the wet, it is, but on a dry surface, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires showed one of the best results when 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 tires of the Scandinavian type - those that are popularly called Velcro. This is due to the stiffer rubber, which is necessary for reliable fixation of the spikes. Still in use is the myth that a studded tire rolls on asphalt, relying more on studs than on rubber. But in fact, the spikes, in contact with the asphalt, sink into the body of the tread, practically without reducing the contact patch 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, it is possible to shift the balance of qualities, giving preference either to behavior on slippery winter surfaces (ice, snow) or on asphalt.
For Dunlop Ice Touch tires, this balance is clearly shifted towards asphalt: the Audi A3 brakes confidently and responds best to sharp steering turns. But on ContiIceContact tires, the braking distance on both dry and wet pavement is a couple of meters longer, that is, preference is given to “winter” qualities.
Where studded tires always lose to non-studded tires is in acoustic comfort. There is clearly more noise from them, especially if there are as many as 190 spikes in the tread, like Nokian tires. However, even with fewer studs, Kama Euro, Pirelli, Continental and Bridgestone tires sound about the same. And the quietest tires are Michelin X-Ice North 2. Along with the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires, they are also the softest.
How will such soft tires behave when they hit a hole or hit a ledge of asphalt? Two years ago we already carried out crash tests of summer tires. And now, for the first time, winter tires have been subjected to 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 held, the attempt is repeated already at a speed of 45 km / h. And so on until the tire "expires". We did not mock the suspension of the brand new Audi A3 - we found a beat-up Mercedes-Benz C 180.
Bridgestone tires withstood the most blows: 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 test it themselves with crash tests.
Continental tires also hold up well - they gave up at a speed of 60 km / h. The bulk of the tires were finished off at a speed of 50 km / h, but the Michelin tires, which we liked so much for their softness, were pierced 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! Shhhh... And the second Michelin X-Ice North 2 tire with a hole through is sent to the landfill. And again, everything is understandable: the French company is paying more and more attention to reducing rolling resistance, for which the sidewall is becoming thinner (at the same time, the so-called hysteresis losses are reduced - the energy consumption for heating due to deformation).
By the way, we also checked the tires for rolling resistance - using a running 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 surface of the drum. 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 share 0.2-0.3 l / 100 km. And the difference between the most "economical" and the most "gluttonous" tires (they were expected to be Bridgestone tires) is 0.6 l / 100 km. And yet, since the experiment was conducted without spikes, we did not take into account its results when deriving the final scores.
Test results
Expert opinions on each tire are presented below.
| Place | Tire | Expert opinion |
| 1 | Score: 9.0
Nokian
|
Load/Speed Index: 94T Weight, kg9.2 Number of spikes/studding lines190/18 Protrusion of spikes, mm1.2 Country of origin:Finland With such a number of spikes, a victory over competitors, especially in ice disciplines, should be simply devastating! But the matter was limited to a simple victory, without defeat. On the track, handling is the best time, driving a car is a pleasure. But the advantage over ContiIceContact tires, which have 60 fewer studs, is negligible, and in terms of accelerating dynamics, Continental tires are even better. Because there are a lot of 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 be higher, but our tests took place in 14-degree frost. Nokian tires are traditionally good on snow: accurate and timely reactions to the steering wheel and gas. But on asphalt, the behavior is unstable. If on dry surfaces Nokian tires provide good deceleration, then on wet surfaces they provide the longest braking distance. And the expected drawback was the “itchy” sound from the spikes, which did not leave the cabin in the entire speed range.
