In the new test conducted by Finland’s Mottori, three out of eight tires are newcomers of the season. Recently, Goodyear presented its new UltraGrip Arctic 2 model, and, according to experts, the first-generation tire (UltraGrip Ice Arctic), released nine years ago, has been waiting to be replaced because it could no longer score high positions in tire tests. Right about that time, Nokian presented Hakkapeliitta 10, even though the Nine still remains the leader of independent tests. We also add that the Finns have already tested the version of this new model designed for the domestic market; there is also a dedicated version for Russia, called Hakkapeliitta 10p, equipped with extra-long spikes.

The third newcomer was Nordman 8, again, from Nokian. Compared to Nordman 7, the number of studs was raised from 130 to 190 (in size 205/55 R16, which was the size picked for the tests), which must potentially boost ice grip. With the Hakkapeliitta model, the number of studs also grew — from 190 to 220 — and now, by this parameter, Nokian has almost caught up with the Michelin X–Ice North 4 (featuring 250 studs per tire), which was also included in the test.

The test also involved the Continental IceContact 3, which earlier showed very good results in the Finnish tests, as well as three tires from subsidiary brands of major market players — BFGoodrich G-Force Stud from Michelin, Gislaved Nord*Frost 200 from Continental, and Sava Eskimo Stud from Goodyear. The Gislaved and Sava tires feature 130 studs each, and the BFGoodrich model, released more than 10 years ago, has only 114 of them.