Rubber. Pirelli or Goodyear? Pirelli or Michelin which is better

Tire War: Michelin or Pirelli?

2006 was remembered for all of us by the opposition of tire manufacturers in Formula 1 - Pirelli and Michelin. Almost 10 years have passed since that moment and the struggle continues again, only this time outside the tracks. Let's analyze the situation together with Dieter Renken.

After the last incident, when Sebastian Vettel accused Pirelli of low-quality tires, each manufacturer is trying to "pull the blanket over himself" and prove that he is the best and the only the right choice for Formula 1 teams.

For example, the FIA ​​changed its principles and rules for the selection of tire manufacturers after the conclusion of an agreement with Pirelli. So, the latter managed to make the next marketing move with Formula One Management - now the Pirelli logos will be present at every stage and this should lead to the fact that potential competitors will be slightly irritated.

The bidding deadline will now end 18 months before the end of the contract with the current supplier. Thereafter, motorsport executives will screen candidates against certain criteria: safety, quality, technical and sporting issues.

The list of criteria will be analyzed in detail by the FOM, and only then the FIA ​​will make a decision on the prevailing preferences. At the end of these procedures, lengthy negotiations and meetings take place, at the end of which the World Motorsport Council will decide on the conclusion of a contract with a new manufacturer.

To date, the FIA ​​has received only two applications, and it is very easy to guess from whom - from Pirelli and Michelin. Both of them have passed the first round of selection and on September 30 it will be announced who will ultimately be selected as the supplier for Formula 1.

As for tire manufacturers, their main goal is to obtain a monopoly on the supply of rubber for F1 for 2 years - from 2017 to 2019. Why exactly 2 years? In making this decision, FOM was guided by the fact that the agreements with the teams will expire in 2020.

In the current season, the supplier, who will be determined for further cooperation, will have to provide rubber for only one championship, and after that the company will be forced to amend the product specification in accordance with the amended regulations.

Regarding changes to the latter, this was a forced measure in connection with the transition to 6-cylinder turbo engines, as this was the reason for the revision of the entire chassis design.

In the struggle for the opportunity to become a monopolist, at this stage, Pirelli is confidently leading. Remember when in 2010 the company literally saved Formula 1 players by preparing rubber in 12 months. In addition, the Italian company always tries to fulfill all the wishes of the teams, which is a competent and deliberate strategy. Naturally, the teams pay well for this - on the order of a million dollars per season, but this is more than covered, since the Pirelli logos are placed both on the chassis and on the overalls.

Now let's look at the absolutely rigid and not flexible policy of the Michelin company, which refuse to participate in the tender if Formula 1 does not abandon the use of 13-inch wheels, which are quite outdated. Of course, the requirements are reasonable, but with such unambiguousness of the tender the company cannot win.

Who will win this race of manufacturers is not clear. It is only clear that the question is not only the leadership of suppliers, but also what is more important for Formula 1 - sport, or profit.

inworldsport.com

Rubber. Pirelli or Goodyear? / personal blog AntonKharitonov / smotra.ru

personal blog AntonKharitonov → Hello everyone! So it's time to change the tires, otherwise it became unsafe to drive too worn out .. Since I travel a lot by car, I decided to put the rubber with Runflat technology again, otherwise anything happens on the way, but here in case of a puncture of the wheel there will be an opportunity drive at a speed of 80 km / h to any car service. In general, from the Runflat category for my car (bmw 335i E92), there were three brands of rubber - Bridgestone, Pirelli and Goodyear. Since Bridgestone turned out to be significantly more expensive, I immediately ruled it out as an option) So, I choose between Pirelli PZero

and Goodyear Eagle F1

Despite the fact that recently more and more posts about all sorts of left-wing topics (how to fry meat, how to seduce a heifer or what computer games do you play, etc.) have been encountered at the show, this site still remains a portal for people loving cars and versed in them! Therefore, I hope to hear useful advice / feedback, after all, rubber is of great importance in the use of our vehicles! For the price, the Pirelli is about € 30 more expensive per wheel. For now, I'm more inclined towards Pirelli, as I have always considered this brand one of the best, but if Goodyear is actually not worse, is there any point in overpaying? Thanks in advance, and good luck on the road to everyone!)

Pirelli or Goodyear after all?

1. Goodyear (41% - 84 votes)
2. Pirelli (45% - 93 votes)
3. I don't care! (14% - 30 votes)

smotra.ru

) Which is the best spike. rubber pirelli or yukohama

Pirelli will be better, the Japanese have good summer tires, of course, but winter tires are not very good, even in car magazines in tests winter rubber uokohama ranked low. I have winter gislaved, good tires

Yokohama - Definitely

I would take it. Yokohama. Excellent quality without unnecessary overpayments

yokohama is better because it is softer, but if you drive on the asphalt it will wear off quickly, so if you want to ride on rubber and there is not so much snow in winter, then it is better to pirelli !!! :) :)

I would take Yokohama.

Better than YOKOHAMA ... Pirelli that needs to overpay a little, but YOKOHAMA is softer and in my opinion better ... All the same, Japanese quality :)))

Do not take Yokohama under any circumstances. I coveted a low price and a good name. The choice was, by the way, like yours. In the end, I regret not having bought the Pirelli. From the yoki, almost all the studs from the front axle flew out in a couple of months with a mixed style. I tried not to grind and did not slow down sharply, they keep the road very sucks. The ABS works almost immediately. The only place these tires perform well is loose snow. I never skidded, but otherwise a complete g. I even corresponded with the Yoki office in Moscow, sent them pictures, they do not admit that their products are of poor quality, they say that yes, the spikes flew out, but you can continue to ride. Here's how! Take better Pirelli, or even better save up some dough and take Gislaved, I was very pleased with them!

The last test winter tires was in the magazine "Behind the wheel": h ** p: //www.zr.ru/articles/53965/ THERE IS THE RESULTS

the coolest nokian hakkapelita-5 is the only minus the price but the rubber is beyond praise

You should not save on rubber - at one time, for the same reason, they took goodyear - a rare cocoa. We regretted very much later that they had not spent on anything more decent. To be honest, Gislaved, I personally don't feel very good either. Nokia was impressed. The last time they put on Michelin Energy - just super. They put them in Finland, in winter, respectively, arrived on old ones - left for new ones, if they are transported with goods, then the duty will be charged, 4 wheels R-16 along with work, and disposal of old wheels (they were only suitable for garbage) cost 450 Euro. So think - you are only 800 km from Helsinki.

Among studded tires, the podium has been shared by Continental, Nokian and Michelin for several years, keeping outsiders out of the circle of the elite. And this year was no exception.

The named three "studs" are again the best on Russian roads: each has more than 900 points. First place went to Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7, the most suitable for active drivers. But it is, alas, the most expensive and most disadvantageous: the price / quality ratio is 6.24. Very close, with a difference of less than half a percent, the Russian version of the Michelin X-Ice North 2: cool, confident and inexpensive, price / quality - 5.51. Continental, a little late with the presentation of the new ContiIceContact, threw its vassal into the breakthrough Gislaved nord Frost 5 (price / quality - 5.15), slightly increasing its spikes. He did not disappoint and won the third place for the senior, and lagged behind the leader by less than 2%.

Pirelli and Goodyear tried their best to compete with the top three, but once again they successfully repulsed the attack. So, in fourth place is the Pirelli Winter Carving Edge "lighter", in fifth is the intelligent Goodyear Ultra Grip Extreme. In terms of price / quality ratio, both tires are practically equal: 5.06 and 5.09, respectively.

The sixth and seventh lines were taken by strong good players - Dutch Vredestein Arctrac (862 points, price / quality - 4.29) and domestic

Cordiant Sno-Max (856 points and 3.62).

The Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 5000 (price / quality - 5.43) and the Korean "winter pike" Hankook Winter i-Pike, clearly competing with the "Vredestein", are slightly behind, near the 840 points bar, since they have the same price / quality ratio. The Nizhnekamsk novelty Kama Euro 519 closes the top ten with a modest result of 828 points (price / quality - 3.62, as in Kordiant), which turned out to be not as strong as expected. Let's hope for a quick upgrade.

10th place: Kama Euro 519

• Despite the fact that the Kama has the most studs, the grip on ice is very low: the car starts off and accelerates uncertainly, brakes with jerks. Lateral grip is the weakest among all studs. When going over the speed, the car blows off the intended trajectory, it slides for a long time. Unexpected slippage and sudden loss of traction are especially unpleasant. It is impossible to predict the start of a breakdown, you understand this only when the car has already “floated”.
• On snow, acceleration and braking are weak, lateral grip is the worst of all, the edge of transition to sliding, as well as on ice, is not felt.
• On a snow-covered road, the car goes smoothly, however, if you leave the steering wheel, it strives to go into deeper snow. When correcting the course, the steering angles are large. It is better to overcome snowdrifts with intensive slipping. The undoubted advantage is a confident drive back, if it was not possible to break forward.
• Directional stability on the pavement is not bad, but there is not enough information content on the steering wheel and lags when steering interfere with it. Braking on dry and wet asphalt is worse than average.
• Average fuel consumption at any speed. The studs are too deep, which largely explains the low grip on ice.
• They make a lot of noise, transmit the entire micro-profile of the road to the car, as if they are heavily pumped.

9th place: Hankook Winter i-Pike

• “Pike” or “tip” is the translation of the last word in the name of tires with a tread pattern similar to the often copied Gislaved NF 3.
• On ice, the grip properties are weak, they make you move slowly. With a slight increase in speed, the car "does not hear" the steering wheel in a turn, it loses its intended trajectory and slides lingeringly. It's good that the breakdowns and recoveries are pretty smooth.
• On snow, the tires brake and accelerate more confidently, but lateral grip is much worse than longitudinal.
• At small angles of rotation, the driver is hampered by an "empty" steering wheel, at large angles - slipping into a skid. It is impossible to feel the beginning of the slip.
• A car is being carried along a snowy road without comment. V deep snow They are reluctant to go vnatyag, but they have to skid with caution, otherwise they can bury themselves.
• On the pavement, they are a little late when steering. They brake on dry and wet worse than others.
• They make an unpleasant noise at any speed, two rumbling peaks stand out from the general hum - at city (40-60 km / h) and suburban (90-110 km / h) speeds.
• Shake the machine gently on bumps.
• Average fuel consumption at any speed.
• Studded neatly, but rather small, an additional two to three-tenths of a millimeter of stud protrusion would improve grip on ice.

8th place: Bridgestone Ice Cruiser 5000

• The model goes down in history, giving way to the new IC 7000, but so far it has been successfully sold.
• These tires have never been strong on ice: reluctant acceleration, under-average braking, downright weak lateral grip and sluggish reactions. Nevertheless, at moderate speed, they behave quite adequately. There is only one problem: guessing this speed.
• I went a little faster - the steering angles and the reaction time of the car increase significantly, it starts to blur the trajectory and gets out of control.
• On snow, the steering angles are smaller, but the behavior is unstable, front end drift in the initial phase of the turn and skidding on an arc of constant radius. In both cases, a little overspeed leads to long slides. The brakes are worse than the rest, the rearrangement is performed at the lowest speed, on a par with the "Kama".
• On a snowy road, they keep a straight line with confidence. They are not afraid of deep snow streams on the road, overcoming them without stress.
• On clean pavement, they like the informative steering wheel and clear execution of the steering commands.
• Braking on asphalt of any condition is average.
• Not comfortable enough: the tread emits an almost helicopter hum, and the tires transmit shocks from any road irregularities to the body, as well as vibrations to the floor and steering wheel.
• Studding is very high-quality in terms of spread (no more than 0.2 mm), but a little too small and a dozen less studs than other brands of tires.

7th place: Cordiant Sno-Max

• Domestic tires; unlike "Kama", the number of thorns corresponds to European standards.
• Acceleration and braking on ice is average, but when cornering, they force you to be careful: they hold much worse across than in the longitudinal direction. They require a sweeping amplitude of steering, and on the curve of the bend, the feeling that the car is turning not due to turning the front wheels, but due to the slip of the rear wheels does not leave.
• On the snow, the balance "along-across" changes. The weakest acceleration and deceleration are combined with medium lateral grip. When taxiing, the steering wheel steering angles are too big, sliding a little longer than that of the giants, although they remain within reason.
• The course in the snow is kept clear, but the large steering angles make it difficult to adjust. Snow drifts and are not afraid of snowdrifts: they start confidently, move and turn, reliably get out reverse.
• They float on the asphalt, while the steering wheel is "empty", it has to be turned at significant angles.
• On dry asphalt the brakes are average, on wet asphalt better than average.
• They make a lot of noise on the asphalt with tread and spikes and howl on dense snow. They transmit vibrations from small road irregularities and shocks from road joints.
• In terms of fuel consumption, the most voracious in the test.
• Stud quality: the spread of protrusion is small (0.4 mm), but the studs stick out high, there is a risk of losing or breaking the cores out of them.

6th place: Vredestein Arctrac

• The peculiarity of the tire is its low weight, which gets along with the increased carrying capacity.
• On ice, longitudinal grip is weak, and transverse grip is average. They slip at the start, delaying the acceleration process; the car is stopped worst of all. At the same time, they show average results on the circle, although in turns they do not instill confidence at all: they cling, then they break. They recover sharply, jerking the car unpleasantly. They don't like sliding.
• On snow, they accelerate modestly, brake and turn medium.
• The car is clearly controlled on them, but only before the start of slides, into which it turns unexpectedly for the driver. The case ends with a sweeping drift.
• On a snow-covered straight line, they move smoothly, without remarks.
• They overcome deep snow uncertainly, turn reluctantly, but get out well back.
• On the asphalt, I liked it with a clear course and a clear "zero".
• The brakes are good, and on dry surfaces - very good, almost on a par with the Goodyear. On wet, they show average results.
• They rustle and shake the car, sounding asphalt irregularities, rustling loudly in the dense snow.
• At a speed of 90 km / h, fuel consumption is average, at 60 km / h - increased.
• Studding is of high quality both in the protrusion of the studs and in the spread.

5th place: Goodyear Ultra Grip Extreme

• Acceleration and lateral grip on ice are average, braking is better. Each turn of the steering wheel at a speed above 30 km / h causes a slight steering drift. If you release the throttle at the same time, the skid will intensify and require steering adjustments.
• On snow, all characteristics are also not below average. In turns, the car is controlled clearly, the limit is limited by the demolition of the front end. However, in the second corridor, the rearrangements are no longer high speed skid begins. Keeping the vehicle in check and achieving high results can only be achieved with the help of an electronic assistant or proactive driver action.
• Directional stability on a snowy road is clear, without any remarks.
• Snowflakes are not for these tires. It is better to move through the snowdrifts only with tension, otherwise you will get up, or even bury yourself.
• On the asphalt they go straight in a straight line, but they are late with steering .. But they slow down better than anyone else, both on wet and dry ones (in this it is practically on a par with the "Vredestein").
• They buzz with a protector, but the noise of thorns is a separate article. Howl at high speed and crisp distinctly at low speed. Shake the car on small and medium bumps.
• They roll well, because they consume average fuel.
• In terms of the quality of the studs, they are comparable to the "Kordiant": the spread is within reasonable limits, but the protrusion is on the verge of the maximum allowable.

