Thanks for watching, go review your tires over at www.tire-reviews.com ❤ Just FYI the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 should be in this test, but I couldn't get them over to Europe in time (the rest of the tires are sold in both Europe and North America)
For the north European market (Scandinavia) Bridgestone sells the Blizzak Ice (VRX2) instead of the WS90. The Blizzak Ice has better grip on ice, but are not as good in deeper snow and slush as the WS90.
@@francescovalente582 The DM-V3 is for larger dimensions and SUV’s. It has been tested in scandinavian magazines and rated as medium grade or mediocre. It doesn’t beat the class leaders (Continental, Nokian, Michelin, GoodYear, Pirelli) in any area, but it’s also not as bad as chinese budget tyres. It’s comparable to Kumho, Hankook and Falken studless for snow and ice.
I love how much data you put in your tests! It might not be obvious, but I'm certain your tests will save lives. It only takes one person purchasing a better set of tires to prevent an accident. Thanks for the thorough testing!
@@tyrereviews Tank you sir for providing with such detailed info (is not easy job you did work a lot obviously to gather all this precious info ) and keep doing this great work helping out most people to understand better to get what they suit better they 'r needs ..
I've always believed auto insurance companies should give discounts to people who run snow tires in places that have to drive on snow and ice, if they collected the data I am confident it would show car accidents are lower among those driving with snow tires.
i had an emergency braking scenario in the summer and my michelin ps4s stopped me within feet of a crossing car. this channel was the main reason i had opted for those tires. thankyou!
I’m in BC, Canada and I went with Michelin X-ice Snow as we have cold wet conditions most of the time but I live high enough on the mountain to get a snow. Plus trips to the ski mountains and tournaments around the province, the tire was a great choice. I watch you videos before every tire purchase and I appreciate the safety and confidence I get reviewing your data and experience for my family driving needs. Thank you.
I usually stay with Nokia as they literally saved my life almost there decades ago. My friend swears by WS-80, Toyo GS-i 5, now replaced by newer model, and a few others typical Nordic tires.
I am in Alberta, Canada, still using Nokian studded Haka 7 on SUV from 2012, and 10 years later and more than 50k winter milage, still stopping and handling great in snow and ice.
I've got Michelin's as well here in southern Manitoba, where it goes to -30c regularly. They're mounted on my Ford sedan with AWD. They are incredible on glare ice and snow. Absolute mountain goat! I couldn't imagine driving in a Canadian winter without them.
Colorado here, I have the Michelin X-ice snows and the Continental Viking Contact 7s on our two cars. I have had them for one year and had them installed 2 weeks ago for the winter. Some thoughts after putting them on: The Michelins drive so nice no matter the conditions, they have almost no effect on fuel economy, but they are much noisier. I immediately noticed how loud they are after putting them on this year. The Continentals are much quieter and grippier, but when they go, they go. 😂 I decided not to get the Nokians because we have lots of dry days in Colorado and they spray lots of chemicals on the roads making them wet when it snows, but not enough to cause hydro planning. Ultimately, I have the Michelins on my wife’s small hatchback that mostly stays in the city and they have enabled her to get home when trucks with A/T tires were sliding off the road. I have the Continentals on my Subaru Outback and we take it to the family cabin all winter, which includes 7 miles of unpaved, snow packed roads. The Continentals have been an absolute life-safer, getting us out of the cabin with up to 10 inches on the road, while other trucks and Subarus were getting stuck or sliding off the road, the Continentals just kept gripping. What’s more is that they are so good in the other weather we have in Colorado the rest of the winter. Like you said, all three are excellent and it really depends on your use case. For the Rockies, the Continentals are king, the Michelins are good, but not quite up to the mountain weather here and the Nokians are too focused on extreme winter weather to be good the other 80% of the time here.
@@ImranShamsul They go without warning. You go from grip to a slide in a second, but it has only happened to me on roads where the snow has turned to ice and there is no warning. Other tires will also struggle on ice, but they might communicate that to you better. That being said, I just steer into it and on my Subaru I have learned that if you hit the brakes a little it immediately regains traction and straightens out, but that’s on an AWD vehicle, which only Audi, Porsche and Subaru offer. Other systems that are FWD or RWD based will behave differently. That being said, the Vikings have so much more grip than the other winter tires I have driven that it usually isn’t an issue. The Vikings have caught me off guard twice on ice in two winter seasons and each time I was able to quickly regain control.
Thanks for your detailed comparison. I’ve been hesitating between the Continental Viking Contact 7 and Michelin X-Ice Snow since last year. I live in Montreal, Canada where we get a lot of snow, but roads are usually quickly plowed and salted, so it’s mostly either very cold and dry or warmer and slushy wet before it gets colder and icy. My driving is a mix of city streets and highways. I’m leaning towards the Contis, I have the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus as summer tires on my FWD Saab 9-5, so why not stay with Continental. My current winters are old X-Ice (not snow), the tread is still good, but they’re too old and need to be replaced. They’ve been fine, but I want something better, comfy and quiet enough for a winter tire. Also my car is a manual, I feel it’s easier to correct when it’s breaking traction than an automatic thanks to instant engine brake when you let go of the gas pedal.
@@giorgio.I went from the old fashioned zigzag winter tires when young to consistently buying Bridgestone Blizzak in sets of 4 in each vehicle I've owned. They're quiet but a bit soft if you carry weight the vehicle will feel just a wee bit mushy. Excellent grip on hard packed snow and in freezing rain which is a regular thing in Ontario. The SUV I have now I can't buy Blizzak so my mechanic suggested Continental or X Ice. I made a huge mistake years ago buying new Michelin (their signature anti hydroplane tires) thinking they would be fine in winter. They were great in summer but slide like crazy in winter. The best all season tire I've ever seen like ever in my life was the Goodyear S4S. 110,000km lifespan and good tread Next to that the Uniroyal Tigerpaw which gripped fine in any weather right until the end of treads. Both were Canadian and no longer available.
Thank you for including tires available in North America! You keep saying that people don't want long videos! Who are these people! Release the 45 minute directors cut!
I just purchased a set of X-Ice Snow on sale over Labor Day, so this makes me extremely happy with that choice. I'm out in Eastern Canada and it sounds like this will be a huge upgrade over the old Uniroyal winter tires I'm replacing. Wasn't happy with those last winter and with a second kid on the way, I'm trying to do my best to keep the family safe out there on the roads. Appreciate you taking the time to be so thorough in your testing!
I just endured my first snow storm after installing continental vikingcontact 7’s and I am blown away. I’ve never had snow tires before and I moved to a region that is more or less freezing for 4 months out of the year wirh roads that don’t get plowed much. I don’t know how I ever lived without snow tires.
These reviews helped me select my preferred winter tire, I purchased the continental VikingContact 7 two years ago. I love them! I will never go back to all seasons in the winter. Thanks for the videos!
As a Californian who has literally driven in zero snow, we moved up to Oregon. For winter I bought Viking 7s and my son has CrossClimate2s, both on FWD Toyota Camrys. We drove in some pretty heavy snow (for us) driving through peaks and valleys for about 3hrs straight. There were many cars and SUVs stranded at the sides of the road during our trip. My son and I are novice snow drivers. We high-fived thankful we made it home in a very uneventful manner without incident. I can't say enough about investing in 3peak winter tires, they'll get you home and may even save your life.
CrossClimate is not a dedicated snow tyre,it's considered all-seasons in Europe. Conti V7 is heavy winter "nordic tyre" for very low temperatures,two classes above all-seasons for winter,and is for winters only. The fact that you could do the trip without any problems on the CrossClimates on the Camry shows you that you overshot the target by a long margin in buying the C. V7.That's a tyre for Eskimos not Oregonians,and it's dangerous on wet and dry roads compared to the "normal" winter tyre or good "all weather tyre" as you call them.
@@ms-jl6dl Thanks for the info, I do have the Viking 7s on a set of steel rims and Yokohama UHP A/S on my factory set daily drivers. As an old guy from CA, I need all the help I can get when anticipating to drive in the snow or icy conditions. The CrossClimate2s are my son's daily drivers on his factory rims.
@@ms-jl6dl I agree. I live on a very steep eleven percent hill in The Gorge, Oregon above the snow & ice altitude. Yes, my summer tire CrossClimate 2 is not great for packed snow or clear ice but still rates just behind the top ten true winter tires in fresh snow. On packed snow they at first seem ok, but are deceptively sketchy on packed snow. The hydroplane resistance is excellent as is the older Nokian Haaka's. I run Nokian studless now after learning that the Haaka 8 & newer began to have too much metal to make them as agile for dry/wet pavement. The Haaka 7's were a huge disappointment especially in slush & aquaplaning.
I am living in Alberta Canada in the rockies and just had the Nokians R5 mounted under my SUV. They are absolutely amazing to drive with. The car feels like a tank in the snow, so much grip.
Посмотришь на Nokian через 2️⃣ или 3️⃣ сезона. Дальше -хуже. Nokian supper резина в первый год эксплуатации, потом она дубеет( твердеет -сохнет) и трескается. В отличии от Michelin. Я на Nokian and Nordman ездил в северной части России в Мурманске и всей области, на шипах. Супер! Но потом она высохла и потрескалась. В Германии я катаюсь на Michelin alpin 5. А на задней оси Continental wintercontakt ts860 ( которые тоже начинает трескаться) в отличии от michelin.
@@alexeirotari3761My mechanic says UV exposure ruins the rubber. Depending on the chemistry used it's faster on the more Euro design I suspect the plasticizers migrate out faster resulting in tread separation. The winter tires of 1963 in Canada took a decade to go this way but the people used to call them hockey pucks (hard rubber).
Went to northern Finland in February, with temps ranging from -5c to -29c. Our rental car (Merc A-class FWD) had a new set of Hakkapellitta 10s fitted. It was only my 2nd time driving in snow, but the Nokkians quickly helped me feel confident. In northern Finland roads are only plowed, not treated, it was so nice being able to drive 8 hours without having to wipe the windscreen once due to salty muck like you get in other places. It also made me realise how incredibly varied winter conditions can be, with seemingly an endless amount of variation in traction conditions. Generally, the road was covered in a thin packed snow layer, with tyre tracks exposing the asphalt on the driving line; these tracks seemed to have a thin layer of icy frost. The Nokkians were very impressive; I'm not sure if the studs helped with traction much, but braking action was generally excellent. Same in hardpack snow, I was shocked that I could drive at (almost) normal speeds down a country lane with little kick-in of the ABS/TCS/ESC. When a couple cm of fresh powder fell over the hardpack, it did become much slippier, presumably as the treads no longer penetrated the hardpack. I almost put the car into a snowbank on a tight corner before I'd got used to the different traction levels. All the same, very impressive, and the car still felt safe and predictable providing speed was dropped and you slowed enough for the corners. In fact, I even did what is generally advised against: driving down an unplowed country road after 3-5cm of powder had fallen over the hardpack. I couldn't resist trying, as the road cut 30+ mins off the journey. After the first km, I kept going, as I was confident with the traction levels, and it did indeed give us a good time saving over the main highway. Seeing the snow cloud behind me in the rear-view was quite satisfying... Only thing that surprised me was that sometimes on the main road, where the asphalt was visible but frosty, the tyres would really spin up easily when accelerating away from a junction... I kind of expected them to grip better in this scenario, but I guess it was icier than it looked. Again, thankfully braking on the same surfaces was more assured. Overall, a really interesting experience, and fun to see what the best winter tyres out there can and can't do in the harshest winter conditions... As a fun aside, I also cycled 40km on the snowy (but plowed) cycle paths of Oulu in -25c. Even the bike tyres are studded, and they were also really impressive, giving much better grip than walking, even vs wearing snow boots.
Hey, I happen to be from Oulu, glad you were able to visit Finland during winter! I have an AWD car with the VikingContact 7 tires as my winter option. It’s a very good tire and I don’t feel like ever going back to studded tires.
@@mikidof Thanks! Yeah, I saw quite a few cars with the Viking Contacts also, they look like great tyres. Do they grip better than studded on bare asphalt/frosty asphalt?
hi David, you spun the tyres on the 'visible asphalt' because it was very hard ice, hence many people run studded tyres. If you watched the locals, when coming up to a junction or a corner, you might have seen that they might change the line a bit to run on the more snowy parts of the road, to 'load up' the tyres with snow and give them better grip when slowing down, cornering or setting off. PS I spend a lot of time in Lapland.
