2012 NAF Winter Tire Tests

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jan 31, 2006
Messages
4,440
Location
Idaho
The annual winter tire tests from Test World in Finland are now online. Disappointed that the new XIce Xi3 was not tested. Nokian must have tweaked their HakkaR, because it made a better showing this year than last.

The non-studded tires tested include:

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R - 7,5 poeng
Continental ContiViking Contact 5 - 7,5 poeng
Dunlop SP Ice Sport - 7,4 poeng
Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice - 7,4 poeng
Michelin X-Ice XI2 - 7,3 poeng
Vredestein Nordtrac 2 - 7,3 poeng
Pirelli Icecontrol Winter - 7,1 poeng
Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 - 6,9 poeng
Cordiant Winter Drive - 6,4 poeng

http://www.naf.no/Alle-saker/NAF-ekspert...rdekktest-2012/
 
Also included in the test with the "ice&snow" tires, and the studded tires, is the Nokian WR, an "all-weather" tire. I don't think it is available in the US, but may be available in Canada.
 
Thanks for the post. I'm surprised to see the Blizzak WS70 so far down on the list, although it's a difference of .6 of a point from the top studless. The Continental Conti Viking Contact 5 appears to be the Continental Extreme Winter Contact in the U.S. I've had great results with my Conti EWC going into my third winter this year.

I've seen the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R on a fair number of X3s at work so I think they are available somewhere in the U.S.
 
What NAF lists as the Xi2 on their main page for the winter tests, is shown as the Xi3 on other linked pages, like this one:
http://www.naf.no/Alle-saker/NAF-ekspert...elin-X-Ice-XI3/

So it is not clear whether they tested the Xi2 or Xi3. But AFAIK the Xi2 did not come in H speed rated, whereas the Xi3 comes in T and H. Whichever they tested, here are their comments:

"Despite the fact that Michelin is an H tires that can withstand slightly higher speeds, it is very suitable for Nordic conditions. It is exceptionally smooth and logical behavior on all surfaces. The steering is not very precise, but safe even in the most critical situations. The tire has short braking distances on snow and ice, but more moderate on wet asphalt. It's quiet and has low rolling resistance."
 
Originally Posted By: cutlassvillager
Thanks for the post. I'm surprised to see the Blizzak WS70 so far down on the list, although it's a difference of .6 of a point from the top studless. The Continental Conti Viking Contact 5 appears to be the Continental Extreme Winter Contact in the U.S. I've had great results with my Conti EWC going into my third winter this year.

I've seen the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R on a fair number of X3s at work so I think they are available somewhere in the U.S.


When you look at the details of the tests the Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 is one of the top rated studless tires on ice and snow. It had the best rating of a studless tire for braking on ice. For the overall ranking it lost a lot of points for dry and wet pavement performance. To me the performance on snow and ice is of primary importance.

I have a set of these on my Prius and I am very happy with their winter performance. I don't really try to drive with them anywhere near the limit on dry pavement.

http://www.naf.no/Alle-saker/NAF-ekspert...r-testdisiplin/
 
One thing this data shows is that, contrary to what a lot of people say, studded tires as a group are no worse at braking on dry asphalt or braking on wet asphalt than their non-studdable counterparts like the WS70, X-Ice, etc. Both the studded winter tires and non-studdable winter tires are poor at dry/wet braking when compared to performance winters or all-seasons.
 
Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Also included in the test with the "ice&snow" tires, and the studded tires, is the Nokian WR, an "all-weather" tire. I don't think it is available in the US, but may be available in Canada.


WR available in US. Example:
http://www.tiresbyweb.com/p-7779-nokian-wr.aspx


I wonder if these are grey market tires? Nokian does not list the WR on their USA website.
 
^^^ The WRs are definitely different than the WRG2s which ARE available here??
confused2.gif
 
WR SUV tyre according to manufacturer is a discontinued product. Perhaps same applies to passenger car tyre as well with WRG2 as a replacement?
 
2 thumbs up here for the Continental EWS...had a set on the Honda last winter and they were great. I bought them based on a Tire Rack test that rated them highly for dry road manners as well as winter performance. With the mild winter we had I didn't need them often but they were invaluable when we did get the white stuff. We'll see how the Defenders perform on the minivan...if any problems I'll get a set for the steelies I have in the garage.
 
Very happy with my Goodyear UltraGrip 8's, they have actually been on there all year, but as we had a very wet summer and I was using other cars and the Volvo was rarely used I figured why not!

Nobody puts studs in winter tyres that I know of in the UK.

Every bit as good as the MichelinAlpin A4 tyres that my service put on in winter 2010, and actually left on many vehicles all year due to the Michelin Primacy tyres that were taken off " got misplaced"!

I had advised use of seperate wheels but was ignored by management, Vauxhall do a steel wheel that is like Prius alloys in that it is designed to have a wheel trim, they are black and would have been excellent for winter tyre duties aswell as being more resilient to damage and it would be easy to see which vehicle did or didn't have winters on at a glance.

I do find that winter tyres do feel a little bit more "squishy" to drive on if that makes sense, just at initial turn in and when applying the brakes.
 
Nokian tyres are getting more common in the UK but are still rare, pity as Scandanavian countries and tyre engineers are probably better placed to develop a better product.
 
Originally Posted By: bigjl
Nokian tyres are getting more common in the UK but are still rare........


In the USA, Nokian winter tires are priced well above Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone, etc.
Is it the same in the UK?
 
No they are slightly cheaper than Michelins. I got Good Year UltraGrip 8's fitted to my Volvo last year and a simple 205/55/16 cost £120 a corner.

From memory Michelin Alpin A4 would be about £130 a corner and the few times I saw Nokians for sale they were around the £110 mark for my size.

They don't score top in the tyre tests but aren't also rans either.

I seem to remember the best prices were on a website called Oponeo, but I sourced mine locally so was not concerned at the price I paid, as I needed two tyres ASAP as they were on 2mm of tread with winter fast approaching.

I think Nokian are building a good a name for themselves outside of the Scandanavian countries but until winter tyre use becomes more common in the UK opinions will vary.

Money no object I would go for Michelin every time.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Originally Posted By: bigjl
Nokian tyres are getting more common in the UK but are still rare........


In the USA, Nokian winter tires are priced well above Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone, etc.
Is it the same in the UK?


This is pet peeve of mine against Nokian. They price themselves as cheaper alternative in Europe to big brands but as super premium in NA.

I probably should not complain that Nokian can sell tires at this price but I will not buy them for more than my perceived vlue.

Krzys
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top