In the top group 205/55 R16, we have selected the three most advanced products. The winner of our 195/65 R15 test last year is a tire originally from Finland. New for the season - German (in this dimension it is offered with a spike with an aluminum body). We took another last year's novelty for the first time - at the request of readers. it Michelin X-Ice North 4 brewed in Russia. The first two "tops" gleam with two types of spikes in one tire, and the last one brought the number of "studs" up to two hundred and fifty.
The mid-price range now accounts for about half of tire sales. Therefore, this group is the most numerous. Popular with us Nordman 7 made in Russia, but has Finnish roots. A completely fresh tire - with a Japanese ancestry, but also brewed here. - from Germany. Here is the South Korean, which has caught up with the top models in terms of the number of spikes. Among the favorites of Russian buyers and quite fresh Japanese tires of Malaysian brew.
The share of budget tires in our market is growing and already exceeds a quarter. Of these, we selected Korean, domestic, and. And they could not ignore the Chinese side, which is of interest to buyers.
Counting thorns
The requirements of the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union limit the number of spikes per linear meter of circumference: no more than 60 pieces. So their maximum for the dimension 205/55 R16 is 119.
Of all the participants selected for the test "head-on" only two fulfill this requirement - Roadstone (98 thorns) and Viatti (92). Although, in fact, they met a stricter limit for "studs" allowed for sale in Scandinavian countries - 50 studs per meter, or 99 "studs" for a given dimension.
The other ten manufacturers took advantage of Plan B. Our Technical Regulations and Scandinavian law do not limit the number of studs if the tires wear the road surface within acceptable limits. This allows it legally - to the best of technological abilities and financial investments in production.
An upstart or an incentive for progress?Michelin XIN 4The introduction of the very powerful Michelin XIN 4 tire is causing confusion in the long-standing order of the studded tire market. The novelty, having strongly raised the bar of its own results, made the budget tires in our test collapse below the plinth. Moreover, it changed the existing hierarchy of studded "tops". She not only passed Nokian HKPL 9 by two or three points, but specifically pushed her away from the usual first place, and by a decent distance (more than 20 points). Such perturbations will certainly push many tire manufacturers to take up the improvement of their own products, including through non-standard technical solutions. Continental, which threw it out on the market, also took a hustle: it continues the course of the most balanced tire, having turned out to be slightly stronger than the Finnish competitor. He added fuel to the fire of Hankook with his Winter i * Pike RS2 model, which literally breathes into the back of the head of the Nokian HKPL 9. And that unexpectedly for everyone made a turn, surrendering the leading positions on snow and ice and turning towards the asphalt. Tearing from the snow and ice to the city streets? Or is it a red herring in anticipation of a new model coming soon? |
Golf on Technotrak
In the second half of January 2019, we went to Technotrac, the South Korean company Hankook's landfill recently built in the Finnish Arctic. The difficult role of the vehicle-carrier for the tested tires was played by the beloved by the majority of tire testers Volkswagen golf... VBOX Racelogic, a GPS-GLONASS-based measuring complex, helped us to take measurements.
In all "white" exercises, we constantly monitored the condition of the pavement, starting with the "base" tires and returning to them no later than every two or three test sets of tires. Frost from 20 to 25 degrees constantly invigorated, rarely pampering weakening to minus ten.
We cling to the ice
Ice is the most slippery and tricky surface. It is on it that the main battle of "spikes" unfolds. First thing we estimate the longitudinal adhesion - we measure the acceleration time from standstill to 30 km / h and the braking distance from 30 to 5 km / h. The denouement is expected - both in acceleration and during braking, the Michelin tires with 250 spikes on each are ahead of everyone else. The worst performance is given by Sailun - it is also quite predictable. However, the difference in results is unimaginable! Just think: the "Chinese" has longitudinal grip indicators almost two and a half times worse than the leader!
Having come to our senses a little, we start comparing the lateral adhesion, which is estimated by the time it takes to complete the ice circle.
Michelin's superiority in thorns did not help here. Continental and Gislaved hold the best sideways, while Michelin shows only the second result. The weakest lateral "hook" is demonstrated by Toyo, which lagged behind the leaders by almost 15%.
And now - controllability. The ice track has been swept. Forward!
Most pleased with Michelin - clear reactions, excellent information content and reliable behavior of the Golf, shod in these tires. On them you feel very confident behind the wheel, even in sliding. The most amazing thing is that there is no desire to start the car sideways. The smooth and predictable start of the slides allows you to steadily and quickly ride on the verge of stalling.
Against the background of the Continental leader, Hankook and Nokian did not cause delight, although there were no flaws in their behavior. But Sailun, Tunga and Roadstone upset with incomprehensible reactions, unpredictable breakdowns in long slides and refusal to respond to steering and throttle actions even at the beginning of slippage. On them, Golf turns into a shaitan-arba! You don’t understand whether the wheels are rolling or sliding, and the steering wheel becomes a useless tambourine and cannot help. We haven't seen this for a long time!
Stirring snow
After completing the ice tests, we proceed to the snow tests. We start by determining the acceleration time from standstill to 40 km / h and the braking distance from 40 to 5 km / h, performing each measurement with an offset to a fresh section of the snow plateau.
In overclocking, the leadership belongs to the Continental, which managed to get ahead of Michelin, albeit by one tenth of a second. Outsiders - Roadstone and Tunga, which accelerate 17% longer than the leader.
Braking returned Michelin to the favorites. Gislaved and Continental are literally on his heels. Tunga has the worst result, but the 11% lag behind the leader cannot be called a failure.
After comparing the adhesion properties, move on to assessing controllability. First, in a restrained mode, gently "licking" the turns in the initial phase of sliding, and then in an active one, starting the car sideways.
In both calm and adrenaline driving styles, Michelin provided the Golf's best handling. Precise steering responses and traction changes, predictable behavior, and smooth and understandable glides all inspire incredible confidence. At the same time, as well as on ice, it does not provoke the driver to drive aggressively. Bravo!
Tunga was the worst in both modes. Long delays in reactions force you to turn the steering wheel at very large angles, twisting it, which provokes a prolonged skid. And when it can be extinguished, the abrupt restoration of the clutch "shoots" the car in the opposite direction. When driving actively, it is difficult to drive a car shod not only in Tungu, but also in Sailun. When these tires lose traction, the Golf is completely out of control.
The exercise "rearrangement" - an abrupt change of lane, complements the picture. And here Michelin wiped everyone's nose, showing excellent reactions and impeccable behavior. Roadstone and Sailun are causing problems. Both force you to turn the steering wheel at very large angles due to long delays in the reactions. Therefore, Golf, losing traction of the rear wheels in an arc, breaks into a deep skid. Moreover, on Roadstone tires, this happens more actively, since a pronounced drift even in the initial phase of the maneuver forces the steering wheel to turn more intensively. I would not like to feel all these "delights" in a real road situation!