@@timwilliams2343 Interesting and useful to know, thanks! I did wonder if it was a layer of ice, but wasn't sure. That would also make sense as to why the studs didn't help that much with acceleration grip (becoming unloaded with FWD), but seemed to help more with braking (extra pressure). I'll try your tip regarding the line next time I'm there!
WOW!! Finally an unbiased sponsored review did for Extreme winter tire!!! Especially usefull for north american market! It only miss the Brigestone WS-90 to have THE perfect test!! It's a real delight to see somebody else say; "Your best winter tires depend on your location!". Your CE winter tires REALLY give the comparaison!!
@@tyrereviews You confirm my choice on my next set of Michelin over my 2 yrs old cracked Hakka 9. Your the only one to really take seriously rolling resistance in the test. So thanks for my Tesla! P.s; You have got an e-mail!
GREAT REVIEW! As a Nokian tire dealer since 1980 and selling winter tires since 1973 I can appreciate the time and effort it took to do this review. Very educational as most people (including most tire stores) do no take regional needs in consideration when choosing or recommending tires, or reading test and reviews. Bravo! I will be recommending this to our customers.
The best winter tire review! I am so happy to see an independent testing, especially for the Nokian R5 as it was not tested yet. I wanted to buy this tire but my concern was how good it would be in snow. I am glad to know the good result. I have a feeling that this tire will not be the best in slush, deep snow and aquaplaning so it is good to be aware of that when driving.
the nokian tires are developed in finland, where there rarely is that much water on the roads during winter tire season, thus aquaplaning is not the number one concern for them when developing the tire. And honestly no tire performs very well in slush, since it stays under your tire like snow, but behaves like water otherwise, making it really slippery no matter the tire.
I live in northen Scandinavia and I will never choose anything else then Nokian or Continental winter tires, maybe just Nokian with studs, I had the hakkapelita 8(studded) on my Saab 9-3, such amazing tires, I guess hakka10 is just as good or better.
Nice catch on the poor aquaplaning resistance of Nokians. I've been driving R3's for the past three years and twice I almost went off the road or into the oncoming lane going through deep water. Never experienced anything like it. Otherwise they were great and I just bought a new set of R5's this afternoon. Thanks to your test I know I'll still have to slow down during sudden torrential rain.
Watched your reviews a year ago, selected the Michelin Xice snow, great results. Ram promaster city work van, FWD. I was able to navigate steep hills up and down, stop predictably, and get going up hill from a stop. They build confidence in exteme conditions and helped us stay working during inclement weather. Worth the price, hoping to get 4+ seasons out of them. Thank you, Tyler from Seattle,WA USA
I went with the Michelin X-Ice Snow (I'm in Sweden). Very happy with the grip in snow, grip on ice, grip in the wet, quietness, and how comfortable the ride is.
Hello from Used To Be The Wet Coast of western BC, Canada. Way too dry for the huge trees now. So we find the old wet road tire prioritizing gone. Now we need "damp road", dry, cold and snow grip, good ride on cheaply made highways, and quite a dollop of performance. With all those considerations in mind, we soon tossed the nasty OE tires on our family Mini Countryman JCW awd, manual, no cursed sunroof. Yes, it feels like a family rally car. This car is going on snowy ski trips and tearing up twisty roads all the time. The winner thusly was, Nokian All Weather in the stock 225/50 x 18 V rating. As long as pressures are fussed over, they are nearly perfect. Steering, braking, acceleration is ample on all surfaces. The nearly is because at over .7 Gs in mid corner, they start to slide a bit. The slip and re grip is very progressive, so the Mini JCW can happily do it's thing. The specified pressures are 36 to 41 psi on our Mini, depending on average speeds. I leave it at 40 for fast trips and 38 for a mix. I know the real winter tires are a bit better in real winters. These All Weathers claw up snowy hills I cant walk up. Will we buy them again? It is on set #2.
I've been a fan of the x-ice tires since gen 1(which I really loved), gen 2( snow trackion dropped and ice was improved), gen 3(had a more rounded feel) & the snow's which improved all around tracking last year when I got them installed and wow I'm impressed. Being in Alaska selection is limited and costco is my go to so Michelin's are my go to.
Another great video thank you, I recently damaged one of my very well worn Hak R2's and had to make a quick decision on the replacing the entire set. I watched the snow handling section of the video without watching the end, chose the R5. Today, three days later I had enough time to watch the full video was delighted to see you final recommendations, making me feel very comfortable with my choice of the R5. Location: Calgary, in Canada, these are dedicated winter only tyres. Snow and ice performance are my most important selection criteria. It rains very little here, but it snows pretty good, and if the snow hangs around, it evolves into polished packed snow, very much like ice. The Hak R2's were brilliant for these conditions, looking forward to seeing how good the R5's are 🙂
I've just bought a set of Nokian R5 based on this test. I travel between the Alps and Norway a lot, and a CE just doesn't work for the winter in Norway. I'm OK with losing wet weather performance, I can just slow down when it rains.
Thank you for your extraordinarily work. I have a 2022 Prius Prime. Based on your work we had to settle on Micheline's X ICE 4 TIRES. We wanted the Hapakalita 10's but they were not going to be available any time soon. I did sport the Nokian Hapakalita 7's (studded) on our Honda CRV and they were fantastic. Sadly the CRV has moved on. Thank you again for your thorough and outstanding presentation.
I bought Hakkapeliitta 10's last winter and holy heck are they just damn fine. We get a lot of snow and ice during the winter and late winter, when things start to melt (and freeze again) all the roads are covered in mirror ice, but those Hakkapeliitta's just work like no other. I've driven on icy conditions for few decades (and been passenger a bit longer, as a child 😅) and I gotta say, if you want something that works amazingly on ice and snow, Hakkapeliitta 10 is the one.
I grew up in a small town in BC Canada on the deadliest section of the trans canada highway and our family always used Blizzaks for the last 15+ years but a couple years ago my mom switched to the hakkapeliitta's and she likes them so far. Blizzaks are in low stock right now so trying to track some down has been hard, don't know if they make the hakkapeliitta's in my small tire size for my corolla though I'll have to check.
Just completed 5 years with Michelin X-ice versions this past winter here in northeastern Canada. So impressed that I have ordered a new set of 4, Michelin X-ice snow for winter 2023. This video only reinforces that I made the right choice.
I have always found that stud less tires can be very good on frosty rough ice but when the sun shine or temperature starts melting the ice surface ( wet ice) studs are far superior as your testing showed. Good test!
studded or non studded you're going to get better grip on colder ice... studs work better on colder ice. no they are not more effective on softer ice, you need the hard ice or the studs will drag through it easily.
Nice video! I personally use Nokian on both vehicles and love them. Studded Nokian Haks are incredible. I love in northern BC Canada and commute 150 km's round trip to work and feel comfortable with the Nokians.
I can comment on the Michelan which I bought for my wife’s 2019 Buick Encore. The vehicle itself promotes decent winter performance because it is All wheel drive and it has low hp and torque. The All Seasons it came with are Continentals but they also show why the Michelans are so good in my opinion. The street we live on is concrete with expansion joints every 5 or so meters. This produces a “ thump thump, thump thump” as you drive down the street. The X- Ice Snow is quieter than the All season Contis, gets similar if not better fuel consumption, handles well and are great for not hydroplaning ( we get lots of rain and slush in the winter ). They get through thick wet snow up to 10-15 cms deep and on Black Ice they grip well allowing a driver who drives with winter care to out do even studded tires which have nothing to bite into. This car is realitively lightweight so thick snow or slush do have an impact on steering and handling but. I’ve never in over 45 years of driving had as much faith in my winter tires.
I have the continental viking contact 7's on my BMW i4 M50, and I could agree more with your comments about the tire. It is very very good, quiet and comfortable, and provides ton of grip in snow and ice, BUT the levels of grip is quite snappy, so i.e in snow if you want to drift, you get a false sense of grip because in one moment you have all the grip in the world and then suddenly you have no grip at all. It makes you super excited and scared at same time
Again, watching reviews of tyres that I would never use in my home country just because this channel know that tyres don't have to just be round and black. Love the content!
Wow what beautiful places you’ve tested! You must have very good eyesight because seeing the track in the snow was hard! 😍😍😍 Tire technology is getting so impressive!
Great review as always from you. I do wish Blizzacks were in on the test as I was narrowing my purchase down to Blizzacks, Michelin, and Nokian. My last purchase went from Hakka 9 studded to Blizzacks, and am quite happy with the compromise change. I tried Michelin studded and they were so bad on the dry, I returned them.
@@carlosoruna7174I bought Blizzak sets for each vehicle I've owned since 2000. My last vehicle (light truck/van RWD) I was at 6 years if not 7 and had no issues. It's when the temperature is above (I forgot what exactly) and DRY pavement they do wear down faster. I was fast at switching off once the snow stopped in March/April but the last year I was experiencing increased problems with the vehicle and left the Blizzaks on in the warm weather. Then I noticed them going fast. I now have an SUV and Bridgestone doesn't make the size it takes so am looking for a similar quality winter tires. Probably get the Michelin or Continental as they have the size it takes.
Testing tyres in Nordic winter conditions is palpably problematic, due to the changing weather conditions, such varied conditions they need to be tested in, and time constraints. I think you did a very thorough job. When I lived in central Sweden, I only drove with studded tyres during winter and parts of late fall and early spring. I think driving on ice regardless of the tyre type is always a delicate affair.
I have the Michelin X ice snow now and love them. Smooth, quiet, comfortable and probably do a bit better fuel economy than my all seasons. I had a previous generation Nokian and they were very similar with quiet, comfort and fuel economy. Both great on hard pack snow, but where the Nokian falls short is in slushy conditions, which we have lots of here in Nova Scotia. Otherwise it would be a toss up which one I'd buy again.
Here in Canada I have used michelin x-ice and it's an excellent tire. Another one that's really good at the top of performace is the Bridgestone w90 but not tested here
The Continental VikingContact 7s are a newcomers, but are absolutely great. They compare to the best, can be found for a comparatively good price and are among the quietest winter tires!
Was hoping to see the goodyear ultragrip ice 2s and hankook's nordic winter tires, but seeing these compared to the continental Central-EU-winter tires was really interesting and insightful! Hopefully you can get them for next year. I chose the ultragrip Ice 2 for their apparent wet advantage over most other nordic winter tires while still doing well on ice, seeing as here in west-Norway we have rain for 70% of the winter, but we still get ice here and there.
@@uonadtehrrocks problem with that is that the vikingcontacts are more expensive than the ultragrip. And also I almost couldn't care less about price, I just want the best tire for our winter conditions
@@TomMurto exactly, it just depends on your local conditions. For me in the south half of Norway, the ultragrips are the obvious choice, but if I lived in the northern half, I would get the vikingcontacts or hakkapelitta r5s if not studded tires. I hit ice today while driving through a corner, and even with abit of understeer the ultragrip handled the situation well. And I am talking the kind of ice that you could easily fall over on if you were to walk on it, tire technology really is amazing.
I went through two extreme winter seasons so far here in Canada with Continental Viking 7's on my Subaru Crosstrek and they are really amazing! I will try Nokians next when they'll be worn out.
I had two years ago hakapelita 9 studed and last year hakapelita 10.h9 were much better than h10.But H9 are not available any more in Kal tire.I am from Alberta, Edmonton
I was also looking at the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 for my 2023 Crosstrek Outdoor but not available in 225/60 R17 so I will be going with Continental Viking 7s. Glad to hear you like them on your Crosstrek.
@@markbutchjarbo7583 I found some online sites offering the Hakka 10 SUV studded in your exact tire size as well as the R5 however everything is back order. You'll definitely like the Vikings as an alternative. I also have an Outdoor :) I run 16 inches for the added sidewall in winter - 225/65R16.
@@CoolPilot Thanks Eric, not interested in studded and would like to get something soon. Ordered Vikings in OEM size to avoid any problems with dealer. My salesman would not even give me a quote so I checked with parts dept. and same price as every other seller in area.
I live in the Pacific Northwest. Our snow is heavy and wet, much of the winter our lower elevation roads are soaked with rain, which high up is heavy snow (there's a reason our mountains have glaciers on them!), but during cold snaps we get ice at elevation and high passes, ski areas; frosty, chunky ice, not sheet ice like Minnesota. Your test showed me the Michelin X-Ice Snow is the tire for where I live.