Braking performance on dry pavement Noisiness High price |
| 1 | Score: 9.0
Continental
|
Load/Speed Index: 94T Weight, kg9.8 Shore hardness of rubber, unit 49 Protrusion of spikes, mm1.3 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 skid on the ice handling track is as if you are driving not in a front-wheel drive car, but in an all-wheel drive car. I let off the gas a little at the entrance to the turn - and then you drive the car along an arc in a controlled sliding with four wheels! On snow, the tires are also good, and only an inappropriate slight tendency to skid the rear axle did not allow me to give the highest score for “handling reliability”. On the pavement, the grip is average, although the “Rearrangement” maneuver was done very well. The car reacts sluggishly to the first impulse, but then the tires “compress” and hold lateral overloads well. It's a pity that the soundtrack during such maneuvers is already very intrusive - the Continental tires howl pretty much even on the straight, and the rumble intensifies in turns. These tires hold up well. And the spikes in them hold on to the last: in order to pull out the spike planted on the glue, you need to apply a force 2-2.5 times higher compared to other tires. I wonder if the ContiIceContact tires will retain the same high performance 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. + Traction on ice and snow Handling on ice and snow impact strength Traction on wet pavement |
| 3 | Score: 8.8
Gislaved
|
Load/Speed Index: 94T Weight, kg8.8 Shore hardness of rubber, unit 48 Number of spikes/studding lines96/14 Protrusion of spikes, mm1.3 Country of origin:Germany “Not by number, but by skill!” The Gislaved Nord Frost 100 has only 96 standard offset studs in its tread, but on ice these tires are better than many tires that have 130 studs. On the handling track - the third time, but behind the leader, who has almost twice as many spikes, less than a second! No wonder the German tire manufacturers (Gislaved today is a 100 percent product of Continental) have been working on a new tread and new “triangular” spikes! The slides are small and easy to control. And on the snow, decent behavior, although on the track the handling is hindered by harsh slips. But on wet pavement - the minimum braking distance! At the same time, the tires make little noise and gently “swallow” bumps. In general, they are well-balanced winter tires: they work confidently on country roads and are almost ideal for urban use. And the price looks reasonable. + Traction and handling on ice Traction on snow Traction on asphalt Moderate snow handling |
| 4 | Score: 8.7
Pirelli
|
Load/Speed Index: 94T Weight, kg9.1 Tread depth, mm: 9.5 Shore hardness of rubber, unit 50 Number of spikes/studding lines130/16 Protrusion of spikes, mm1.2 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 tread and the studs of the new design were already "commercial" - now both the insert and the stud body have a complex trapezoidal shape. In terms of longitudinal dynamics on ice, the Pirelli tires are almost on par with the test leaders. But on the control track, there were sharp breakdowns in side slips. However, Pirelli tires, whether winter or summer, have always endowed the car with sharper, sportier responses. A similar behavior is observed on snow, but here the adhesion properties in the longitudinal direction turned out to be at an average level. Here on the pavement - a good deceleration, both on dry and wet. Ride is good, but a lot of noise - the rumble is audible even when driving on packed snow. Albeit with reservations, we also recommend these tires - first of all, to those who drive in winter mainly on city streets cleared of snow. + Traction on ice Moderate handling performance on ice and snow Noisiness |
| 5 | Score: 8.5
Michelin
|
Load/Speed Index: 94T Weight, kg9.3 Tread depth, mm: 9.4 Shore hardness of rubber, unit 52 Number of spikes/studding lines118/12 Protrusion of spikes, mm1,0 Country of origin:Russia When we did this test with the Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires in early February, we received an invitation to the official premiere of the next generation tire, the X-Ice North 3. But all attempts to get new tires to test failed! However, in Russia, the novelty will not appear in all dimensions, and half of the sales of Michelin studded tires will fall on the X-Ice North 2 model. Decent tires, and with a pronounced family feature of Michelin tires - this is high stability on slippery roads and soft, understandable transients. Too bad the slides themselves last a little longer than we'd like. This also manifested itself on asphalt: stretched slips prevented the “rearrangement” 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 had a stronger sidewall, otherwise, when hitting an “obstacle,” thin rubber is already torn at a speed of 40 km / h, although most tires hold up to 50 km / h, and some remain intact even at higher speeds. In general, very comfortable winter tires that are best used on the streets of large cities. + Comfort Traction on wet and dry pavement Insufficient resistance to slashplaning Low impact strength |
| 6 | Score: 8.4
good year UltraGrip Ice Arctic
|
Load/Speed Index: 94T Weight, kg10.3 Protrusion of spikes, mm0.9 Country of origin:Poland Introduced last year, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ace Arctic immediately topped our tests, but this year's performance has been less impressive. The reason could be the changed weather conditions, the progress of competitors, but it seems that the matter is in a lower quality studding. The “cocked hat” spikes themselves have not changed, but most of them turned out to be excessively recessed into the tread - the offset averages 0.9 mm versus 1.2-1.3 mm for competing tires. Here you 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 noted last year that Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires work better in the longitudinal direction than in the transverse direction, and now the imbalance has worsened - the car keeps very poorly on the arc! On snow, the handling situation is better, but there are problems with acceleration. On the pavement - at the level of the middle peasants. It is curious that the clatter of the spikes is almost inaudible, but the tread itself howls in the entire speed range. That's what these tires definitely pleased with, so it's resistance to impact: in this discipline - the third place. With a normal studding quality, these tires would certainly be able to 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 Traction on wet and dry pavement impact strength Handling on ice Traction on snow |