The next test is to assess the directional stability and behavior of the car during smooth maneuvering at a speed of 100 km / h. There are four distinguished ones here: Continental, Hankook, Toyo and Yokohama. The experts had no complaints about them.
Tunga proved to be the worst of all: brooding reactions, insufficiently informative steering wheel. And the most unpleasant thing is that on these tires the Golf goes into a skid even with smooth maneuvering. This is especially dangerous at high speed - you will not notice how you end up in a ditch.
Final Snow Trials: Finding out how well the test participants get through the snowdrifts. On virgin snow, Continental, Hankook, Nokian and Nordman are more confident than others in getting under way, going forward, maneuvering and getting out of a snowdrift reverse... The Tunga has the weakest cross-country ability. No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to move a car that has stopped in the snow while wearing these tires.
One gate
In the "white" tests, it turned out to be ahead of everyone Michelin... And not only because of the myriad of pimples, which allowed him to get ahead in almost all ice disciplines. He proved himself to be a king in the snow, having taken the upper hand in four out of seven exercises. This means that the protector works perfectly.
On the second line of the white rating is located Continental- with a noticeable lag. A Nokian unexpectedly for us was content with only fourth place, skipping ahead Hankook... Thus, the "Korean" became the leader middle group... They are followed by Nordman with 128 spikes, outplayed tires Yokohama- 172 carnations did not save them. Following - Gislaved ahead of Toyo... The budget group naturally ended up at the bottom of the list. It is led by Viatti with the smallest (92) number of spines. Then - Roadstone, and close the white system Tunga and Sailun... The first fell to the very bottom in snow disciplines, the second - on the ice.
Scratching the asphalt
We completed our "dirty" work in April, when the roads had already dried up and the spring winds had subsided, but the temperature of the night air had not yet risen above +8 ° C. The test site, as usual, was the AVTOVAZ test site in the vicinity of Togliatti.
We traditionally open asphalt tests by measuring fuel efficiency, combining a warm-up lap with an assessment of directional stability at speeds up to 130 km / h.
Only Gislaved and Nokian distinguished themselves with good reactions, understandable information content and reliable behavior. Roadstone and Tunga made an unpleasant impression. Remarks to them are like a blueprint: low information content, delays in reactions, forcing you to turn the steering wheel at large angles, unpleasant delayed steering of the rear axle, leading to a skid. You cannot drive fast on these tires!
The efficiency rating is formed after recalculating all the results obtained, taking into account the repetitions of the "basic" tires. The Nokian and Nordman tires, which have established themselves as the most economical tires over the years, are now joined by Hankook tires. A highest consumption Golf showed on Tunga tires. And if the five percent difference with the leaders of the exercise at a speed of 90 km / h does not seem so important, then the consumption increased by more than 9% at urban 60 km / h already makes you think.
Completing the combined ride To assess internal noise and ride smoothness, testers take the Golf to the service roads of the landfill, where asphalt defects are presented in a full range: cracks, potholes, swollen seams.
Hankook experts were pleased with the lowest noise level. And the "premium" smoothness of the ride surprised the Nokian tires, as if protecting the riders from road flaws. Note that Continental, Hankook, Michelin and Toyo did not inspire admiration for their ride comfort, but there were no complaints about them either. The most uncomfortable Tunga is quite another matter. Just like in Pushkin's Winter Evening: then, like a beast, she screams, then she cries like a child ... And she constantly transmits shivers and vibrations to the car.
Finish scratching the asphalt braking on wet (60–5 km / h) and dry (80–5 km / h) roads. On wet asphalt, the vehicle settles most effectively on the Continental. Some ten centimeters gave him Gislaved and Nokian. On dry pavement, Yokohama unexpectedly took the lead, pushing Continental to second position with a minimum gap of 0.1 meters. The outsider is again Tunga, losing more than 17% to the leaders on wet asphalt and almost 11% on dry.
"Asphalt" table of ranks
The title of the best asphalt tires deserved Continental, Gislaved… and Nokian who have scored the same number of points in the intermediate classification. For Nokian tires, this is an amazing result, because earlier tires of this brand were not strong on asphalt. Ranked fourth Yokohama furnishing Michelin, which slipped into the territory of mainstream products. Followed by Hankook, Toyo, Sailun and Roadstone. Nordman slipped into the budget zone - to tenth place, surpassing only Viatti and Tungu.
Build by rank
Bad Tires Group
I took the twelfth position. Complete failure on ice, very poor performance on snow. True, on asphalt the Nordman outperforms, and in terms of economy - Gislaved.
Eleventh place - model Tunga Nordway 2 (723 points)... The worst objective and subjective results on snow and asphalt, in terms of comfort and economy.
The last two "state employees" are considered acceptable only for leisurely driving on hard roads, well cleared of snow and ice. On slippery surfaces, these tires can be dangerous even on vehicles with electronic restraints. Strongly not recommended for novice drivers.
Not rising above the group "Weak tires", "State employees" could not compete even with mid-price colleagues. On the tenth line - tires Roadstone WinGuard WinSpike (755 points)... Modest results in all categories. They will allow you to drive carefully, without fanaticism and abrupt maneuvers. On slippery surfaces, they are only allowed for vehicles with permanently activated monitoring systems.
The best result in this segment is 771 total points and ninth place overall. The tires that took first place in the sector of budget products can boast of it. On snow and ice, they are self-sufficient, very weak on asphalt, although they compete with average tires in comfort and economy. Help residents in times of crisis Russian hinterland, rarely getting out on the asphalt.
| 12th place | 11th place | 10th place | 9th place |
|
| 722 | 723 | 755 | 771 |
|
| brand, model | ||||
| 3390 | 3680 | 3990 | 3650 |
|
| 0 | 7 (-) | 4 (-) | 10 (+) |
|
| Country of manufacture | China | Russia | Korea | Russia |
| Load and speed index | ||||
| Depth of the pattern in width, mm | ||||
| Shore hardness of rubber, units | ||||
| Number of thorns, PCS. | ||||
| mm | 0,9–1,3 | 1,4–1,7 | 1,2–1,6 | 0,9–1,3 |
| Tire weight, kg | ||||
| PROS | Not detected | Not detected | Not bad | Satisfactory handling on snow; quite soft; profitable price |
| MINUSES | Low grip on slippery surfaces; unsatisfactory handling; poor directional stability | Poorly cling to ice, snow and asphalt; poor handling and directional stability; the most uneconomical and uncomfortable | Modest grip on ice and snow; poor handling; very noisy; lousy ride | Mediocre grip on any winter roads; low level of acoustic comfort |
In a group "Mediocre tires" only one participant - with 803 points in the asset. And on "white" and "black" roads shows modest results. The comfort level is average, the economy is slightly below average.
