Tyres don’t immediately spring to mind when the talk turns to climate change, but warmer conditions influence purchasing choice. Never more than a niche product in the UK, an absence of snow means there is less reason than ever to buy winter tyres – particularly when a capable all-season tyre can effectively deal with the occasional spot of ice or slush. German test specialist Die Reifentester compares seven winter fitments and one year-round tyre in size 215/55 R17.
The test team chose a VW Passat and Skoda Superb for their comparative evaluation, conducting snow testing at the Nokian Tyres proving ground in Ivalo, Finland and wet/dry testing at its recently opened facility in Spain. The seven winter candidates are: Bridgestone Blizzak 6, Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3, Michelin Alpin 7, Nokian Tyres Snowproof 2, Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2, and Vredestein Wintrac Pro+. Die Reifentester resisted the temptation of throwing a budget tyre into the mix for contrast and/or shock value.
The Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 represents the all-season segment.
Snow testing
During testing in winter conditions, testers Dirk Vincken and Joachim Fischer observed minimal differences between models, with the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 leading the braking test from 50km/h at 24.9 metres, just 1.5 metres ahead of the seventh-placed Bridgestone Blizzak 6. The Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 all-season tyre took a little longer to stop but still delivered a respectable result.
In snow traction, the UltraGrip Performance 3 again stood out with a ‘very good’ rating, while Die Reifentester gave the others, including the all-season tyre, a ‘good’ rating. The Goodyear Vector 4Seasons even outperformed the Nokian Snowproof 2 in this discipline.
Snow handling revealed general understeer, most pronounced in the Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, Bridgestone Blizzak 6 and Michelin Alpin 7. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 and Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 performed better in this respect, followed by Vredestein Wintrac Pro+. As for the Goodyear all-season tyre, Die Reifentester tells us that it ”copies the behaviour patterns of ‘real’ winter tyres” but does not reach the level of the UltraGrip Performance 3.
“After the winter tests in the arctic cold of Ivalo, it can be said that the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 is the snow king, with just over 800 points and the only ‘very good’ rating in the winter section,” state Vincken and Fischer. The Pirelli and Michelin tyres were close behind with a ’good’ rating; the former impressed in the snow braking and handling tests, while the latter particularly scored points in the braking and traction disciplines.
The Bridgestone and Nokian tyres also qualified as ‘good’ tyres, but only just – each scored 754 points, just four above the cutoff. The Goodyear all-season tyre, with 748 points, only managed a ‘satisfactory’ rating. This is “still quite remarkable for the all-rounder among the winter specialists,” notes Die Reifentester, adding: “This reinforces the finding that the winter performance of all the tyres tested here is really very consistent at a high level.”
Wet & dry testing
Moving the testing to Nokian Tyres’ proving ground south of Madrid, Die Reifentester looked at performance in the wet and dry. These are conditions commonly encountered throughout Europe, and this section of the testing therefore contributed more to the overall result.
In dry braking from 100 km/h, the Continental WinterContact stopped first with 40.08 metres, closely followed by Bridgestone, Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3, and Michelin Alpin 7, while Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2, Nokian, and Vredestein lagged behind with only average results; the Goodyear all-season tyre would have placed second if officially ranked. Testing confirmed that winter tyres generally require more road when stopping in the dry than summer tyres.
On wet surfaces from 80 km/h, the field was tighter: Bridgestone led with 29.99 metres, just ahead of Continental. Die Reifentester rated both ‘very good’ while the others, including the all-season tyre, earned solid ‘good’ marks.
In wet handling, Continental WinterContact TS 870 P impressed with precise, stable, and controllable performance, earning top marks, closely followed by Vredestein and Michelin, while Bridgestone, Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3, and Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 showed too much understeer and only managed a ‘satisfactory’ grade. Die Reifentester rated the Nokian tyre and Goodyear’s all-season model similarly, with an abrupt reduction in grip keeping both from higher scores.
On dry handling, several tyres surprised with “summer-like” behaviour at 9°C: Continental, Bridgestone, and Vredestein stood out as ‘very good’ and the Goodyear all-season tyre also performed strongly. The Goodyear winter tyre also delivered solid performance, while the Michelin, Nokian, and Pirelli models were less consistent, each earning a ‘satisfactory; result. In aquaplaning tests, results were excellent across the board: Nokian led both longitudinal (92.4 km/h) and lateral (75.5 km/h) aquaplaning resistance, with Continental only slightly behind. Overall, all tyres achieved ‘very good’ in straight-line aquaplaning, while lateral results ranged from ‘good’ for most to ‘satisfactory’ for Michelin and Pirelli.
Rolling resistance & noise
Testing for rolling resistance delivered a ‘very good’ result for the Michelin Alpin 7, which achieved 6.9 kg/t, narrowly ahead of the Continental tyre, while Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 followed with 7.3 kg/t to achieve a ‘good’ rating. Bridgestone, Nokian, and Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 scored ‘satisfactory’ and Vredestein came last at 8.4 kg/t. The standout was the Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 all-season tyre, which achieved the best result at 6.7 kg/t.
Differences were minimal when measuring cabin noise. The Goodyear UltraGrip and Michelin Alpin 7 were the quietest and achieved a ‘very good’ score, with Bridgestone close behind. The other tyres earned a ‘good’ result.
Comfort over rough surfaces was also closely matched. Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3, and Michelin performed best (very good), with Bridgestone, Vredestein, Nokian, and Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 just behind (good), and the Goodyear Vector 4Seasons sitting comfortably in the middle.
No bad tyres in test
During Vincken and Fischer’s testing for Die Reifentester, all the winter tyres delivered strong overall performance, with major differences seen only in the handling disciplines. The testers comment that these differences aren’t important, as in snow and wet conditions “drivers tend to drive more cautiously anyway.”
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P took the top spot overall thanks to excellent dry and wet results, though it was only average on snow. Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance 3 proved the snow expert, while Bridgestone Blizzak 6 and Vredestein Wintrac Pro + offered balanced all-round performance. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 and Michelin Alpin 7 were stronger in winter-specific conditions, and even the weaker Nokian Snowproof 2 remained a solid option. Ultimately, the best choice depends on driving needs, with frequenting snow favouring the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 and mixed conditions supporting Continental or the all-rounders.
The Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 all-season tyre also impressed the testers and would have scored ‘good’ overall, even though it trailed behind the winter tyres in snow testing. For many drivers – especially in countries without specific winter tyre requirements, such as the UK – this represents an acceptable compromise.
