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2011 Winter Tire Tests


outahere

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Yeah, I know its too early to be thinking of the 2011/2012 winter test season.:lol::p

 

Here is an interesting peek at ice braking data (averages) from CR, in their ongoing test of SUV and truck tires (winter, AS, and AT). They are revealing a bit more than they usually do.

 

http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2011/03/truck-tire-testing-update-stopping-on-ice-ice-baby.html

 

The winter tires being tested include:

 

BFGoodrich Winter Slalom KSI

Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1

Continental ExtremeWinterContact

Firestone Winterforce UV

General Altimax Arctic

Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT

Kumho Road Venture SAT KL61

Michelin Latitude X-Ice XI 2

Nokian WR G2 Sport Utility

Nokian Hakkapeletiitta R Sport Utility

Toyo Observe Open Country G-02 Plus

Yokohama Geolandar i/T GO72

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  • 4 months later...

AFAIK, the Blizzak WS series has not been available in Europe for several years, but Bridgestone has announced that the WS70 will be available in June 2011. It will be interesting to see how this tire fares in the tough Scandinavian tests, which were not kind to the WS50.

 

http://www.bridgestone.eu/press/press-releases/2011/blizzak-ws70-the-new-studless-multicell-winter-tyre-from-bridgestone

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Both Consumer Reports and TireRack do their ice testing on an ice rink (but TR did venture to the frozen north to do some outdoor testing a year or two ago). Nokian has offered this criticism of testing ice performance on an ice rink:

 

"And even if you do have the connections – and the budget – to rent out a local ice rink, that wouldn’t provide a true, real-world experience, according to Nokian Tyres’ Bob Hepp, vice president of strategic planning."

 

“You can go to a hockey rink to simulate a frozen surface, but that surface is polished and not what you would find in the real world. Also, (the rink) is very cold ice, which isn’t as slippery as ice that gets closer to 32˚F,” he says, adding that to get a more realistic driving experience, the surface must be prepared, which Nokian does at its winter tire events both in the U.S. and in Ivalo, Finland, where the tiremaker creates courses on frozen lakes."

 

"We actually put a surface on the ice, and the lakes help keep the temperature even,” Hepp says. “It’s not as easy as just putting people on winter tires; it takes a lot of preparation to get the test to be true. And it’s very expensive to get hundreds of consumers to do that. So manufacturers focus on what’s more realistic – to get the people selling the winter tires trained so they can relate that experience to their customers.”

 

http://www.tirereview.com/Article/88573/tools_and_tips_for_selling_more_winter_tires.aspx

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  • 1 month later...

Nokian has 3 new tires for the 2011/2012 winter season. The WR-A3 and WR-D3, which appear to be performance winters. And the All Weather +, whose tread design appears identical to last year's WR-G2. I'm not sure if they will be available in the North American market.

 

http://www.nokiantyres.com/product-group?group=1.01

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  • 2 weeks later...

The 2011 German ADAC tests of performance winters have been posted at:

http://www.adac.de/infotestrat/tests/reifen/winterreifen/2011_Winterreifen_Test_195_65_R15.aspx?ComponentId=87119&SourcePageId=31821

 

Tire size tested was 195/65-15.

1st place overall went to the Continental TS830

The new Dunlop 4D came in 4th place

The new Nokian WR D3 came in 7th place.

 

ADAC scores are weighted wet>snow>dry>ice

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Here is another test of 8 performance winters, by the Automobile Club Europe [ACE] in the size 205/55 R16 91H.

 

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2011-ACE-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm

 

Their rankings differed from ADAC.

 

1st place went to the Goodyear Ultragrip 8.

The TS830 scored 3rd overall, followed by the 4D in 4th place.

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The 2011 German ADAC tests of performance winters have been posted at:

http://www.adac.de/infotestrat/tests/reifen/winterreifen/2011_Winterreifen_Test_195_65_R15.aspx?ComponentId=87119&SourcePageId=31821

 

Tire size tested was 195/65-15.

1st place overall went to the Continental TS830

The new Dunlop 4D came in 4th place

The new Nokian WR D3 came in 7th place.

 

ADAC scores are weighted wet>snow>dry>ice

 

Having a weighted scale that way explains some of the havoc that occurs when they suddenly suffer from ice in Germany.

 

Ice usually means close to zero grip, and that's when I want a tire with the best performance possible. And I can accept that the tires I have aren't best in wet or dry conditions because even when they are doing their worst there they are still better than the ice performance I get.

 

And see it this way - adapting your driving to zero grip is nearly impossible, adapting to a 20% loss compared to best tire is doable.

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Auto Bild has completed their testing, and a summary is found here:

 

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2011-Auto-Bild-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm

 

"Auto Bild, well known for their excellent tyre tests, have recently tested 11 premium winter tyres and 1 premium all season tyre in the popular 225/45 R17 to create their 2011 winter tyre test."

 

Their ranking of each tire differed from ADAC. The Michelin A4 rated 1st overall.

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A test of the following tires is available as a PDF download from Teknikens Varld:

 

Bridgestone Noranza 2 EVO

Continental ContiIceContact

Goodyear UltraGrip Extreme

Michelin X-ice North

Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7

Pirelli Winter Carving Edge

 

Bridgestone Blizzak Nordic

Continental ContiVikingContact 5

Goodyear UltraGrip +

Michelin X-ICE

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R

Pirelli Ice Control Winter

 

Bridgestone Blizzak LM32 AZ

Continental ContiWinterContact TS 830

Goodyear UltraGrip 8

Michelin Alpin A4

Nokian WR D3

Pirelli Winter 210 SnowControl serie 3

 

http://www.teknikensvarld.se/2011/09/15/24471/vinterdacktest-2011/

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Nokian has never been a star of performance winter tires. WR G2 usually placed in second half of contestants.

Their studded and studless winter tires are top notch.

 

Krzys

 

 

The WRG2 isn't really a full winter tire, it's an all weather tire that won't leave you stranded in some snow. Better than most all-seasons however.

 

I'm interested in the Haka R studless at the moment.

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Are you looking for reviews?

Problem with English speakers is that UK has rather mild climate compared to other parts of Europe so Winter Tire tests are easily available in other languages than English.

 

If you want reviews here they are:

 

http://www.auto-motor-i-sport.pl/testy/test-opon-zimowych-test-opon-ranking-opon-10607.html

 

http://www.auto-motor-i-sport.pl/testy/test-opon-opony-zimowe-test-opon-zimowych-869.html

 

You may need to polish your Polish before reading them.

And German for this one:

 

http://www.adac.de/infotestrat/tests/reifen/default.aspx

 

Krzys

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