Gislaved nord* Frost 200 (853 points) takes the seventh place in the overall standings. Perfectly clings to asphalt, is able to work well on snow and ice, provides an average level of comfort. In terms of economy, the achievements are modest.
I lost only three points to her Nordman 7... Unlike the older model Hakkapeliitta 9, this tire feels more confident on snow and ice, and on asphalt it competes only with budget products, disposed to a leisurely ride. Shows leading results in terms of economy.
Yokohama iceGUARD iG65 (860 points)... Decent performance on asphalt, average performance on snow and ice make this tire a versatile tire. Unless for comfort it falls into the budget sector.
All "good guys" will suit any driver who prefers a calm driving style, without courage.
| 8th place | 7th place | 6th place | 5th place |
|
| The sum of the points scored in the test | 803 | 853 | 857 | 860 |
| brand, model | Nordman 7 Nordman 7 | |||
| Average price in online stores | 4550 | 4890 | 4890 | 4860 |
| Savings (+) * / overpayment (-) *,% | 2 (-) | 4 (+) | 5 (+) | 6 (+) |
| Country of manufacture | Malaysia | Germany | Russia | Russia |
| Load and speed index | ||||
| Depth of the pattern in width, mm | ||||
| Shore hardness of rubber, units | ||||
| Number of thorns, PCS. | ||||
| Protrusion of thorns after tests, mm | 0,9–1,3 | 0,8–1,0 | 1,1–1,5 | 0,8–1,6 |
| Tire weight, kg | 10,5 | |||
| PROS | Excellent road holding on snow; enviable smoothness of the course; stable handling | High lateral grip on ice and longitudinal grip on snow and asphalt; stable handling | Enviable fuel efficiency; excellent cross-country ability; reliable behavior during extreme snow maneuvers | Better braking properties on dry asphalt; clear course following and confident cross-country ability on snow |
| MINUSES | Weak lateral grip on ice; mediocre acceleration and braking on snow; noisy | Modest longitudinal grip on ice; increased consumption fuel at a speed of 60 km / h | Weak braking on dry asphalt; mediocre comfort | Difficult handling on slippery surfaces; low smoothness of the course; high level of internal noise |
* The difference between the fair price and the average price of a particular tire model, expressed as a percentage of the average price.
WITH 905 points, in fourth place is located. The leading model of the mid-price segment, breaking into the category "Great tires" overall. On the "white" roads it competes with Continental and Nokian. In terms of efficiency - among the best.
By typing 907 points, - on the third place. Breaking long-term traditions, this time it looks better on asphalt than on snow and ice, and therefore has the right to be called a city tire. The efficiency indicators are up to the mark.
Earned 912 points... This is the most balanced "spike" in all respects, and therefore universal in purpose.
Ahead of all, with a significant margin from the closest rival, is located Michelin X-Ice North 4 typing in the test 929 total points... The best winter tire with a roll towards the snow and ice where it looks brilliant. The rest is at the upper level of mid-priced tires. Nevertheless, the gap from the closest rivals is significant.
All tires from the excellent group are suitable for any driver, including those who like active drive.
| 4th place | 3rd place | 2nd place | 1st place |
||
| The sum of the points scored in the test | 905 | 907 | 912 | 929 |
|
| brand, model | Germany | Russia |
|||
| Load and speed index | |||||
| Depth of the pattern in width, mm | |||||
| Shore hardness of rubber, units | |||||
| Number of thorns, PCS. | |||||
| Protrusion of thorns after tests, mm | 0,8–1,2 | 0,8–1,2 | 0,8–1,3 | 0,7–1,3 |
|
| Tire weight, kg | |||||
| PROS | Reliable grip on ice; high efficiency; outstanding cross-country ability and directional stability on snow; the quietest | Confidently cling to ice and asphalt; the most economical; understandable handling and course following; excellent | Excellent lateral grip on ice, longitudinal grip on snow and asphalt; reliable controllability; high cross-country ability | Better longitudinal grip on ice and braking performance on snow; excellent handling on slippery surfaces |
|
| MINUSES | Medium braking on asphalt; small claims for directional stability on asphalt | The braking distance on the snow is too large; light notes on acoustic comfort | Small complaints about the increased level of internal noise | Medium braking on asphalt; light remarks on cross-country ability and directional stability on asphalt |
The full test results are given here:.
We benefit
Among the "state employees" the most profitable purchase will be the Viatti Brina Nordico tires, which allow to save up to 10% at a relatively fair price. Buying tires Roadstone WinGuard WinSpike and Tunga Nordway 2, you will have to overpay from 4 to 7%. The price of the Sailun Ice Blazer WST3 tires coincides with the fair one.
For those who are focused on products of the mid-price segment, we recommend taking a closer look at the Hankook Winter i * Pike RS2 tires: the profit when buying them is close to 20%. This is the most profitable purchase in absolute terms. Choose Gislaved Nord * Frost 200, Nordman 7 or Yokohama iceGUARD iG65 - save 4-6%. Choosing Toyo Observe Ice-Freezer, overpay 2%.
Those who prefer tops are advised to take a look at Michelin XIN 4. Both the product is very decent and the price is reasonable - it will allow you to win back 5% of the fair one. Those who fall for Continental IceContact 3 will have a 7% overrun. Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9 fans will shell out 19% more than the fair price.
This test will allow you to enjoy extreme testing and to clearly see the advantages and disadvantages of a number of main models of winter studded tires. For comparison, ten tires from various leading global manufacturers were selected, all of which are industry leaders. These tires are Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8, Continental ContiIceContact, Gislaved Nord Frost 100, Pirelli winter Ice zero, Michelin X-Ice North 2, Goodyear ultragrip Ice Arctic, Dunlop Ice Touch, Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000, Hankook Winter i * Pike and domestic Kama Euro-519.
Number of studs - road care or driver safety?
When comparing models of winter studded tires, it is necessary to separately highlight the problem of the number of studs themselves installed in the tire. Talks about toughening the rules for using studs have been going on in the Scandinavian countries for a long time, and the reason is the increased wear of the roadway. The "greens" began to argue that asphalt dust is also carcinogenic, that is, it causes cancer. And in 2009, a new norm was promulgated - up to 50 studs per linear meter, and regardless of the tread width or the rim diameter of the tire. At the same time, the previous restrictions remained in force: the protrusion of the studs above the tread surface should not exceed 1.2 mm.
