The experts of the Finnish test organization UTAC Ivalo (ex Test World) conducted a large test of winter tires, studded and studless, evaluating, among others, the new studded Bridgestone model, which has not even yet been launched on the market.
In their new test, the experts of UTAC Ivalo (formerly, the organization was called Test World, but now it has been renamed and is part of UTAC Group) tested nine studded and as many studless tires, traditionally covering all the price brackets. This time around, the main newcomer of the test was the studless Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5, but the test also unexpectedly involved the studded Bridgestone Blizzak Spike 3 model, which has not yet even been officially introduced. In addition, for comparison purposes, the test included European and all-season tire models.
The tests were conducted on ice, snow, wet and dry pavement, and the UTAC experts also evaluated noise emission and fuel consumption.
Ice
In the ice handling test, as always, the best lap time was shown by the studded tires, while the best friction tire was the Continental VikingContact 7. At the same time, the studded Antares model fell significantly behind its «classmates», while the Scandinavian-type Dynamo tire was inferior not just to the «Europeans» but also to all-season tires that are not even designed to be used in such conditions. The best subjective ranking for ice handling response was given to the Michelin X–Ice North 4, which back in the day set a record for the number of studs per tire, while the Continental VC7 friction model received scores as good as those of most of the studded tires.
Bridgestone used a generous amount of spikes this time — the Blizzak Spike 3 has even more of them than the Michelin X–Ice North 4 (262 versus 250 in size 205/55 R16).
Ice Handling
- Nokian HKP10
- Conti IC3
- Michelin XIN4
- Hankook RS2
- Goodyear UGA2
- Bridgestone BS3
- Falken WF I-1
- Nordman
- Conti VC7
- Nokian HKP R5
- Hankook IZ2
- Michelin XIS
- Falken WF S-1
- Goodyear UGI2
- Antares
- Bridgestone BI
- Kumho
- Conti Euro
- Conti AS
- Dynamo
Info! Lap time, sec.
Subj. Ice Handling
- Michelin XIN4
- Bridgestone BS3
- Conti VC7
- Conti IC3
- Falken WF I-1
- Goodyear UGA2
- Nokian HKP10
- Hankook RS2
- Michelin XIS
- Nokian HKP R5
- Goodyear UGI2
- Hankook IZ2
- Nordman
- Bridgestone BI
- Falken WF S-1
- Kumho
- Antares
- Conti AS
- Conti Euro
- Dynamo
Info! Subjective, points.
The ice acceleration and braking test was stolen by the new Bridgestone Blizzak Spike 3 that demonstrated the best straight traction among all the tested tires. Good results were also shown by Nokian, Hankook, and Michelin, while the budget Antares could still provide some good traction, but its braking distance was even longer than that of the studless European tires involved in the test.
Ice Acceleration
- Bridgestone BS3
- Hankook RS2
- Nokian HKP10
- Michelin XIN4
- Conti IC3
- Goodyear UGA2
- Falken WF I-1
- Nordman
- Antares
- Michelin XIS
- Nokian HKP R5
- Conti VC7
- Falken WF S-1
- Hankook IZ2
- Bridgestone BI
- Goodyear UGI2
- Kumho
- Conti Euro
- Dynamo
- Conti AS
Info! Acceleration time from 5 to 20 km/h, sec.
Ice Braking
- Bridgestone BS3
- Nokian HKP10
- Michelin XIN4
- Hankook RS2
- Conti IC3
- Falken WF I-1
- Goodyear UGA2
- Michelin XIS
- Nokian HKP R5
- Nordman
- Bridgestone BI
- Conti VC7
- Falken WF S-1
- Goodyear UGI2
- Kumho
- Hankook IZ2
- Conti Euro
- Antares
- Dynamo
- Conti AS
Info! Ice braking from 50 to 0 km/h, m.
Snow
On snow, the best lap time was secured by the new Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5, which also received high subjective scores. The Michelin tires, both studded and studless, also demonstrated good performance.
Snow Handling
- Nokian HKP10
- Michelin XIS
- Goodyear UGA2
- Conti VC7
- Falken WF I-1
- Hankook RS2
- Michelin XIN4
- Conti IC3
- Falken WF S-1
- Goodyear UGI2
- Nokian HKP R5
- Hankook IZ2
- Bridgestone BS3
- Kumho
- Nordman
- Bridgestone BI
- Antares
- Conti Euro
- Dynamo
- Conti AS
Info! Lap time, sec.