I would appreciate your opinion on the Bridgestone BLIZZAK DM-V2 winter tire. I would also like to see a follow-up review of the best winter tires in years 2 and 3, to see how much their performance degrades with mileage. I realize that a comparison to new might be difficult for various reasons (e.g., driving style, road conditions, type of vehicle and condition, varying mileages and wear, etc.), but if anyone can come up with something useful...it's you guys! Thanks, and all the best!
When I had to drive much much more for work, I typically used Continental snow tires. Now with a 20mile commute, run mid tier stuff, currently Sumitomo snow tires. They are very good for the price.
As someone who lives in western Canada and experiences a ton of snow and ice, I really appreciate your thorough testing! I've used the Michelin X-Ice3 (predecessor to X-Ice Snow), Continental VikingContact 7, Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 and WS90 and your data closely matches my subjective impressions of these tires. The Conti VikingContact 7 is unbelievably capable, especially on rough ice and in deep snow, but very "pointy" and it lacks directional stability compared to the Blizzaks or Michelins. The Michelins are probably the best overall when you factor in how easy they are to drive, but they come at a significant premium to the Vikings. The Blizzaks are very capable but have had their crown stolen by Continental and Michelin, they're also the worst in the dry. I think the Blizzaks would be a great addition to your next Nordic tire test, as they're the OEM winter tire on a handful of vehicles in Canada. You may be interested in reading tests from the site: "Saskatchewan Studded Tire Club" as they're probably the best "deep snow" tire testers in Canada. Cheers mate!
Posted in a separate comment, but I really want to see how the Blizzak's and the Alpin's fair against the X-ICE in all conditions. As a coastal Western Canadian, we can definitely achieve a mix of all conditions, especially if we decide to head into the mountains.
I live in Saskatchewan, so we have that in common. I was about to buy the X-ice snow, but been hearing a lot of buzz about the Hakka R5. Thoughts? Which of these 2 would u buy today? (price about the same) Had Blizzak WS80 before, but they are useless after 3 seasons, so not going back to Blizzaks
@@paullindo6191 Nokian R5 should be the best, but according to the pattern and look of it, me it it will probably not be the best in deep snow and slush but anything else should be great.
My experience with X Ice 2 and 3s in Alberta is that while superb on ice, and great on cold dry roads in certain kinds of slushy wet snow conditions they are awful. Perhaps the new snow version doesn't have this problem. Should also mention XIce are super quiet and ride really well. Better than most oem all seasons. And they last a long time.
Thanks for another great informative and entertaining review 👍 2 years ago we moved to Nova Scotia Canada and got a new Subaru Crosstrek. I bought some Continental VikingContact7s on the strength of your review at the time. The area around Halifax is renowned for black ice - so that was my major concern. My wife mostly drives the car for work and with 2 winter seasons of about 20,000 km total (gentle driving) she has put practically zero wear on these tires!!!! 🤣 It was particularly fortunate as we had a sidewall damage incident requiring the tire to be replaced 😱 but with no appreciable wear on the tread we were able to get away with just replacing the damaged one instead of a full set - Praise the Lord 🙏
3rd winter with the Vikingcontact 7, still very satisfied with them. What I have been the most impressed about is how well they performs through slush. Those bad boys goes through big puddles of slush as if they weren''t even there, where many other tires quickly lose traction. Impressive. I have found that when the tire lose grip, it tends to quickly gain it back, basically just giving you a warning to maybe slow down a little(yeah I'm kind of an heavy foot driver...). I do feel very safe with them. By the way, I had Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 before the Continental's, so it's not like I was coming from crappy tires. The Vikingcontact 7 were significantly cheaper than the hakkapeliitta 9 (the 10 weren't out at the time).
Thanks for clarifying the comment about losing grip. Do you find your traction control is able to regain traction for you? I'm looking to buy a set for my wife's car and don't want her to lose confidence. Also, how do you find your fuel economy?
I live in south west Sweden where we get a mix of a couple of days of snow, black ice on mornings and evenings, half of the winter it’s raining or we get sunny snow free days with dry tarmac and I do travel a lot south to Germany/Poland. I got a really good price for the Pirelli Ice Zero FR and after watching this review I feel confident that it’s a fairly good tire. It’s like you said - a really good all round tire.
i just bought a bmw M3 x drive competiton & i live in boston / Rhode island. I only watch to see where the Michelin winter tires Rank in or your tests. they seem to come in on the top 3 or in 1st place in every internet test ive seen. Great channel! You are my go to for tire reviews from now on! very informative. Great job man keep it up.
You bought a M3 competition and you think Michelin x-ice extreme ("nordic") winter tires are the right ones for your car? I've never heard of any Europeans including Fins ever putting those on M3's or any performance car. We here use "CE winter tires" like Continental TS 870, Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, Bridgestone LM 005,Pirelli Sottozero... Those are significantly (dramaticaly) better in wet or dry but still pretty good on snow. Watch the test again and pay attention to the "reference tire" ( Continental TS 870) results and comments. If you're not driving in snow and ice for 4 months straight like Inuits or penguins x-ice are not for you.
Thank you Mr. Benson for this test and review. Your hard work is much appreciated. Its amazing how the competition have caught up to Nokian over the years. Your information is invaluable. Cheers.
I've got Michelin X-Ice tires on my wife's Prius and I've had them on other cars and loved them. I have the Blizzak on my RAV4 but I went with a high performance winter tire on my new GR Corolla. I looked at the Michelin Alpin 5 but went with the Vredestein Wintrac Pro as Tire Rack loved them both. So far I'm loving them. They've been excellent on ice and snow and much better than other winter tires on dry and wet roads.
I've used both the X-ice and the Blizzaks (and also all-weather Continentals. All weathers are better than all-season but not quite as good as a pure winter tire). Both are great with the X-ice a slight advantage on ice and Blizzaks better on snow surfaces. It just depends on what the predominate road environment that you drive on for the best overall selection. My locale in Canada is extreme cold and relatively low amounts of snow. The differences being relatively small for either so the final decision is based on price. By far the biggest difference between any of these highly rated tires is the driver's skill and patience operating the vehicle. You are best off to take winter driving training rather than worry about which of these tires is the best. Even the best tires can't correct driver stupidity and lack of skill.
Interesting I came away with the opposite impression (also in Canada, AB specifically) the X-ICE gen 1 or 2 were fine initially but after about two seasons their performance was awful. Meanwhile the Blizzaks WS-70s maintained their performance for 5-6 seasons. Current work car has the newest gen X-ICE about 2 seasons old and still seems lacking (although not as bad as previous generations). The Blizzaks WS-90 are just as good as the day they were mounted.
@@BigHeadClan I've got Viking Contact 7 averaging about 6/32 of tread left. I've driven in light snow and slushy roads and so far not seeing a significant drop in performance. Deep snow might (and probably will be) a different story. Still much better than the 4/32 Yokohama all seasons I switched off from.
I was hoping to see a Bridgestone offering in this test, as my old winter tyres are almost ready to be replaced and I've been happy with them. However, it would have been nice to see if I should just buy another set of them or go for any of the top three.
I replaced a set of VikingContact 7s with WS90s and the Bridgestones seem to be slightly better in deep snow and slick ice. I do find the Bridgstones rougher riding, louder and quicker wearing though.
@@0HOON0 thanks for the input. I have already submitted my review of WS90 on TireReviews and to be honest I have been pretty happy with WS90. But it's always good to see how other offerings compare, specially since when I was buying them I couldn't find any reviews on them or the Pirelli that is included in this test.
The Blizzak WS-tires' Multicell tread compound comprises the top more than one-half of the tire tread of the tires' tread depth (55% actually). A standard winter tread composite comprises the remaining 45 percent of the tire. When the tire wears down to about 50% Blizzak are no longer having that 55% of snow safety tread meet the road. Experienced users of Blizzak state that the tires are at their best for snow or winter driving when they have the above percentages operative. Typically that equals about 12,000-15,000 miles before the critical Multicell tread compound wears out. But, that's the best and safest drive you can get and that really "safe time" lasts approximately 3 to 4 winter driving seasons. Please do not reinstall once that 55% of tire tread has worn off. Pay attention to the tread depth indicators before the start of the winter season.
Would be nice to see some middle class segment tyre tests in the future. I personally run studless w429 hankooks for 2 seasons already- 18k km total distance on my 2007 xc70 cross country. Fantastic tyre in snow and slush. Capable on ice- car is still drivable and responds to steering inputs. After 30 months still has not lost elasticity. At -30 deg. C. was still soft and sipes working properly. The most surprising aspect of the tyre is treadwear- new is 10.5mm now i am at 8mm. Yes it is slow in dry- you do feel those chunky tread blocks move, quite noisy, fuel consumption is +1 l/100km. But every tyre is a compromise. Safety in extremes was priority for me and i am ready to loose some comfort and steering feel. Choose tyres according to your needs and stay safe. Thank you for your work!
Would you consider something like a Tire Rack "performance winter" tire to be roughly equivalent to a Central European winter tire? In other words, where would a Pilot Alpin 4 or 5 fall in this group compared to the Xice Snow / Nokian / Continental? I live in a city that can see a foot of snow over 10-12 hours, and plows can't keep up... but then we could go a week or two in just cold and clean road conditions. I had Xice 3 on the car (BMW M2) for the past 5 years, but I'm now trying to decide if Pilot Alpin make more sense since the Xi3 are basically shot.
Great video. I got 325k + miles on my Outback in Minnesota, USA. First set of winter tires were General Altimax Arctic 8's. Those things lasted a long time. Then got Bridgestone Blizzaks, only lasted me 2 winters before tread was right at 4mm. I just picked up some Michelin X-Ice's now. Came across your video, seems like I made a good choice!
I would be interested to see how budget studded tyres compare against friction tyres. Are they always better on ice? And what about after they have worn down a bit and lost some studs?
If you go with Nokian their studs are great and very hard to loose. Just drive smoothly for the first 500km so the stud will set in the tire properly. Hakkapelliitta 10 is the best tire according to me and studded tires are for sure the best on ice and compact snow. If you live above Arctic circle you can buy studdless tires as it is cold enough for the ice not to have any slippery water on it surface.
Always look at your channel when someone asks me which tire to choose 😉 I have now the Continental WinterContact TS830P as a all winter tire on my M2. Love this one. Perfect on dry, wet, snow and feels sporty (life in Belgium and go skiing 3x a year in the dolomites, always without chains) The biggest problem on the M2 (LCI) is the lack of weight on the back. For the rest... Fun fun fun. When I have to change the tires, I will go for the ts870. Thank for all the info always.
Great content as always. Really enjoy your videos and your insights. You do great work and you no doubt help save countless lives with your recommendations regarding safety and common sense of driving. I live in a Nordic country and we get stupid winters with all sorts of conditions. Really tough to actually find a right tyre for myself since we get it all. Deep snow, deep slush, ice, wet roads due to heavy salting and dry roads since sometimes theres sun... And I happen to run CE winter tires and havent died yet. The trick here is that I mostly drive on main roads and city streets and those are fairly well maintained. I put wet performance as my top priority due to salted roads and it works fine. Also, common sense and defensive driving is the key here since even the best tire wont save you if you do stupid stuff. I thank you for your great content again and hope to see cool new tests in the future.
I must say though that CE "winter" tires in the Nordics turn absolutely lethal under some weather conditions. And as the road conditions can change quite rapidly, that can be very dangerous. You drive out in the morning, and it's ok - you return the same way in the evening and suddenly you're in trouble.
Excellent review and thank you! On my wife’s Subaru Crosstrek, our last snow tire was the studless Nokian , which we LOVED! After 5 winters on the Nokians, we just installed Michelin Ice-X Snow tires. I’m sure we’ll love these as well. They were about $250 cheaper for 4 tires.
Been running the VikingContact 7 for the past two winters on my Mazda3 and been pretty happy with them. I'm going to be going to school in a warmer climate starting the beginning of December, though, so they may not end up on my car this year.