What about security? After all, the more spikes, the better, all other things being equal, the "hook" on the ice will be better ... Shinniks have left a loophole! It turns out that you can install more studs, but then you have to prove that a denser stud will not increase the destructive effect on the road. As a result, on the basis of the Finnish testing center Test World, a method was developed for the full-scale assessment of the impact of studded tires on the road surface. In a nutshell, after a certain number of drives on a granite tile, the mass of this tile should not decrease more than after the same exposure to reference tires with a "legal" number of spikes.
However, the rush demand for such tests did not follow. For example, Michelin decided that this was not a completely fair way to get around the new restrictions - and threw all their efforts into improving tires with a reduced number of studs. The developers of the new Gislaved Nord Frost 100 tires did the same. What about the rest?
The rest have fully loaded their production capacity in order to release as much as possible more tires 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 the company Nokian Tires went its own way: the number of studs on the tires of the new model Hakkapeliitta 8 not only did not decrease, but increased by one and a half times! Naturally, the aforementioned test was passed, and, as we learned, it was carried out not at the Test World test site, but in its own test center near the town of Nokia. It turns out that you can do that - under the supervision of an official observer from the Trafi transport security agency. Competitors, of course, raised a fuss - they say, with so many spikes, it is impossible to pass the test successfully!
Ice tests
The testing team takes on their hard work. One by one, the tire sets are subjected to the most rigorous tests in the most icy conditions. Finally, the last, tenth set of studded tires was tested for "acceleration-deceleration" - and ... The first sensation! The smallest braking distance on account of the ContiIceContact tires. They also provided the car with better acceleration dynamics. Although the advantage over the "bristling" Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires is quite small, but it is! That is, 190 studs lined up in 18 rows perform no better on ice than 130 studs spread across 12 rows. In any case, in 14-degree frost. Why? Yes, because for the decline 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 in the "small" studs is not so powerful.
Two favorites are stepping on the heels of the new Pirelli Winter Ice Zero tires.
Gislaved Nord Frost 100 tires promise to become another striking novelty of this season. There are already 96 "legal" studs - and they provide quite decent braking on ice, although during acceleration - only the eighth result. Ahead were also the familiar Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic and Dunlop Ice Touch and Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires from last year's tests. By the way, why is Michelin presented? with X-Ice tires North of the second, 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.
New items for winter season prepared and Bridgestone, but also refused to provide them before the official premiere. Therefore, in the overall standings - Bridgestone tires Ice Cruiser 7000, which in the coming winter will also be actively sold in our market.
The Korean school is represented by Hankook Winter i * Pike tires, and the Russian school is represented by Kama Euro-519 tires. On the ice, the results of both those and others are very modest. But so far we are talking only about the grip properties in the longitudinal direction.
The controllability assessment began with driving on an ice circle at the maximum possible speed, and continued on a winding track, which took into account both the lap time and a subjective assessment of the convenience and reliability of control. In these exercises, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires have already achieved a convincing victory. Perfectly keep the movement in turns, excellent control over the car on the track! They can also be safely recommended to those who go to amateur ice races: "taking off" a couple of seconds from the circle is not a problem!
Continental tires are in second place, and right behind them - and this is the second, albeit small, but still sensation - the Gislaved tires. They made it possible to very confidently drive the car along a winding road.
Another surprise was the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires. With them, the car slows down and accelerates well, but in turns it keeps poorly and even "jumped" off the icy track a couple of times. Fortunately, there are not meter-long snowdrifts around, but safety strips with a ten-centimeter layer of fluffy snow.
Snow element
The next day, the frost subsided from fourteen degrees to minus seven. Testers have at their disposal a 600-meter track with perfectly packed snow. The work will be monotonous: acceleration to 50 km / h, braking, acceleration again, braking again ... But if earlier the driver was required to work with the pedals in order to exclude unnecessary wheel slip at the start and blocking during braking, now this is monitored by the electronics - Traction Control and ABS. And soon it seems that it will be possible to do without a driver altogether.
Let's take a look at the results of the manual snow tests. It is easy to 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 is ten percent. During acceleration, the spread is a little more, about 20 percent, and the favorites here are already different - the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires. That is, the Finns have conjured up not only with spikes, but also with the tread - after all, on the snow, it is not so much the spikes that are important as the tread.
And on the handling trail winding around trees and snow-strewn boulders, Nokian tires are quieter: quick reactions and fully controlled sliding. Moreover, in sliding it is better not to slow down, otherwise the stabilization system disabled by the button will "wake up" and the pace will decrease. Another indicator: if on Nokian tires the stabilization system was "awakened" only once, on other tires it was activated much more often - due to errors caused by stretched slips (they were especially upset by the Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 and Kama Euro-519 tires) ...
Driving on asphalt
At the beginning of spring, the winter tests were supplemented with a cycle of "asphalt" tests. First, we looked at how the tires behave on sludge - a snow-water slurry that covered the asphalt with an even layer. This layer is only 3.5 cm deep, and the Hankook tires already float at a speed of 19.4 km / h. However, the best Bridgestone tires in this type of testing are not far behind - their limit is 21.2 km / h. And on wet asphalt, already without admixture of snow, the shortest braking distances are on account of the Gislaved tires, and the worst is on the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8.
On wet asphalt, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires worked rather poorly, but on dry surfaces they showed one of the better results... By the way, this is a reason to remind again that modern studded tires work on asphalt no worse, and sometimes even better than non-studded Scandinavian-type tires - those that are commonly called Velcro. This is due to the stiffer rubber, which is needed to secure the cleats in place. There is still a popular myth that a studded tire rolls on the asphalt, leaning more on the spikes than on the rubber. But in fact, the studs, in contact with the asphalt, are sunk into the body of the tread, practically not reducing the contact spots of the rubber with the road. However, it all depends on what goals the manufacturer sets when creating a specific tire model. By changing the tread pattern, hardness and chemical composition of rubber, you can shift the balance of qualities, giving preference to either behavior on slippery winter surfaces (ice, snow), or on asphalt.
With the Dunlop Ice Touch tires, this balance is clearly shifted towards the asphalt: the Audi A3 brakes confidently and responds best to sharp turns of the steering wheel. But on ContiIceContact tires the braking distance on both dry and wet asphalt is a couple of meters longer, that is, preference is given to "winter" qualities.
This is where spike tires always lose out to non-studded ones, because it is in acoustic comfort. There is clearly more noise from them, especially if the tread already has 190 studs, like the Nokian tires. However, with fewer studs, the Kama Euro, Pirelli, Continental and Bridgestone tires clink in much the same way. And the quietest tires are Michelin X-Ice 2. They are the softest along with Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires.