| 7 | Score: 8.3
Dunlop
|
Load/Speed Index: 94T Weight, kg10.1 Tread depth, mm: 9.8 Shore hardness of rubber, unit 55 Number of spikes/studding lines130/14 Protrusion of spikes, mm0.9 Country of origin:Poland In the final score, Dunlop tires are only 0.1 points behind Goodyear tires. No wonder: the Dunlop brand is now 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 - the depth of the grooves, the hardness of the rubber and the studs - is the same. Unfortunately, the quality of the studding is the same: the studs in the Dunlop tires also turned out to be planted deeper than they should. By the way, tires are made at the same factory in Poland. The problems with handling on ice are similar: in the transverse direction, Dunlop tires hold noticeably worse than in the longitudinal direction. It is difficult to drive a car along a winding track due to sharp, unexpected breakdowns in sliding. But on the snow - the minimum braking distance! At the same time, acceleration and handling performance are as “sluggish” as on ice. But on a dry surface - the minimum braking distance and the maximum speed of the "rearrangement". The car clearly and quickly responds to steering wheel turns, which is a rarity for winter tires! True, there is also a side effect - increased rigidity when passing small irregularities. + Coupling properties and handling on asphalt Braking performance on snow Smooth running |
| 8 | Score: 7.5
Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000
|
Load/Speed Index:91T Weight, kg10.6 Tread depth, mm: 9.7 Number of spikes/studding lines130/14 Protrusion of spikes, mm1,0 Country of origin:Japan Aggressive tread cut with a small network of wavy sipes - and spikes lined up in 14 lines. But the spikes are ordinary - with cylindrical inserts, and the tread rubber is not as “tenacious” as that of competitors, as indirectly evidenced by its increased hardness - 20% more compared to Nokian tires. And as a result - very modest traction properties both on ice and on snow. Handling also leaves much to be desired (speed in turns is limited by unpleasant sliding of the front axle). Here on the snow-water porridge, Bridgestone tires emerge later than others. Yes, and they work perfectly on asphalt: 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 I was pleased with the impenetrable sidewalls. But here, too, there is a compromise: a stronger sidewall is also more rigid, so Bridgestone tires do not have the best effect on ride smoothness. 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. + High impact resistance High resistance to slashplaning 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 spikes/studding lines130/12 Protrusion of spikes, mm0.7 Country of origin:South Korea Even at the stage of "static" measurements, we assumed that Hankook tires were superfluous in this test: most of the spikes barely protrude above the tread level. There are those that rise only 0.3 mm! On ice, such spikes, of course, do not work - the car slips menacingly both when braking and when cornering. But at the same time, it gets a decent mark for the reliability of control: yes, the car slides and therefore drives slowly, but the limit on traction is felt well, the breakdowns are soft, there is a good balance of drift and skidding ... It happens like that. However, the Hankook tires could not shine on the snow, where the studs no longer play a big role. The tread does not cope well with drainage functions - on sludge (snow-water mixture), Hankook tires emerge earlier than others. They also work poorly on wet pavement (the braking distance is too long) - and only on dry pavement everything is more or less in order. But this is not enough to recommend Hankook Winter i*Pike tires as winter tires. True, there is an argument that for many sounds stronger than safety arguments: Hankook tires are exactly two times cheaper than Nokian tires. + Price Traction and handling on dry pavement Traction on ice and snow Low resistance to slashplaning Traction on wet pavement |
| 10 | Score: 7.1
Kama
|
Load/Speed Index:91T Weight, kg10.3 Tread depth, mm: 9.0 Shore hardness of rubber, unit 59 Number of spikes/studding lines136/14 Protrusion of spikes, mm0.8 Country of origin:Russia Despite the tread pattern, which is very reminiscent of Nokian Hakkapeliitta 4 tires, Russian Kama Euro-519 tires cannot yet compete on equal terms with imported counterparts. Longitudinal traction on snow is encouraging, but on the handling track, all hopes disappear. It is difficult to “refuel” the car into a turn, and therefore, before each of them, you need to slow down more than in the case of other tires. A sad picture on the ice: slips 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 Hankook tires: insufficient protrusion of the studs above the tread surface. On average - 0.8 mm: this overhang is not enough for a good "hook" on 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 spikes slightly annoy with a clatter, the tread buzzes pretty. And on bumps, these tires are some of the toughest. Yes, the Kama Euro-519 took last place 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 an honorable last place. And if the manufacturer establishes control over the quality of the studding, then, you see, it will be possible to claim higher and no less honorable places. + Price Braking performance on snow Traction on ice Handling on ice and snow Low level of comfort |
As usual with winter tire manufacturers, the roads and frozen lakes of northern Sweden in the Åre region were chosen as the venue for the presentation (it took place at the end of last winter) and the fact-finding test of new products. In addition to the well-established infrastructure for conducting such tests, these places were also chosen because the winter in Scandinavia and a number of regions of Russia is quite similar in nature - with very severe frosts and low humidity. According to Goodyear, it was precisely under such conditions that the UltraGrip Ice 2 tire was developed. As the company expects, it will be in demand, first of all, by residents of large cities, where snow drifts and ice on the road are a relatively rare phenomenon, but morning ice occurs regularly .
