Winter tyres are specifically designed for cold temperatures and road conditions involving snow, ice, and wetness, ensuring high safety during winter months.
In the current test, the Testing & Technology department of the Touring Club Suisse examined 16 models each in the sizes 185/65 R15 88T/H and 225/50 R17 98V. The tyres were evaluated on 19 test criteria in the two main categories: 'driving safety' and 'environmental performance'. Test vehicles used were a Skoda Fabia and an Audi A4 Avant.
Small car tyres: Two models 'highly recommended'
The size 185/65 R15 88T/H is suitable for small cars like the VW Polo, Audi A1, Hyundai i20, Renault Clio, Citroën C3, Skoda Fabia, or Toyota Yaris.
Leading with 'highly recommended' are the Continental WinterContact TS 870 and the Michelin Alpin 7. Both particularly impress in driving safety. Rated 'recommended' are the Hankook Winter i*cept RS3, Linglong Sport Master Winter, Optimo Winter Touring OW41, Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3, and GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo. Various weaknesses, especially on dry roads and, for LingLong, additionally on winter roads, prevent a better rating for these five models.
The Bridgestone Blizzak LM 005, Nokian Tyres Snowproof 2, Vredestein Wintrac, Barum Polaris 6, Kumho WinterCraft WP52+, and Viking WinTech NewGen are rated 'conditionally recommended'. The Bridgestone notably displays a contrast between excellent wet performance and low durability. The Sunny Winter-max NW611, Atlas Polarbear HP, and Rockblade Rock 868S are 'not recommended'. All three show poor performance on wet roads.
Almost 18 metres difference in braking distance
The relevance of differences for safety is highlighted by an emergency brake from 80 km/h on wet asphalt. The Bridgestone Blizzak LM 005 stops after 33.5 metres. The same vehicle needs 51.4 metres with the Rockblade Rock 868S. This is 17.9 metres more braking distance. At the point where the vehicle with the Bridgestone has already stopped, the one with the Rockblade is still moving at around 47 km/h.
Notable are also the comparatively low durability figures for this size. On average, the predicted durability is around 31,000 kilometres. The Kumho WinterCraft WP52+ achieves the highest value with around 40,000 kilometres, the Bridgestone the lowest with around 22,400 kilometres. No tyre in this size achieves an 'overall good' rating in the environmental performance.
Mid-range tyres: Four models at the top
The size 225/50 R17 98V is used on vehicles like the Audi A4 and A5, Skoda Octavia, Peugeot 3008 and 5008, and various BMW and Mercedes models. Here, the result at the top end is better: Four tyres are 'highly recommended', six 'recommended'. However, six models are 'not recommended'.
The best results are achieved by the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 and the Continental WinterContact TS 870. Both impress on both driving safety and environmental performance. The Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 and the Michelin Alpin 7 are also 'highly recommended'.
TCS rates the Bridgestone Blizzak 6, Hankook Winter i*cept RS3, ESA+TECAR Supergrip Pro2, Dunlop Winter, Vredestein Wintrac Pro+, and Yokohama BluEarth Winter V906 as 'recommended'. The new Dunlop especially stands out with the best environmental performance of the entire test field but cannot quite keep up with the top-tier tyres in driving safety.
TCS advises against six models
The Falken Eurowinter HS02 Pro, Toyo Tires Observe EWS1, Tracmax Ice-Plus S210, Aptany RW211, Royal Black Royalwinter UHP, and Sunwide Snowide are rated as 'not recommended'. All six only achieve a poor rating in driving safety. Large weaknesses are noticeable on the winter roads with Falken and Toyo. Tracmax and Aptany, notably, fall short on wet or winter roads. Royal Black and Sunwide show significant deficits on both dry and wet roads.
Differences in braking are also apparent here. On wet asphalt, the Continental WinterContact TS 870 and the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 come to a stop from 80 km/h after 34.7 metres. The Sunwide Snowide requires 46.3 metres.
Test criteria
For 'driving safety', which accounts for 70% of the overall assessment, tyres were tested on dry, wet, and winter roads. Driving behaviour, braking performance, aquaplaning, and performance on snow and ice were scrutinized. 'Environmental performance' contributes 30% to the overall score and considers durability, tyre abrasion, efficiency, noise, and sustainability. TCS thereby not only assesses individual peak performances but evaluates the overall package of a tyre under different conditions.
TCS Tips for tyre selection
TCS recommends tyres that have received at
least a
'recommended' rating in the test.
Winter tyres should have a minimum remaining tread depth of 4 millimetres in autumn. The two-franc
test is an easy way to check this.
When buying tyres, do not focus solely on price or brand. Personal requirements on driving safety,
durability, and environmental performance are crucial.
New tyres should preferably be no older than three years. The production date is given by the DOT
code.
Four tyres of the same model and type should always be used.
Modern safety assistants do not replace the properties of a good tyre.