How are such soft tires will behave, hitting a hole or bumping into an asphalt ledge? The testing team did a similar experiment winter tires... At a speed of 40 km / h, the car runs into a steel channel set at an angle of 30 degrees - a piece of a U-shaped beam. If the tire withstands, the attempt is repeated already at a speed of 45 km / h. And so on until the tire "expires". In order not to damage the suspension of the brand new Audi A3, it was replaced with a well-worn Mercedes-Benz C 180.
Bridgestone tires withstood the most impacts: they managed to break through only at a speed of 70 km / h! And this is no coincidence: when developing their tires, the Japanese take into account the specifics bad roads, reinforce the structure and check it themselves with crash tests.
They hold the blow with dignity and Continental tires- they surrendered at a speed of 60 km / h. The bulk of the tires was finished at a speed of 50 km / h, but the Michelin tires, which they liked so much for their softness, were punched in the very first race, at a speed of 40 km / h. It was even decided to repeat the experiment - what if it was an accident? As a result, the second Michelin X-Ice North 2 tire with a through hole is sent to landfill. Again, everything is understandable: the French company pays more and more attention to reducing rolling resistance, for the sake of which the sidewall is getting thinner (thus reducing the so-called hysteresis losses - energy consumption for heating due to deformation).
The tires were also tested for rolling resistance using a treadmill drum. And it turned out that Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires roll easier than others, and not Michelin X-Ice North 2. But this is without studs, since studded tires would damage the calibrated drum surface. It is not a fact that this rating will not change with spikes. However, in terms of fuel consumption, the difference is still small - the bulk of the tires are separated by 0.2-0.3 l / 100 km. And the difference between the most "economical" and the most "voracious" tires (they were expected to be Bridgestone tires) is 0.6 l / 100 km. And yet, since the experiment was carried out without thorns, its results were not taken into account in the derivation of the final estimates.
Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8
Overall rating: 9.0
- Handling on ice and snow
- Braking properties on dry asphalt
- Noisiness
- High price
With so many pimples, a victory over competitors, especially in ice disciplines, should be simply devastating! But the matter was limited to simply victory, without defeat. On the handling track - the best time, it is a pleasure to drive a car. But the advantage over the ContiIceContact tires, which have 60 fewer studs, is negligible, and the Continental tires are even better in acceleration dynamics. Because there are many spikes in the tread of Finnish tires, but they are small: the diameter, the height of the spike, the width of the carbide insert - everything here is smaller than that of Continental tires. Perhaps, at a higher temperature, on "soft" ice, the effectiveness of "small" thorns would have been higher, but our tests took place in 14-degree frost.
On snow, Nokian tires are traditionally good: accurate and timely responses to the steering wheel and gas.
But on asphalt the behavior is unstable. While Nokian tires provide good deceleration on dry surfaces, they have the longest braking distances on wet surfaces. And the expected disadvantage was the "itchy" sound from the spikes, which did not leave the cabin in the entire speed range.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (62 standard sizes are available - from 175/70 R13 to 255/35 R20) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 9,2 |
| 9,0 | |
| 48 | |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 190/18 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 1,2 |
| Manufacturer country | Finland |
| Catalog of winter tires Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 " | |
Continental ContiIceContact
Overall rating: 9.0
- Adhesion properties on ice and snow
- Handling on ice and snow
- Impact strength
- Adhesion on wet asphalt
On ice, the ContiIceContact tires are great. Acceleration and braking are the best in the test, and the balance of drift and drift on the ice handling track is such as if you were driving not in a front-wheel drive, but in an all-wheel drive car. I slightly threw off the gas at the entrance to the turn - and then you drive the car in an arc in controlled sliding with four wheels!
On the snow, the tires are also good, and only the not always appropriate slight tendency to skid the rear axle did not allow to give the highest point for "reliability of handling".
On asphalt, the grip is average, although the "Change" maneuver was done very well. The car reacts sluggishly to the first impulse, but then the tires are "squeezed" and hold lateral overloads well. It's a pity that the soundtrack during such maneuvers is already very intrusive - the Continental tires whine on a straight line, and the rumble increases in corners.
These tires have excellent impact resistance. And the thorns in them hold to the last: in order to pull out a thorn planted on glue, you need to apply an effort 2-2.5 times higher compared to other tires.
I wonder if the ContiIceContact tires will continue to perform as well on ice after switching to a lightweight stud? Such tires with the HD index, produced after July 1, 2013, have already appeared at Russian dealers.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (42 standard sizes are available - from 155/80 R13 to 245/40 R18) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 9,8 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,5 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 49 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 130/12 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 1,3 |
| Manufacturer country | Germany |
| Buy winter tires Continental ContiIceContact " | |
Gislaved Nord Frost 100
Overall rating: 9.0
- Ice grip and handling
- Snow grip
- Adhesion properties on asphalt
- Moderate handling on snow
"Not by number, but by skill!" The tread of the Gislaved Nord Frost 100 tires has a total of 96 studs with standard departure but on ice these tires are better than many tires with 130 studs. On the handling track - the third time, but the lag behind the leader, who has almost twice as many studs, is less than a second! No wonder the German tire workers (Gislaved today is 100 percent a product of Continental) worked on a new tread and new "triangular" studs! Slides are small and easy to control.
And on the snow, decent behavior, although on the track, handling is hampered by sharp breaks in sliding.
But on wet asphalt - the minimum braking distance! At the same time, the tires do not make much noise and gently "swallow" irregularities.
In general, well balanced winter tires: they work confidently on country roads and are almost ideal for urban use. And the price looks reasonable.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (38 standard sizes are available - from 155/70 R13 to 245/40 R18) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 8,8 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,4 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 48 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 96/14 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 1,3 |
| Manufacturer country | Germany |
| Winter tires Gislaved Nord Frost 100 in our online store " | |
Pirelli Winter Ice Zero
Overall rating: 8.7
- Adhesion properties on ice
- Moderate handling on ice and snow
- Noisiness
These tires came to our test a month and a half before the official premiere (AR # 17, 2013) - we did not even know the real name of the model, since there was no marking on the smooth sidewall. But both the protector and the new design spikes were already "commercial" - now both the insert and the spike body have a complex trapezoidal shape.
In terms of longitudinal dynamics on ice, the Pirelli tires are almost on par with the leaders in the test. But on the handling track, there were sharp breaks in side slip. However, Pirelli tires, whether winter or summer, have always endowed the car with sharper, sportier reactions.
A similar behavior is observed on snow, but here the grip properties in the longitudinal direction were at an average level.