4th place: Pirelli Winter Carving Edge

• Ice, like Goodyear, is not afraid. Accelerate, brake and turn confidently. On an arc of constant radius, the limiting speed does not cause a pronounced drift or skid, the steering of the car is close to neutral. On the ice ring, speed is limited by soft drift. This allows you to change the curvature of the turn by dumping or adding gas.
• On the snow, they also work quite conscientiously: in braking, acceleration and on rearrangement they show average results. Behavior is clear, understandable, without comments, with an element of "ignition" - provoke active driving.
• On a snow-covered road, they walk smoothly, clearly responding to the steering.
• It is better to overcome deep snow with light slipping, but without undue zeal, otherwise you can bury yourself.
• They keep the asphalt straight in a summer-like manner, braking on a wet surface is average, on a dry surface above average.
• They annoy with the wheezing, howling crunch of thorns. Perceptibly shake on any irregularities, even small ones.
• Studding is satisfactory in all respects.

3rd place: Gislaved Nord Frost 5

• They differ from last year's by a slightly increased size of a solid insert of spikes.
• Opens the premium tire category. Better braking and lateral grip, very good overclocking on ice. In turns they behave very confidently, in the limit the speed is limited by a slight skid, which requires a small adjustment.
• They also hold up well on the snow: very good braking, good acceleration and average lateral grip. There are no complaints about the car's handling, its behavior and intelligibility of reactions. Handles well even when sliding.
• Stubbornly heading on a snowy road. In deep snow, however, they do not behave very confidently.
• On the pavement, they resemble Goodyear: they are a little late in reacting to course adjustments.
• In braking on wet asphalt the best (on a par with Goodyear), on dry - quite a decent average result.
• They rustle, crunch very distinctly with thorns, especially at low speed.
• Shocks from single irregularities are transmitted to the body.
• Increased fuel consumption at any speed.
• Studding: The spread of the protrusion is within reasonable limits, but the protrusion itself would be nice to reduce a little - for the sake of the durability of the studs.

2nd place: Michelin X-Ice North 2

• A nice feature of these tires, which instill confidence in safety on any road, is their well-balanced longitudinal and lateral grip. We note good braking on ice (despite the classic round studs), average acceleration and very good lateral grip. On an arc of a bend, when the gas is released, they slightly twist the car, helping to register the turn.
• Excellent grip on the snow: the shortest braking distance, intense acceleration and record speed when moving. Stable behavior and clear reactions, even when sliding. When going over the speed, they glide gently sideways, intensively dropping speed.
• Better than others, they keep the snowy road, they are sensitive to the actions of the steering wheel. They overcome deep snow with confidence, allowing them to make any maneuvers.
• They are good on asphalt: they clearly keep the given direction, react without delay to the actions of the steering wheel.
• Braking on dry surfaces is average, but on wet tires fail: the weakest result.
• Snorting noise on paved roads. Slightly shake the car on road irregularities.
• The most economical (on a par with Nokian) at any speed.
• Studding is very high quality, it gives reason to believe that the studs will last a long time.

1st place: Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7

• There is only one step from confidence to aggressiveness. All ice performance, including lap time, is better than average, and acceleration is the best. However, it feels like the tires accelerate and brake better than they turn. The cornering behavior on the ice is understandable and predictable, with an extremely easy assisting skid.
• On the snow very good braking (better only for Michelin), the best acceleration, the second result on the rearrangement. They are well controlled even in slides, react without delay to the steering wheel turn, due to this they fit into a turn of seemingly inconceivable steepness. All this provokes a fast ride, so you need to honestly assess the level of your skill.
• Clearly follow a given course on a snowy road.
• In deep snow, everything is done easily and naturally, without fear of stops, skid starts, or sharp turns.
• On the asphalt they float a little from side to side.
• The brakes on dry surfaces are average, but on wet surfaces they show the most modest result.
• They rustle with spikes and tread, shake the car on small irregularities.
• Economical at any speed.
• Studded very efficiently, problems due to the loss of thorns are not expected.

Out of credit: Continental ContilceContact

• These tires were presented to the public after the completion of our "white" tests. But we found an opportunity to compare them with the Nokian HKPL 7 test winner in New Zealand, where winter is in full swing in June. We rented the same "Golf VI" on which we conducted our own tests, but could not find asphalt roads, so the duel took place only on ice and snow. However, for the first acquaintance and revealing the abilities of the novelty, this is enough.
• On the ice, they accelerate and brake almost on par with the Nokian, but in the lateral clutch they are just a cut higher: the difference is more than 8% in favor of the German novelty. The handling is beyond praise, the steering response is clearer, the behavior is more stable - in the limit the car only slips slightly with the rear axle. And this is on very slippery ice, where "Nokian" behaves like a middle peasant: it does not shine with information content on the steering wheel and stability of behavior - it breaks down into drift, then into a skid and slides longer than we would like.
• On the snow, the difference is almost the same, the braking distance and acceleration time are comparable to those of Nokian, but the handling, as well as on ice, is better than that of the "seven". The steering wheel is filled with information content on a straight line, clear reactions and understandable behavior in a turn. Tires pull the car into turns without a hint of drift HKPL 7 on the same track are less informative, give occasional drift when entering a turn and more active skid on the arc.
• In deep snow, the "Germans" lose a little to the "Finns": they get under way uncertainly, demanding the addition of gas, but with intensive slipping they strive to bury themselves.
• Studding is of high quality and stable.

FRICTION TIRE RATING

The non-studded tires collected in the test, they are "Velcro" or "Scandinavian", are already known to our readers. They were updated two to three years ago, with the exception of the long-lived Vredestein Nord-Trac and the new Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice +.

The results of the leaders lay down heap - in the range from 899 to 924 points. The first five differ by no more than 3%. But they have different characters, and each tire in our test set its own record, or even several.

When choosing, the reader should focus not on the overall result, but on individual preferences and preferences and, of course, take into account the advantages and disadvantages we have listed.

The Russian Nokian Hakkapeliitta R set records in braking and acceleration on snow and at the same time showed the worst braking on dry asphalt. It remains the most expensive on the market: price / quality - 6.16. The most attractive Bridgestone Blizzak WS60 in this parameter (4.99) is the best in longitudinal grip on ice and braking on dry asphalt, but the most voracious in terms of fuel consumption. The Michelin X-Ice 2 is a well-balanced tire, all good performance except for acceleration on snow. The expensive ContiVikingContact 5 (price / quality - 6.04) has the best results on an ice loop and acceleration on snow, and in braking on wet asphalt it turned out to be the worst. Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice + is a flat tire, the best in rearrangement. The price / quality ratio (5.45) is the same as that of the Michelin tire, and, apparently, in the market they will have to compete with each other. But the title of the most economical tire in the struggle between Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 and Michelin X-Ice 2 was won by the Russian-Finnish tire.

The far from new Vredestein Nord-Trac with 852 points noticeably lags behind the others. Even with a price / quality ratio of 4.11, it is clear that he is no longer able to compete with the younger grandees.

Kama Euro 519 without studs scored 830 points. Here is an example of misuse of a product originally created in a studded version. In terms of rubber hardness, Nizhnekamsk tires are closer to "Europeans" (such as ContiWinterContact TS 830, Michelin Alpine, Pirelli Snowsport, Kumho KW17), and therefore cannot compete on equal terms with "Scandinavians" on ice and snow. But on clean asphalt they feel very confident.

