Winter tyres test 2015/2016: reviews and UK prices ~ station of gear

12 Oct, 2015 4:00pm

Our experts pick the best winter tyres ahead of the big freeze in 2015, based on performance and price

Some relatively mild winters in recent years have made the decision about whether to fit winter tyres to your car more difficult than ever.

Successive harsh winters with snow on the ground at the turn of the decade kick-started the UK’s winter tyre market, but subsequent warmer conditions took the impetus away. For safety, there is no argument – winter tyres deliver up to three times the grip of conventional ‘summer’ tyres on snow, plus they are better in the cold and wet. And there’s never been a better time to buy winter rubber, with more tyre hotels to look after the set you’re not using, plus plenty of stock in dealers.

• Driving in snow - top tips

We’ve put eight of the best-selling winter tyres to the test, in the popular 225/45 R17 size used by many family cars and compact execs.

The eight contenders were put through their paces at Nokian’s ‘White Hell’ proving ground in Ivalo, northern Finland, plus at the Continental Contidrom test facility near Hanover in Germany. To provide a complete picture for making your tyre choice this winter, we included summer and all-season comparison tyres, too.

What we tested

Our tyres had a mix of H (up to 130mph) and V (150mph) speed ratings, with our summer comparison Y rated (186mph). Also listed below is each model’s score in compulsory tyre labelling, covering fuel economy (FE), wet grip (WG) – ranked A-G, with A the best – and pass by noise (N), which is rated in dB. The lower the figure, the quieter the tyre.

Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32 S V - Ratings: (FE) E (WG) C (N) 72
Continental ContiWinterContact TS 850 H - Ratings: (FE) E (WG) C (N) 72
Dunlop Winter Sport 5 H - Ratings: (FE) C (WG) B (N) 70
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen-1 H - Ratings: (FE) C (WG) B (N) 70
Michelin Alpin 5 V - Ratings: (FE) E (WG) B (N) 71
Nokian WR D3 H - Ratings: (FE) C (WG) C (N) 69
Pirelli Sottozero 3 V - Ratings: (FE) C (WG) B (N) 72
Vredestein Wintrac Extreme S V - Ratings: (FE) E (WG) E (N) 70
(All Season) Vredestein Quatrac 5 V - Ratings: (FE) C (WG) C (N) 70
(Summer tyre) Continental ContiSportContact 5 Y - Ratings: (FE) E (WG) A (N) 72

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How our experts decide which winter tyres are best

As in our other tyre tests, we put our winter rubber through a series of assessments (below). There are 13 individual tests, plus a price ranking, and the winner of each category gets a score of 100 per cent, with the rest rated relative to this. To get an overall winner, we add these scores together.

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The results are split, with the snow and wet tests each counting for a third of the overall ranking; other assessments make up the remainder. We only weight our scores to ensure that the tests in which there is a big difference between best and worst performers count the same as those where there is a small gap.

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Snow braking

Critical to staying out of trouble on snow, this measures the distance taken to slow from 26-3mph, removing the impact anti-lock braking can have on the last few metres of coming to a halt. More than 10 stops were done on each tyre and an average taken, with extreme results removed.

Snow circle

This test gives a measure of lateral grip on snow. We tucked the car close to the inner edge of the circle and increased the speed until the nose started to push wide. Several laps were timed to get the final result.

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Snow traction

We accelerated as hard as possible, with the traction control on, from walking pace. We measured the distance taken to go from 3-26mph before hitting the brakes for the second part of the test, and took an average from over 10 runs to find a winner.

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Snow handling

This brings together all the other snow tests into one as the car slips and slides its way around the undulating handling track at Ivalo. There are long sweeps and tight, technical sections, as well as plenty of elevation change, to really push the tyres. An average of lap times decided the results.

Wet braking

Along with wet handling and cornering, this is temperature dependent and our test was carried out at around seven degrees Celsius – the point at which you should switch between winter and summer tyres. An average of the distance taken to stop from 50mph was used to get a result.

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Wet cornering

Not a test to be done on a full stomach, this involves 10 laps or so of the soaked 60-metre circle. Tuck the nose against the inner edge and accelerate until you can no longer hold the line. This test measures pure lateral grip, and we took an average of lap times.

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Wet handling

Much like wet braking, this is where motorists are most likely to exceed the limits of the tyre in normal UK driving. We timed laps of the wet handling circuit, which combines fast sweeps with tighter turns and changes of direction. An average gave us the final ranking.

Curved aquaplaning

Much deeper water – around 5mm – is used in these tests than in braking or handling. Aquaplaning measures how well the tread can shift water from under the tyre. The car is driven through a flooded section of a tarmac circle at increasing speeds until all grip is lost. The loss of grip at different speeds is measured and used to get a rating.

Straight aquaplaning

A car with one wheel in 5mm deep water and the other on tarmac is accelerated hard and wheel speeds measured. The point where control is lost is when the rim in water spins 15 per cent faster – and the best performers hit the highest speeds before this happens.

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Dry handling

This is where winter tyres are most exposed as those flexible tread blocks work against sharp handling. We took an average of lap times around the long sweeps and fast direction changes of the Contidrom’s handling track to find our winner here.

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Dry braking

So how much of a compromise do you have to make to run a set of winter tyres all year round? This assessment tells you. We measured the distance taken to stop from 62mph and recorded an average of several runs to get a result, allowing the brakes to cool in between each one.

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Rolling resistance

This test measures the power required to turn a tyre under load, and is key to how much it costs to run your car – it’s crucial when the difference in economy between best and worst can often be more than five per cent. Our test was done to industry standards. As a rough guide, a five per cent drop in rolling resistance will see one per cent drop in fuel consumption.

Cabin noise

A vital consideration for many drivers, but this isn’t to be confused with the pass by test conducted as part of the tyre labelling process. We measured noise levels in the car as we coasted from 50mph over three surfaces. An average from each section was used to get an overall result.

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Price

To get our figures, we returned to the winner of our online tyre retailers test, Black Circles. The prices we quote are its fully fitted prices, or what it would charge if the tyre was part of its range. As tyres should be bought on performance, not price, it plays a small role in the result.

Now read our all-season tyre test 2015 to see if all-weather tyres are right for you.

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