I am thinking about getting the Conti Viking 7 for my truck. I will be moving to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada soon. What do you think? Thanks for the excellent content
Great work, I really appreciate the effort you and your team put into these tests. I have just purchased Toyo Observe GSI-6 HP for my 2022 Subaru WRX. I'll be sure to review them on your website after a winter in Alberta, Canada
I came here because I thought I had decided to go with the viking7 but now I have three chance to get the R5s. My new Mercedes is arriving in hopefully 2 weeks and I wanted to get the winter tire shipping out of the way before Summer starts. I'm in Ontario, Canada and, with the exemption of this past winter, we get a lot of snow and sometimes some ice. My priority besides safety and handling is comfort / quietness. I've decided to go with the R5s. Thank you for such a detailed review. It's probably the best I've seen in years. In subscribing for sure
My Nokian R3 has also very nice handling when need to pass snow bench between lanes or road have deep ice/snow grooves in lane. Have you done any tests to handle when chance the lane over snow bench between lanes or driving on grooved roads from ice or snow? Good test and well done.
I would love to see a comparison between normal flat tyres and runflat tyres. We all know they ride worse, but I'd love to see their other characteristics.
Just finished up another Colorado & Utah Winter with my set of X-Ice Snows. Not only are they a joy to drive in the snow, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get a 3rd or even a 4th Winter out of them.
Awesome content as always Jonathan! With the CE tires I have been happy with both Conti TS line as well as Nokian WRD4 that lacked a bit of aceleration grip but made up with braking and lateral grip and saved a couple of sketchy situations. Thanks for another great video - looking forward to a new one!
When somebody tells me TH-cam is just for vlogging and kids, I’ll show them this video to prove them wrong. Super interesting and extremely valuble. I should have watched this before I ordered winter tires with my new car. Luckily I chose well with the Continental VC7. Also, really interesting to see the difference between the nordic market tires and the Central European one, highlighting the importance of choosing a tyre after the conditions you live in.
Great in-depth comparisons! Good to know that competition is keeping the bar high for companies to bring out their best. Can't really go wrong with most of these choices. Also, Seeing how "All-Weather" tires are gaining popularity, I'm curious to know how the Michelin CrossClimate2's would compare to these dedicated winter tires.
agree, I want to know how much worse they are on ice. i have trouble finding ice results for all seasons. i know its not as good, but i want to know how much worse they are.
Bad, in previous video about winter tires cc2 compared average, more on bad side, looking at data on tyrereview website. So against extreme winter tires cc2 will lose. CC2 on ice are close to terrible.
Great content. Very thorough. I've struggled with a couple reviews when your subjective ratings don't really line up with the objective data (ie. AT review). However, having all the objective data and being able to focus on the categories important to me (ie. braking) is simply invaluable to tire selection. Between you, and TireR@ck, and some vehicle specific chat forums, the process of tire selection has gotten so much easier. I got a used Jeep GC recently and the OEM AT tires (GY Wranglers) are not up to snuff (getting really sketchy in rain/hydroplaning). I've been running dedicated winter tires for about 20 years now and was looking for a set before this winter. Previous cars were a FWD Nissan Maxima and AWD Infiniti G37x. I've previously run a Continental tire back in the mid-2000s (can't remember model - like a WinterContact 810/820/830-?). Then the Blizzak WS70 (awesome snow tires, but a bit noisy and wore very unevenly). Then Michelin X-ice Xi3 (glorified AS/AW tires - quiet, comfortable, long lasting, pretty good in rain and light to medium snow (0-4"), but hot garbage on ice/packed snow). And most recently one season with the Continental WinterViking7 on the G37x. The WV7 was all the good features of the Xi3, but with actual avg+ to great winter performance. Winter tires for the Jeep in stock sizes have been difficult to find, at least from the more reputable brands (265/60r18), and at a decent price. Mainly Blizzak DMv2 and Continental WinterViking7. I was leaning toward the Blizzaks because the Jeep is heavier but those tires/technology is getting a bit outdated (ie. dual layer compounds). After seeing this video, I've decided to stick with the WV7. I don't plan to go off-road in the winter and the WV7 performance in dry and wet braking is class leading. I already have experience with them and know they can perform outstanding in the winter. I even put a pair on my mom's little hatchback and she was amazed at how easily she can get around in the winter now. Also, the WV7 are $15-20 cheaper per tire than the Blizzaks, and $50-100 cheaper than most other brands, so why mess with a good thing. They should be going on next week...
Wow, this is what I call an absolute review. I'm getting ready to purchase my first winter tires and after consulting severak experts, the continental viking 7s have been overly recommended. I must admit your review has re-echoed what I think must be the best in class. Thank you for your unparalleled review.
I understand the need to keep the numbers of tires down but I miss seeing the Blizzaks. Really informative and interesting video but for those of us in North America, where would you say is comparable to Central European winter? Lastly, I am still running Hakkapeliitta R2; it would be interesting if you get with Nokian and compare generation with older versions and see the performance improvement.
CE winter tires are called performance winter tires in the USA. I think they are good match for sporty cars anywhere it snows and is cold as studless tires will kill much fun in dry and wet. As noted in the test: if ice is not your major concern but dry, wet is more important then performance winter are better choice. IMHO
This video and detailed review is fantastic and by far one of the best winter tire reviews I have seen or read. I am currently working on a winter wheel and tire video for my EV6, so the information in this video is incredibly beneficial since I was unable to get anyone from Goodyear, Michelin, or Nokian to return my messages. I was only able to get some basic information from a Continental Tire product manager. So once again, thank you very much. I just subscribed.
I've been a believer in SNOW tires since I first started driving. Have tried all season. Not impressed, think they would be ok in, maybe, northern Florida. Snow tires give a margine of safety that is priceless. We have been living here in the U.P. of Michigan for the last 40 + years. Raised in a small town in the mountains of Colorado. Love the UP for the "mild" winters (as compared to the high Rookies). Have used snow tires from (the greatest at the time) the studded walnut shell mix recaps to the Michelin ice x I'm running now. Have tried many brands over the years. Really liked the Blizzak but only got a couple of seasons out of them. Where worn to much to go another Winter. The ice X are by far the best I've had! Great on ice and snow pack. Not noisy at all. Great in deep snow ( Found the Jeep GC 2" lift) handled 22 - 24" of UP powder with ease. Over around 22" snow comes up over the hood and covers the windshield, that stops me pretty quick. Just bought a new Jeep and hit the tire shop with 178 miles on the odometer. Gott another set. The "old" 3 seasons ice x look almost new. New Jeep tire size was not compatible so had to get another set. Did not hesitate in getting another set of ice x.
so the michelin are the best for your Grand Cherokee? what was your old jeep and what is the new one? are the winters harsher in CO compared to the UP? which gets more snow consistently CO where you lived or UP? i heard everyone runs duratracs even snow rescue runs duratracs, is that true? i have michelin ltx ms2 on my 97 ZJ right now since 2016... but I want to start going to the california ski resorts again and will not go without studded tires or snow tires, so I'm trying to figure out the best tire to drive from los angeles to tahoe... prefer not to have two sets of tires and I can do my own studding if needed... what do you recommend? i'm running 235 75 15 which I thin is stock size... thanks...
Great test, impressive how far studless tyres have gotten but also how good CE winter tyres are nowadays, would've been interesting to see how something like an European all season tyre would compare just out of curiosity. Oh funny story, I once saw a Lancia Ypsilon (a city car) in southern Italy with Nordic Yokohamas on (I think it was the iG50) in the middle of summer (almost 40°C), I was speechless.
It's insane that that is legal, even here, I live in Sweden and some people think it's a fantastic solution with Nordic Winters all year because it's legal and they don't need two sets.
The best video for winter tires up until 2024. I'm buying the Continental because they are 400 cad cheaper than the Michelin or the Nokian at the time I need to buy winter tires. Thank you!
i would actually love to see a all season tyre to show how much slower and dangerous they are. (have seen couple of brave souls giving me a brain injury, especially also by the way they drove)
Take the CE winter tire reference an it will be almost the same on wet and dry. it will be far worst in snow and ice. So we can draw a beautiful red line going to left until the end on the screen to represent all-season tires! haha! (I got brain injury too when a must argue with someone telling me that winter tires are a market gammik...)
All you have to do is pull up a snow crash compilation from youtube. There you will see Americans crashing even with a slightest amount of snow. So not good.
It was interesting to see the aquaplaning results. I can confirm this being a vulnerability for Nokian. I love my Hakkapeliittas when it's super cold and dry with lots of packed crunchy snow and ice, it's very difficult to break them loose, but once you start to get to the temperature range just above freezing, I've been in some hairy situations with them. In the American Midwest where we can't use studded tires and the weather sometimes can't decide between rain and snow, I've noticed that they do float earlier than you'd expect when driving in very slushy conditions. It suddenly seems like they have less traction than if you just had all-seasons on. Nokian does real well with super cold temps because of the very soft rubber, but that area just above freezing seems like a bit of a weak point.
Yet another fantastic test! Thank you for your methodological approach! Educating people about tyres is what you really do best! I think we all appreciate the hard work you put into it Jonathan! Keep it up!💪💪💪
It's such a tough call for me with a rwd vehicle. Being in western Canada, "usually" cold wet (rain) conditions, but we do get dumps of snow. I usually get the gnarly-est tires I can find living on a mountain. The Firestone winterforce 2 aren't cutting it on the rear (80%+ tread). Faaaantastic reviews, and I'll keep my eye out for some michelins. Still tough not going with an aggressive Chinese tire like a Champiro for all out "giving er'" spinning traction
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Thanks for watching, go review your tires over at www.tire-reviews.com ❤ Just FYI the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 should be in this test, but I couldn't get them over to Europe in time (the rest of the tires are sold in both Europe and North America)
For the north European market (Scandinavia) Bridgestone sells the Blizzak Ice (VRX2) instead of the WS90. The Blizzak Ice has better grip on ice, but are not as good in deeper snow and slush as the WS90.
@@raphaelmabo5014 Good info, thanks
In Europe there is also the Blizzak DM-V3. Any info on that one?
@@francescovalente582 The DM-V3 is for larger dimensions and SUV’s. It has been tested in scandinavian magazines and rated as medium grade or mediocre. It doesn’t beat the class leaders (Continental, Nokian, Michelin, GoodYear, Pirelli) in any area, but it’s also not as bad as chinese budget tyres. It’s comparable to Kumho, Hankook and Falken studless for snow and ice.
@@francescovalente582 Good Year is missing as well..
This guy is the benchmark of tire testing on two sides of the Atlantic.
Thanks, it's been a rough year of travel so that's particularly appreciated.
@@tyrereviews absolutely. Please do not forget the noise tests for summer tires. You are the only one that does it right!
Yes, he is unmatched!
False !
@@jimbeaug22 I'm curious why you show negative criticism but won't tell us why. It's hard to improve just by "False!"
I love how much data you put in your tests! It might not be obvious, but I'm certain your tests will save lives. It only takes one person purchasing a better set of tires to prevent an accident. Thanks for the thorough testing!
I've had some comments from people who have narrowly avoided crashes on good tires, as long as it's helping people I'm happy
+1 , People buying rubbish tyres to save 40-80 £/$ on a set is a pet peeve of mine.
@@tyrereviews Tank you sir for providing with such detailed info (is not easy job you did work a lot obviously to gather all this precious info ) and
keep doing this great work helping out most people to understand better to get what they suit better they 'r needs ..
I've always believed auto insurance companies should give discounts to people who run snow tires in places that have to drive on snow and ice, if they collected the data I am confident it would show car accidents are lower among those driving with snow tires.
i had an emergency braking scenario in the summer and my michelin ps4s stopped me within feet of a crossing car. this channel was the main reason i had opted for those tires. thankyou!
I’m in BC, Canada and I went with Michelin X-ice Snow as we have cold wet conditions most of the time but I live high enough on the mountain to get a snow. Plus trips to the ski mountains and tournaments around the province, the tire was a great choice. I watch you videos before every tire purchase and I appreciate the safety and confidence I get reviewing your data and experience for my family driving needs. Thank you.
Glad you made a good pick, get a review on the site if you have some free time 😁
I usually stay with Nokia as they literally saved my life almost there decades ago. My friend swears by WS-80, Toyo GS-i 5, now replaced by newer model, and a few others typical Nordic tires.
On a scale of 1-10 how good are they??
I am in Alberta, Canada, still using Nokian studded Haka 7 on SUV from 2012, and 10 years later and more than 50k winter milage, still stopping and handling great in snow and ice.
I've got Michelin's as well here in southern Manitoba, where it goes to -30c regularly. They're mounted on my Ford sedan with AWD. They are incredible on glare ice and snow. Absolute mountain goat! I couldn't imagine driving in a Canadian winter without them.