Subj. Snow Handling
- Conti VC7
- Goodyear UGA2
- Michelin XIN4
- Michelin XIS
- Nokian HKP10
- Nokian HKP R5
- Bridgestone BS3
- Conti IC3
- Falken WF I-1
- Falken WF S-1
- Goodyear UGI2
- Hankook RS2
- Hankook IZ2
- Nordman
- Bridgestone BI
- Kumho
- Antares
- Conti Euro
- Dynamo
- Conti AS
Info! Subjective, points.
The best snow braking performance was shown by the Michelin X–Ice Snow, followed by five studded models; in the traction test, the studded tires occupied the top six lines, the most effective of them being the Bridgestone model.
Snow Acceleration
- Bridgestone BS3
- Nokian HKP10
- Conti IC3
- Falken WF I-1
- Goodyear UGA2
- Hankook RS2
- Conti VC7
- Goodyear UGI2
- Hankook IZ2
- Michelin XIS
- Nokian HKP R5
- Nordman
- Falken WF S-1
- Kumho
- Michelin XIN4
- Antares
- Bridgestone BI
- Conti AS
- Conti Euro
- Dynamo
Info! Acceleration time from 5 to 35 km/h, sec.
Snow Braking
- Michelin XIS
- Falken WF I-1
- Goodyear UGA2
- Bridgestone BS3
- Conti IC3
- Nokian HKP10
- Nokian HKP R5
- Michelin XIN4
- Goodyear UGI2
- Hankook RS2
- Bridgestone BI
- Conti VC7
- Hankook IZ2
- Kumho
- Conti Euro
- Falken WF S-1
- Antares
- Nordman
- Conti AS
- Dynamo
Info! Ice braking from 80 to 0 km/h, m.
Wet
On wet pavement, the studded Antares tire demonstrated such an outstanding performance that in the subjective ranking it was on a level with the European-type friction tires, and the Dynamo tire had a very short braking distance, showing the best lap time among the Nordic-type tires.
Wet Braking
- Conti AS
- Conti Euro
- Dynamo
- Goodyear UGA2
- Antares
- Falken WF S-1
- Conti IC3
- Falken WF I-1
- Goodyear UGI2
- Bridgestone BS3
- Hankook RS2
- Michelin XIN4
- Kumho
- Michelin XIS
- Nokian HKP10
- Conti VC7
- Nordman
- Bridgestone BI
- Hankook IZ2
- Nokian HKP R5
Info! Wet braking from 80 to 0 km/h, m.
Wet Handling
- Conti AS
- Conti Euro
- Dynamo
- Goodyear UGA2
- Conti VC7
- Falken WF I-1
- Goodyear UGI2
- Antares
- Falken WF S-1
- Michelin XIS
- Conti IC3
- Hankook RS2
- Nokian HKP R5
- Hankook IZ2
- Kumho
- Bridgestone BS3
- Nokian HKP10
- Michelin XIN4
- Nordman
- Bridgestone BI
Info! Lap time, sec.
Dry
On dry pavement, the first two lines were again occupied by an all-season and a European tire, followed by studless Nordic models. The first place among the «Scandinavians» was scored by Bridgestone, followed by the inexpensive Dynamo and Antares models, which distinguished themselves with good handling performance and a short braking distance respectively.
Dry Braking
- Conti AS
- Conti Euro
- Bridgestone BI
- Goodyear UGI2
- Falken WF S-1
- Antares
- Conti VC7
- Nokian HKP R5
- Falken WF I-1
- Hankook IZ2
- Michelin XIN4
- Michelin XIS
- Goodyear UGA2
- Nokian HKP10
- Hankook RS2
- Dynamo
- Kumho
- Continental IC3
- Nordman
- Bridgestone BS3
Info! Dry braking from 80 to 0 km/h, m.
Dry Handling
- Conti AS
- Conti Euro
- Bridgestone BI
- Dynamo
- Goodyear UGA2
- Goodyear UGI2
- Hankook RS2
- Michelin XIN4
- Nokian HKP10
- Antares
- Conti IC3
- Conti VC7
- Hankook IZ2
- Michelin XIS
- Nokian HKP R5
- Nordman
- Bridgestone BS3
- Falken WF I-1
- Falken WF S-1
- Kumho
Info! Subjective, points.
Noise
The cabin noise was evaluated by several pilots, and almost all of the friction tires, for the exception of Kumho and Dynamo, scored maximum points. Among the studded tires, the noisiest ones were the Antares, Bridgestone, Falken, and Nokian.
Noise
- Bridgestone BI
- Conti VC7
- Conti AS
- Falken WF S-1
- Goodyear UGI2
- Hankook IZ2
- Michelin XIS
- Nokian HKP R5
- Conti Euro
- Dynamo
- Kumho
- Conti IC3
- Goodyear UGA2
- Hankook RS2
- Michelin XIN4
- Nordman
- Antares
- Bridgestone BS3
- Falken WF I-1
- Nokian HKP10
Info! Subjective, points.
