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2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test

Jonathan Benson
Data analyzed and reviewed by Jonathan Benson
10 min read Updated
Below are all the data points for the 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test, displaying how each tyre performed across all test categories. The spider chart below provides a complete overview of performance, where one hundred percent represents the best performance in each category. The larger the area covered by each tyre's plot, the better its overall performance.
How to read these charts: For each test category, data is presented relative to the best performing tire. The direction indicates whether lower or higher values are better - pay close attention to this when interpreting results.

Performance Overview

This radar chart shows relative performance across all test categories, with 100% representing the best performance in each category. Reference tires may have gaps where data is not available.

Barum Polaris 3
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Uniroyal MS Plus 77
Firestone Winterhawk 3
Michelin Alpin 5
Yokohama W drive V905
Nokian WR D4
Gislaved EuroFrost 5
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
Hankook Winter i cept evo2
Continental WinterContact TS 860
Kumho WinterCraft WP71
Fulda Kristall Control HP2
BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
Kleber Krisalp HP3
Sava Eskimo HP2
Reference Summer
Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
Semperit Speed Grip 3
Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO

Quick Navigation

Dry Performance Overview

Dry Braking (M)

Spread: 8.80 M (23.2%) | Avg: 44.88 M

Dry braking in meters (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Reference Summer with a result of 37.9 M. The difference between best and worst was 18.8%.
  1. Reference Summer
    37.9 M
  2. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
    43.7 M
  3. Nokian WR D4
    44.5 M
  4. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    44.5 M
  5. Kumho WinterCraft WP71
    44.5 M
  6. Yokohama W drive V905
    44.6 M
  7. Firestone Winterhawk 3
    44.8 M
  8. Gislaved EuroFrost 5
    44.9 M
  9. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
    44.9 M
  10. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    45.1 M
  11. Uniroyal MS Plus 77
    45.2 M
  12. Michelin Alpin 5
    45.4 M
  13. Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
    45.4 M
  14. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    45.5 M
  15. Hankook Winter i cept evo2
    45.6 M
  16. Kleber Krisalp HP3
    45.6 M
  17. Semperit Speed Grip 3
    45.6 M
  18. Barum Polaris 3
    45.7 M
  19. BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
    46 M
  20. Sava Eskimo HP2
    46.3 M
  21. Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO
    46.7 M

Dry Handling (Km/H)

Spread: 6.20 Km/H (5.5%) | Avg: 109.05 Km/H

Dry Handling Average Speed (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Reference Summer with a result of 113.2 Km/H. The difference between best and worst was 5.5%.
  1. Reference Summer
    113.2 Km/H
  2. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    110.8 Km/H
  3. Hankook Winter i cept evo2
    109.7 Km/H
  4. Barum Polaris 3
    109.6 Km/H
  5. Semperit Speed Grip 3
    109.6 Km/H
  6. Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
    109.5 Km/H
  7. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    109.4 Km/H
  8. Gislaved EuroFrost 5
    109.3 Km/H
  9. Michelin Alpin 5
    109.1 Km/H
  10. Sava Eskimo HP2
    109.1 Km/H
  11. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
    109 Km/H
  12. Yokohama W drive V905
    108.9 Km/H
  13. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
    108.8 Km/H
  14. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    108.7 Km/H
  15. Firestone Winterhawk 3
    108.6 Km/H
  16. Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO
    108.5 Km/H
  17. Uniroyal MS Plus 77
    108.3 Km/H
  18. Nokian WR D4
    108.3 Km/H
  19. Kumho WinterCraft WP71
    107.3 Km/H
  20. Kleber Krisalp HP3
    107.3 Km/H
  21. BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
    107 Km/H

Wet Performance Overview

Wet Braking (M)

