With the cold season fast approaching, many drivers will soon be needing to buy a set of winter tyres. The latest models on the market - with a particular focus for those in the premium class - have been designed using the latest technologies, so it is well worth considering these models for your next car tyres.
Just like the summer tyre season, the start of winter sees tyre manufacturers offer their latest models, with a number of new options emerging. Sometimes there are entire new product lines, while others will introduce the successor to an older, existing model. It is worth noting that these tyres aren’t just suitable for traditional cars - they are also useful for electric cars and various options are available for 4x4 vehicles.
To help you in choosing the right tyres for you, there are a number of things you need to first consider. This includes whether or not the the tyre in question is compatible with your type of vehicle, as well as tyre size, but also whether the manufacturer’s stated performance parameters are suitable for your needs. You should ensure to select a balance of these various factors, rather than just focusing on one criteria, such as the cost. While a cheap tyre might seem useful, a good quality tyre will last several seasons, so it helps to pay attention to the likes of durability, rolling resistance and a given model’s performance in the toughest of winter conditions.
Selecting winter tyres is not a simple task, but the right choice will ensure your safety throughout the season.
Yokohama W.drive V905
The Yokohama W.drive V905 – a product for mid-range and high-range cars.
The Yokohama W.drive V905 is a premium tyre designed for use on mid-range and high-range cars. This model is the successor to the V902 series tyre, first launched in 2007. In designing this Yokohama tyre, the company took into account the winter conditions commonly encountered in Europe.
As a result, it is well suited for driving in snow and slush, as well as on ince. Naturally, Yokohama also remembered the need for a good performance on dry surfaces as well. The modern design, which includes a rubber compound with both silica and orange oil, ensures the tyre retains its elasticity and grip in all conditions, including low temperatures. It also offers a low rolling resistance, which provides a lower fuel consumption rate, helping to improve the driver’s fuel economy.
The Yokohama W.drive V905 behaves as it should during sudden manoeuvres. It ensures that the vehicle can move off, brake and corner effectively. It is available in sizes from 15 to 18 inches.
The Continental WinterContact TS 850 P is a product for mid-range cars, SUVs and luxury vehicles.
The Continental WinterContact TS 850 P is a premium tyre specially designed for use on mid-range and luxury cars, including SUVs.
In the future, this tyre is intended to become a replacement to two very popular existing Continental tyres. Aside from being a direct successor to the Continental ContiWinterContact TS 830 P, it will also inevitably replace the Continental ContiCrossContact Winter tyre as well. Compared with these existing models, the TS 850 P offers better handling in snow, as well as on dry roads. It provides extremely good performance on both hardened and unhardened surfaces, making it perfect for SUV owners, as these vehicles often travel on various types of terrain. The manufacturer has managed to achieve all of these features thanks to an asymmetric tyre design, a tyre which is renowned for providing all-round performance.
Compared with its predecessors, the Continental WinterContact TS 850 P offers even better handling in snow (by 5%), shorter braking distances on all types of surface (thanks to a special tread design with a large contact patch), and more precise reactions to movements of the steering wheel. The tyre is available in sizes from 16 to 19 inches
Read more about this model in the article “The Continental WinterContact TS 850 P – driving impressions.”
The Continental WinterContact TS 850 P SUV – an excellent tyre for SUVs.
Highly similar to the Continental tyre above, the Continental WinterContact TS 850 P SUV is a premium tyre designed for use on SUVs. The model’s performance parameters are well suited to the technical requirements of SUVs, as well as the expectations of their owners. This is made possible via the tyre’s asymmetric tread, which helps ensure all-round performance in the most extreme conditions, regardless of whether you are driving on a hard or soft surface. The extra strong tyre construction means that, even when at low temperatures, the tyre offers a safe and comfortable ride.
Compared with the standard model, this tyre has larger tread blocks, helping it to ‘clean’ itself rapidly and prevent stones from becoming wedged in the tyre tread while driving over difficult terrain. This feature also ensures better grip and stability in snow and slush, alongside more precise reactions to the steering wheel’s movements.
The tyre is made from a modern rubber compound, designed to retain sufficient elasticity at low temperatures. It is available in sizes ranging from 16 to 20 inches
The Michelin Alpin 5 – a good tyre for many different types of car.
The Michelin Alpin 5 is a premium tyre designed for use on personal cars.
This Michelin tyre is the fifth model in the French manufacturer's famed Alpin line. It is the successor to the popular Michelin Alpin A4, which is highly rated by drivers. Michelin has carried out extensive research and testing - over a four-year period - to help it create a product that offers true all-round performance and comfort. The tyre has an advanced, sophisticated directional tyre tread, which in many tests conducted prior to launch has been shown to cope excellently with expelling water and slush from bean the tyre. As a result, it is very well suited to use on European roads during the winter. This rapid expulsion helps the tyre retain an excellent grip and precision handling.
This tyre is a more environmentally friendly product than its predecessors. This is because the rubber compound used in its production contains sunflower oil and silica. This ensures that the tyre retains its elasticity even at very low temperatures. The product is available in sizes from 15 to 17 inches.
The Goodyear Ultra Grip ICE+ is a universal tyre for winter.
The Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice+ is a high-quality, universal winter tyre.
This Goodyear winter tyre is made using ActiveGrip technology, ensuring excellent performance in all manner of winter conditions, including while driving on icy surfaces. Prior to launch, tests showed that, when compared to the three most popular winter tyres available, this model offers 8% higher performance parameters, a 3% shorter braking distance in snow (with an 11% improvement in better conditions) and better steering on ice surfaces.
Because of its performance features, this tyre is ideal for the weather conditions encountered across Europe in winter. The meticulously designed rubber compound ensures that the tyre retains elasticity, even when operating at very low temperatures. It also offers a very good grip across all types of surfaces. This model is available in tyre sizes from 13 to 17 inches.