Colorado here, I have the Michelin X-ice snows and the Continental Viking Contact 7s on our two cars. I have had them for one year and had them installed 2 weeks ago for the winter. Some thoughts after putting them on: The Michelins drive so nice no matter the conditions, they have almost no effect on fuel economy, but they are much noisier. I immediately noticed how loud they are after putting them on this year. The Continentals are much quieter and grippier, but when they go, they go. 😂 I decided not to get the Nokians because we have lots of dry days in Colorado and they spray lots of chemicals on the roads making them wet when it snows, but not enough to cause hydro planning. Ultimately, I have the Michelins on my wife’s small hatchback that mostly stays in the city and they have enabled her to get home when trucks with A/T tires were sliding off the road. I have the Continentals on my Subaru Outback and we take it to the family cabin all winter, which includes 7 miles of unpaved, snow packed roads. The Continentals have been an absolute life-safer, getting us out of the cabin with up to 10 inches on the road, while other trucks and Subarus were getting stuck or sliding off the road, the Continentals just kept gripping. What’s more is that they are so good in the other weather we have in Colorado the rest of the winter. Like you said, all three are excellent and it really depends on your use case. For the Rockies, the Continentals are king, the Michelins are good, but not quite up to the mountain weather here and the Nokians are too focused on extreme winter weather to be good the other 80% of the time here.
super useful too me on the Vikings, thanks
How bad are we talking when the Contis "go"...😅😅😅
@@ImranShamsul They go without warning. You go from grip to a slide in a second, but it has only happened to me on roads where the snow has turned to ice and there is no warning. Other tires will also struggle on ice, but they might communicate that to you better. That being said, I just steer into it and on my Subaru I have learned that if you hit the brakes a little it immediately regains traction and straightens out, but that’s on an AWD vehicle, which only Audi, Porsche and Subaru offer. Other systems that are FWD or RWD based will behave differently. That being said, the Vikings have so much more grip than the other winter tires I have driven that it usually isn’t an issue. The Vikings have caught me off guard twice on ice in two winter seasons and each time I was able to quickly regain control.
Thanks for your detailed comparison. I’ve been hesitating between the Continental Viking Contact 7 and Michelin X-Ice Snow since last year. I live in Montreal, Canada where we get a lot of snow, but roads are usually quickly plowed and salted, so it’s mostly either very cold and dry or warmer and slushy wet before it gets colder and icy. My driving is a mix of city streets and highways. I’m leaning towards the Contis, I have the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus as summer tires on my FWD Saab 9-5, so why not stay with Continental. My current winters are old X-Ice (not snow), the tread is still good, but they’re too old and need to be replaced. They’ve been fine, but I want something better, comfy and quiet enough for a winter tire. Also my car is a manual, I feel it’s easier to correct when it’s breaking traction than an automatic thanks to instant engine brake when you let go of the gas pedal.
@@giorgio.I went from the old fashioned zigzag winter tires when young to consistently buying Bridgestone Blizzak in sets of 4 in each vehicle I've owned. They're quiet but a bit soft if you carry weight the vehicle will feel just a wee bit mushy.
Excellent grip on hard packed snow and in freezing rain which is a regular thing in Ontario.
The SUV I have now I can't buy Blizzak so my mechanic suggested Continental or X Ice.
I made a huge mistake years ago buying new Michelin (their signature anti hydroplane tires) thinking they would be fine in winter.
They were great in summer but slide like crazy in winter.
The best all season tire I've ever seen like ever in my life was the Goodyear S4S. 110,000km lifespan and good tread Next to that the Uniroyal Tigerpaw which gripped fine in any weather right until the end of treads. Both were Canadian and no longer available.
Thank you for including tires available in North America! You keep saying that people don't want long videos! Who are these people! Release the 45 minute directors cut!
I just purchased a set of X-Ice Snow on sale over Labor Day, so this makes me extremely happy with that choice. I'm out in Eastern Canada and it sounds like this will be a huge upgrade over the old Uniroyal winter tires I'm replacing. Wasn't happy with those last winter and with a second kid on the way, I'm trying to do my best to keep the family safe out there on the roads. Appreciate you taking the time to be so thorough in your testing!
I am sure you will like it.
I just endured my first snow storm after installing continental vikingcontact 7’s and I am blown away. I’ve never had snow tires before and I moved to a region that is more or less freezing for 4 months out of the year wirh roads that don’t get plowed much. I don’t know how I ever lived without snow tires.
These reviews helped me select my preferred winter tire, I purchased the continental VikingContact 7 two years ago. I love them! I will never go back to all seasons in the winter.
Thanks for the videos!
Glad you like them!
As a Californian who has literally driven in zero snow, we moved up to Oregon. For winter I bought Viking 7s and my son has CrossClimate2s, both on FWD Toyota Camrys.
We drove in some pretty heavy snow (for us) driving through peaks and valleys for about 3hrs straight. There were many cars and SUVs stranded at the sides of the road during our trip.
My son and I are novice snow drivers. We high-fived thankful we made it home in a very uneventful manner without incident. I can't say enough about investing in 3peak winter tires, they'll get you home and may even save your life.
CrossClimate is not a dedicated snow tyre,it's considered all-seasons in Europe. Conti V7 is heavy winter "nordic tyre" for very low temperatures,two classes above all-seasons for winter,and is for winters only. The fact that you could do the trip without any problems on the CrossClimates on the Camry shows you that you overshot the target by a long margin in buying the C. V7.That's a tyre for Eskimos not Oregonians,and it's dangerous on wet and dry roads compared to the "normal" winter tyre or good "all weather tyre" as you call them.
Thank you for adapting to the snow. We have a lot of Californians moving to Colorado, and they often have problems in the snow.
They're two great tire choices DC. John, I'm in Salt Lake and have the same problem. Also the same problem with the locals.
@@ms-jl6dl Thanks for the info, I do have the Viking 7s on a set of steel rims and Yokohama UHP A/S on my factory set daily drivers. As an old guy from CA, I need all the help I can get when anticipating to drive in the snow or icy conditions. The CrossClimate2s are my son's daily drivers on his factory rims.
@@ms-jl6dl I agree. I live on a very steep eleven percent hill in The Gorge, Oregon above the snow & ice altitude. Yes, my summer tire CrossClimate 2 is not great for packed snow or clear ice but still rates just behind the top ten true winter tires in fresh snow. On packed snow they at first seem ok, but are deceptively sketchy on packed snow. The hydroplane resistance is excellent as is the older Nokian Haaka's.
I run Nokian studless now after learning that the Haaka 8 & newer began to have too much metal to make them as agile for dry/wet pavement. The Haaka 7's were a huge disappointment especially in slush & aquaplaning.
I am living in Alberta Canada in the rockies and just had the Nokians R5 mounted under my SUV. They are absolutely amazing to drive with. The car feels like a tank in the snow, so much grip.
Посмотришь на Nokian через 2️⃣ или 3️⃣ сезона. Дальше -хуже. Nokian supper резина в первый год эксплуатации, потом она дубеет( твердеет -сохнет) и трескается. В отличии от Michelin. Я на Nokian and Nordman ездил в северной части России в Мурманске и всей области, на шипах. Супер! Но потом она высохла и потрескалась. В Германии я катаюсь на Michelin alpin 5. А на задней оси Continental wintercontakt ts860 ( которые тоже начинает трескаться) в отличии от michelin.
@@alexeirotari3761My mechanic says UV exposure ruins the rubber.
Depending on the chemistry used it's faster on the more Euro design I suspect the plasticizers migrate out faster resulting in tread separation.
The winter tires of 1963 in Canada took a decade to go this way but the people used to call them hockey pucks (hard rubber).
Went to northern Finland in February, with temps ranging from -5c to -29c. Our rental car (Merc A-class FWD) had a new set of Hakkapellitta 10s fitted. It was only my 2nd time driving in snow, but the Nokkians quickly helped me feel confident. In northern Finland roads are only plowed, not treated, it was so nice being able to drive 8 hours without having to wipe the windscreen once due to salty muck like you get in other places.
It also made me realise how incredibly varied winter conditions can be, with seemingly an endless amount of variation in traction conditions. Generally, the road was covered in a thin packed snow layer, with tyre tracks exposing the asphalt on the driving line; these tracks seemed to have a thin layer of icy frost. The Nokkians were very impressive; I'm not sure if the studs helped with traction much, but braking action was generally excellent. Same in hardpack snow, I was shocked that I could drive at (almost) normal speeds down a country lane with little kick-in of the ABS/TCS/ESC. When a couple cm of fresh powder fell over the hardpack, it did become much slippier, presumably as the treads no longer penetrated the hardpack. I almost put the car into a snowbank on a tight corner before I'd got used to the different traction levels. All the same, very impressive, and the car still felt safe and predictable providing speed was dropped and you slowed enough for the corners.
In fact, I even did what is generally advised against: driving down an unplowed country road after 3-5cm of powder had fallen over the hardpack. I couldn't resist trying, as the road cut 30+ mins off the journey. After the first km, I kept going, as I was confident with the traction levels, and it did indeed give us a good time saving over the main highway. Seeing the snow cloud behind me in the rear-view was quite satisfying...
Only thing that surprised me was that sometimes on the main road, where the asphalt was visible but frosty, the tyres would really spin up easily when accelerating away from a junction... I kind of expected them to grip better in this scenario, but I guess it was icier than it looked. Again, thankfully braking on the same surfaces was more assured.
Overall, a really interesting experience, and fun to see what the best winter tyres out there can and can't do in the harshest winter conditions...
As a fun aside, I also cycled 40km on the snowy (but plowed) cycle paths of Oulu in -25c. Even the bike tyres are studded, and they were also really impressive, giving much better grip than walking, even vs wearing snow boots.
Hey, I happen to be from Oulu, glad you were able to visit Finland during winter!
I have an AWD car with the VikingContact 7 tires as my winter option. It’s a very good tire and I don’t feel like ever going back to studded tires.
@@mikidof Thanks!
Yeah, I saw quite a few cars with the Viking Contacts also, they look like great tyres. Do they grip better than studded on bare asphalt/frosty asphalt?
hi David, you spun the tyres on the 'visible asphalt' because it was very hard ice, hence many people run studded tyres. If you watched the locals, when coming up to a junction or a corner, you might have seen that they might change the line a bit to run on the more snowy parts of the road, to 'load up' the tyres with snow and give them better grip when slowing down, cornering or setting off. PS I spend a lot of time in Lapland.
@@timwilliams2343 Interesting and useful to know, thanks! I did wonder if it was a layer of ice, but wasn't sure. That would also make sense as to why the studs didn't help that much with acceleration grip (becoming unloaded with FWD), but seemed to help more with braking (extra pressure). I'll try your tip regarding the line next time I'm there!
WOW!! Finally an unbiased sponsored review did for Extreme winter tire!!! Especially usefull for north american market! It only miss the Brigestone WS-90 to have THE perfect test!!
It's a real delight to see somebody else say; "Your best winter tires depend on your location!". Your CE winter tires REALLY give the comparaison!!
Glad it was helpful!
@@tyrereviews You confirm my choice on my next set of Michelin over my 2 yrs old cracked Hakka 9. Your the only one to really take seriously rolling resistance in the test. So thanks for my Tesla!
P.s; You have got an e-mail!
GREAT REVIEW! As a Nokian tire dealer since 1980 and selling winter tires since 1973 I can appreciate the time and effort it took to do this review. Very educational as most people (including most tire stores) do no take regional needs in consideration when choosing or recommending tires, or reading test and reviews. Bravo! I will be recommending this to our customers.
The best winter tire review! I am so happy to see an independent testing, especially for the Nokian R5 as it was not tested yet. I wanted to buy this tire but my concern was how good it would be in snow. I am glad to know the good result. I have a feeling that this tire will not be the best in slush, deep snow and aquaplaning so it is good to be aware of that when driving.
i drove it a few weeks ago under a E-tron Gt and it was good in so many ways.
He missed the Bridgestone Blizzak as well one of the top winter tires..
the nokian tires are developed in finland, where there rarely is that much water on the roads during winter tire season, thus aquaplaning is not the number one concern for them when developing the tire. And honestly no tire performs very well in slush, since it stays under your tire like snow, but behaves like water otherwise, making it really slippery no matter the tire.
I live in northen Scandinavia and I will never choose anything else then Nokian or Continental winter tires, maybe just Nokian with studs, I had the hakkapelita 8(studded) on my Saab 9-3, such amazing tires, I guess hakka10 is just as good or better.