Spread: 5.50 M (17.7%) | Avg: 34.55 M

Wet braking in meters (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Reference Summer with a result of 31 M. The difference between best and worst was 15.1%.
  1. Reference Summer
    31 M
  2. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
    32.2 M
  3. Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO
    32.5 M
  4. Michelin Alpin 5
    33.3 M
  5. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
    33.4 M
  6. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    33.5 M
  7. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    33.6 M
  8. Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
    34 M
  9. Semperit Speed Grip 3
    34.4 M
  10. Yokohama W drive V905
    34.7 M
  11. Kumho WinterCraft WP71
    34.8 M
  12. Nokian WR D4
    35 M
  13. BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
    35.1 M
  14. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    35.5 M
  15. Kleber Krisalp HP3
    35.7 M
  16. Barum Polaris 3
    35.8 M
  17. Hankook Winter i cept evo2
    35.9 M
  18. Uniroyal MS Plus 77
    36 M
  19. Firestone Winterhawk 3
    36.3 M
  20. Sava Eskimo HP2
    36.4 M
  21. Gislaved EuroFrost 5
    36.5 M

Wet Handling (Km/H)

Spread: 6.90 Km/H (8.9%) | Avg: 73.14 Km/H

Wet Handling Average Speed (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Reference Summer with a result of 77.5 Km/H. The difference between best and worst was 8.9%.
  1. Reference Summer
    77.5 Km/H
  2. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
    75.8 Km/H
  3. Michelin Alpin 5
    74.9 Km/H
  4. Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO
    74.7 Km/H
  5. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    74.6 Km/H
  6. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    74.2 Km/H
  7. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
    74.1 Km/H
  8. Nokian WR D4
    73.6 Km/H
  9. Semperit Speed Grip 3
    73.6 Km/H
  10. Yokohama W drive V905
    73.5 Km/H
  11. Kleber Krisalp HP3
    72.8 Km/H
  12. Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
    72.6 Km/H
  13. BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
    72.3 Km/H
  14. Firestone Winterhawk 3
    72.2 Km/H
  15. Kumho WinterCraft WP71
    72.1 Km/H
  16. Uniroyal MS Plus 77
    71.9 Km/H
  17. Gislaved EuroFrost 5
    71.3 Km/H
  18. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    71.3 Km/H
  19. Barum Polaris 3
    71.2 Km/H
  20. Sava Eskimo HP2
    71.1 Km/H
  21. Hankook Winter i cept evo2
    70.6 Km/H

Straight Aqua (Km/H)

Spread: 8.70 Km/H (9.3%) | Avg: 87.85 Km/H

Float Speed in Km/H (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2 with a result of 93.3 Km/H. The difference between best and worst was 9.3%.
  1. BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
    93.3 Km/H
  2. Kleber Krisalp HP3
    90.9 Km/H
  3. Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO
    90.7 Km/H
  4. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    90.5 Km/H
  5. Reference Summer
    90.5 Km/H
  6. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
    88.9 Km/H
  7. Michelin Alpin 5
    88.7 Km/H
  8. Gislaved EuroFrost 5
    88.3 Km/H
  9. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
    88.1 Km/H
  10. Nokian WR D4
    87.8 Km/H
  11. Uniroyal MS Plus 77
    87.5 Km/H
  12. Hankook Winter i cept evo2
    87.5 Km/H
  13. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    87.5 Km/H
  14. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    86.8 Km/H
  15. Semperit Speed Grip 3
    86.5 Km/H
  16. Firestone Winterhawk 3
    86.1 Km/H
  17. Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
    85.5 Km/H
  18. Barum Polaris 3
    85.4 Km/H
  19. Sava Eskimo HP2
    85 Km/H
  20. Kumho WinterCraft WP71
    84.8 Km/H
  21. Yokohama W drive V905
    84.6 Km/H

Snow Performance Overview

Snow Braking (M)

Spread: 34.80 M (134.4%) | Avg: 29.51 M

Snow braking in meters (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2 with a result of 25.9 M. The difference between best and worst was 57.3%.
  1. BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
    25.9 M
  2. Kleber Krisalp HP3
    26.7 M
  3. Sava Eskimo HP2
    27.2 M
  4. Semperit Speed Grip 3
    27.4 M
  5. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    27.5 M
  6. Barum Polaris 3
    27.6 M
  7. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    27.6 M
  8. Nokian WR D4
    27.7 M
  9. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
    27.7 M
  10. Firestone Winterhawk 3
    27.9 M
  11. Gislaved EuroFrost 5
    28 M
  12. Uniroyal MS Plus 77
    28.1 M
  13. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    28.1 M
  14. Yokohama W drive V905
    28.3 M
  15. Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
    28.3 M
  16. Hankook Winter i cept evo2
    28.6 M
  17. Michelin Alpin 5
    28.7 M
  18. Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO
    28.7 M
  19. Kumho WinterCraft WP71
    29.2 M
  20. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
    29.8 M
  21. Reference Summer
    60.7 M