Here on the asphalt - good deceleration, both dry and wet.
The ride is good, but there is a lot of noise - the rumble is heard even when driving on packed snow.
Albeit with reservations, but we also recommend these tires - primarily to those who drive in winter mainly on city streets cleared of snow.
| Dimension | |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 9,1 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,5 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 50 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 130/16 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 1,2 |
| Manufacturer country | Germany |
| Sale of winter tires Pirelli Winter Ice Zero " | |
Michelin X-Ice North 2
Overall rating: 8.5
- Comfort
- Adhesion properties on wet and dry asphalt
- Insufficient resistance to slashplaning
- Low impact strength
When we ran this test with Michelin X-Ice North 2 tires in early February, we received an invitation to the official premiere of the next generation X-Ice North 3 tires. But all attempts to get new tires for the test failed! However, the novelty will not appear in all dimensions in Russia, and half of the sales of Michelin studded tires will fall on the X-Ice North 2 model.
Decent tires, and with a pronounced family feature of Michelin tires - this is high resistance to slippery road and soft, understandable transients. It's bad that the slides themselves last a little longer than we would like.
This also manifested itself on the asphalt: the stretched sliding prevented the high speed "changeover". But there are no problems with braking, and the level of comfort is beyond praise: these are the softest and quietest tires in our test!
They would have a stronger sidewall, otherwise when hitting an "obstacle" thin rubber breaks at a speed of 40 km / h, although most tires hold up to 50 km / h, and some remain intact and at a higher speed.
In general, very comfortable winter tires, which are best used on the streets of large cities.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (29 standard sizes are available - from 205/55 R16 to 295/35 R21) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 9,3 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,4 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 52 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 118/12 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 1,0 |
| Manufacturer country | Russia |
| Winter tires Michelin X-Ice North 2 - all sizes in our store " | |
Goodyear ultragrip ice arctic
Overall rating: 8.4
- Braking properties on ice and snow
- Adhesion properties on wet and dry asphalt
- Impact strength
- Handling on ice
- Traction ability on snow
Introduced last year, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ace Arctic tires were immediately among the leaders in our tests, but this year they were not so impressive. The reason could be the changed weather conditions, the progress of competitors, but it seems that the matter is in the lower quality studding. The cocked hat spikes themselves did not change, but most of them turned out to be overly sunk into the tread - the projection averaged 0.9 mm versus 1.2-1.3 mm for competing tires. Here we need to look for the reason for lagging behind the leaders of the test both in acceleration and in braking on ice. And on the handling track, the lag is already beyond the bounds of decency: the Audi A3 on Goodyear tires covers an 800-meter track ten seconds longer than on Nokian tires! We also noted last year that Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires perform better in the longitudinal direction than in the lateral direction, and now the imbalance has worsened - the car holds very badly on the arc!
On snow, the handling situation is better, but there are problems with acceleration. On the asphalt - at the level of the average. It is curious that the clatter of the spikes is almost inaudible, but the tread itself howls in the entire speed range.
What these tires definitely pleased with was their impact resistance: in this discipline - the third place.
With normal studding quality, these tires 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 systems stabilization.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (25 standard sizes are available - from 175/70 R13 to 225/55 R17) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,3 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,8 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 55 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 130/14 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 0,9 |
| Manufacturer country | Poland |
| Goodyear UltraGrip Ace Arctic winter tires catalog | |
Dunlop ice touch
Overall rating: 8.3
- Braking properties on snow
- Handling on ice and snow
- Smooth running
According to the final assessment Dunlop tires only 0.1 points behind Goodyear tires. No surprise: the Dunlop brand today is three-quarters owned by Goodyear, and the Dunlop Ice Touch and Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic tires were developed by the same engineering team. The tread patterns are different, but everything else - groove depth, rubber hardness and studs - is the same. Unfortunately, the quality of studding is the same: the studs in Dunlop tires also turned out to be deeper than necessary. By the way, the tires were made at the same plant in Poland.
The problems with handling on ice are similar: in the lateral direction, the Dunlop tires hold much worse than in the longitudinal direction. It is difficult to drive on a winding track because of the sudden, unexpected slippage.
But on the snow - the minimum braking distance! At the same time, acceleration and handling indicators are the same "sluggish" as on ice.
But on a dry surface - the minimum braking distance and maximum speed performing the "rearrangement". The car responds clearly and quickly to steering movements, which is a rarity for winter tires! True, there is also a side effect - increased rigidity when passing through small irregularities.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (16 standard sizes are available - from 175/65 R14 to 225/55 R17) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 94 (670 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,1 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,8 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 55 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 130/14 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 0,9 |
| Manufacturer country | Poland |
| Order winter tires Dunlop Ice Touch in our online store " | |
Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000
Overall rating: 7.5
- High impact resistance
- High slash resistance
- Traction and handling on asphalt
- Adhesion properties on ice and snow
- Comfort
- Handling on ice and snow
Aggressive tread cut by a fine network of wavy lamellas - and spikes lined up in 14 lines. But the studs are ordinary - with cylindrical inserts, and the tread rubber is not as "tenacious" as that of competitors, which is indirectly evidenced by its increased hardness - 20% more compared to Nokian tires. And as a result - very modest grip properties both on ice and on snow. The handling also leaves much to be desired (cornering speed is limited by unpleasant sliding of the front axle).
Bridgestone tires float up later than others on a snow-water slurry. And on the asphalt they work perfectly: on the "rearrangement" the reactions are so fast and accurate, as if the car is "shod" not in winter, but in all-season tires. And most of all we were pleased with the impenetrable sidewalls. But there is a trade-off here too: a stronger sidewall is also stiffer, so Bridgestone tires do not have the best effect on ride comfort.
Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 tires will surely find their poor buyer, especially in the outback - where tires are often changed not because of tread wear, but because of "holes" received in the pits. However, this fall dealers will offer an alternative Ice tires Cruiser 7000 - new model Blizzak Spike-01 (details - in the next issues of Auto Review), but we will be able to evaluate the improvements in the comparative test only next year.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (37 standard sizes are available - from 175/70 R13 to 245/50 R20) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 91 (615 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,6 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,7 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 59 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 130/14 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 1,0 |
| Manufacturer country | Japan |
| Buy winter tires Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 7000 of the required size " | |
Hankook Winter i * Pike
Overall rating: 7.5
- Dry grip and handling
- Adhesion properties on ice and snow
- Low slash resistance
- Adhesion on wet asphalt
Even at the stage of "static" measurements, we assumed that the Hankook tires were superfluous in this test: most of the studs barely protrude above the tread level. There are some that rise only 0.3 mm! On ice, such spikes, of course, do not work - the car slides menacingly both when braking and cornering. But at the same time it receives a decent rating for the reliability of control: yes, the car slides and therefore drives slowly, but the limit in adhesion properties is felt well, the breakdowns are soft, there is a good balance of drift and skid. It also happens.