Nice catch on the poor aquaplaning resistance of Nokians. I've been driving R3's for the past three years and twice I almost went off the road or into the oncoming lane going through deep water. Never experienced anything like it. Otherwise they were great and I just bought a new set of R5's this afternoon. Thanks to your test I know I'll still have to slow down during sudden torrential rain.
Watched your reviews a year ago, selected the Michelin Xice snow, great results. Ram promaster city work van, FWD. I was able to navigate steep hills up and down, stop predictably, and get going up hill from a stop. They build confidence in exteme conditions and helped us stay working during inclement weather. Worth the price, hoping to get 4+ seasons out of them. Thank you, Tyler from Seattle,WA USA
Glad you're enjoying htem, get a review on the site sometime :)
I went with the Michelin X-Ice Snow (I'm in Sweden). Very happy with the grip in snow, grip on ice, grip in the wet, quietness, and how comfortable the ride is.
Hello from Used To Be The Wet Coast of western BC, Canada. Way too dry for the huge trees now.
So we find the old wet road tire prioritizing gone. Now we need "damp road", dry, cold and snow grip, good ride on cheaply made highways, and quite a dollop of performance. With all those considerations in mind, we soon tossed the nasty OE tires on our family Mini Countryman JCW awd, manual, no cursed sunroof. Yes, it feels like a family rally car.
This car is going on snowy ski trips and tearing up twisty roads all the time. The winner thusly was, Nokian All Weather in the stock 225/50 x 18 V rating. As long as pressures are fussed over, they are nearly perfect. Steering, braking, acceleration is ample on all surfaces. The nearly is because at over .7 Gs in mid corner, they start to slide a bit. The slip and re grip is very progressive, so the Mini JCW can happily do it's thing. The specified pressures are 36 to 41 psi on our Mini, depending on average speeds. I leave it at 40 for fast trips and 38 for a mix.
I know the real winter tires are a bit better in real winters. These All Weathers claw up snowy hills I cant walk up. Will we buy them again? It is on set #2.
I've been a fan of the x-ice tires since gen 1(which I really loved), gen 2( snow trackion dropped and ice was improved), gen 3(had a more rounded feel) & the snow's which improved all around tracking last year when I got them installed and wow I'm impressed. Being in Alaska selection is limited and costco is my go to so Michelin's are my go to.
X-ice 3 with studs are no good against others
Also X Ice Snow SUV is the same tires for SUVs with more reinforcement.
What?@@yamahass66
Another great video thank you, I recently damaged one of my very well worn Hak R2's and had to make a quick decision on the replacing the entire set. I watched the snow handling section of the video without watching the end, chose the R5. Today, three days later I had enough time to watch the full video was delighted to see you final recommendations, making me feel very comfortable with my choice of the R5.
Location: Calgary, in Canada, these are dedicated winter only tyres. Snow and ice performance are my most important selection criteria. It rains very little here, but it snows pretty good, and if the snow hangs around, it evolves into polished packed snow, very much like ice. The Hak R2's were brilliant for these conditions, looking forward to seeing how good the R5's are 🙂
I've just bought a set of Nokian R5 based on this test. I travel between the Alps and Norway a lot, and a CE just doesn't work for the winter in Norway. I'm OK with losing wet weather performance, I can just slow down when it rains.
I really appreciate the added context of specific temps and conditions here.
Nokian Tyres quality control worker here!
Brilliant testing glad you liked hakkapeliitta 10 :) very interesting data
edit: And the R5 of course :D
Thank you for your extraordinarily work. I have a 2022 Prius Prime. Based on your work we had to settle on Micheline's X ICE 4 TIRES. We wanted the Hapakalita 10's but they were not going to be available any time soon. I did sport the Nokian Hapakalita 7's (studded) on our Honda CRV and they were fantastic. Sadly the CRV has moved on. Thank you again for your thorough and outstanding presentation.
Where in the world are you?
@@tyrereviews I live in northern Ontario Canada
@@danielmorin4366 if you can find the Hakkapelliitta 10 I really recommend them.
I bought Hakkapeliitta 10's last winter and holy heck are they just damn fine. We get a lot of snow and ice during the winter and late winter, when things start to melt (and freeze again) all the roads are covered in mirror ice, but those Hakkapeliitta's just work like no other. I've driven on icy conditions for few decades (and been passenger a bit longer, as a child 😅) and I gotta say, if you want something that works amazingly on ice and snow, Hakkapeliitta 10 is the one.
username checks out
@@markzenhorst5259 Well obviously 😂
I grew up in a small town in BC Canada on the deadliest section of the trans canada highway and our family always used Blizzaks for the last 15+ years but a couple years ago my mom switched to the hakkapeliitta's and she likes them so far. Blizzaks are in low stock right now so trying to track some down has been hard, don't know if they make the hakkapeliitta's in my small tire size for my corolla though I'll have to check.
@@IhaveaDoghouse They do make them in smaller size, but of course not all might be available everywhere. Hope they are, they're good tires 👍
Question: what vehicle do you drive? And are your Hak 10's studded? Thanks!
Just completed 5 years with Michelin X-ice versions this past winter here in northeastern Canada. So impressed that I have ordered a new set of 4, Michelin X-ice snow for winter 2023. This video only reinforces that I made the right choice.
I have always found that stud less tires can be very good on frosty rough ice but when the sun shine or temperature starts melting the ice surface ( wet ice) studs are far superior as your testing showed. Good test!
studded or non studded you're going to get better grip on colder ice... studs work better on colder ice. no they are not more effective on softer ice, you need the hard ice or the studs will drag through it easily.
One of the only Winter Tire comparisons videos this year. Michelin Xice Snow is my pick based on tire wear long term
Nice video! I personally use Nokian on both vehicles and love them. Studded Nokian Haks are incredible. I love in northern BC Canada and commute 150 km's round trip to work and feel comfortable with the Nokians.
I can comment on the Michelan which I bought for my wife’s 2019 Buick Encore. The vehicle itself promotes decent winter performance because it is All wheel drive and it has low hp and torque. The All Seasons it came with are Continentals but they also show why the Michelans are so good in my opinion. The street we live on is concrete with expansion joints every 5 or so meters. This produces a “ thump thump, thump thump” as you drive down the street. The X- Ice Snow is quieter than the All season Contis, gets similar if not better fuel consumption, handles well and are great for not hydroplaning ( we get lots of rain and slush in the winter ). They get through thick wet snow up to 10-15 cms deep and on Black Ice they grip well allowing a driver who drives with winter care to out do even studded tires which have nothing to bite into. This car is realitively lightweight so thick snow or slush do have an impact on steering and handling but. I’ve never in over 45 years of driving had as much faith in my winter tires.
I have the continental viking contact 7's on my BMW i4 M50, and I could agree more with your comments about the tire. It is very very good, quiet and comfortable, and provides ton of grip in snow and ice, BUT the levels of grip is quite snappy, so i.e in snow if you want to drift, you get a false sense of grip because in one moment you have all the grip in the world and then suddenly you have no grip at all. It makes you super excited and scared at same time
Again, watching reviews of tyres that I would never use in my home country just because this channel know that tyres don't have to just be round and black. Love the content!
Wow what beautiful places you’ve tested! You must have very good eyesight because seeing the track in the snow was hard! 😍😍😍 Tire technology is getting so impressive!
Thanks for the great video. It inspired my to buy a set of Michelin X-Ice for my mother's Corolla as a Christmas gift.
Great review as always from you. I do wish Blizzacks were in on the test as I was narrowing my purchase down to Blizzacks, Michelin, and Nokian.
My last purchase went from Hakka 9 studded to Blizzacks, and am quite happy with the compromise change. I tried Michelin studded and they were so bad on the dry, I returned them.
Dont let those blizzacks touch asphalt. They disintegrate
@@carlosoruna7174I bought Blizzak sets for each vehicle I've owned since 2000.
My last vehicle (light truck/van RWD) I was at 6 years if not 7 and had no issues.
It's when the temperature is above (I forgot what exactly) and DRY pavement they do wear down faster.
I was fast at switching off once the snow stopped in March/April but the last year I was experiencing increased problems with the vehicle and left the Blizzaks on in the warm weather. Then I noticed them going fast.
I now have an SUV and Bridgestone doesn't make the size it takes so am looking for a similar quality winter tires. Probably get the Michelin or Continental as they have the size it takes.
The best tyre comparison channel bar none. Appreciate your time, effort and information in all your uploads
This is the video I'm waiting for! From Canada!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Testing tyres in Nordic winter conditions is palpably problematic, due to the changing weather conditions, such varied conditions they need to be tested in, and time constraints. I think you did a very thorough job. When I lived in central Sweden, I only drove with studded tyres during winter and parts of late fall and early spring. I think driving on ice regardless of the tyre type is always a delicate affair.
I have the Michelin X ice snow now and love them. Smooth, quiet, comfortable and probably do a bit better fuel economy than my all seasons. I had a previous generation Nokian and they were very similar with quiet, comfort and fuel economy. Both great on hard pack snow, but where the Nokian falls short is in slushy conditions, which we have lots of here in Nova Scotia. Otherwise it would be a toss up which one I'd buy again.
Your reviews alone makes me decide on my tires every 2 ish years. Keep them coming!
Here in Canada I have used michelin x-ice and it's an excellent tire. Another one that's really good at the top of performace is the Bridgestone w90 but not tested here
The Continental VikingContact 7s are a newcomers, but are absolutely great. They compare to the best, can be found for a comparatively good price and are among the quietest winter tires!
The ws 90 is way better than ANYTHING tested here..........Am 80 and have wasted My time trying others.......Paul
Great testing .. I own a 2021 veloster n dct with Continental Viking 7 , best tire for Northen New York weather , ice ,snow and slush .
Was hoping to see the goodyear ultragrip ice 2s and hankook's nordic winter tires, but seeing these compared to the continental Central-EU-winter tires was really interesting and insightful! Hopefully you can get them for next year. I chose the ultragrip Ice 2 for their apparent wet advantage over most other nordic winter tires while still doing well on ice, seeing as here in west-Norway we have rain for 70% of the winter, but we still get ice here and there.
My reasoning also behind Goodyear Ultragrip Ice 2. One of the best if not best nordic friction tyres on wet and dry.
Save your money and get the Viking Contact 7’s if you are on a budget and the Nokians/Michelins if you want the best
@@uonadtehrrocks problem with that is that the vikingcontacts are more expensive than the ultragrip. And also I almost couldn't care less about price, I just want the best tire for our winter conditions
@@VinnesRC Continentals are good on ice and snow, but less so on wet and dry. Both top tier tyres, just pick your poison.
@@TomMurto exactly, it just depends on your local conditions. For me in the south half of Norway, the ultragrips are the obvious choice, but if I lived in the northern half, I would get the vikingcontacts or hakkapelitta r5s if not studded tires. I hit ice today while driving through a corner, and even with abit of understeer the ultragrip handled the situation well. And I am talking the kind of ice that you could easily fall over on if you were to walk on it, tire technology really is amazing.
Great review, thank you. I am glad I have a set of Nokian as our winter tyres and will be using them again when I have to replace ours.
I went through two extreme winter seasons so far here in Canada with Continental Viking 7's on my Subaru Crosstrek and they are really amazing! I will try Nokians next when they'll be worn out.
I had two years ago hakapelita 9 studed and last year hakapelita 10.h9 were much better than h10.But H9 are not available any more in Kal tire.I am from Alberta, Edmonton
I was also looking at the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 for my 2023 Crosstrek Outdoor but not available in 225/60 R17 so I will be going with Continental Viking 7s. Glad to hear you like them on your Crosstrek.
@@markbutchjarbo7583 I found some online sites offering the Hakka 10 SUV studded in your exact tire size as well as the R5 however everything is back order. You'll definitely like the Vikings as an alternative. I also have an Outdoor :) I run 16 inches for the added sidewall in winter - 225/65R16.
@@CoolPilot Thanks Eric, not interested in studded and would like to get something soon. Ordered Vikings in OEM size to avoid any problems with dealer. My salesman would not even give me a quote so I checked with parts dept. and same price as every other seller in area.
@@miroslavvarga3707 Hakkapelitta 10 is better in everything according to every test.