The Vredestein Snowtrac 5 – performs excellently in the toughest winter conditions.
The Vredestein Snowtrac 5 is a premium winter tyre designed for use on personal cars.
This Vredestein tyre is further designed to ensure safety even in the toughest and most unpredictable weather conditions. It is able to do this thanks to its aggressive treads, which incorporate a directional pattern. This design enables the tyre to cope extremely well on wet, frozen and various snow-covered surfaces. It also offers good grip in other environments, such as dry surfaces. Further benefits of this tyre include its durability, comfort of travel and a minimum amount of tyre noise generated both internally and externally.
The tyre’s unique design features a central groove that ensures the product’s rigidity, improving the reaction times between the vehicle and the steering wheel. As a result of all of these, the tyre offers a more comfortable driving experience. Compared with the Vredestein Snowtrac 3, the manufacturer has increased the length of the sipes on the tyre surface by more than 30%, enabling the tyre to expel even more water, snow and slush then before.
It is available in sizes from 14 to 16 inches
The Bridgestone Blizzak LM-500 – a tyre for small cars.
The Bridgestone Blizzak LM-500 is a premium tyre designed especially with electric cars in mind. This Bridgestone tyre is noteworthy for its use of the Japanese brand’s latest “ologic” technology. This can be seen in the microscopic pipes and bubbles on the the surface, which ensure excellent grip. As a result, compared to the brand’s previous models, this tyre copes even better with snow and ice.
This design means the car behaves superbly while moving off and accelerating. The tyre also offers a directional tread, for better performance on wet surfaces, and a very short braking distance.
Furthermore, the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-500 has another key advantage that will be prove especially useful for drivers with the economy in mind - rolling resistance. It is available in a 19-inch size.
The Bridgestone Blizzak NV – a tyre for electric cars, featuring the tread from the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-500.
Like the previous Bridgestone tyre described above, the Bridgestone Blizzak NV is also designed for use on electric cars. It’s main difference from the Blizzak LM-500 is in the rubber compound used.
This model of tyre was produced especially for the BMW i3 electric car. It is the fruit of many years’ research by the Japanese firm, designed to reduce the energy needed for tyres to function properly. It also incorporates all of the discoveries made so far by the largest corporation in the tyre industry.
This product certainly represents a breakthrough in the winter tyre market. It is made using “ologic” technology, which ensures very good performance, while also reducing the tyre’s rolling resistance. The end result is a safe and more environmentally-friendly drive. The use of this latest technology is visible at first glance, as the tyer has a larger diameter and a narrow tyre tread. This means that it needs less energy and is rather resistant to damage.
This model - alongside the other latest tyre models from Bridgestone - are products designed to help ensure a 50% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
The tyre is available in a 19-inch size.
The Dayton DW510 EVO – a universal winter tyre.
The Dayton DW510 EVO - classed as an economy tyre - is a product suitable for many different types of car.
This Dayton tyre is an improved version of the exceptionally popular Dayton DW510, which has received over 700 reviews on our site alone. The model’s biggest strength is its all-around performance, which lets you feel safe and comfortable regardless of the road conditions. The main factor behind its high level of performance is the advanced directional tread pattern. This type of tread design is most often used by leading tyre manufacturers, as it enables the fastest and most effective expulsion of water (as well as slush) from beneath the tyre.
This product will satisfy drivers looking for the right tyre for inner-city driving, as well as those who frequently travel outside of town. An additional plus for long distance drivers is the the low tyre noise levels, thanks to its good absorption capabilities. This ensures a quiet, comfortable drive while travelling.
Furthermore, this Dayton tyre is made from a rubber compound designed with durability in mind. This ensures the tyre will easily last for a couple of seasons, offering great performance throughout. It is available in sizes from 13 to 17 inches.
The Matador MP54 Sibir Snow – a special product for medium and small cars.
The Matador Mp54 Sibir Snow is an economy class winter tyre, created for use with small and medium-sized vehicles.
This Matador tyre was developed using technologies employed by the German Continental tyre group, which owns Matador. It’s most notable features are its excellent grip and short braking distances, even on snow and ice, as well as improved safety on wet surfaces. These features greatly improve safety, as well as offering a good level of comfort while driving.
Likewise, the aggressive directional tread pattern and special zigzag grooves along its surface help to expel large amounts of snow, thus providing excellent traction on snow-covered surfaces. The wide central groove, in combination with a large number of side grooves, effectively pushes aside excess water, ensuring safety in the wet.
The design also features narrow grooves in the central part of the tread, ensuring an even distribution of tyre pressure, increasing its durability and making it more comfortable to drive. This comfort is further increased by the optimisation of the rigidity and the positioning of the tread blocks, leading to an effective reduction in the tyre noise levels generated.
This Matador tyre is available in sizes ranging from 13 to 15 inches.
The Sportiva Snow Win 2 is an economy class tyre designed to be fitted on a wide range of cars.
This Sportiva tyre features a directional tyre tread pattern. This pattern is most often used by manufacturers when they want to provide the rapid expulsion of both water and slush. This, in turn, ensures the tyre will be resistant to aquaplaning and retain its stability across all weather conditions you may encounter in the winter months. A special system of sipes allows the Sportiva tyre to ‘bite’ into the snow, helping to shorten braking distances and improve manoeuvering.
Furthermore, the Snow Win 2 wasn’t just created to provide drivers with excellent performance parameters. It also offers a high level of comfort while driving, helped in part to its special tread design, which minimizes the amount of noise produced.
This Sportiva tyre is available in sizes from 13 to 18 inches.
Take a look at the latest tests of winter tyres, and find the right product for you. See also our ranking of winter tyres for the 2013/2014 season.