Fuel Efficiency
Another parameter that was measured was rolling resistance, and the best fuel saver turned out to be the Nokian friction model. The worst tire in this respect was pronounced to be Falken, which, compared to Nokian, will increase the fuel consumption by the vehicle by 5.6%.
Rolling Resistance
- Nokian HKP R5
- Conti VC7
- Michelin XIS
- Kumho
- Hankook RS2
- Nordman
- Hankook IZ2
- Goodyear UGI2
- Nokian HKP10
- Bridgestone BI
- Conti AS
- Conti Euro
- Michelin XIN4
- Conti IC3
- Falken WF S-1
- Dynamo
- Goodyear UGA2
- Antares
- Bridgestone BS3
- Falken WF I-1
Info! Difference with the best result, %.
Verdict
«The competition was very tough this year, both among studded and friction tires, and the differences between the best of the contestants were minimal — noted Jukka Antila, the technical director at UTAC Ivalo, summing up the results of the test It is worth mentioning that Continental, Michelin, and Nokian optimized their tires for the harshest of winters, while Goodyear sacrificed some ice traction in favor of tarmac performance, which, again, means that their tires will be an excellent choice for somebody who chiefly drives on cleared roads in winter. Speaking of budget tires, we can say that during the braking test the studded Antares model was inferior even to the European tires, and the friction Dynamo demonstrated a performance so poor that we do not recommend buying them in any event.»
1st place: Nokian / Hakkapeliitta 10
Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10
The Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 is absolutely great on ice, and it responds to the driver’s inputs just like a studded tire should. It has a strong grip, both straight and lateral, and you are guaranteed against unpleasant surprises because the tire behaves confidently and reliably in any situation. On wet pavement, this Nokian model has a somewhat delayed steering response, and its grip can be called average at best, while on drive pavement the tire is prone to understeer, and its rear wheels can go into a skid during an emergency maneuver. At the same time, however, the Nokian model demonstrates a rather impressive braking performance. Speaking of noise comfort, the Nokian produces a barely audible noise, which is actually not annoying. The rolling resistance is average.
2nd place: Hankook / Winter i*Pike RS2 W429
Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 W429
On ice, this Hankook model ensures quick acceleration and braking; its lateral grip is also quite decent, but the tire is a bit temperamental when cornering. On snow, the tire is also good — it has an impressive grip, and only the most abrupt of maneuvers can make the tire lose it. On wet pavement, the tire ensures a good handling performance, but it behaves nervously during abrupt maneuvers, and the grip on the rear wheels can go without warning. At the same time, on dry pavement during maneuvering the tire behaves in a more stable way. By the standards of this segment, this Hankook model is a rather quiet tire, and it has a rather low rolling resistance.
3rd place: Continental / IceContact 3
Continental IceContact 3
On an ice-covered surface, the Continental Ice Contact 3 has a high level of longitudinal traction, but in terms of lateral stability it is slightly inferior to some of the competitors; at the same time the tire has a pleasant handling response. On snow, the tire quickly responds to the driver’s inputs, but during an abrupt maneuver the grip on the rear wheels. On wet pavement, the Continental tire has a delayed steering response, but makes no unpleasant surprises, while on dry pavement the tire sometimes lacks lateral grip in corners, and the dry braking distance is also relatively long. The noise level is average (by the standards of studded tires), the rolling resistance is high.
3rd place: Goodyear / UltraGrip Arctic 2
Goodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2
The Goodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2 ensures good handling performance on ice — even though it does fall behind some of the competitors in terms of maximum grip levels — and the control deteriorates only at large steering angles. On snow, the tire also demonstrates quite logical behavior, with a slight understeer, and is not prone to unexpected skidding. In the segment of studded tires, the UltraGrip Arctic 2 is one of the most effective tires on tarmac: it ensures strong grip and good stability under loads, including during emergency lane switching when averting an obstacle. This Goodyear tire is pretty quiet but its rolling resistance is high.
5th place: Michelin / X-Ice North 4
Michelin X-Ice North 4
Armed with numerous spikes, the Michelin X–Ice North 4 is very effective on ice — the handling response is consistent, and the grip is retained in any situation — and on snow the tire also ensures a high level of driving safety, even though there are models out there with higher traction in similar conditions. The Michelin tire also rather quickly stops the car on wet pavement, but the lateral grip is not so good, which shows up in the tire’s behavior during emergency maneuvers. On dry pavement, the tire also demonstrates stable behavior without making any unpleasant surprises to the driver. The noise level and rolling resistance are average.
