Winter is coming and motorists are obliged to replace summer tyres with those suitable for the period from 15 November to 15 April or to carry approved snow chains. Choosing to fit tyres that are suitable for cold-weather road conditions provides a better guarantee of grip, braking and comfort when the road cools and becomes covered with snow or ice. Here is what tyre manufacturers are proposing for 2023.
BFGoodrich
The G-Force Winter 2, designed for both cars and SUVs, is BFGoodrich's winter tyre which, thanks to an improved sipe network, provides increased traction and vehicle control in cold-weather conditions. The new compound reduces tread stiffness in colder temperatures improving braking distance on snow compared to the previous model. The directional V-shaped tread pattern contributes to eliminate water more effectively, reducing the risk of aquaplaning in wet conditions.
Bridgestone
The Blizzak LM005 is the result of Bridgestone's latest engineering innovations. The synergy between new compound materials and tread design allows to cope safely with winter conditions. The Blizzak LM005 boasts Bridgestone's High-Silica Nano Pro-tech compound to improve performance in wet and snowy conditions. The high content of silica ensures that the tyre compound remains elastic enough even at very low temperatures, providing adequate grip and traction. The use of Bridgestone's new nano-selective technology, combined with Nano Pro-tech, has improved the tyre's silica dispersion, enabling the Blizzak LM005 to deliver consistent performance in various winter conditions. As for the tread, the number of grooves in the shoulder improves the tyre's grip on snow and ice and increases the contact pressure of the shoulder blocks when braking. While the full void ratio in the central area of the tread promises to effectively eliminate water and trap snow in the grooves enhancing the grip between the snow trapped in the grooves and the snow on the road. Basically, Bridgestone engineers combined 2D sipes in the centre of the tread with 3D sipe design in the shoulder to provide better grip in icy road conditions.
Continental
WinterContact TS 870 and WinterContact TS 870 P represent Continental’s offer for the colder months of the year. Improved grip on the WinterContact TS 870 comes courtesy of newly developed interlocking 3D sipes. Designed with SnowCurve+ technology, the tyre uses a special tread profile to compact the snow; the tread blocks dig deep into the snow, this becomes compact and interacts with the snow present on the road surface. The depth of the sipes arranged parallel to the diagonal grooves allow for safe driving, as the company points out. The WinterContact TS 870 features a large number of edges to transfer the 'dynamic forces' to the ground and ensure stability in snow on both straights and corners. To further reduce the braking distance on slippery winter roads, Continental has increased the number of tread blocks in the footprint. The tread block edges and sipes act like windscreen wipers, dispersing melting snow and providing better grip on icy surfaces. The WinterContact TS 870 P, on the other hand, is a tyre designed for sports cars and SUVs. As with its predecessor, the TS 850 P, Continental uses an optimized version of its Cool Chili compound and innovative Hydro Grooves. To guarantee safety for vehicles with larger tyres, Continental chose to move away from the conventional V-shaped tread, opting for a more rigid construction with four large circumferential grooves running between the rows of tread blocks. This structure offers benefits particularly in the wet as it eliminates excess water very quickly, improving handling, reducing braking distances and the risk of aquaplaning.
CST Tires
CTS Tires chose to offer last years’ Medallion Winter WCP1 tyre suitable for a wide range of cars with speed ratings from T up to W. The 3D sipes improve the tyre's behaviour by reducing deformation and enhancing the overall performance of the tyre, especially when cornering and accelerating, even on snow-covered or icy roads. Furthermore, the new CST Medallion Winter WCP1 features a silica-rich tread compound that reaches the operating temperature rather quickly and maintains it, ensuring grip even in particularly cold weather conditions. The CST Medallion Winter WCP1 tyre carries both the standard M+S code and the Three Peak Mountain Snow-Flake pictogram (3PMSF).
Dunlop
For the 2023 winter season, Dunlop offers its Winter Sport 5. The central design of the siping, increased in length, improves grip on winter road surfaces. An optimizes footprint with more tread blocks touching the road ensure traction and performance on snow. Deep grooves in the tread, on the other hand, help the Winter Sport 5 to eliminate large quantities of slush and water, reducing the risk of aquaplaning and maintaining control even on wet road surfaces. Finally, the innovative design allows for effective weight distribution. This leads to reduced rolling resistance, thus improving fuel efficiency.