Compared to the previous model, UltraGrip Ice 2 has undergone a number of key changes. The most important of these are the increased suitability of the tire for use in conditions below -25 ° C, improved handling on snow and ice, as well as better grip on winter roads. Technologically, this is achieved through the use of a cryo-adaptive rubber compound. Goodyear claims that it remains flexible even at very low temperatures and allows the tire to maintain good grip on very slippery surfaces. Handling and braking on snow and ice are achieved thanks to the sipes located perpendicular to the direction of the tire - they look like snowcat caterpillars. Tires literally bite into the snow or ice covering the roadway.
The first races on front-wheel drive diesel Audi A3, equipped with UltraGrip Ice 2, were held on two sites. On the first one, we tested the tire's handling on packed snow, on the second one, snow patches alternated with bald patches of ice. We checked the veracity of the manufacturer's quality claims in comparison with the Nokian Hakka R2, Michelin X-Ice Xi3 and Continental Conti Viking Contact5.
Subjectively, the novelty felt about the same level or slightly better than the Nokian and drove through the snow a little less "fun" than the Continental, but noticeably better than the Michelin X-Ice Xi3. The handling of the Goodyear felt more predictable and crisp than the Nokian. Much more interesting was the comparison of these tires in a braking test, which was carried out on a marked area using Racelogic instruments.
Despite the fact that Nokian outperformed all competitors in braking by a meter or two, both Goodyear and Conti were equally good at acceleration and surpassed Nokian in this parameter. On average, the braking distance on the Goodyear tire was about 42-44 meters, Nokian managed to stay within 40. But these figures are relative and far from accurate measurements in the same conditions, as it should be in full-fledged tests.
The standard condition for such tests is the speed of movement not higher than 50 km / h. It is dictated by the European traffic regime in the city, but there is one more nuance - the results. During one of the races on the Michelin tire, having exceeded the speed by only 10 km / h, I suddenly realized that the car's brakes simply ceased to exist. The pedal pressed into the floor and the back of the seat almost broken to the heart-rending squeal of ABS on the “three-ruble note” did not help much, and I already began to figure out which side would be better to get into the snowy parapet in order to save the expensive bumper and optics - to spoil the car, albeit insured, really didn't want to. As a result, it was possible to stop the car far beyond the mark, at which, having braked, it was necessary to turn around. I didn’t want to test the rest of the test participants in a similar mode ...
It seems that for a city dweller, the choice should be obvious - you need to take the rubber that slows down better. After all, an extra dozen centimeters is exactly what separates the car owner from becoming a body service client. But in practice, realizing that the life of a city driver is not limited to trips on salted cold asphalt, the choice should take into account the handling and behavior of the tire outside the city streets. For me personally, the choice in favor of studs is obvious and familiarity with the new studded tire for crossovers UltraGrip Ice Arctic SUV turned out to be a wonderful argument in favor of the “nails”.
UltraGrip Ice Arctic SUV is a new generation of tires from Goodyear, which was created specifically for operation in the harsh climatic conditions of the Scandinavian countries and some regions of Russia, where the air temperature on a typical winter day can drop to minus 25-30°C and below. In the company's lineup, the novelty takes place under the Eagle UltraGrip and UltraGrip 8 and next to the UltraGrip 500 model.