7th place: Kama Euro 519

• These tires are designed for studding, but the “bald” version is often sold and is not the best solution for icy and snowy roads.
• On ice, the grip is worse than any real studless tire. Acceleration is delayed, braking is ineffective, jerky. In corners, there are large steering angles, lagging reactions, prolonged slides, in the limit the front end is demolished and a significant straightening of the trajectory.
• On snow, braking is very weak - only "Vredestein" is worse; overclocking is mediocre, like Michelin's; on rearrangement, the limiting speed and behavior is worse than that of the rest. The remarks are practically the same as on the ice: insufficient information content on the steering wheel, large angles of its rotation, tightened sliding. On a snow-covered straight line, the car pulls towards deeper snow, the course correction is complicated by large steering wheel angles.
• In deep snow they turn better than go straight, so you can tack if necessary. On the asphalt they float a little within the lane and are late when taxiing. The brakes are great. On wet surfaces they show the best results, on dry surfaces - above average.
• One of the reasons: rubber is tougher than others. Not comfortable enough: they make a lot of noise, periodically whine and shake the car noticeably. Fuel consumption at 60 km / h is too large, at 90 km / h average.

6th place: Vredestein Nord-Trac

• On ice, the grip is poor; braking and acceleration are very weak (worse only in "Kama"). However, on the ice circle they keep in the middle peasants, squeak like other "Scandinavians". Nevertheless, the behavior of the car is predictable, without surprises and problems. When the maximum speed is reached, it begins to gently slide outward, straightening the trajectory.
• In the snow, they show themselves in much the same way. In braking, the worst of all, the lateral grip is weak, except that the acceleration is average. During acceleration, it is good to feel how the electronics keep the tires from slipping. Increased steering angles complicate maneuvering. When cornering, top speed results in slight oversteer.
• On a snow-covered straight line, with uniform movement and gas release, the car prowls a little, in light acceleration it is much clearer. They do not like snowdrifts, it is better to overcome them by running, without stopping and not turning the wheel unnecessarily. It is not recommended to slip, otherwise you can bury yourself.
• They walk smoothly on the asphalt, but they are late when adjusting the direction. Braking on asphalt is also not brilliant, and on wet and dry brakes are weak.
• They rustle loudly with the tread on rough asphalt, howl at high speed in turns, slap on uneven surfaces. Large irregularities are unpleasantly harsh. Fuel consumption at 60 km / h is average, at 90 km / h it is increased.

5th place: Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice +

• A novelty from the company, which, in fact, fell into the category of premium tires.
• She has no discernible preference for surfaces other than asphalt. On any road, the tires exhibit a fairly flat character and similar behavior.
• On ice, both longitudinal and lateral grip are average. At the moment of starting, it is easy to rip the wheels into slipping, so you need to press on the gas carefully.
• On snow, braking and acceleration are also average, and the speed on the rearrangement "jumps out" to the leading position. This is partly the merit of the electronics (on the "Golf" it is non-disconnectable). The skid in the second corridor starts early, but the ESP simply prevents it from developing. The same thing happens during acceleration: as in the Vredestein, it is well felt that the electronics are choking the engine, otherwise the tires will slip into a slip.
• On the snowy road, everything is smooth, without any remarks.
• They behave confidently in deep snow, easily maneuver, and do not bury themselves when slipping.
• On the asphalt, when changing course, you can feel a slight steering of the rear axle.
• Braking is not a record, but very effective on wet asphalt, and (especially!) On dry.
• Comfortable: they rustle softly with a tread, roll gently along the road.
• At 60 km / h, fuel is consumed economically, in this indicator they compete with Michelin. However, at 90 km / h, consumption increases to average.

4th place: Continental ContiVikingContact 5

• The leader of our test two years ago. This time the results are more modest. Apparently, the influence of the new exercise "braking on wet asphalt". Nevertheless, no weaknesses were found on snow and ice, they are kept in the category of premium tires (more than 900 points).
• On the ice they accelerate and slow down in the first four, and on the circle they show the best result. They squeak, squeak, as if instead of ice under the wheels, wet concrete, but they hold it! When maneuvering, the rudder turns are quite large.
• On the snow they feel much more confident: the best acceleration, very good braking and an average result on the rearrangement. As well as on ice, the steering wheel turning angles are too big. The course on a snow-covered road is quite clear, they respond to direction adjustments without delay
• They can overcome deep snow confidently in any mode.
• On an asphalt straight line, they float slightly within the lane. They stop well on dry asphalt, but on wet asphalt they pass, braking the worst of all. Tire workers consider wet grip to be the antipode of rolling resistance. Here, like the "bridge", no wet clutch, no fuel economy.
• In terms of comfort, they are comparable to Michelin: quiet and smooth.
• Fuel consumption at 60 km / h is average, at 90 km / h it is increased.

3rd place: Michelin X-Ice 2

• Feel confident on "white" roads and off-road. There are no failures, except for weak acceleration in the snow.
• They don't shine on the ice, but they hold on confidently: they slow down and accelerate actively, on the circle they share the second result with Nokian. In contrast to the "bridge", they captivate with the balanced grip "along and across". Clear reactions, smooth transitions to sliding - in general, behave clearly and reliably.
• On snow, the characteristics are not leading: in braking they are the worst of the first four, on the rearrangement they are also the fourth result, acceleration is the weakest.
• When gas is added, they are actively screwed into the turn, and on reset, they slightly straighten the trajectory.
• The snow-covered road is kept without comment.
• They behave confidently in deep snow. Even with intensive slipping, they float up, go forward, not trying to bury themselves, they are not afraid of slipping.
• They walk on the asphalt without remarks, even to small turns of the steering wheel they react without delay, almost like summer tires.
• On dry asphalt they slow down better than average, on wet - very good.
• Comfortable, noise and smoothness without remarks. Economical at any speed, but roll a little worse than "Nokian".

2nd place: Bridgestone Blizzak WS60

• On "white" surfaces they show outstanding results, but, alas, along with frankly weak ones. Excellent braking and better acceleration on ice. It would seem that the model is just right to be declared an ice leader!
• But weak lateral grip spoils the whole picture (only "Kama" passes the icy circle slower), makes you to be careful in turns. Tires, instilling confidence during acceleration and braking, noticeably lose grip in cornering.
• The controls are clear, the sliding is soft and understandable. On the snow, very good braking and a decent result on the rearrangement, but the acceleration is very weak. Tires require accuracy when starting off and are ready to take full throttle only in motion (Nokian seems to behave).
• On a snow-covered road they walk better than others, they immediately respond to direction adjustments.
• Drifts are easily overcome, they are not afraid of slipping, since they do not bury themselves.
• On the asphalt they go clearly, however, the reactions, like most winter tires, are slightly smeared.
• On a dry road they brake better than anyone else, they don't like wet ones - the result is worse than average.
• They make noise, transmit vibrations and slight itching from microroughnesses.
• Most high consumption fuel at any speed.

1st place: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R

• Almost equally strong on snow and ice, not a single weak characteristic.
• On ice surfaces, very good braking is in harmony with the same lateral grip and acceleration. When cornering, a slight twisting skid helps, they are well controlled in slides, gently restore grip when exiting slides.
• In the snow, all the characteristics are the best. Confident braking, energetic acceleration, high speed (in conjunction with the "Goodyear") performance of the rearrangement and clear behavior on it. They admit and forgive minor mistakes in management.
• Confidently hold on to the snowy road. Drifts and snow drifts are not terrible. Start after a stop, turns of any curvature, exit back - all this is done without difficulty and special skills.
• On the asphalt, they float slightly within the lane.
• On dry asphalt they slow down weakly, on wet asphalt. It seems that there is not much left for the asphalt, all the "forces" were spent on snow and ice.
• There are no comments on the noise level. But you can find fault with the smoothness of the ride: single irregularities are marked on the body with sharp jolts.
• They set a record for fuel efficiency, even ahead of Michelin.

The editors are grateful to all companies that provided tires for testing.

Special thanks to Nokian Tires for technical support.