I live in the Pacific Northwest. Our snow is heavy and wet, much of the winter our lower elevation roads are soaked with rain, which high up is heavy snow (there's a reason our mountains have glaciers on them!), but during cold snaps we get ice at elevation and high passes, ski areas; frosty, chunky ice, not sheet ice like Minnesota. Your test showed me the Michelin X-Ice Snow is the tire for where I live.
I would appreciate your opinion on the Bridgestone BLIZZAK DM-V2 winter tire.
I would also like to see a follow-up review of the best winter tires in years 2 and 3, to see how much their performance degrades with mileage. I realize that a comparison to new might be difficult for various reasons (e.g., driving style, road conditions, type of vehicle and condition, varying mileages and wear, etc.), but if anyone can come up with something useful...it's you guys!
Thanks, and all the best!
When I had to drive much much more for work, I typically used Continental snow tires. Now with a 20mile commute, run mid tier stuff, currently Sumitomo snow tires. They are very good for the price.
As someone who lives in western Canada and experiences a ton of snow and ice, I really appreciate your thorough testing!
I've used the Michelin X-Ice3 (predecessor to X-Ice Snow), Continental VikingContact 7, Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 and WS90 and your data closely matches my subjective impressions of these tires. The Conti VikingContact 7 is unbelievably capable, especially on rough ice and in deep snow, but very "pointy" and it lacks directional stability compared to the Blizzaks or Michelins. The Michelins are probably the best overall when you factor in how easy they are to drive, but they come at a significant premium to the Vikings. The Blizzaks are very capable but have had their crown stolen by Continental and Michelin, they're also the worst in the dry.
I think the Blizzaks would be a great addition to your next Nordic tire test, as they're the OEM winter tire on a handful of vehicles in Canada.
You may be interested in reading tests from the site: "Saskatchewan Studded Tire Club" as they're probably the best "deep snow" tire testers in Canada.
Cheers mate!
Posted in a separate comment, but I really want to see how the Blizzak's and the Alpin's fair against the X-ICE in all conditions. As a coastal Western Canadian, we can definitely achieve a mix of all conditions, especially if we decide to head into the mountains.
I live in Saskatchewan, so we have that in common. I was about to buy the X-ice snow, but been hearing a lot of buzz about the Hakka R5. Thoughts? Which of these 2 would u buy today? (price about the same) Had Blizzak WS80 before, but they are useless after 3 seasons, so not going back to Blizzaks
@@AwSomeNESSS blizzak ws90 will get used faster than Michelin x ice snow and will not be as good on ice. For the price I recommend the Michelin.
@@paullindo6191 Nokian R5 should be the best, but according to the pattern and look of it, me it it will probably not be the best in deep snow and slush but anything else should be great.
My experience with X Ice 2 and 3s in Alberta is that while superb on ice, and great on cold dry roads in certain kinds of slushy wet snow conditions they are awful. Perhaps the new snow version doesn't have this problem. Should also mention XIce are super quiet and ride really well. Better than most oem all seasons. And they last a long time.
Thanks for another great informative and entertaining review 👍 2 years ago we moved to Nova Scotia Canada and got a new Subaru Crosstrek. I bought some Continental VikingContact7s on the strength of your review at the time. The area around Halifax is renowned for black ice - so that was my major concern. My wife mostly drives the car for work and with 2 winter seasons of about 20,000 km total (gentle driving) she has put practically zero wear on these tires!!!! 🤣 It was particularly fortunate as we had a sidewall damage incident requiring the tire to be replaced 😱 but with no appreciable wear on the tread we were able to get away with just replacing the damaged one instead of a full set - Praise the Lord 🙏
3rd winter with the Vikingcontact 7, still very satisfied with them. What I have been the most impressed about is how well they performs through slush. Those bad boys goes through big puddles of slush as if they weren''t even there, where many other tires quickly lose traction. Impressive. I have found that when the tire lose grip, it tends to quickly gain it back, basically just giving you a warning to maybe slow down a little(yeah I'm kind of an heavy foot driver...). I do feel very safe with them. By the way, I had Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 before the Continental's, so it's not like I was coming from crappy tires. The Vikingcontact 7 were significantly cheaper than the hakkapeliitta 9 (the 10 weren't out at the time).
Thanks for clarifying the comment about losing grip. Do you find your traction control is able to regain traction for you? I'm looking to buy a set for my wife's car and don't want her to lose confidence. Also, how do you find your fuel economy?
@@bssw218 I found they perform better with traction control off. Can be related to the traction control of the car itself, I drive a 2009 Mazda 6
I live in south west Sweden where we get a mix of a couple of days of snow, black ice on mornings and evenings, half of the winter it’s raining or we get sunny snow free days with dry tarmac and I do travel a lot south to Germany/Poland. I got a really good price for the Pirelli Ice Zero FR and after watching this review I feel confident that it’s a fairly good tire. It’s like you said - a really good all round tire.
As I wrote before, this is the best TH-cam channel
i just bought a bmw M3 x drive competiton & i live in boston / Rhode island. I only watch to see where the Michelin winter tires Rank in or your tests. they seem to come in on the top 3 or in 1st place in every internet test ive seen. Great channel! You are my go to for tire reviews from now on! very informative. Great job man keep it up.
You bought a M3 competition and you think Michelin x-ice extreme ("nordic") winter tires are the right ones for your car? I've never heard of any Europeans including Fins ever putting those on M3's or any performance car. We here use "CE winter tires" like Continental TS 870, Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, Bridgestone LM 005,Pirelli Sottozero... Those are significantly (dramaticaly) better in wet or dry but still pretty good on snow. Watch the test again and pay attention to the "reference tire" ( Continental TS 870) results and comments. If you're not driving in snow and ice for 4 months straight like Inuits or penguins x-ice are not for you.
Thank you Mr. Benson for this test and review. Your hard work is much appreciated. Its amazing how the competition have caught up to Nokian over the years. Your information is invaluable. Cheers.
Thank you very much!
I've got Michelin X-Ice tires on my wife's Prius and I've had them on other cars and loved them. I have the Blizzak on my RAV4 but I went with a high performance winter tire on my new GR Corolla. I looked at the Michelin Alpin 5 but went with the Vredestein Wintrac Pro as Tire Rack loved them both. So far I'm loving them. They've been excellent on ice and snow and much better than other winter tires on dry and wet roads.
I've used both the X-ice and the Blizzaks (and also all-weather Continentals. All weathers are better than all-season but not quite as good as a pure winter tire). Both are great with the X-ice a slight advantage on ice and Blizzaks better on snow surfaces. It just depends on what the predominate road environment that you drive on for the best overall selection. My locale in Canada is extreme cold and relatively low amounts of snow. The differences being relatively small for either so the final decision is based on price.
By far the biggest difference between any of these highly rated tires is the driver's skill and patience operating the vehicle. You are best off to take winter driving training rather than worry about which of these tires is the best. Even the best tires can't correct driver stupidity and lack of skill.
Interesting I came away with the opposite impression (also in Canada, AB specifically) the X-ICE gen 1 or 2 were fine initially but after about two seasons their performance was awful.
Meanwhile the Blizzaks WS-70s maintained their performance for 5-6 seasons.
Current work car has the newest gen X-ICE about 2 seasons old and still seems lacking (although not as bad as previous generations). The Blizzaks WS-90 are just as good as the day they were mounted.
@@BigHeadClan I've got Viking Contact 7 averaging about 6/32 of tread left. I've driven in light snow and slushy roads and so far not seeing a significant drop in performance. Deep snow might (and probably will be) a different story. Still much better than the 4/32 Yokohama all seasons I switched off from.
Why were Bidgestone Blizzaks not included?
@@jamesrobertson7740 I would love to know this too!
I live in Florida and I was excited to see this video pop up in my feed! LOL! Thanks for the great videos!
I was hoping to see a Bridgestone offering in this test, as my old winter tyres are almost ready to be replaced and I've been happy with them. However, it would have been nice to see if I should just buy another set of them or go for any of the top three.
WS90 is meant to be very good!
I replaced a set of VikingContact 7s with WS90s and the Bridgestones seem to be slightly better in deep snow and slick ice. I do find the Bridgstones rougher riding, louder and quicker wearing though.
@@0HOON0 thanks for the input. I have already submitted my review of WS90 on TireReviews and to be honest I have been pretty happy with WS90. But it's always good to see how other offerings compare, specially since when I was buying them I couldn't find any reviews on them or the Pirelli that is included in this test.
The Blizzak WS-tires' Multicell tread compound comprises the top more than one-half of the tire tread of the tires' tread depth (55% actually). A standard winter tread composite comprises the remaining 45 percent of the tire. When the tire wears down to about 50% Blizzak are no longer having that 55% of snow safety tread meet the road.
Experienced users of Blizzak state that the tires are at their best for snow or winter driving when they have the above percentages operative. Typically that equals about 12,000-15,000 miles before the critical Multicell tread compound wears out. But, that's the best and safest drive you can get and that really "safe time" lasts approximately 3 to 4 winter driving seasons.
Please do not reinstall once that 55% of tire tread has worn off. Pay attention to the tread depth indicators before the start of the winter season.
@@michaelthomas2803 thank you for this information.
Would be nice to see some middle class segment tyre tests in the future. I personally run studless w429 hankooks for 2 seasons already- 18k km total distance on my 2007 xc70 cross country. Fantastic tyre in snow and slush. Capable on ice- car is still drivable and responds to steering inputs. After 30 months still has not lost elasticity. At -30 deg. C. was still soft and sipes working properly. The most surprising aspect of the tyre is treadwear- new is 10.5mm now i am at 8mm. Yes it is slow in dry- you do feel those chunky tread blocks move, quite noisy, fuel consumption is +1 l/100km. But every tyre is a compromise. Safety in extremes was priority for me and i am ready to loose some comfort and steering feel. Choose tyres according to your needs and stay safe. Thank you for your work!
Would you consider something like a Tire Rack "performance winter" tire to be roughly equivalent to a Central European winter tire?
In other words, where would a Pilot Alpin 4 or 5 fall in this group compared to the Xice Snow / Nokian / Continental?
I live in a city that can see a foot of snow over 10-12 hours, and plows can't keep up... but then we could go a week or two in just cold and clean road conditions. I had Xice 3 on the car (BMW M2) for the past 5 years, but I'm now trying to decide if Pilot Alpin make more sense since the Xi3 are basically shot.
Great video. I got 325k + miles on my Outback in Minnesota, USA. First set of winter tires were General Altimax Arctic 8's. Those things lasted a long time. Then got Bridgestone Blizzaks, only lasted me 2 winters before tread was right at 4mm. I just picked up some Michelin X-Ice's now. Came across your video, seems like I made a good choice!
I would be interested to see how budget studded tyres compare against friction tyres. Are they always better on ice? And what about after they have worn down a bit and lost some studs?
If you go with Nokian their studs are great and very hard to loose. Just drive smoothly for the first 500km so the stud will set in the tire properly. Hakkapelliitta 10 is the best tire according to me and studded tires are for sure the best on ice and compact snow. If you live above Arctic circle you can buy studdless tires as it is cold enough for the ice not to have any slippery water on it surface.
@@firstandlastname2390 thanks for the tips. Cheers.
Good friction tyres are better than budget studded tyres, however budget studded tyres are better than budget friction tyres on ice.
Always look at your channel when someone asks me which tire to choose 😉
I have now the Continental WinterContact TS830P as a all winter tire on my M2. Love this one.
Perfect on dry, wet, snow and feels sporty (life in Belgium and go skiing 3x a year in the dolomites, always without chains)
The biggest problem on the M2 (LCI) is the lack of weight on the back. For the rest... Fun fun fun.
When I have to change the tires, I will go for the ts870.
Thank for all the info always.
Great content as always. Really enjoy your videos and your insights. You do great work and you no doubt help save countless lives with your recommendations regarding safety and common sense of driving.
I live in a Nordic country and we get stupid winters with all sorts of conditions. Really tough to actually find a right tyre for myself since we get it all. Deep snow, deep slush, ice, wet roads due to heavy salting and dry roads since sometimes theres sun... And I happen to run CE winter tires and havent died yet. The trick here is that I mostly drive on main roads and city streets and those are fairly well maintained. I put wet performance as my top priority due to salted roads and it works fine. Also, common sense and defensive driving is the key here since even the best tire wont save you if you do stupid stuff.
I thank you for your great content again and hope to see cool new tests in the future.