I call the latter as a starting point for comparison. During the presentation, Goodyear experts claimed that the new product outperforms the Ultragrip 500 SUV in terms of improved handling and grip on ice. This is realized with the help of Multicontrol Ice technology, which consists in the installation of directional studs at an angle with a wider carbide insert and an optimized distribution of them. The new shape of the base of the studs makes them more stable, and the wide trailing edge is necessary for more effective braking. Optimized stud distribution improves traction and reduces outside noise.
Handling on snow and slush is achieved thanks to the V-shaped sipes and open grooves in the shoulder area. For deep snow penetration, the shoulder area of the tread has a sawtooth design and effectively captures snow along the edges of the tire, wide grooves remove it, and the silica, which is part of the rubber compound, makes braking on wet roads more efficient with greater energy dissipation.
In a test carried out in December 2013 by Test World at three different European test sites - Finland, Luxembourg and Germany on a BMW X5 - the UltraGrip Ice Arctic SUV led the way in the snow braking distance, snow grip, handling on snow". The UltraGrip Ice Arctic SUV tires also showed excellent results in the following categories: Shortest Stopping Distance on Ice, Handling on Ice, and Grip on Ice. Unofficially, we were hinted that the same tires were used as competitors in these tests that we had on the day of the presentation - Hakka 7 SUV, Michelin XIce North2, Continental ContiIceContact 4x4.
Unfortunately, that day the temperature on the ice of the lake did not fall below -7. So in the preservation of braking qualities at extremely low temperatures, I had to take our word for it. The very same acquaintance took place on the track, partly consisting of snow rolling, partly - pure ice, and partly - from rolling with ice. The section configuration was made of a starting straight, a long turn followed by an acceleration-deceleration section, a couple of low-speed turns, a straight and a medium-length “five” turn, followed by an exit to a straight line with an S-shaped section, and a braking section.
It was proposed to evaluate the braking efficiency by eye - according to the number of cones evenly spaced at a distance of 50 meters. And here it was possible to check how stable the Audi Q5 “pedal to the floor” is when braking, shod in tires from Goodyear and from competitors. On the very first races, the outsider became obvious - Michelin. In the braking area, the car stopped a couple of blocks behind the last cone. But that was only the beginning. After entering a turn in a car with ESP turned off (with the system activated in such conditions, you can only drive very smoothly and slowly), the car had to be taken out of the parapet every other time, and on a straight section with bare ice, the crossover was noticeably shaking. The result of the circle on Michelin was close to that which showed the passage of the section in a quiet city mode with electronic assistants pressing the engine every second - 55 seconds.
The picture changed dramatically when we switched to Q5 with Nokian, Conti and Goodyear tires. The last two showed impeccable behavior on the ice, predictable reactions in the turn. As in the friction tire test, the Nokian was, in my opinion, better in braking, although the presentation graphics gave the palm to Goodyear here. But as far as handling on ice and snow is concerned, the Goodyear went head to head with the Conti, losing just a tiny bit in acceleration on ice after the turn. On RaceLogic, this difference looked like 44 and 42 seconds, respectively. It felt like both tires left the most favorable impression, the crossover kept its course and stability in corners equally well. The choice here will already be determined by the availability of a suitable size and the financial capabilities of the car owner. However, the price tag for all test participants is almost the same and is in the region of 7-8 thousand rubles. for a tire in the dimension 215/50R17 or 225/55R17. So, rather, the operating conditions and driving style will again become decisive.
It's time to think about shoes for the next winter season. Traditionally, in addition to the financial component, the choice will be determined within the same dilemma - studded or friction? As an answer to this question, Goodyear has proposed two new models of UltraGrip tires at once - UltraGrip Ice 2 and UltraGrip Ice Arctic SUV. Testing novelties in the north of Sweden.
Reduced stopping distance on ice
The innovative stud shape makes it even more stable, maximizing braking power on ice.
Excellent grip and handling on ice
Benefit from enhanced control on ice with Goodyear's MultiControl Ice Technology. This revolutionary stud technology increases the contact patch between the stud and the road surface for superior traction and control when driving on ice.
Improved snow handling
Experience the benefits of better handling in all snow conditions. Unique V-shaped sipes and serrated grooves improve grip on snowy roads. When driving in deep snow, specially designed shoulder blocks cling to the snow on the side of the tire.
Good performance on wet roads
The UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires are highly efficient on wet and melting snow or ice roads. Hydrodynamic grooves on the tread quickly remove water from the tire surface, reducing the risk of aquaplaning. Special silicon polymer improves grip and braking on wet roads.