Snow Handling (Km/H)

Spread: 2.90 Km/H (5.5%) | Avg: 51.23 Km/H

Snow handling average speed (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Barum Polaris 3 with a result of 52.6 Km/H. The difference between best and worst was 5.5%.
  1. Barum Polaris 3
    52.6 Km/H
  2. BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
    52.3 Km/H
  3. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    52.2 Km/H
  4. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    52.2 Km/H
  5. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
    52 Km/H
  6. Sava Eskimo HP2
    51.9 Km/H
  7. Kleber Krisalp HP3
    51.7 Km/H
  8. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    51.6 Km/H
  9. Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
    51.4 Km/H
  10. Michelin Alpin 5
    51.2 Km/H
  11. Semperit Speed Grip 3
    51.1 Km/H
  12. Nokian WR D4
    50.9 Km/H
  13. Gislaved EuroFrost 5
    50.9 Km/H
  14. Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO
    50.9 Km/H
  15. Kumho WinterCraft WP71
    50.7 Km/H
  16. Yokohama W drive V905
    50.6 Km/H
  17. Firestone Winterhawk 3
    50.4 Km/H
  18. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
    50.2 Km/H
  19. Hankook Winter i cept evo2
    50 Km/H
  20. Uniroyal MS Plus 77
    49.7 Km/H

Comfort Performance Overview

Noise (dB)

Spread: 4.40 dB (6.2%) | Avg: 72.87 dB

External noise in dB (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO with a result of 70.9 dB. The difference between best and worst was 5.8%.
  1. Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO
    70.9 dB
  2. Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
    71.8 dB
  3. BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
    71.9 dB
  4. Kleber Krisalp HP3
    71.9 dB
  5. Firestone Winterhawk 3
    72.2 dB
  6. Michelin Alpin 5
    72.2 dB
  7. Kumho WinterCraft WP71
    72.2 dB
  8. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
    72.4 dB
  9. Nokian WR D4
    72.7 dB
  10. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
    72.8 dB
  11. Semperit Speed Grip 3
    72.8 dB
  12. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    73 dB
  13. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    73 dB
  14. Barum Polaris 3
    73.1 dB
  15. Uniroyal MS Plus 77
    73.5 dB
  16. Hankook Winter i cept evo2
    73.5 dB
  17. Sava Eskimo HP2
    73.5 dB
  18. Yokohama W drive V905
    73.7 dB
  19. Gislaved EuroFrost 5
    73.9 dB
  20. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    74 dB
  21. Reference Summer
    75.3 dB

Value Performance Overview

Wear (KM)

Spread: 19500.00 KM (40.3%) | Avg: 37537.50 KM

Predicted tread life in KM (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 with a result of 48375 KM. The difference between best and worst was 40.3%.
  1. Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
    48375 KM
  2. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    47625 KM
  3. Michelin Alpin 5
    44250 KM
  4. Sava Eskimo HP2
    44250 KM
  5. Kumho WinterCraft WP71
    42375 KM
  6. Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO
    40125 KM
  7. BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
    38625 KM
  8. Barum Polaris 3
    37500 KM
  9. Uniroyal MS Plus 77
    37500 KM
  10. Gislaved EuroFrost 5
    37500 KM
  11. Kleber Krisalp HP3
    36375 KM
  12. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    35250 KM
  13. Firestone Winterhawk 3
    34875 KM
  14. Hankook Winter i cept evo2
    34875 KM
  15. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    34500 KM
  16. Semperit Speed Grip 3
    33375 KM
  17. Yokohama W drive V905
    32625 KM
  18. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
    32250 KM
  19. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
    29625 KM
  20. Nokian WR D4
    28875 KM