Falken
Eurowinter HS02 and Eurowinter HS02 Pro, intended for cars and SUVs and available in 45 and 74 sizes respectively, represent Falken’s proposal for the winter season. The Eurowinter HS02 has a V-shaped directional tread, with a symmetrical designed. This design allows water to drain out of the footprint. Falken’s engineers designed the inner side of the tread for safe driving on snow and slush, while the outer side looks at ensuring adequate performance in dry and wet conditions. The intelligent interaction of the two tread patterns guarantees a sporty and precise driving experience. The HS02 Pro has two continuous grooves around the entire circumference of the tyre which provide additional edges due to their zig-zag shape, ensuring traction in snow and slush. On the inner side of the tread, the tread grooves have been arranged in a staggered step-down arrangement to increases grip in snow as well as self-cleaning properties.
Goodyear
UltraGrip Performance 3 is Goodyear's reply to the competition. This tyre is the result of further developments in Goodyear's technologies aimed at coping with all kinds of winter conditions. The Wet Braking+ technology ensures better water dispersion from the tread. Water is pushed laterally reducing the risk of aquaplaning for better driving performance in the wet. Snow Protect technology increases the density of the sipes in the tread and provides superior traction and grip. In addition, the characteristic “snow claws” (longer grooves on the shoulder edge), improve performance even in soft, deep snow. To meet the needs of EVs, UltraGrip Performance 3 offers an innovative tread compound that is more resistant to wear, and the 3D sipes offer greater stability to cope with higher loads.
Giti Tire
For the 2023 winter season, Giti Tire showcased two new tyres: the GT Radial WinterPro evo and the GT Radial WinterPro Sport. The design features of the two new tyres include a directional profile with edges and sipes designed to improve grip on snowy and wet roads, wider shoulder blocks for greater stability and a precise driving experience. Extremely wide grooves eliminate water faster, which means better braking, while deep sipes enhance grip on snow. A well-balanced compound, new profile and casing reduce rolling resistance, saving fuel. Both products bear the 3PMSF symbol on the sidewall, which means they are approved for markets where laws regulating the use of winter tyres are in force.
Hankook
Winter i*cept evo3, Winter i*cept RS3 and iON Winter are Hankook's latest winter proposals. The Winter i*cept evo3 and Winter i*cept RS3 tyres feature an innovative silicon compound designed to improve traction on snow and wet surfaces, as well as reduced rolling resistance. The natural ingredients used in the design are responsible for the compound great flexibility over a wide range of temperatures. High Strength Steel Belt increased tread rigidity for straight-line stability as well as improving steering response. The tread profile has been designed to provide better control in rainy conditions as well as effectively expelling water sideways, thus preventing issues with aquaplaning. The sipes have been designed to minimize the movement of the block for improved performance on snow. For electric vehicles, Hankook offers the iON Winter (and SUV) tyre. Made from ecological materials and highly concentrated silica, it guarantees reduced mileage and rolling resistance. The reinforcing belt mixed with the most advanced fibre, aramid, used on iON winter, improves steering performance, and maintains an optimized shape when driving at high speeds. High-strength steel belts are applied to absorb external shock and improve durability and comfort. A monolayer of fibre reinforcement with a folded structure is applied to reduce rolling resistance and improve sidewall stability.
Michelin
For the 2023 winter season Michelin is relying once again on the Michelin Alpin6, the Pilot Alpin 5 and the Pilot Alpin 5 SUV. The first was designed for motorists who travel in all weather and road conditions and often face heavy snowfall. Michelin EverWinterGrip technology features a multi-layer tread compound and a progressive design, with emerging grooves that widen as the tyres wear, allowing consistent braking and traction on snow. The Pilot Alpin 5 instead features a latest generation tread compound integrated with a new functional polymer, for grip on wet and snow. Pilot Alpin 5 SUV was designed using a new compound with an innovative polymer. The directional tread design with central groove increases resistance to aquaplaning, offering traction and grip on both wet and snow-covered roads.
Nexen Tire
The Winguard Snow tyre is now in its third generation. Compared to the previous model, the Winguard Snow'G3 is an HP winter tyre designed for performance on snow and improved performance on dry and wet surfaces. The Winguard Snow'G3 features a silica compound and the number of sipes was increased to maximize water and snow expulsion. In addition to this product, Nexen also offers, for the cold season, the Winguard Sport 2 Suv, a winter UHP tyre designed for SUVs and made using a compound that improves performance on snow and wet surfaces.