6th place: Bridgestone / Blizzak Spike-03
Bridgestone Blizzak Spike-03
The third-generation Bridgestone Blizzak Spike model is extremely effective during acceleration and braking on ice, while the lateral grip is also good, but the overall behavior is a little bit nervous. The same situation is observed on snow, but, thanks to the strong grip, the car is easy to control. On wet pavement, the Bridgestone tire has a slow steering response, and the rear tires sometimes lack grip in abrupt corners. On dry pavement, the tire behaves in approximately the same way, and difficulties may arise during an emergency bypassing of an obstacle. The Bridgestone tire also makes audible noise and has a high rolling resistance.
7th place: Continental / VikingContact 7
Continental VikingContact 7
The studless Continental Viking Contact 7 model is very effective on ice, and in such conditions it quickly responds to the driver input, behaving in a predictable way, including when pushed to the limit. The tire is also characterized by good feedback through the steering wheel at the limit, and it is not prone to abrupt skidding on the rear wheel during cornering. On snow, the handling response is also very good, and the car is easily controlled in any situation. On wet pavement, the performance is not so balanced, and the relatively weak braking capabilities are combined with a good lateral grip that comes in very handy when switching lanes. On dry pavement, the steering response is fuzzy and inaccurate but the tire still behaves in a predictable way. The Continental tire has a low rolling resistance, and the noise is virtually nonexistent.
7th place: — Falken / Winterpeak F-ICE 1
Falken Winterpeak F-ICE 1
On ice, the Falken Winterpeak F-Ice 1 makes it possible to quickly accelerate and slow down, the steering response being very fast, but sometimes even too abrupt. On snow, the handling response is also pretty good, but during fast maneuvering the rear wheels can suddenly go into a skid. On wet pavement, there are no serious complaints about handling response, but on dry pavement there is a lack of traction on the rear wheels, and at high speeds the handling response significantly deteriorates during lane switching. The studs let their presence be known with an audible noise; this Falken tire is also characterized by very high rolling resistance.
7th place: Michelin / X-Ice Snow
Michelin X-Ice Snow
This Michelin tire is effective on ice, and, although its response to the driver’s inputs can be somewhat fuzzy in an emergency situation, the grip on the rear wheels still holds. The snow performance is also good; the tire demonstrates a logical and confident behavior in every situation. On wet pavement, the Michelin tire is a little bit slow to respond to the driver’s inputs, and on dry pavement it is also prone to understeer, but on the whole it will not bring you any unpleasant surprises. The rolling resistance is low, and this Michelin model can be considered to be one of the quietest.
10th place: Nokian / Hakkapeliitta R5
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
On ice, the Nokian tire ensures excellent handling response and helps maintain control in any situation (even though in tight corners some understeer may pop up), and on snow this tire also behaves in a logical and confident way. On wet pavement, the tire has a delayed steering response, and the front wheels may lack grip during a high-speed maneuver. The braking distance is also rather long. On dry pavement, the tire behaves in a dependable way, even though its grip is slightly weaker than that of some of the competitors. This Nokian tire is rather quiet; in addition, it has a very low rolling resistance.
11th place: Goodyear / UltraGrip Ice 2
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2
In terms of ice grip, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2 is slightly inferior to the competitors, and, although the handling response is consistent, grip may go relatively soon, and it takes a long time to recover after the car goes into a skid. At the same time, on snow the tire behaves in a logical way and without unpleasant surprises. While this Goodyear model does not have the best ice traction around, on wet pavement it surpasses tires from many other brands. In such a situation, the UltraGrip Ice 2 ensures strong grip and good handling response, while on dry pavement the tire also behaves in a stable way when cornering. Noise emission low, rolling resistance average.
11th place: 🏁 Nokian / Nordman 8
Nokian Nordman 8
On ice, the Nordman 8 will increase the braking distance compared to the top tires, and its lateral grip is also not so strong — the front wheels can lose it during an emergency maneuver. The tire’s snow performance is more stable, and, although a certain lack of traction is there, you are not in danger of a sudden skid on the rear axle. On wet pavement, the Nordman model is extremely unreliable, and the grip on the rear wheels may disappear all of a sudden. In addition, the Nordman 8 has a long dry braking distance. The tire has a rather low rolling resistance, and the noise that it makes does not annoy the driver.
