Drivers usually start thinking about winter equipment for their vehicles when the date approaches when we are legally required to fit our vehicles with the right tyres for winter conditions. Given the challenging and fast-changing winter weather conditions on the sunny side of the Alps, all-season tyres are not the best choice due to many driving compromises. Only with the right winter tyres, marked with a snowflake inside the mountain, can we safely cope with such conditions. Here is our winter tyre test for 2020/21, conducted by AMZS and its partners. 

This year's winter tyre test tested:

– 16 tyres of 205/55 R 16 

– 13 tyres of 235/55 R 17 

Climate change is already reflecting on Slovenian roads. Severe winters with prolonged snow cover are becoming rarer, and extreme weather events more frequent. Brief, heavy snowfall, followed a few days later by thawing and rain. For drivers on the road, this means challenging driving conditions that require a cautious driver and, of course, good tyres that can cope with such rapidly changing conditions.

Statistically, there will be fewer and fewer severe winters and snow, but that doesn't mean we don't need good winter tyres. 

When comparing winter tyres with summer tyres, the main advantage of winter tyres is not only their better grip on snow, but also their good performance in all the other winter inconveniences (slush, ice and large amounts of water on the road surface). But winter tyres must also perform well on dry roads on cold winter days. 

The AMZS winter tyre test for 2020/21 is carried out in cooperation with partner auto-moto clubs (ADAC, ÖAMTC, TCS and ANWB), assesses the tyres with the most balanced properties: 

– On dry surface

– On wet surface 

– On snow and ice 

– Loudness detection

– Wear and tear or mileage 

– Estimated fuel consumption

Target requirements in tyre quality are often conflicting;

tyres that perform well under one criterion often do less well under another. The aim is to balance the tyre's entire performance – the best balanced tyres, which score as high as possible on all criteria, also get the best overall score in the test. 

In any case, the best overall score should not be the only decisive criterion for buying a tyre: 

Choose your tyres according to your driving habits and style. If you only drive in the mountains at weekends, look for tyres with good snow and ice performance, and if you do most of your miles on motorway, look for tyres with good wet performance and perhaps lower fuel consumption or low wear.

 

The 205/55 R16 tyres are the most common and best-selling winter tyres on the European market. Suitable for lower mid-range cars (Škoda Octavia, Opel Astra, VW Golf, Renault Megane…) and also for some hybrids, SUVs and electric cars. 

AMZS (Automobile and motorcycle association of Slovenia) has selected 16 tyre models from a very wide range of tyres in this dimension for the test: 

– Bridgestone Blizzak LM005   has proven to be the most balanced tyre.  It performed well on wet surfaces. As a result, it scored lower on the wear criterion – "good". The tyre is best suited for drivers who do not drive many kilometres.

– Michelin Alpin 6 has a very low wear and can cover almost 43,000km, unlike the Bridgestone tyre which can cover just under 30,000km. On both wet and dry surfaces Michelin Alpin 6 is slightly behind the Bridgestone. 

– Hankook I*cept RS2 and Dunlop Winter Sport 5 still managed to catch a "good" score on dry surfaces, although both showed some weaknesses, too. Both tyres also performed well in the wet. 

– The Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6 performed well on both wet and dry surfaces, and on snow it still scored a "good" rating. In terms of wear alone, Maxxis is in the same league as Bridgestone. 

All tyres tested showed some weaknesses on dry surfaces, resulting in a lower overall score. Tyres are precise when entering a turn, but slightly unstable when returning to the lane after an evasive manoeuvre due to the lack of firm tread.

– Giti Gitiwinter W1 and Pirelli Cinturato Winter are a hair short of a "recommended" rating due to their lack of stability in handling. 

– Continental TS860, the series winner in the winter tests, is rated "recommended" for its poor dry performance, but is among the best in the wet and on snow. 

– Falken Eurowinter HS01 had some issues on a snowy road. 

– Goodyear Ultragrip 9+ and Pirelli Cinturato Winter performed great on snow and well on wet surface, but did not get a better overall rating due to their weakness on dry conditions. 

– Sava Eskimo HP2 and Gitti Gitiwinter W1 both showed some issues in dry and wet conditions. 

– Toyo Observe S 944 showed distinct weaknesses in handling and dry road safety and therefore missed out on a better overall score.