However, the Hankook tires failed to shine in the snow, where the studs no longer play a big role. The tread copes poorly with drainage functions - on the sludge (snow-water mixture), Hankook tires float before others. They also work poorly on wet asphalt (the braking distance is too long) - and only on dry asphalt everything is more or less in order. But this is not enough to recommend the Hankook Winter i * Pike as a winter tire. True, there is an argument that for many sounds stronger than arguments about safety: Hankook tires are exactly half the price of Nokian tires.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (64 standard sizes are available - from 155/65 R13 to 245/45 R18) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 91 (615 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,0 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,74 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 57 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 130/12 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 0,7 |
| Manufacturer country | South Korea |
| Sales catalog of winter tires Hankook Winter i * Pike W409 » | |
| Sales catalog of winter tires Hankook Winter i * Pike W419 » | |
Kama Euro-519
Overall rating: 7.1
- Braking properties on snow
- Adhesion properties on ice
- Handling on ice and snow
- Low level comfort
Despite the tread pattern very much reminiscent of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 4 tires, the Russian Kama Euro-519 tires cannot yet compete on equal terms with imported analogues. Longitudinal grip on snow is encouraging, but on the handling track, all hopes disappear. It is difficult to "fill" the car into a turn, and therefore before each of them you need to slow down more than in the case of other tires.
The picture is also sad on the ice: the slides are just as poorly predictable and poorly controlled. And there are problems with braking on ice. The reason seems to be the same as in the case of the Hankook tires: insufficient protrusion of the studs above the tread surface. On average - 0.8 mm: such a departure is not enough for a good "grip" on the ice.
On asphalt, the tires perform at an average level. When performing sharp maneuvers, the reactions to the steering wheel are "smeared". And let the thorns slightly annoy with a clatter, the protector hums fairly. And on bumps, these tires are one of the toughest.
Yes, the Kama Euro-519 tires came in last in our test. But if you keep in mind the price and the stellar composition of the participants, then this is not just the last, but the honorable last place. And if the manufacturer establishes control over the quality of studding, then, you see, it will be possible to apply for higher and no less honorable places.
| Dimension | 205/55 R16 (16 standard sizes are available - from 175/70 R13 to 215/60 R16) |
| Speed index | T (190 km / h) |
| Lifting capacity index | 91 (615 kg) |
| Weight, kg | 10,3 |
| Tread depth, mm | 9,0 |
| Shore hardness of tread rubber, unit | 59 |
| Number of studs / studding lines | 136/14 |
| Spike protrusion, mm | 0,8 |
| Manufacturer country | Russia |
| Buy winter tires Kama Euro-519 in our store " | |
| Test results | Tire Models | ||||||||||
| Options | Impact on overall grade | Bridgestone | Continental | Dunlop | Gislaved | Goodyear | Hankook | Kama euro | Michelin | Nokian | Pirelli |
| Ice | 35% | ||||||||||
| Braking properties | 15% | 7 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Accelerating dynamics | 5% | 6 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Transverse adhesion properties | 5% | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Handling (lap time) | 5% | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Reliability of management | 5% | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Snow | 25% | ||||||||||
| Braking properties | 10% | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 |
| Accelerating dynamics | 5% | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Handling (lap time) | 5% | 5 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
| Reliability of management | 5% | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Slash Planning Resistance | 5% | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Wet asphalt | 10% | ||||||||||
| Braking properties | 10% | 9 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 10 |
| Dry asphalt | 10% | ||||||||||
| Braking properties | 5% | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Emergency (avoidance of an obstacle) | 5% | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Impact strength | 5% | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | Autoreview||||
Today it is difficult to imagine the modern world without cars. A trip to a neighboring area in a couple of hours or a trip to a store in a couple of minutes. Convenient, right? But all this comfort depends on many factors, including engine performance, tire condition, etc.
A car engine is made immediately at the factory, and its service life is measured in hundreds of thousands of kilometers or tens of years. With tires, everything is much more complicated, it is necessary to "shoe" the car for the season and constantly monitor the condition of the wheel rubber. The choice of tires is equally important.
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So, many car owners are wondering - which is better, Nokian or Continental? To find the answer to this question, you need to familiarize yourself with the main models of these brands, study the features of the summer and winter versions of rubber.
Tire requirements
What do we expect from tires? When choosing rubber for a car, you should select for yourself
I have 4 factors:
- Lifetime. Nobody wants to throw away tires after a few months of driving, so it is better to choose a really quality option.
- Wear resistance. Under conditions of poor-quality road surface, this parameter is very important. The integrity of the tires should not be damaged by a small pebble or branch.
- Security. This is especially true when it comes to winter tires. Crash on ice because of saving on tires? Far from the best way, you must be confident in the quality of the car "shoes".
- Value for money. Everything is simple here, buying rubber that will have to be thrown away soon - there is no point, but spending money on the most expensive tires I don't want to either. You can solve this problem by buying tires that differ in the price of the middle category and high performance characteristics... These include products from Nokian and Continental.
When choosing tires, don't rely on price alone. Really quality tires cost more than the products of unknown companies, but on the line of service, the products of Nokian and Continental surpass many competitors.
Benefits of Finnish products
Nokian is largest manufacturer tires in Scandinavia, and the headquarters is located in the Finnish city of Nokia, which is also famous for its mobile phones.
Nokian today produces summer, winter and all season tires... Among the company's products are rubber for passenger cars, SUVs, vans and even small trucks. This assortment allowed the company to reach a wide consumer audience.
Also, the owners of Finnish rubber note the following advantages of the product:
- Functional cleat design. On most models, the spikes have six edges at once, along outward appearance they resemble a diamond. This shape allows for high-quality grip of the wheels with the road surface;
- Reduced noise. Car enthusiasts who have had to drive in the winter know how much noise the wheels make. Nokian solved this problem with the air space under the studs;
- Thick rubber. Quality material greatly extends the life of Nokian tires. Also on the rubber there is a special indicator in the form of a snowflake, when it is completely erased, you need to change the tires;
- State-of-the-art RunFlat technology. It is designed for situations when the car is loaded, in this position the car will be able to drive at least 50 kilometers on flat tires.
Positive aspects of German tires
The Continental company is engaged in the production of tires, as well as the processing of rubber. There are factories of this manufacturer in several European countries. Among the products are even tires for bicycles, motorcycles, agricultural machinery and heavy vehicles. Usually, the goods that are produced in Germany are known for their high quality, and tires are no exception.