Value (Price/1000)

Spread: 9.33 Price/1000 (123.6%) | Avg: 12.26 Price/1000

Euros/1000km based on cost/wear (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 with a result of 7.55 Price/1000. The difference between best and worst was 55.3%.
  1. Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
    7.55 Price/1000
  2. Sava Eskimo HP2
    7.57 Price/1000
  3. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    9.13 Price/1000
  4. Kumho WinterCraft WP71
    9.2 Price/1000
  5. Barum Polaris 3
    9.33 Price/1000
  6. Gislaved EuroFrost 5
    9.87 Price/1000
  7. Uniroyal MS Plus 77
    11.47 Price/1000
  8. Kleber Krisalp HP3
    11.55 Price/1000
  9. BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
    12.3 Price/1000
  10. Michelin Alpin 5
    12.43 Price/1000
  11. Hankook Winter i cept evo2
    12.47 Price/1000
  12. Firestone Winterhawk 3
    12.62 Price/1000
  13. Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO
    12.71 Price/1000
  14. Yokohama W drive V905
    12.72 Price/1000
  15. Semperit Speed Grip 3
    13.78 Price/1000
  16. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    15.04 Price/1000
  17. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    15.94 Price/1000
  18. Nokian WR D4
    16.1 Price/1000
  19. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
    16.59 Price/1000
  20. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
    16.88 Price/1000

Rolling Resistance (kg / t)

Spread: 1.97 kg / t (27.7%) | Avg: 8.06 kg / t

Rolling resistance in kg t (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Reference Summer with a result of 7.1 kg / t. The difference between best and worst was 21.7%.
  1. Reference Summer
    7.1 kg / t
  2. Uniroyal MS Plus 77
    7.23 kg / t
  3. Barum Polaris 3
    7.53 kg / t
  4. Gislaved EuroFrost 5
    7.78 kg / t
  5. Sava Eskimo HP2
    7.83 kg / t
  6. Semperit Speed Grip 3
    7.88 kg / t
  7. Kumho WinterCraft WP71
    7.91 kg / t
  8. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    7.95 kg / t
  9. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    7.96 kg / t
  10. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    8.03 kg / t
  11. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
    8.05 kg / t
  12. BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
    8.15 kg / t
  13. Nokian WR D4
    8.17 kg / t
  14. Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO
    8.2 kg / t
  15. Hankook Winter i cept evo2
    8.21 kg / t
  16. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
    8.25 kg / t
  17. Kleber Krisalp HP3
    8.3 kg / t
  18. Michelin Alpin 5
    8.52 kg / t
  19. Yokohama W drive V905
    8.57 kg / t
  20. Firestone Winterhawk 3
    8.62 kg / t
  21. Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
    9.07 kg / t

Overall Findings

Based on the weighted scoring from all tests, here are the overall results:

Position Tyre Score
Continental WinterContact TS 860 0%
2 Michelin Alpin 5 0%
3 Dunlop Winter Sport 5 0%
4 Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1 0%
5 Semperit Speed Grip 3 0%
6 BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2 0%
7 Fulda Kristall Control HP2 0%
8 Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO 0%
9 Kleber Krisalp HP3 0%
10 Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 0%
11 Gislaved EuroFrost 5 0%
12 Kumho WinterCraft WP71 0%
13 Uniroyal MS Plus 77 0%
14 Nokian WR D4 0%
15 Yokohama W drive V905 0%
16 Barum Polaris 3 0%
17 Sava Eskimo HP2 0%
18 Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 0%
19 Firestone Winterhawk 3 0%
20 Hankook Winter i cept evo2 0%
21 Reference Summer 0%

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Discussion

18 comments
  1. Mickey archived

    If you ditch the handling tests because the difference in speed is close to irrelevant, you can see that there is no way that Continental can be the best, mainly because high price and poor wear. Be sure on what surface you drive the most, it may be snowing but if the road is clear it is wet surface etc. I would suggest that you redo the results of the tes without the speed tests because they don't matter, safety comes first on winter tyres !