13th place: Hankook / Winter i*cept iZ 2 W616
Hankook Winter i*cept iZ 2 W616
The Hankook Winter I*Cept IZ2 has a long snow braking distance, and even though its lateral grip is better, the grip can be suddenly lost, which compromises its handling performance (in addition, the grip grows weaker at large steering angles). There are no problems with snow grip, and the Hankook model has a rapid steering response, including at high speeds. On wet pavement, the Hankook tire is inferior to the competition due to a fuzzy steering response and a long braking distance, but it must be said that the tire maintains the rear grip quite well when bypassing an obstacle. In the dry, the tire’s response to the driver’s inputs is somewhat delayed, yet logical, and the tire will not bring you any unpleasant surprises.
14th place: Falken / Winterpeak F-Snow 1
Falken Winterpeak F-Snow 1
The Falken Winterpeak F-Snow 1 has a short ice braking distance and a rapid steering response — sometimes even too abrupt, which compromises handling performance. On wet pavement, the Falken behaves in a stable way, but during an emergency maneuver the front wheels may go into a skid. On wet pavement, the Falken tire behaves in a stable way, but during an emergency maneuver the front wheels may go into a skid. On dry pavement, the tire has a sluggish steering response and has a less-than-perfect grip on the rear axle. The Falken model ensures good acoustic comfort but the rolling resistance could be lower.
15th place: Bridgestone / Blizzak Ice
Bridgestone Blizzak Ice
On ice, the Bridgestone Blizzak Ice demonstrates good acceleration and braking performance but the lateral grip is relatively weak, which compromises handling performance in challenging situations. In addition, both on ice and on snow the rear wheels do not always maintain grip during a high-speed maneuver and quickly go into a drift. On wet pavement, the Bridgestone has a braking distance that is longer than that of the competitors, and it compromises the car’s handling performance during emergency maneuvering. The tire has a slow response to the driver’s inputs, and the grip on the rear axle is also relatively weak. On dry pavement, the Bridgestone has a short braking distance, and demonstrates a stable and confident performance. Noise emission low, rolling resistance average.
16th place: ⛔ Kumho / WinterCraft ice Wi51
Kumho WinterCraft ice Wi51
On ice, the Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi51 has a rapid steering response, but grip may disappear too abruptly. At the same time the tire has a great snow grip, both straight and lateral, and has a balanced behavior in any situation. On wet pavement, the Kumho tire is slow to respond to the driver’s inputs, but it is not prone to sudden skids, while on dry pavement the handling performance is sluggish, and the grip can be easily lost on the rear axle.The noise is audible but not annoying, the rolling resistance is low.
17th place: Continental / WinterContact TS 870
Continental WinterContact TS 870
The European winter tire Continental WinterContact TS 870 ensures surprisingly high ice traction, and, although its limit is achieved pretty soon, there will be no problems if you drive carefully. On snow, this Continental model is extremely effective, and it comes close to some of the Scandinavian tires. On wet pavement, the TS 870 performance is, of course, no match for that of the summer tires, but it is much more effective than «Scandinavians». The handling response is good on wet and dry surfaces alike, and the car is easy to control in any situation. The rolling resistance is high.
18th place: Antares / Grip 60 ice
Antares Grip 60 ice
By the standards of studded tires, the Antares Grip 60 Ice has very poor ice traction — even weaker than that of some friction tires — and controlling the car becomes very difficult because the tires start slipping even at comparatively low speeds. On snow, things are improved somewhat, but the tire still behaves in an unstable way, and the grip may go without warning. On wet pavement, there are no serious complaints (the braking distance is short, and the steering response is crisp), and on dry pavement the tire’s behavior is also pretty logical. Despite the small number of spikes, the Antares model makes a loud noise; the rolling resistance is high.
19th place: Continental / AllSeasonContact
Continental AllSeasonContact
The Continental AllSeasonContact cannot ensure good ice traction, but it was not designed for such conditions in the first place. You can indeed drive this tire on snow, but the grip is modest, and the car may suddenly go into a skid. On tarmac, the AllSeasonContact behaves almost like a summer tire, ensuring excellent grip — both straight and lateral — in any situations, including emergency lane switching. Noise emission low, rolling resistance high.
20th place: Dynamo Snow-H MWH01
The low-budget tire Dynamo Snow-H MWH01 has a downright poor ice grip, and controlling the car at speed is nearly impossible because the tires keep sliding in all directions. At the same time, the situation on snow — however hard this may be to believe — is even worse: the handling response is simply bad, and the grip in corners is insecure. The Dynamo tire has a short stopping distance but this wraps it up for its list of achievements, and the rear wheels easily go into a skid in corners. The dry braking performance is average but the tire behaves in a consistent way. The Dynamo makes a clearly audible noise and has a high rolling resistance.