Advantages:
- The adaptability of rubber to weather conditions. In production, a special rubber composition is used, so the tires can withstand both severe frosts in winter and hot summer. At the same time, elasticity and performance are maintained throughout the entire service life of the tires;
- High wear resistance. It is this characteristic that determines the quality of tires;
- Operational characteristics. When using such tires, the driver and his passengers can feel safe, the braking distance will be short, and the handling will remain at a high level;
- Tread. The pattern on the tires is equipped with a middle part, locks and durable sidewalls. Your car will be stable on the track even in rain, thanks to the water drainage system from the wheels;
- Like Finnish manufacturers, the Germans are actively fighting vibration and noise when driving.
Summer tires in the range of manufacturers
When testing summer tires, where more than a dozen different manufacturers participated, the highest points were given to the Nokian NRHi and Continental PremiumContact tires. Therefore, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the features of these models.
Main characteristics of NRHi:
- Dimensions - 185/65 R15;
- Speed index H (210 km / h);
- Tread depth - 7.7 mm;
- Manufactured in Finland.
The Nokian company belongs to small manufacturers in the tire market, but thanks to high quality, Finnish products have gained fame far beyond Scandinavia. Now the company's specialists are developing modern summer tires, and they succeed, as evidenced by the NRHi model. Compared to its predecessor NRH2, the new tires perform much better.
On dry road surfaces, Finnish tires react very smoothly, it is easy to maintain control of the car even during the sharpest turns. And even more experts are surprised by the behavior of NokianNRHi on wet surfaces, the grip is so powerful that the car literally sticks to the road. Sharp turns will also not interfere with steering, even when sliding, there will be no problems with steering. The tread pattern of the tires resists water. If we talk about the shortcomings, then this tire model really makes noise.
PremiumContact features:
- Dimensions - 185/65 R15;
- Speed index H (210 km / h);
- Tread depth - 8 mm;
- Manufactured in Germany.
The German company is quite large, and has several subsidiaries at once, but even with such a productivity, it occupies only the fourth place with a girth of about 7% of the market. There are factories in different countries, including the Moscow plant in Russia.
The PremiumContact tire model has been taking part in various tests for many years, and almost always among the top three. Today, many experts believe that it is these summer tires better than competitors' products, and comparison is possible only with Nokian products.
The PremiumContact model is characterized by high durability and high-quality traction. The tread pattern of the tires quickly removes water, both on a flat section of the track and on bends. But most of all, the manufacturer prides itself on handling, in sunny weather or during rain, there will be no problems with this. These tires are no worse than Nokian products, and even surpass them in noise suppression.
Winter tires
Among the "shoes" for the winter time are popular tires Hakkapelitta from the Finnish manufacturer, and ConticleContackBD from the German. Both of these models have been repeatedly evaluated by experts in different tests. The results of overclocking on ice were quite interesting:
- Hakapelittta transitions very smoothly from rolling to axle box;
- ConticleContact, on the other hand, slips faster after overclocking, and it is very difficult to catch this fine line.
In terms of handling, the Finns turned out to be slightly better, but in terms of speed, Continental's products surpassed their competitors. After the German tires, deep and large marks remain, and after the Finnish ones, they look like the ice was scratched with the spikes of the boots.
If on the ice section ConticleContact behaved confidently, then on the snow-covered circle the comparison shows completely different results. Nokian tires allow you to cover distances faster. And all thanks to handling, with Continental tires on turns and ice sections you have to slow down a little, and Hakka allows you to overcome such places without any problems. It's just a few seconds difference, but the Finns have done better here.
The behavior of these elements is quite different for the two tire models:
- On the Continental winter tires, the studs are flush with the wheel protectors. With such tires, you can feel safe on winter roads;
- In the Hakkapetitta, the spikes do not come out so quickly and not so much during operation. But the quality of grip on slippery road surfaces remains high.
General characteristics of winter tires
Winter tires:
- Continental. The ConticleContact is comfortable on slippery surfaces and allows you to drive fast enough. The owner of these tires is not worried that the studs will fall off and the handling will become worse. This is a proven, high quality option;
Nokian. Perhaps not as strong as German tires, but Finnish products are not far behind. If the thorns fly off, then perhaps only at the end of February. For medium-sized cars, you can safely buy tires with the beautiful name Hakkapelitta.
In comparative tests Auto Review the last couple of years the best winter tires Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 studded tires invariably became. And I managed to get acquainted with their successors Hakkapeliitta 9 even before the official premiere.
I assumed that the Finnish tire workers would put the spikes on the glue on the new model, as the creators of the Continental IceContact 2 tires did. They chose a different path: they used two types of studs. Yes, special sports tires are sometimes studded according to this scheme, but double studding is used for the first time in serial "civilian" tires.
Of course, both the tread pattern and the rubber compound have undergone changes in the "nine". However, the main innovation is in studding. In the middle part of the tread there are studs with a transversely oriented carbide insert: these effectively work in the longitudinal direction and are responsible for acceleration and braking on ice. And on the sides there are trefoil-shaped spikes: they are responsible for the transverse grip properties and handling characteristics on ice. At the same time, the total number of studs, compared to the previous model, even decreased: in 16-inch tires there are now 172 of them against the previous 190.
Simultaneously with tires for conventional passenger cars a modification of the "nine" for crossovers and SUVs is entering the market. In addition to the size range, it is distinguished by additional bridges connecting the shoulder blocks of the tread, a different rubber composition and a more durable aramid-reinforced carcass. Moreover, in tires with the SUV index, the spikes are more powerful, their body is a millimeter higher. It was these tires of dimension 215/65 R16 that took part in our comparative test by car Renault Kaptur. The opponents of the new model Hakkapeliitta 9 are 13 studded competitors, among which are relatively inexpensive products of domestic tire manufacturers and imported top models. An interesting detail: the offset measured by us, that is, the protrusion of the studs above the tread surface, in the new Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9 tires turned out to be very modest - an average of 1.1 mm. But after running in, the spikes took a more aggressive position - 1.5 mm, that is, exactly along the upper border of compliance with the Russian technical regulations(1.2 ± 0.3 mm).
The first test results suggest that the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9 outperforms competitors in grip on ice. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves: in addition to tests on ice, tests on rolled and freshly fallen snow and on asphalt are also taken into account. The work has not yet been completed, and we will present the final conclusions to the judgment of Autoreview readers and viewers of our YouTube channel in early autumn - when the massive sales of Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9 tires begin. including at the Russian plant Nokian Tires near St. Petersburg) has already started, and the first batches of new tires have begun to be shipped to dealers.