Michelin tires still maintain their leadership position, successfully continuing to improve the tires produced. The advanced developments in the tire industry, after passing the most stringent testing, regularly update the brand's model range, which attracts more and more new buyers.

Our review presents the best Michelin tires that have been field tested by owners and have proven themselves in a variety of conditions. The rating given is based on the characteristics of the product and the opinions of both professional testers and ordinary owners. For the convenience of the reader, the rating has been divided into several popular categories.

The best MICHELIN summer tires for comfortable driving

The category includes the best Michelin tires for summer use. All of them are distinguished by a high level of comfort, controllability and provide effective braking, and some are even economical.

3 MICHELIN Primacy 4

Short braking distances. Low noise level
Country: France
Average price: 9270 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.5

This tire is deservedly considered one of the best in the model range of Michelin summer tires due to its ability to maintain performance, regardless of the degree of tread wear. The tire has a low rolling resistance (economical), excellent handling and a short braking distance. The rubber compound contains polymer additives with unique properties that provide more effective adhesion of the tread to the road.

The drawing of the central part, which is responsible for the accuracy of maneuvering, has a directional character. Improved drainage from the contact patch through arcuate channels allows you not to slow down on wet road sections, literally draining the asphalt under the wheel. All these features of the MICHELIN Primacy 4 are multiplied by the tire's high wear resistance and low acoustic noise level.

2 MICHELIN Latitude Tour HP

The most comfortable SUV tires
Country: France
Average price: 13114 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7

MICHELIN Latitude Tour HP is a popular quality SUV tire for medium to large sizes. The authority of this tire is confirmed at least by the fact that they are installed by default on Porsche Cayenne cars. This is, first of all, a comfortable and quiet rubber. Latitude Tour HP allows you to improve vehicle handling without feeling ruts and minor bumps. The rubber compound "Terrain-proof compound", according to the developers, should provide a high level of wear resistance. Although, in practice, there are complaints from drivers about premature tire wear. Among other things, this may indicate improper use of tires, or a factory defect.

• Silent
• Not afraid of the ruts
• Confidently holds the road in the rain and first snow
• Comfortable and soft

Disadvantages:

• Pebbles are often hammered into the tread
• High price

1 MICHELIN Energy Saver Plus

Best price. Most economical tire
Country: France
Average price: 6088 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8

Summer tires MICHELIN Energy Saver Plus belong to the fifth generation of fuel-efficient tires. Although the profile of this tire has been increased by 10% to provide even more safety and better traction, this did not affect fuel consumption. It was even possible to reduce it thanks to the laying of a special layer, the material of which significantly reduces rolling resistance. The use of Eco N Grip technology made it possible to introduce fixing elements into the rubber at the molecular level, which had the best effect on the service life of the wheel, which was confirmed by the test results.

MICHELIN Energy Saver Plus tires behave quite confidently on any road surface thanks to a well-defined asymmetric tread pattern and an increased contact patch. Sharp dry maneuvering and wet braking demonstrate the high performance of this Michelin model.

The best MICHELIN summer tires for sporty driving

Tires in this category are preferred by owners accustomed to driving at high speeds. Tires have better grip with the road and provide both precise control and effective braking.

3 MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport

Most effective wet and dry grip
Country: France
Average price: 19,290 rubles.
Rating (2019): 4.6

Michelin Super Sport tires are specially designed for better handling when driving at maximum speeds. She became the record holder for the shortest braking time from a speed of 300 km / h in a competition held in Sweden. Also, this rubber is distinguished by the best technical characteristics, which are provided by the Twaron composite used in its production. This ultra-strong, yet lightweight synthetic material, thanks to its unique qualities, is used in aerospace development.

The production of MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport tires is based on an advanced technology, according to which the tire tread is asymmetric and consists of two parts with different rubber compounds. At the same time, one of the parties is responsible for the confident behavior of the car on dry, and the other - on a wet road. As a result, the MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport tires can be used on the most challenging race tracks. According to the results of the test, carried out by the Australian edition of Motor in 2016, these tires took the honorable third place in the overall standings.

2 MICHELIN Latitude Sport 3

High strength
Country: France
Average price: 14,762 rubles.
Rating (2019): 4.7

Latitude Sport 3 is a premium quality rubber for owners of high-speed crossovers like the BMW X5 / X6 and Porsche Macan. Differs in increased wear resistance due to the use of a double frame in the construction. An innovative rubber compound and enlarged drainage channels provide confident grip on wet surfaces and reduce the braking distance (by an average of 2.7 m, according to the manufacturer). The tires are soft, quiet, provide excellent handling and directional stability. Recommended!

Advantages, according to user reviews:

• Lack of rutting
• Silent
• Durable
• Soft
• Beautiful tread pattern

• There are complaints about the deterioration of adhesion properties in the off-season (at temperatures from 0 to +5)
• No rims to protect the discs
• High price

1 MICHELIN Pilot Sport 4

The best tires for a sports car
Country: France
Average price: 11,590 rubles.
Rating (2019): 4.8

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 is one of the best tires for installation on sport car... These are popular tires, in the manufacture of which Formula 1 technologies were applied. It was on the first tires of the series (Michelin Pilot Sport) that the world record for the maximum speed of the car was set. Then Bugatti Veyron managed to accelerate to space 400 km / h.

The key advantages of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 are precise and confident handling on dry surfaces (Bi-Compound technology) and increased durability. As noted by most owners, even aggressive driving does not significantly affect tire wear. High control precision at high speeds is ensured by a directional tread pattern and an aramid-nylon layer ("Dynamic response" technology).

The best MICHELIN summer tires for light off-roading

The best Michelin off-road tires are presented in this category. Their characteristics allow them to cope perfectly with the difficult conditions of unpaved roads and in the off-season.

2 MICHELIN 4x4 O / R XZL

Better cross-country ability
Country: France
Average price: 15300 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7

Lovers of off-road vehicles and off-road competition appreciated the possibilities all season tires MICHELIN 4x4 O / R XZL, which have increased cross-country ability and durability. Powerful lugs and a decent tread depth guarantee overcoming any obstacle. Self-cleaning of the tread from dirt when driving on washed-out ground or swamp is provided by wide channels between massive blocks. The tire demonstrates excellent grip in summer and off-season. V winter time She has been an excellent rower in the snow, keeps well on a clean road, but the ice areas are a real challenge for her.

The unique rubber compound with a metal layer and the provided triple protective belt provide this off-road tires Michelin enhanced resistance to damage and puncture. At the same time, they perfectly hold the road on the road asphalt (the car behaves confidently at a speed of 160 km / h), and none of the owners even mentioned such a concept as aquaplaning - on a wet road, the controllability and braking distances remain at a high level.

1 MICHELIN Latitude Cross

Optimum performance for trail and off-road
Country: France
Average price: 9590 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.9

Latitude Cross is a popular SUV and SUV tire. They are ideal if the car is used for about 65% on the highway and 35% off-road. This is the best option for those who live in the city and prefer to go out into the countryside, country house, etc. on weekends. MICHELIN Latitude Cross feels great on dry and wet asphalt, and at the same time does not lose its grip on the ground.

The curved shape of the tread blocks makes the tire a little noisy, and a special rubber compound "Terrain-proof compound" in conjunction with a two-layer carcass, traditional for the "Latitude" series, made it possible to achieve high wear resistance. Numerous user reviews also speak about high abrasion resistance. The all-terrain properties of the tire are given by its aggressive tread pattern, great degree sipes, many grooves and grooves. This ensures good cross-country ability, no slippage during sudden acceleration and tenacity even on slippery, icy roads, despite not being used for summer use.

The best MICHELIN winter tires

The most confident grip on the winter road is demonstrated by Michelin tires, which have become a member of our rating in this category.