–Semperit Speed-grip 3 earned an overall rating of "recommended with restrictions" due to its distinct weaknesses on dry roads: the tyre's stability in sharp driving manoeuvres is poor, especially at higher ambient and asphalt temperatures, especially in the case of a lane reversal manoeuvre, where the tyre's poor grip results in oversteering or rear end slippage. On snow, Semperit Speed-grip 3 is one of the top three tyres in the test. 

- King Meiler Winter Tact WT81 

- Tristar Snowpower HP

King Meiler Winter Tact WT81 is a retreaded tyre. It is widely popular in German-speaking countries, mainly because of its low price (only half the price of a new winter tyre). Unfortunately, the AMZS test showed that such tyres have a lot of problems on wet roads (longest braking distances, worst handling). They did not perform well on dry surface either. But the tyres performed well in the snow and in  wear – they can be driven for more than 45,000km. 

Tristar Snowpower HP is a tyre from a Chinese manufacturer that can stand up to its rivals only on dry roads. The test measured the shortest braking distance on dry surface. Unfortunately, the tyre performed very poorly in wet conditions, both in braking as well as aquaplaning and handling, so we do not recommend buying it.

The 235, 17-inch wide sport winter tyres  are designed for medium-sized road SUVs, and passenger and delivery vans. Both types of a car (passenger VW multivan car, and road/off-road passenger Ford Kuga) were therefore used to test these tyres.

– Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 is the only tyre that boasts very good and balanced performance. On dry surfaces, it has precise handling and is safe even in difficult evasive manoeuvres, while on wet surfaces it has good handling but some weaknesses in aquaplaning. The tyre boasts top scores on snow and good results on ice, comfort and fuel consumption. It has therefore rightly earned a "highly recommended" rating.

The 11 tyres that were rated "recommended" in the test can be divided into three groups: 

• There are three tyres in the first group:

– Goodyear Ultragrip Performance+  with poor dry performance; not ideal for drivers who primarily drive on motorways, but good wet performance and plenty of grip on snow

– Kleber Krisalp HP3 have also proven to be poor on dry surfaces; not the most suitable for drivers who primarily drive on motorways, but has good wet properties and plenty of grip on snow

– Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 also performed poorly in the dry, but scored best in braking distance and wet handling

• The tyres in the second group: 

- Dunlop Winter Sport 5 SUV 

- Vredestein Wintrac Pro 

Both tyres performed well in the test on dry, wet and ice, but less well on snow The test found premature understeer, poorer traction when starting off and weaknesses in lateral grip, which is why AMZS advises against them for drivers who drive a lot on snowy roads in winter

• The third group of tyres with a "good" rating includes seven tyres that performed less well on the two main test criteria: 

– Esa+Tecar Supergrip Pro showed weaknesses on both dry and wet surfaces

– Cooper Discoverer Winter showed weaknesses on both dry and wet surfaces

– Fulda Kristall Control SUV showed weaknesses on both dry and wet surfaces 

– Nokian WR Snowproof did not perform well on wet roads and ice 

– Continental TS850P is rated "recommended" for its performance on both dry and wet surfaces 

– Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 performed less well on dry surfaces, snow and ice 

– Fulda Kristall Control SUV failed on dry, wet and snow

– Semperit Speed-Grip 3 SUV did not perform well in the test, both in terms of handling and driving safety. It performed better in the wet and snow tests.

The tyre wear test showed interesting results, with all tyres scoring "very good" or at least "good". Continental, Dunlop and Michelin tyres can cover a many kilometres,  Esa+Tecar Supergrip Pro and Semperit Speed-Grip 3 can cover even more than 57,000km.

"Retreads" are not only used in freight transport, but also by a large proportion of passenger car drivers. The reason is the very affordable price: the AMZS test tested the King Meiler Winter Tact WT81 in 205/55 R16, which costs around €36, while the test winner in this dimension, the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005, costs around €82.

For tyre size 205/55 R 16, the difference in braking distance between the best and worst tyre in the test was 8.5m on dry surface from 100km/h to stop and 12.5m on wet surface from 80 km/h to stop. 

The best tyre of the 235/55 R 17 dimension in the aquaplaning test was 9.2km/h faster than the worst tyre.

The  fuel consumption test: there is a difference in consumption of 2 decilitres per 100 km between the best and worst tyre of 205/55 R 16, and 4 decilitres per 100km between the best and worst tyre of 235/55 R 17.