Vi Bilägare: SUV Studded Winter Tire Test R18 2023

In 2022, the Swedish magazine Vi Bilägare conducted its first test of SUV winter tires in size 235/55 R18. The test car was a Volvo XC40; this tire size fits other popular car models, such as Audi Q3, Nissan Qashqai, Peugeot 3008, Toyota RAV4, Volkswagen Tiguan, as well as the electric Mercedes EQA and EQB.
The test involved tires from a number of popular brands, such as Continental, Goodyear, Michelin, Nokian, and Pirelli. At the same time, Bridgestone is preparing a replacement for its current generation of tires (in Sweden, the company is offering studded tires from the Noranza line), and Japan in this test was represented by Sumitomo, which not so long ago released a new studded model under the brand of Falken. In addition, the test involved a Maxxis tire — in 2021, the Taiwanese brand unexpectedly won in the VB summer tire test, and the Swedes decided to test what a winter tire produced by the same company would be capable of.

Michelin X-Ice North 4 SUV - Winner Recommended

N/A 32

· Winter · 2019 · Light Truck / SUV - Light Truck/SUV Studdable Winter / Snow · Studded · For Nordic Winter x

Verdict:
Excellent snow and ice grip. Good feedback through the wheel and good handling in the dry. Low noise emission. Low rolling resistance. Weak grip on wet pavement. Low hydroplaning resistance. Relatively poor grip in sharp corners.
Internal Noise Ice Handling Ice Acceleration Dry Handling Snow Braking Rolling Resistance Snow Acceleration Snow Handling Wet Braking Wet Handling Straight Hydroplaning

Canada · Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

82
Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 SUV Recommended

N/A 35

· Winter · 2021 · Light Truck / SUV - Light Truck/SUV Studdable Winter / Snow · Studded · For Nordic Winter x

Verdict:
Excellent snow and ice grip. Great lateral stability on all types of surfaces. Low hydroplaning resistance. Long braking distance on wet pavement. High noise emission.
Ice Acceleration Ice Handling Ice Braking Snow Braking Snow Handling Wet Braking Dry Handling Straight Hydroplaning Internal Noise

North America · Europe

Test Score:

82
Goodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2

88 53

· Winter · 2021 · Passenger - Studdable Winter / Snow · Studded · For Nordic Winter x

Verdict:
Excellent traction and short braking distance on snow and ice. Lack of handling precision in corners. Relatively high rolling resistance.
Ice Braking Snow Braking Ice Acceleration Rolling Resistance

Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

80
Pirelli Scorpion Ice Zero 2

N/A 32

· Winter · 2019 · Light Truck / SUV - Light Truck/SUV Studdable Winter / Snow · Studded · For Nordic Winter x

Verdict:
Good grip on tarmac. Precise steering response and good handling feedback on all types of surfaces. Average ice traction. Reduced hydroplaning resistance.
Wet Braking Dry Handling Wet Handling Dry Braking Straight Hydroplaning

Canada · Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

79
Continental IceContact 3

86 49

· Winter · 2019 · Passenger - Studdable Winter / Snow · Studded · For Nordic Winter x

Verdict:
Good hydroplaning resistance. Low noise emission. Good handling performance under loads. Reduced ice grip. Relatively long braking distance on all types of surfaces.
Straight Hydroplaning Snow Handling Internal Noise Ice Braking Ice Acceleration

Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

66
Nokian Nordman 8 SUV

N/A 29

· Winter · 2021 · Light Truck / SUV - Light Truck/SUV Studdable Winter / Snow · Studded · For Nordic Winter x

Verdict:
Good traction and short braking distance on ice. Relatively poor performance in all of the disciplines. Very noisy.
Ice Braking Ice Acceleration Internal Noise Ice Handling Dry Handling Snow Braking Wet Braking Snow Handling Wet Handling

Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

54
Maxxis Premitra Ice Nord NS5

N/A 21

· Winter · 2017 · Light Truck / SUV - Light Truck/SUV Studdable Winter / Snow · Studded · For Nordic Winter x

Verdict:
Short braking distance on tarmac. Very good results on wet pavement. Weak grip on ice and snow. Very noisy.
Wet Braking Wet Handling Straight Hydroplaning Dry Braking Internal Noise Ice Handling Ice Braking Ice Acceleration Snow Braking Snow Acceleration Snow Handling

Canada · Russia+

Test Score:

48
Falken Winterpeak F-ICE 1

76 31

· Winter · 2020 · Passenger - Studdable Winter / Snow · Studded · For Nordic Winter x

Verdict:
Short braking distance on tarmac. Excellent hydroplaning resistance. Weak traction on ice. High noise emission. Lost a large number of studs during the test, and was disqualified.
Snow Acceleration Wet Braking Straight Hydroplaning Ice Acceleration Ice Braking Internal Noise

USA+ · Canada · Europe

Test Score:

71