2 MICHELIN Pilot Alpin 5

Most reliable winter grip
Country: France
Average price: 14 320 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8

The tire, released in 2017, has successfully demonstrated its performance in various conditions. It has a symmetrical directional pattern and provides excellent handling on winter roads. A large number of drainage channels allows you to maintain a confident grip on ice slush, even at high speeds. This is facilitated by a well-thought-out configuration of sipes that compensate for the pressure on the tread blocks.

Owners note good stability on ice, but at the same time, one should not forget about the absence of studs and a large inert mass of the car, controlling their actions on such difficult areas. On top of that, these Michelin tires have low level noise and excellent directional stability (MICHELIN Pilot Alpin 5 is hard to skid), and its behavior on the road (handling and braking) is practically indistinguishable from summer tires.

1 MICHELIN X-Ice North 4

High frost resistance
Country: France
Average price: 9490 rubles.
Rating (2019): 5.0

Last year's new product from Michelin is strikingly different from its predecessors and has adequately demonstrated its characteristics in harsh winter conditions. The rubber provides excellent handling of the car on ice and snow slush, has a solid sidewall and a moderate noise level. Optimized tread placement (using computer simulation) and a record number of studs (250!) Make the MICHELIN X-Ice North 4 the most efficient winter tire.

The steel lugs are evenly distributed over the entire tread and are shaped to match the professional rally studs. The directional tread pattern in the center of the tread holds well on any road, and the side reinforced ridges demonstrate effective braking, both on bare pavement and on ice. Separately, it should be noted the frost resistance of the new Michelin - low temperatures do not affect the performance of the tire, since the components of the rubber compound retain the elasticity of the tread down to -65 ° C.

In winter you dream of summer, in summer you dream of winter. Sound familiar? We are also plagued by "seasonal" problems! After all, the results of comparative tests summer tires should be ready for the beginning of the summer season, a spoon is expensive for dinner! This means that the test itself must be carried out in the winter. Where? The beloved Dmitrovsky auto-polygon does not fit - it is 100 km north of Moscow, there is even more snow and ice in winter than in the capital, and there are no dry roads at all. This means that we will have to deal another blow to the editorial budget - and go to warmer regions, to the south of France. Here is a wonderful training ground of the company, which we, together with our colleagues from Finland, Norway and Sweden - are jointly cheaper! - we rent for a week.

We will test summer tires of 195/65 R15 dimension with speed index H (up to 210 km / h). Among them there are models that are already familiar to us from past tests: Goodyear Eagle Ventura, Nokian NRH2. And there are newcomers: Bridgestone Turanza ER70, Hankook Optimo K406 and AGI ST2-65. AGI tires - retreaded. They are made in Sweden, and outwardly they are no different from new tires - no seams are visible, and there is no rubber fringe that has always adorned our welded tires. The fact that these are still retreaded tires is indicated only by the inscription Retread. And our Commonwealth was represented by L-8 tires from the Bobruisk plant with the proud Made in Belarus brand.

This is not the first time we come to this test site and every time we are delighted: ideal conditions for testing! A 3.3 km high-speed highway was laid along the perimeter of the landfill to study handling on dry asphalt. Slightly increase the gravel safety fields - and you can run Formula 1 races! Inside the ring there is a complete set of roads for assessing the quality of modern tires.

We are not alone at the test site. Testers of the Goodyear firm work side by side with us - they are worn like untied BMWs, the smoke is like a rocker. Actually, it is not customary to get into other people's business and ask unnecessary questions, but later we learned that they were completing tests of the newest Eagle F1 tires (see AP # 4, 2002). And the Renault test team seems to be picking tires for Espace and Laguna.

We inform about our plans to conduct braking tests to the dispatcher, who sits on the "captain's bridge" - in a two-story glass pavilion, from which the entire range is viewed - and he gives us the go-ahead. But he asks us not to interfere with the guys on the Lagoon. They hitched the "fifth wheel" to the trunk and scurried back and forth, measuring the braking distance on wet asphalt. We will do the same. But instead of the fifth wheel, we will put on the roof of our "aggregate carrier" (this is a Saab 9-5) the antenna of a small GPS receiver, which allows us to record the speed and distance traveled with high accuracy.

Our method of assessing tire braking performance on wet asphalt is as follows. At a speed of 85 km / h, the driver enters a wet area and hits the brakes. Under the chirp ABS car stops, and the computer records the distance traveled during deceleration from 80 to 10 km / h. On each tire, the races are repeated at least 12 times. And after averaging the results, it becomes clear that the Pirelli P6 tires have the best braking properties on wet asphalt. And the worst, and by a huge margin, are our L-8s.

Now we move to the adjacent lane. This is no longer just wet asphalt, but a huge puddle, and the thickness of the water layer is exactly 7 mm. Here we will evaluate the tire's ability to resist aquaplaning when straight motion... The driver's task is to accelerate with maximum intensity. Sooner or later, the tires begin to float, losing contact with the asphalt, and the acceleration, despite the fact that the driver continues to hold the accelerator pedal "on the floor", stops. And the device records the speed that it managed to gain. On tires Saab accelerated to 102 km / h. Tires showed a noticeably lower resistance to aquaplaning - 95 km / h. The car reached 78 km / h on our tires. Again the worst result.

Now - resistance to aquaplaning in a turn. Moving in a circle with a radius of 100 meters, the car enters a bathtub filled with an 8 mm layer of water, and under the action of centrifugal force begins to move outward. In offset goes maximum speed passing the circle within the marked "corridor". Here the best result is behind the tires. And the worst one? You guessed. Alas.

Of course, it is not only interesting, but also safe to fight aquaplaning on the tracks of the polygon. It is worse when you "lose" a pop-up car on normal roads. What to do? Do not panic. You do not need to put all the strength on the brake - if there is no ABS, then the wheels will lock, and it will be even more difficult to restore traction with the road. You do not need to turn the steering wheel to large angles - after regaining grip, the car may "jump" not at all where you would like to direct it. It is best to wait for the end of the unpleasant process, preparing for the subsequent braking or maneuver.

The next scoring discipline is the quantitative assessment of the grip properties of tires in the transverse direction. The car drives in a circle with a diameter of 80 meters, and the asphalt is constantly wetted with water. The best tires are recognized as the ones that allowed more speed... This is Pirelli. The worst are known.

The next step is the most interesting: handling on wet asphalt. The 1700 meter long winding track is irrigated with water. It's nice that you don't have to turn on the windshield wipers - instead of fountains for wetting the asphalt, a complex hydraulic system is used: pipes and drainage holes are hidden in the curbs along the highway. Bundles of running turns alternate with sharp turns. In some sections, you can accelerate to 120 km / h, and somewhere you have to upset to 20. Three or four laps - and the experts enter into the protocol subjective assessments of the car's handling on certain tires. On which ones - the experts do not know: they are only informed that "tires number one" or "tires number five" are installed. However, in addition to expert assessments, the lap time was also recorded in the protocol. After processing the results, it turned out that the best time was shown on Pirelli tires and. At the same time, all experts recognized that it was more convenient and reliable to drive a car on tires. The outsiders are Hankook tires, AGI tires and ... you know it yourself.

Having finished with "wet affairs", we move to dry asphalt. First - an imitation of a detour of an unexpected obstacle - the "rearrangement" maneuver. Pirelli tires turned out to be the best and, both on the basis of expert opinions and objective results, the speed of the maneuver was maximum. The hardest part was coping with the car on the L-8 tires.

And now - the most temperamental part of the program: on a dry track - for all the money!

Acceleration, extreme lateral loads, sliding, braking, acceleration again. On the "straight line" run under 200. The first to give up AGI retreaded tires: "retirement for technical reasons" - in some places the tread began to peel off. However, other tires after these races turned out to be pretty shabby.

