Positive: Best traverse grip on ice, straight grip on snow; excellent handling on ice; good wet braking.
Negative: Minor issues with handling response on snow and during active maneuvering.

Positive: Best straight grip on ice; good grip on snow; good handling response, great traction, good road holding ability on snow.
Negative: Minor issues with road holding ability on asphalt.

Positive: Good straight grip on snow; crisp steering response on ice; low rolling resistance, low noise. Negative: Minor issues with handling response on snow, overall traction and road holding ability.

Positive: Best acceleration time on snow, good straight grip on snow and ice; outstanding traction, crisp steering response.
Negative: Minor issues with handling response during emergency maneuvers and road holding ability on asphalt.

Positive: Best acceleration on ice, snow; best wet braking; outstanding traction, low rolling resistance.
Negative: Average braking distance and traverse grip on ice; insufficient handling response on ice; poor road holding ability on asphalt.

The winter tire that demonstrated the best wet braking performance and the best acceleration on snow, the Gislaved Nord Frost 200 SUV (870 points), came sixth. At the same time, the Za Rulem test experts commended this model as the perfect option for urban driving, where the roads are generally cleared from snow and ice.

The seventh line of the tournament bracket was occupied by the well-balanced tire model «Formula Ice» by Pirelli (858 points), currently owned by the Chinese equity. This tire performed at its absolute best in the handling tests on snow, yet its road holding ability on asphalt clearly had room for improvement.

The group of just-above-average tires was headed by a quite controversial Chinese development, Sailun Ice Blazer WST3 (825 points), which scored the eighth place in the final standings. On the one hand, it demonstrated good road holding ability on asphalt, as well as good fuel-saving performance, and also was quite a serious rival to the top tire models when it came to ride comfort. However, the results of the Ice Blazer WST3 in «white» disciplines fell below the average level, and, as it turned out, snow was just not its thing. On the whole, these tires are OK, but if you drive on them on snow or ice, you’d better not hurry up!

The ninth line of the tournament bracket was occupied by the BFGoodrich g-Force Stud (822 points), which turned out to be even less balanced than the Sailun tires. In spite of its efficient braking and road holding ability on snow, decent handling response on ice-covered surfaces, and low rolling resistance, on bare pavement this tire model demonstrated the worst performance of all. Its ride comfort also wasn’t anything special, yet still, despite all of this, the test group of Za Rulem did not impose any restrictions on the use of this tire.

The tire that scored the tenth line in the tournament bracket of the studded winter tire test 2020 was the Cordiant SnowCross 2 SUV model (816 points), due to poor pavement braking, low traction, and increased rolling resistance, with low riding comfort on top. At the same time, though, the test experts were quite impressed with the crisp steering response ensured by this tire on «white» test facilities, which constituted a minor triumph.

The eleventh line of the tournament bracket was scored by the Toyo Observe IceFreezer SUV (814 points), which, aside from crisp steering response and good road holding ability on bare pavement, had little to brag about — its results in the other tests disciplines were quite poor. As it turned out, the Toyo tire did not have bias towards any particular kind of pavement but you’d better still avoid high-speed driving on these tires. In long-distance trips on clear roads, you will enjoy the Observe IceFreezer SUV’s road holding ability.

The twelfth place, scored by the Chinese tire model Triangle PS01 Icelink Sport Utility (801 points), which failed virtually every snow and ice test, comes as no surprise at all. The testers recommend driving on these tires very carefully, keeping your car electronics on. At the same time, on snow the Triangle tires demonstrated an excellent result.

The Viatti Bosco Nordico tire model (800 points) in the thirteenth position completed the group of «average» studded tires. Its snow performance was even rated as «decent» by the experts, but on ice this tire was a bummer — very weak grip, even though the tire’s behavior was still predictable.

The outsider of the test, the DoubleStar WinterKing DW07 (754 points) fell behind the Viatti product by 46 points! The tire definitely could not perform to its proud name of «Winter King». The worst snow and ice grip — that’s out of order, folks! On the other hand, surprisingly, on asphalt it can be quite a match for the top tires. But for snowy and frosty winters DoubleStar definitely cannot be recommended.