Another interesting development in the winter Many motorists are wondering which winter tyres from which leading manufacturers would be most suitable for their own vehicle - as well as offering the best blend of safety, performance comfort and value. Indeed, in Britain winter tyres are to some extent an unknown quantity and you couldn’t really blame the average motorist from thinking that it’s all a bit of a black art. Now, leading consumer magazine Auto Express has published a test of winter tyres that should help to clear the fog for some.
Of course interest in winter tyres is partly driven by last year’s severe winter in the UK as well as by possible legislation surrounding their use. Moreover it’s a fact that over much of continental Europe, winter tyres must be fitted by law during the season. For British motorists, unused to the idea of purchasing extra wheels and tyres, storing the spare set out of season and changing over twice a year, the extra cost and nuisance value of winter tyres might appear to outweigh the benefits.
The Auto Express winter tyres test, which was published in the November issue, was carried out using a range of tyres from different manufacturers. These were compared against alternative all-season and summer tyres in order to give a fair balance against which the winter tyres could be tested. Overall, it is clear that they give up to three times more grip than standard summer tyres when tested in winter conditions which of course is one of the main reasons that anyone would want to choose winter tyres.
The selected winter tyres, chosen from amongst leading manufacturers, will perhaps be unfamiliar to UK motorists but included; Goodyear’s Ultra-Grip 7+, Continental’s ContiWinterContact TS830, Dunlop’s Winter SP 3D, Vredestein’s Snowtrac 3, Pirelli’s SottoZero 210 Serie II and Nokian’s WRG2. This is a representative selection of suitable tyres covering a range of performance and price points. What is of great significance however is that all these winter tyres performed to within just 5% of the best overall.
Most importantly, these tests showed that winter tyres offer enormous benefits when compared with summer tyres which fell behind by over 20%. This clearly shows that tyres specifically designed for winter offer three times more grip and twice the cornering ability of the summer tyres that British motorists tend to drive on whatever the weather. And when you compare the increased safety and reduced accident risks, it’s absolutely clear that the extra cost of winter tyres is more than offset by the overall savings.
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