Are the tests over? No, we still have a set of new tires in stock. We have saved them for the subjective assessment of rolling noise. For this, special roads of the landfill are no longer needed - you can drive along a regular highway in different modes, listening to the rustling of tires. And I really had to listen, especially when we evaluated the noise of the tires and the Hankook. You can't hear the tires at all, even if you open the window! And it would be a sin to reproach other test participants for their sonorous voices. The exception was all the same AGI and L-8 tires. The latter do not just sing, they scream at the top of their lungs.

That's it, the program of "summer" tests in this corner of paradise is over. We are flying to Moscow. And our Finnish friends load the tires into the van and set off on a long journey to the North, to the polar town of Ivalo. There they will also carry out "winter" tests according to a truncated program. Why is this necessary, since we are talking about summer tires? Necessary. After all, even the most disciplined drivers, who "change their shoes" for the season, sometimes still have to drive on winter surfaces with summer tires. So, if this is a Goodyear Eagle Ventura, then it's okay - the grip properties of these tires on snow and ice are even better than that of our all-season L-8 tires. But winter operation is categorically contraindicated for Pirelli and Hankook tires. Very slippery tires!

As usual, we translate all measurement results and expert opinions into scores on a ten-point scale. Then we summarize these points taking into account the weight of certain consumer qualities of tires. The most significant of them relate to behavior on wet asphalt. After all, wet asphalt in summer is like ice in winter, the most dangerous surface. It's no secret that in the rain the number of accidents increases dramatically. The behavior of a car on dry asphalt often depends not so much on the grip properties of the tires, but on the design of the car itself (first of all, this applies to the suspension and steering). Therefore, the weight of the assessment of dry handling in our case is lower. And our approach ensures that the results of this test fully apply not only to the Saab 9-5, but also to any other cars where tires of this dimension are used!

So, let's call the winner: Pirelli P6! The closest pursuers - tires are very good, and, moreover, their gap from the leader is minimal. The low result of AGI retreaded tires is also logical. Well, the main and, perhaps, the only serious advantage of the Belarusian L-8 tires is that they are three times cheaper than the leading tires. But we will not beat ourselves in the chest, assuring that our tires are the best in terms of price / quality ratio: when it comes to safety, the primitive division of price for quality is clearly inappropriate.

Pirelli P6

1st place

Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed ​​index H (210 km / h)

The Pirelli P6 tires are our test winners. Excellent grip on wet asphalt! On special roads flooded with water, Saab slows down perfectly, keeps confidently in turns. True, the tread of Pirelli tires copes with large volumes of water a little worse, yielding the palm to competitors in the aquaplaning standings. But what a pleasure it is to drive a car on these tires! Whether on dry or wet asphalt, you can do whatever you want with your car - the responses are fast and very accurate. However, in some situations, overly quick reactions can be an unpleasant surprise for an unprepared driver. Therefore, subjective assessments for handling had to be reduced by a point.
Pleased with the Pirelli P6 and the level of comfort - these are soft and almost silent tires. But God forbid to ride them on snow or ice! These are the best summer tires.

+ handling characteristics
- grip on snow and ice

Overall rating: 8,5

Continental PremiumContact

2nd place

Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed ​​index H (210 km / h)

Country of origin Germany

Two years ago, PremiumContact tires have already taken part in our tests (see AP No. 7, 2000). Then they lagged behind the leaders by some 0.1 points. This time, events developed according to the same scenario. Excellent tires still lacked the same tenth point to take the first step of the podium.
In terms of handling, the Continental tires became the undisputed favorites of the test. And it doesn't matter whether the asphalt is dry or wet. Saab on PremiumContact tires becomes not only powerful, but also very obedient car. The driver gets away with even gross errors in control - the tires themselves seem to suggest how to correct the mistake. This quality is especially important for drivers without extreme driving skills.
Adhesion properties on wet surfaces, though not the best, but quite "even". Things are not bad both with comfort and with behavior on the winter road. That is, the Continental PremiumContact is a well-balanced tire without pronounced flaws.

Dry handling

Overall rating: 8,4

Goodyear eagle ventura

3rd place

Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed ​​index H (210 km / h)

Country of origin Germany

The Goodyear Eagle Ventura tires made a brilliant debut in our tests, taking first place in 1999. Then they amazed the experts with their amazing "immunity" to aquaplaning. This year, the Eagle Venture is again head and shoulders above the competition in this discipline. However, if there are no puddles, but the asphalt is still wet, then there are claims to the adhesion properties in the transverse and longitudinal directions. And to handling - too. Mild, calm reactions of the car to the actions of the steering wheel are good in normal driving modes, but in an extreme situation the driver is forced to work ahead, taking into account the delay in the reactions of the car. In addition, Saab began to show a tendency to understeer. He overdid the gas a little, turned the steering wheel more than necessary, and the car is already sliding out of the corner.
Goodyear tires were disappointing at the retrofit, losing even to the retreaded AGI tires! These tires are not for "racing". But how easily they "swallow" road irregularities! And they roll almost silently. And in winter they behave tolerably.

High resistance to aquaplaning
+ comfort
- average handling characteristics

Overall rating: 8,4

Bridgestone Turanza ER70

4th place

Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed ​​index H (210 km / h)
Tread depth 9.0 mm
Country of origin Japan

Bridgestone tires performed well this time too, but they failed to repeat last year's success, when the B330 model was in first place. Tires Turanza ER70 pleased with excellent grip on wet asphalt. But with handling, not everything is smooth. Up to a certain level of lateral acceleration, Saab goes through corners like on rails, with light understeer, which allowed to show the best time in the sector of "wet" handling. But these tires do not forgive mistakes in the choice of speed - the slip occurs abruptly and without "warnings".
On dry asphalt, unexpected slip breaks require even greater concentration from the driver - when, in a bunch of turns at a speed of 130 km / h, the car suddenly "jumps" from the trajectory, everything can end sadly ... However, if you keep "on the edge", then you can take turns pretty quickly. It's just that it is sometimes difficult to find this line even for experienced experts.
But there are no problems with comfort. Overall high score suggests that Bridgestone tires Despite the noted shortcomings, the product is of high quality. The only pity is that our drivers will not be able to appreciate this - the ER70 model is not officially supplied to Russia.

Adhesion on wet asphalt
+ handling on wet asphalt
- handling on dry asphalt

Overall rating: 8,3

Michelin Pilot Primacy

5th place

Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed ​​index H (210 km / h)
Tread depth 7.9 mm
Country of origin Germany

Primacy is translated from English as "primacy". Indeed, from year to year, Michelin tires take, if not the first, then at least one of the prizes in our tests. But this time, the Pilot Primacy tires literally failed the test on wet pavement. Both the braking distance and the time of passing the wet track turned out to be noticeably worse than those of the leaders. It doesn't sound like Michelin ...
It is noteworthy that the nature of handling raises no objections - the car calmly and accurately fulfills the driver's commands, forgives mistakes. But all this happens at a relatively low speed. It is impossible to accelerate faster - the tires lose reliable grip. At the same time, Michelin tires overcome more serious "water obstacles" with a bang - only Goodyear tires resist aquaplaning better.
On dry asphalt, fast cornering is impeded by the front axle drift and lack of clarity of reactions. For those with a higher level of comfort, the Pilot Primacy is sure to be loved - it is one of the quietest in our test. And on winter surfaces, they are not very slippery.