I must say though that CE "winter" tires in the Nordics turn absolutely lethal under some weather conditions. And as the road conditions can change quite rapidly, that can be very dangerous. You drive out in the morning, and it's ok - you return the same way in the evening and suddenly you're in trouble.
Excellent review and thank you! On my wife’s Subaru Crosstrek, our last snow tire was the studless Nokian , which we LOVED! After 5 winters on the Nokians, we just installed Michelin Ice-X Snow tires. I’m sure we’ll love these as well. They were about $250 cheaper for 4 tires.
Been running the VikingContact 7 for the past two winters on my Mazda3 and been pretty happy with them. I'm going to be going to school in a warmer climate starting the beginning of December, though, so they may not end up on my car this year.
Best test ever! I live in central Canada and Hakka 10 studded is my favourite tire. All others are like hockey pucks on ice.
Amazing video as always, the effort that goes into collecting accurate data is so much appreciated!
I am thinking about getting the Conti Viking 7 for my truck. I will be moving to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada soon.
What do you think?
Thanks for the excellent content
Great work, I really appreciate the effort you and your team put into these tests. I have just purchased Toyo Observe GSI-6 HP for my 2022 Subaru WRX. I'll be sure to review them on your website after a winter in Alberta, Canada
Thank you!
I’ve had the GSI5’s on previous vehicles. Great tires, especially in deep snow. Can only imagine the 6’s will be a bit better.
I must say that this review video is far better than our local Finnish videos. Just bought Michelin and love them already in harsh Finnish winter
Great test! Now we need the best 4x4 offroad winter tire for deep snow! Keep up the good work!
Working on it!
I came here because I thought I had decided to go with the viking7 but now I have three chance to get the R5s. My new Mercedes is arriving in hopefully 2 weeks and I wanted to get the winter tire shipping out of the way before Summer starts. I'm in Ontario, Canada and, with the exemption of this past winter, we get a lot of snow and sometimes some ice. My priority besides safety and handling is comfort / quietness. I've decided to go with the R5s. Thank you for such a detailed review. It's probably the best I've seen in years. In subscribing for sure
My Nokian R3 has also very nice handling when need to pass snow bench between lanes or road have deep ice/snow grooves in lane.
Have you done any tests to handle when chance the lane over snow bench between lanes or driving on grooved roads from ice or snow?
Good test and well done.
Sadly not, I'd love to test that but it seems impossible to do repeatably!
Got Conti TS860s on my E Class estate. Game changing tyre, drives almost as well as a summer in the dry and wet and still sold on snow.
I would love to see a comparison between normal flat tyres and runflat tyres. We all know they ride worse, but I'd love to see their other characteristics.
Just finished up another Colorado & Utah Winter with my set of X-Ice Snows. Not only are they a joy to drive in the snow, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get a 3rd or even a 4th Winter out of them.
Awesome content as always Jonathan! With the CE tires I have been happy with both Conti TS line as well as Nokian WRD4 that lacked a bit of aceleration grip but made up with braking and lateral grip and saved a couple of sketchy situations. Thanks for another great video - looking forward to a new one!
When somebody tells me TH-cam is just for vlogging and kids, I’ll show them this video to prove them wrong. Super interesting and extremely valuble. I should have watched this before I ordered winter tires with my new car. Luckily I chose well with the Continental VC7. Also, really interesting to see the difference between the nordic market tires and the Central European one, highlighting the importance of choosing a tyre after the conditions you live in.
Great in-depth comparisons! Good to know that competition is keeping the bar high for companies to bring out their best. Can't really go wrong with most of these choices. Also, Seeing how "All-Weather" tires are gaining popularity, I'm curious to know how the Michelin CrossClimate2's would compare to these dedicated winter tires.
He said in the new all-weather test that is held up to about the middle of the pack of the CE winter tyres in snow.
agree, I want to know how much worse they are on ice. i have trouble finding ice results for all seasons. i know its not as good, but i want to know how much worse they are.
Bad, in previous video about winter tires cc2 compared average, more on bad side, looking at data on tyrereview website. So against extreme winter tires cc2 will lose. CC2 on ice are close to terrible.
@@cassiohui Even the best all-season tires are terrible on ice, they can handle snow decently if they're a high-end model, but not ice
Great content. Very thorough. I've struggled with a couple reviews when your subjective ratings don't really line up with the objective data (ie. AT review). However, having all the objective data and being able to focus on the categories important to me (ie. braking) is simply invaluable to tire selection. Between you, and TireR@ck, and some vehicle specific chat forums, the process of tire selection has gotten so much easier. I got a used Jeep GC recently and the OEM AT tires (GY Wranglers) are not up to snuff (getting really sketchy in rain/hydroplaning). I've been running dedicated winter tires for about 20 years now and was looking for a set before this winter. Previous cars were a FWD Nissan Maxima and AWD Infiniti G37x. I've previously run a Continental tire back in the mid-2000s (can't remember model - like a WinterContact 810/820/830-?). Then the Blizzak WS70 (awesome snow tires, but a bit noisy and wore very unevenly). Then Michelin X-ice Xi3 (glorified AS/AW tires - quiet, comfortable, long lasting, pretty good in rain and light to medium snow (0-4"), but hot garbage on ice/packed snow). And most recently one season with the Continental WinterViking7 on the G37x. The WV7 was all the good features of the Xi3, but with actual avg+ to great winter performance. Winter tires for the Jeep in stock sizes have been difficult to find, at least from the more reputable brands (265/60r18), and at a decent price. Mainly Blizzak DMv2 and Continental WinterViking7. I was leaning toward the Blizzaks because the Jeep is heavier but those tires/technology is getting a bit outdated (ie. dual layer compounds). After seeing this video, I've decided to stick with the WV7. I don't plan to go off-road in the winter and the WV7 performance in dry and wet braking is class leading. I already have experience with them and know they can perform outstanding in the winter. I even put a pair on my mom's little hatchback and she was amazed at how easily she can get around in the winter now. Also, the WV7 are $15-20 cheaper per tire than the Blizzaks, and $50-100 cheaper than most other brands, so why mess with a good thing. They should be going on next week...
I always said Nokian tires are the best and for better price then a Michelin or Continental tire, I live in alpine region so Nokian for me
Wow, this is what I call an absolute review. I'm getting ready to purchase my first winter tires and after consulting severak experts, the continental viking 7s have been overly recommended. I must admit your review has re-echoed what I think must be the best in class.
Thank you for your unparalleled review.
Watching from South Florida who has never driven in snow.
:D I hope you've seen a few space launches though!
@@tyrereviews That I have! And they're spectacular!
thank you for all the tests you do, it certainly helps when planning a tire purchase
I understand the need to keep the numbers of tires down but I miss seeing the Blizzaks. Really informative and interesting video but for those of us in North America, where would you say is comparable to Central European winter? Lastly, I am still running Hakkapeliitta R2; it would be interesting if you get with Nokian and compare generation with older versions and see the performance improvement.
I really tried to get them across from the US but sadly it wasn't possible. The WS90 rivals the 7 main sets of tires in this test
CE winter tires are called performance winter tires in the USA. I think they are good match for sporty cars anywhere it snows and is cold as studless tires will kill much fun in dry and wet.
As noted in the test: if ice is not your major concern but dry, wet is more important then performance winter are better choice. IMHO
I have Viking contact 7s, this will be my 2nd winter with them, and I have had no problems, they are excellent.
Wish you could test North America exclusive winter tires. Toyo and Bridgestone.
I will :)
This video and detailed review is fantastic and by far one of the best winter tire reviews I have seen or read. I am currently working on a winter wheel and tire video for my EV6, so the information in this video is incredibly beneficial since I was unable to get anyone from Goodyear, Michelin, or Nokian to return my messages. I was only able to get some basic information from a Continental Tire product manager. So once again, thank you very much. I just subscribed.
I've had the Blizzak WS70 on my Acura, X-Ice3 on my Genesis, and now picked the VikingContact 7 for my BMW which arrives this week!
I've been a believer in SNOW tires since I first started driving. Have tried all season. Not impressed, think they would be ok in, maybe, northern Florida. Snow tires give a margine of safety that is priceless. We have been living here in the U.P. of Michigan for the last 40 + years. Raised in a small town in the mountains of Colorado. Love the UP for the "mild" winters (as compared to the high Rookies). Have used snow tires from (the greatest at the time) the studded walnut shell mix recaps to the Michelin ice x I'm running now. Have tried many brands over the years. Really liked the Blizzak but only got a couple of seasons out of them. Where worn to much to go another Winter. The ice X are by far the best I've had! Great on ice and snow pack. Not noisy at all. Great in deep snow ( Found the Jeep GC 2" lift) handled 22 - 24" of UP powder with ease. Over around 22" snow comes up over the hood and covers the windshield, that stops me pretty quick. Just bought a new Jeep and hit the tire shop with 178 miles on the odometer. Gott another set. The "old" 3 seasons ice x look almost new. New Jeep tire size was not compatible so had to get another set. Did not hesitate in getting another set of ice x.
so the michelin are the best for your Grand Cherokee? what was your old jeep and what is the new one? are the winters harsher in CO compared to the UP? which gets more snow consistently CO where you lived or UP? i heard everyone runs duratracs even snow rescue runs duratracs, is that true? i have michelin ltx ms2 on my 97 ZJ right now since 2016... but I want to start going to the california ski resorts again and will not go without studded tires or snow tires, so I'm trying to figure out the best tire to drive from los angeles to tahoe... prefer not to have two sets of tires and I can do my own studding if needed... what do you recommend? i'm running 235 75 15 which I thin is stock size... thanks...
Great test, impressive how far studless tyres have gotten but also how good CE winter tyres are nowadays, would've been interesting to see how something like an European all season tyre would compare just out of curiosity.
Oh funny story, I once saw a Lancia Ypsilon (a city car) in southern Italy with Nordic Yokohamas on (I think it was the iG50) in the middle of summer (almost 40°C), I was speechless.
People are lazy with all types of tyre sadly
It's insane that that is legal, even here, I live in Sweden and some people think it's a fantastic solution with Nordic Winters all year because it's legal and they don't need two sets.
The best video for winter tires up until 2024. I'm buying the Continental because they are 400 cad cheaper than the Michelin or the Nokian at the time I need to buy winter tires. Thank you!
i would actually love to see a all season tyre to show how much slower and dangerous they are. (have seen couple of brave souls giving me a brain injury, especially also by the way they drove)
U.S. "All-Season" or EU All-Season (U.S. All-Weather)?
Cross climates are called all seasons but they’re like 80% of the way the there
He did a video a few years ago "The Truth about All season, summer and winter tyres"
Take the CE winter tire reference an it will be almost the same on wet and dry. it will be far worst in snow and ice. So we can draw a beautiful red line going to left until the end on the screen to represent all-season tires! haha! (I got brain injury too when a must argue with someone telling me that winter tires are a market gammik...)
All you have to do is pull up a snow crash compilation from youtube. There you will see Americans crashing even with a slightest amount of snow. So not good.
It was interesting to see the aquaplaning results. I can confirm this being a vulnerability for Nokian. I love my Hakkapeliittas when it's super cold and dry with lots of packed crunchy snow and ice, it's very difficult to break them loose, but once you start to get to the temperature range just above freezing, I've been in some hairy situations with them.
In the American Midwest where we can't use studded tires and the weather sometimes can't decide between rain and snow, I've noticed that they do float earlier than you'd expect when driving in very slushy conditions. It suddenly seems like they have less traction than if you just had all-seasons on.
Nokian does real well with super cold temps because of the very soft rubber, but that area just above freezing seems like a bit of a weak point.
How do you think the Blizzak WS-90 or DM-V2 compare in these tests? Thanks!
DMV2 is very close to Continental V7. Tests from Sweden.
WS-90 would be similar to the Michelin but Michelin would be better overall!
I think the WS90 would be very close to the top 3
Yet another fantastic test! Thank you for your methodological approach! Educating people about tyres is what you really do best!
I think we all appreciate the hard work you put into it Jonathan! Keep it up!💪💪💪
It's such a tough call for me with a rwd vehicle. Being in western Canada, "usually" cold wet (rain) conditions, but we do get dumps of snow. I usually get the gnarly-est tires I can find living on a mountain. The Firestone winterforce 2 aren't cutting it on the rear (80%+ tread). Faaaantastic reviews, and I'll keep my eye out for some michelins. Still tough not going with an aggressive Chinese tire like a Champiro for all out "giving er'" spinning traction