Tire Performance Review: Snow, Ice, and Dry Road Behavior Across Top Winter Models (Canada/USA Focus)

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• Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 (Finland)
• Bridgestone Blizzak Ice (Russia)
• Continental Viking Contact 7 (Russia)
• Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2 (Poland)
• Pirelli IceZero FR (Russia)
• Nordman RS 2 (Russia)
• Nankang Ice Assets Ice-1 (China)
• Cordiant Winter Drive 2 (Russia)

Here is a description of how the tires performed on snow and ice.

black roads

In southern Sweden near Jätslöv, asphalt tests were conducted in April at temperatures between +5 and +8 degrees Celsius.

On wet pavement, the Chinese Nankang was the slowest to brake. The leading Continental and Nokian showed only a 2% slowdown, a margin within measurement error. Nordman’s braking was the poorest among the group, requiring about two meters more distance to slow from 60 to 5 mph.

On dry pavement, Cordiant demonstrated the strongest tendency to extend stopping distance; from 80 to 5 km/h, the Golf required three additional meters compared with the leader, Bridgestone. Continental placed second here as well.

With stable exchange rates, Goodyear earned the highest rating for braking stability. The lowest performance belonged to Nankang, where delays in response and large steering angles were noted. Even a smooth maneuver to avoid an obstacle could be challenging on these tires due to the vehicle behavior described as overly lubricated.

During braking distance measurements, a 5 km/h cut-off was used to minimize distortions from partial wheel lock and to ensure ABS effectiveness at low speeds.

Comfort and running in place

The Goodyear set was the most comfortable, offering quiet and smooth rolling. Continental and Nordman matched it in comfort, though not as universally. Nankang proved the noisiest and least friendly on rough pavement, with harsh bumps from speed bumps and louder cabin noise overall.

To assess rolling resistance, the test examined the coefficient at 80 km/h according to UN Rule 117. When rolling resistance rises by 10% at this speed, fuel consumption tends to rise by about 3%. Recalculation showed Nokian as the most economical, saving roughly 0.6 L/100 km compared with Cordiant, the least efficient in the group.

Driving Review

Overall, two tires stood out as excellent according to the method used, scoring 900 or more points.

Chinese Nankang Ice Assets Ice-1 fell into the mediocre category, scoring below 850. Despite the name, the tire proved not very beneficial in icy conditions. It was among the loudest and heaviest performers and showed limited efficiency. It is best suited for well-cleared roads with ABS and ESC active, and requires cautious driving on slippery surfaces.

Bridgestone Blizzak Ice, though well-known, reached only seventh place. It may be tailored for its domestic market, with reduced lateral grip on slippery surfaces. It performs decently on well-kept roads but comes at a higher price relative to its performance.

	8th place	7th place
The sum of the points scored in the test	838	859
brand model	Nankang Ice Assets Ice-1	Bridgestone Blizzak Ice
Average price in online stores at the time of preparing the material, rub.	4320	7920
Country of manufacture	China	Russia
Load and Speed Index	95Q	95T
Profile depth, mm	8.2–7.4	8.3–8.1
Shore hardness of rubber, units	52	49
Tire weight, kg	9.0	9.0
PROS	Best wet braking performance, acceptable lateral grip on ice	Best brakes on dry roads
MINUSES	The weakest longitudinal grip on ice, acceleration on snow; the noisiest and loudest	Weakest buoyancy in deep snow, poor braking and lateral grip on ice

The fifth in the ranking is the Nordman RS2, the so-called second line. It competes well with its elder sibling in comfort and economy, but will be more forgiving on snowy and icy roads than on bare asphalt. The price is attractive, about 12% below the market average.

Cordiant Winter Drive 2 shows similar performance to Nordman in some areas, yet trails on dry pavement. It delivers comfort and economy gains, with a notable price advantage of roughly 24% compared with the top performers, making it a compelling option for use on non-paved surfaces.

	6th place	5th place
The sum of the points scored in the test	860	873
brand model	Cordiant Winter Drive 2	Nordman RS 2
Average price in online stores at the time of preparing the material, rub.	4080	5140
Country of manufacture	Russia	Russia
Load and Speed Index	95T	95R
Profile depth, mm	8.1–7.2	8.8-8.5
Shore hardness of rubber, units	53	56
Tire weight, kg	8.9	8.0
PROS	Stops great on ice; keeps a track and is reliable in snow	Better ride, excellent economy, decent cross-country capability
MINUSES	The weakest lateral grip on ice, braking on dry surfaces; highest rolling resistance	The weakest ability to stop on snow and on wet roads

In third place among the so-called good tires, the Pirelli IceZero FR performs well on winter surfaces but only offers average results for comfort and economy on dry roads. The recommendation to consider updating remains. The purchase advantage stands at about 10%.

The Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2 sits just behind Pirelli by a single point, and is noted for exceptional comfort. It trails the all-terrain competitors on some driving maneuvers but offers a modest price savings of about 5%.

	4th place	3rd place
The sum of the points scored in the test	888	889
brand model	Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2	Pirelli IceZero FR
Average price in online stores at the time of preparing the material, rub.	6060	5740
Country of manufacture	Poland	Russia
Load and Speed Index	95T	95T
Profile depth, mm	8.1–7.6	8.5–8.3
Shore hardness of rubber, units	54	52
Tire weight, kg	8.2	9.1
PROS	The most comfortable; directional stability on asphalt and decent cross-country capability	Best acceleration on snow; excellent straight-line stability and handling on snow
MINUSES	Average braking performance on ice, difficult behavior during realignment on snow	Weak acceleration on ice; difficult behavior during realignment on snow

Continental Viking Contact 7 remains a strong choice for asphalt, while delivering solid ice performance in its class. The current generation is still competitive, with pricing that is largely in line with expectations for premium winter tires. A new generation is anticipated, and pricing is closely watched to maintain value.

Finally, the winner for overall performance is Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5, which edged out high-performing rivals in both winter handling and economy. The only caveat is price, which sits somewhat above the fair-value benchmark by a modest margin.

	2nd place	1st place
The sum of the points scored in the test	917	927
brand model	Continental Viking Contact 7	Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
Average price in online stores at the time of preparing the material, rub.	7280	8460
Country of manufacture	Russia	Finland
Load and Speed Index	95T	95R
Profile depth, mm	8.3–7.7	8.0–7.9
Shore hardness of rubber, units	48	48
Tire weight, kg	9.0	8.1
PROS	Better longitudinal grip on snow and ice; excellent handling on snow and cross-country ability, soft	Better lateral grip on ice; the most economical; excellent handling and maneuverability
MINUSES	Average lateral grip on ice	Average dry braking performance

Full details of tires can be found here.

Za Rulem experts tested not only Scandinavians, but also eight models of studded tires for crossovers. The test has been published in Za Rulem magazine no. 10/2022 and will be published on the website shortly. Come more often!

• Summary of tire tests Behind the Wheel (2018-2021) follow this link
• Behind the Wheel can also be read in Yandex.Zen.