Pirelli
For the cold season, Pirelli offers a wide range of winter tyres: the Scorpion Winter 2, the Winter Sottozero 3, Cinturato Winter 2 and the P Zero Winter. For the Scorpion Winter 2, the new Pirelli tire for SUVs, the engineers have identified various technical solutions, in terms of compound and tread design to adapt the tire to the road conditions typical of the winter season. The staggered V-shape design from shoulder to shoulder and the edges on the main grooves ensure performance on snow while the variable section grooves and the chamfers of the main grooves guarantee performance on wet surfaces. The new straight 3D sipes, instead, guarantee braking performance on snow, wet, dry as well as longer mileage. The Winter Sottozero 3 is the winter tire dedicated to high-end premium vehicles capable of guaranteeing performance in different winter weather conditions. The new compounds and the new sipe design are the result of Pirelli’s latest technological innovations. The 3D sipe technology increases tread stability, improving road handling performance in dry conditions and reducing braking distance, while the greater density improves grip on snow. Developed for the needs of European motorists, the new Cinturato Winter 2 has joined the Pirelli portfolio in the Cinturato family, intended mainly for modern car and suv vehicles. Thanks to Pirelli technologies, the Cinturato Winter 2 ensures better performance on snow and guarantees safety and control in different winter conditions. The P Zero Winter features an asymmetric tread design with an external shoulder suitable for withstanding lateral force when cornering and an internal shoulder rich in sipes cross-linking grooves to maximize traction and braking on snow. The central part was designed with stiff blocks to facilitate steering and three longitudinal grooves to facilitate the expulsion of water.
Toyo Tires
Observe S944 is the latest tire to benefit from Toyo Tyres' Nano Balance technology. Cutting-edge materials, production techniques and compounds combine to offer a safe and comfortable ride even when temperatures drop. Designed to withstand the cold and rainy European winters, Observe S944 guarantees grip and traction both in fresh snow and on icy surfaces.
Triangle Tyre
For the 2023 winter season Triangle Tyre relies on the UHP Snowlink PL02. With its asymmetrical design and a range starting from 16”, The Snowlink represents the right equipment for powerful premium sedans and SUVs. Mainly dedicated to the European market, the tyre was tested in Ivalo, Finland, in the most severe winter conditions. The tread with three circumferential zig-zag grooves and high-density 3D sipes reduce the risk of aquaplaning by improving water expulsion. The wide tread and equally large footprint improve traction and wear performance. Snowlink PL02 is available in 77 sizes.
Yokohama
Not to be outdone, Yokohama offers its Bluearth Winter V906 tyre designed for medium-high segment vehicles. The V906 profile features innovative technological solutions, such as the accentuated V-shaped groove, the purpose of which is to help expel water and snow and reduce the risk of aquaplaning. The innovative 3D sipes are well distributed from one block to the next, improving the edge effect on the snow. The uniform pressure blocks guarantee, as the company specifies, safe travelling in terms of grip as they evenly distribute the pressure produced by the footprint on the ground. The compound has a greater quantity of silica so as to optimize performance on snow and wet surfaces.
Westlake
The Westlake brand, from the Chinese manufacturer ZC Rubber, offers two tyres for the winter season: the Westlake Zuper Snow Z-507 and the Westlake SW618. The first is a high-performance tyre that offers improved traction on ice and snow. The asymmetric design and special compound guarantee easy handling on snow, together with an optimized lateral tilt angle to improve performance. Furthermore, its zigzag sipes improve traction and braking on snow. The new tread compound also guarantees durability and resistance to wear. This tyre is available in 74 sizes for family sedans, coupes, SUVs and crossovers. The Westlake SW618 is a winter touring tyre designed specifically for passenger cars. The Westlake boasts a directional tread pattern with a V-shaped design and high-drainage grooves, which allow for rapid expulsion of snow, mud and water. The optimized direction of the sipes ensures maximum contact between the tire and the road surface, ensuring traction and control in various winter driving conditions. The Westlake SW618 is available in 65 sizes for sport coupes, luxury sedans, minivans and crossovers.
Tire change
Emiliano Costa 10 novembre 2023
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