Good resistance to aquaplaning
+ low noise level

Overall rating: 8,0

Nokian NRH2

6th place

Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed ​​index H (210 km / h)
Tread depth 7.8 mm
Country of origin Finland

Summer tires from Nokian Tires have so far rarely been successful in comparative tests. It happened this time too. Mediocre grip on wet asphalt and a tendency to aquaplaning took the Finnish tires from the list of contenders for prizes. However, in terms of handling, not everything is so bad. Saab, as if smelling native Scandinavian tires, quickly and accurately reacted to the driver's commands. Even going into a slip, the car does not get out of control. But at the next turn, Saab suddenly "flies" off the trajectory, and it is possible to catch it only on the gravel lane of safety. Treacherous tires. And on dry asphalt, the behavior is similar: up to a certain level, everything is in order, but then - unexpected drifts or drifts.
In other tests, Nokian tires are also not perfect. They are inferior to competitors both in terms of noise and "winter" qualities.

Average handling characteristics on wet asphalt
- grip on wet asphalt
- insufficient resistance to aquaplaning

Overall rating: 7,3

Hankook Optimo K406

7th place

Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed ​​index H (210 km / h)
Tread depth 7.9 mm
Country of origin Korea

Korean tires cannot yet compete on equal terms with the products of leading concerns. Nevertheless, the Optimo K406 tires performed adequately in braking tests on wet asphalt, demonstrated not the worst resistance to aquaplaning (at the level Nokian tire). But the lateral grip of Hankook tires doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Both on the circle and on the winding track, the Saab starts to slip very early. Moreover rear axle breaks into a slide before the front - it happens abruptly and without any "prelude". Hop - and the car is already "sweeping its tail." He hesitated a little, did not have time to correct the skid - and immediately turned 180 degrees. Unpleasant and dangerous!
On dry asphalt, the situation is a little better, but the threat of sudden glides remains.
But these tires are very quiet, just like the Michelin. And on winter roads, they were as helpless as the Pirelli.

Low rolling noise
- handling characteristics
- low grip on winter surfaces

Overall rating: 7,1

AGI ST2-65

8th place

Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed ​​index H (210 km / h)
Tread depth 8.1 mm
Country of origin Sweden

Retreaded tires of the Swedish company AGI have already taken part in our winter tests (see AP No. 20, 2001). This company is one of the largest in Scandinavia: it “welds” more than 200 thousand tires a year. The ST2-65 tread is a remake of the popular Michelin XT2 tires. Outwardly, do not be on the side of the corresponding inscriptions, "fake" from the original cannot be distinguished. But the test results are restoring the status quo. On wet asphalt - miserable grip, neither accelerate properly, nor slow down. And when cornering, Saab on retreaded tires becomes simply uncontrollable. If, of course, you try to go fast. On dry asphalt, the problems are the same plus increased consumption rubber: the protector peels off.
AGI tires are much more noisy than "first fresh" tires. Our L-8 tires are even louder though. So the most strong argument in favor of retreaded tires - the price is, on average, 50% lower than for the originals.

Adhesion properties in winter conditions
+ price
- grip on wet asphalt
- manageability
- rolling noise

Overall rating: 6,2

L-8 Belshina

9th place

Dimension 195/65 R15
Speed ​​index H (210 km / h)
Tread depth 8.3 mm
Country of origin Belarus

Unfortunately, domestic tires (we mean the products of Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian tire manufacturers) cannot yet compete with “thoroughbred” foreign tires. Even against the background of retreaded Swedish AGI tires, our tires look pale. L-8 tires are terrified of water: not only deep puddles, but also a thin film of water on the asphalt is enough for the driver to lose control of the car. On wet pavement, the braking distance increases by up to 50% compared to Pirelli P6 tires. The car every now and then breaks down in skidding, which is very difficult to control. On dry asphalt, the situation is slightly better - on the rearrangement, the driver does not experience any particular problems with avoiding a virtual obstacle, but the speed of the maneuver is still the lowest. And on a sports track, excessive front axle drift prevents fast and correct cornering.
And comfort is a problem: a car on L-8 tires becomes not only the toughest, but also the noisiest. But on ice and snow, Belarusian tires showed themselves well, it's not for nothing that there is an inscription All Season on the sidewalls.
The only serious advantage is the low price.

Adhesion properties on winter surfaces
+ price
- extremely low grip on wet asphalt
- low resistance to aquaplaning
- rolling noise

Overall rating: 4,7

Tire characteristics
	Influence at overall assessment	AGI	Belshina	Bridgestone	Continental	Goodyear	Hankook	Michelin	Nokian	Pirelli
Adhesion on wet asphalt	60%
ABS braking	15%	6	4	9	8	8	8	7	6	10
Resistant to aquaplaning in a straight line	15%	6	5	8	8	10	8	9	8	8
Resistant to aquaplaning when cornering	15%	6	4	8	8	10	8	9	7	8
Transverse adhesion properties	5%	5	4	9	9	8	7	7	8	10
Controllability	10%	6	4	10	9	7	5	7	8	10
Characteristics in winter conditions	10%
Adhesion properties on ice	5%	6	5	5	5	6	4	5	5	4
Snow grip	5%	6	6	6	5	6	4	6	5	4
Ease of driving	25%
On wet asphalt	15%	7	5	9	10	8	7	9	8	9
On dry asphalt	10%	6	6	7	10	8	7	8	8	9
Acoustic comfort	5%	7	5	9	9	9	10	10	8	9
Overall score	100%	6,2	4,7	8,3	8,4	8,4	7,1	8,0	7,3	8,5

In the coming weeks, Formula 1 will find out the tire supplier choice for the 2017-2019 period, and this will make a huge difference for the sport.

For the opportunity to become official supplier Pirelli and Michelin are fighting. The Italians have provided F1 teams with tires since 2011, while the French were last awarded Grand Prix in 2006.

At the same time, Michelin wants a radically new approach to the use of tires in F1, while representatives of Pirelli generally adhere to their current philosophy. And the question arises which choice would be ideal for the sport.

Let's compare ...

Pirelli: Philosophy F1

Having successfully dealt with the task of the sole tire supplier since 2011, Pirelli simply supported the ideas that were voiced by the F1 bosses.

In many ways, the requirements for slicks for the 2012 season were due to the events of the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, so the Italians were tasked with developing tires with increased wear, so that the pilots made an average of two or three pit stops in the race.

In keeping with this concept, Pirelli decided to keep 13-inch wheels, which are extremely rare on modern road cars. It was this question that drew a lot of criticism from their potential competitors from the Michelin camp.

Michelin: Speed ​​and low profile tires

Michelin representatives have voiced two simple requirements, under which they are ready to return to Formula 1.

The French manufacturer wants F1 to switch to tires that allow pilots to attack at the limit for a long time with minimal wear. In addition, Michelin wants to ditch 13-inch wheels in favor of 18-inch wheels or even larger. At the same time, they are in favor of low-profile tires, which can often be found on modern road cars, since they already use a similar approach in the World Endurance Racing Championship and in Formula E.

Reviewer F1fanatic.co.uk Kate Collantyne has spoken out on the pages of websites on this issue:

“It seems to me that since the inception of wear-prone tires, teams have more or less coped with this challenge. This is reminiscent of the return of refueling to F1 in 1994: in the first years, several teams ran into problems, but rather quickly everything returned to normal.

A reasonable question arises: Does the current tire philosophy do more harm or good to modern F1? It took some time for the pilots to start honestly expressing their dissatisfaction with the fact that they are able to pass a rather limited segment of the race to the limit due to the nature of the slicks.

In addition, F1 needs to solve the problem with the drop in the pace of cars in last years, and this can be achieved by changing tires, which will be an order of magnitude cheaper than complex changes in technical regulations.

For me personally, the issue of tire size is purely aesthetic. But I would say that the current 13 "wheels look outdated, and there is no doubt that with the freedom to choose the size of the rims for the teams, they would all switch to larger slicks, if only because of the increase in speed."