    #3856
    1. Dataminer with PhD Mickey archived

      But the speed measurement is a direct metric on how safe the tyre is. For example the higher the aquaplaning speed is the safer it is to drive in a wet condition if the speed is below that measurement.

      #5045
  2. Riccardo archived

    Hi Jonathan, I cannot understand the meaning of Dry and Wet Braking for Reference Summer. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't summer tires stop after winter tires during the bad season? Thanks for the clarification.

    #3099
    1. TyreReviews Riccardo archived

      Do you mean in the dry and wet? A good summer tyre will always beat a winter tyre in the dry, and the wet braking can be very close between the best summer and winter tyres.

      The summer tyre behaves as you would expect in the snow!

      #3100
      1. Riccardo TyreReviews archived

        So what is the utility of winter tires if the summer ones stop first in the wet???
        I am talking about my climate, very rainy but almost never snowy in Fall/Winter...

        #3101
        1. TyreReviews Riccardo archived

          The winter tyre works in lower / freezing temperatures, and obviously works on snow and ice. But I agree, a winter tyre isn't always the best choice.

          https://www.youtube.com/wat...

          #3102
          1. Riccardo TyreReviews archived

            Anyway, one morning of the last week my Goodyear Ultragrip Performance Gen-1 saved me from a crash. It was cold and it was raining, so they did their job very well...

            #3103
  3. Richard DuBois archived

    Unable to find Nokian WRD4 on their website. Is this an old model ?
    Also cannot find anywhere in this test a statement as to whether any of these tires are studded or non-studded.
    Best current studded tire I know of is Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9

    #2985
  4. Ursu Bogdan archived

    The Bridgestone Blizzak LM 001 has class C for wet braking
    How is possible in your test to be no 3 before Continental, Michelin, etc, which has B class?

    Thank you for your answer

    #2978
    1. TyreReviews Ursu Bogdan archived

      As with the Nokian question below, it might be this test used an newer version of the tyre with better label scores, or that the Bridgestone tyre is more sensitive to this braking test scenario - things such as temperature, vehicle used and Mu of the road surface all make a difference.

      #2979
      1. Ursu Bogdan TyreReviews archived

        Thank you for answer.
        May you recommend me a tire model for a weather more wet than snow ?
        Also ice from time to time.
        Thank you

        #2980
        1. TyreReviews Ursu Bogdan archived

          The winner of this test would be a good place to start your research :)

          #2981
  5. Ufuk AKKAŞOĞLU archived

    If you look at the EU label, Nokian has A grade wet braking performance; however, in this test, it sits behind the tyres who has B grade wet braking performance in EU label.
    How is this possible? Which one is wrong: EU label or the test :)
    Another question: 205/55 R17 95V Goodyear winter tire tyre has C grade wet braking performace in its EU label, while same tyre has B grade performance in 215/55 R17 98V. Is it normal to have that difference? To be honest, I would expact better performance in 205 than 215, since width is smaller (only in wet and snow, in dry roads it's vice versa)

    #2971
    1. TyreReviews Ufuk AKKAŞOĞLU archived

      It's normal to have a difference between sizes in the brands, you can even sometimes find the same tyre / size on sale with different label scores if a more recent manufacturer date has had a compound update to improve the label score.

      As for the Nokian being an A, there's no way a company like Nokian would lie on the EU label test. It might be this test used an older version of the tyre with worse label scores, or that the Nokian tyre was more sensitive to this braking test scenario - things such as temperature, vehicle used and Mu of the road surface all make a difference.

      #2975
  6. UK winter archived

    So basically the almost last tire in this test(am looking at you Pirelli),is actually the best "winter" tire for our mild(less snowy) winters?

    #2966
    1. TyreReviews UK winter archived

      It certainly wouldn't be that low in a UK based test, though if you're more concerned about dry and wet performance (which is good for the UK) I'd suggest something like the Michelin CrossClimate.

      #2967
      1. UK winter TyreReviews archived

        Good suggestion,but in my size(205/50 r17) they are prohibitively expensive.
        And the all-season test only confirm that there isn't much else to choose from.So I guess my old(2010) wintersport 3d will have to hold on for a one more winter trough.

        #2968