Neither. Continental Winter Contact TS850 or TS860's . I've run the 850's as winter tyres for years and they're superb in every respect. The 860 is the latest version but they don't make it yet for the wheel size of my new car so I've stayed with the 850's.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I have the Bridgestones previous iteration. All I can say is they are excellent. No idea re Nokian. I followed a 4 wheel drive Mitsubishi Shogun down from Verbier two years ago in my rear wheel drive only car. I was solid as a rock in driving snow and 2 inches of snow cover on the hairpins. He was sliding all over the place. I stayed well back! At the time I bought an Autocar special on snow/winter tyres. I bought on the basis of this review. Sure there's something like that out now but up to date?
@spyderjon, I went past them because they get an 'E' for fuel economy and a 'C' for grip, the Nokian is a 'B' and a 'C' and the Bridgestone a 'B' and an 'A'.
But do these ratings really mean anything?
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
twoodwar wrote:
At the time I bought an Autocar special on snow/winter tyres. I bought on the basis of this review. Sure there's something like that out now but up to date?
@Tom Doc, the Blizzak features well in the latest Autobild test - though not as well as the Conti. The Nokian isn't tested. Bear in mind though that test results can vary based on tyre size.
I reckon you'd be fine with either, but this is and you've asked about winter tyres, so overthinking is essential
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Autoexpress have a '"winter special 52 page guide' out at the moment -- spyderjon's Continental came top in 'winter test'
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Wed 6-11-19 21:26; edited 1 time in total
After all it is free
After all it is free
@mgrolf, One can hope! I'll have to check Autobild.
@albob, Yeah, I saw that, and a few others - the Continental seems to do well in several tests, the Nokian not quite so much, and the Bridgestone seems to be too new to have made some of the tests.
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@Tom Doc, I'm just looking at the magazine (actually bought it, instead of reading it in Smiths !) - the magazine results differ from the ones in the link I posted.... ?!?
Top 'all weather' in Magazine is Goodyear Vector 4seasons : Continental AllSeason Contact in Link
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
The Continental in the tests is the 860, and like Jon they don't make it in my size, so just how much better is it than the 850? (This is in the realms of overthinking!).
I'll see what total price is and go with the cheaper of Continental and Bridgestone - they're available from different sellers and shipping will probably be the decider.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
We gad Blizzaks as our last fit and they were not great.
We now have Michelin Latitude Alpins which are very noticeably better.
If I could have justified the uplift in cost I’d have gone Conti.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@Tom Doc, it's better by 10?
I'll get my coat...
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@mgrolf,
@under a new name, The Blizzaks and Conti's are only £7 different at the minute. I should probably just do what @spyderjon tells me to do. In fact that could be a new Snowheads rule.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
What about the Michelin CrossClimate
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Old Fartbag, I've got plenty of tread left on the summer tyres so there's no gain for me to go the all season route, other than swapping each time, but that's no biggy. I'd probably prefer a dedicated winter tyre in Austria in January anyway.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Old Fartbag wrote:
What about the Michelin CrossClimate
Came 3rd
---
All season tyres
1 Goodyear Vector 4seasons
2 Continental allseasonscontact
3 Michelin crossclimate
4 Nokian weatherproof
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Tom Doc, do exactly that. The Contis seem just that tad better. I was (in CH) looking at about £500 all round difference for not that much improvement and the Michelins have been excellent.
Their last season though ...
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Tom Doc wrote:
@spyderjon, I went past them because they get an 'E' for fuel economy and a 'C' for grip, the Nokian is a 'B' and a 'C' and the Bridgestone a 'B' and an 'A'.
But do these ratings really mean anything?
Only in very general terms. Even the body that sets the 'official' test mechanism and measurements admits that the overlap is quite wide i.e. between A and B, B and C etc. Also, variation is often by design i.e. a manufacturer will deliberately lose in one area to gain it in another - just like summer tyres, you can't get any tyre that scores 100% by every measure. For example, the same manufacturer may offer one winter tyre that's warm-weather biased (for cold/wet but not often snowy conditions) and another that's snow-biased (for Alpine type conditions). Also, there are parameters which often don't get tested, like resistance to aquaplaning while turning (I suspect because it's hard to measure consistently). I looked at one tyre, for example, that scored really well in most simple testing, but was quite poor on resistance to aquaplaning while turning. Which is quite an important factor in a typical British wet and rainy winter.
So basically, I wouldn't agonise too much. I've had Vredestein, Michelin, Dunlop and Pirelli (two types) and basically, just having quality winters has given me 80% of the maximum improvement: I've now settled on a particular tyre that suits me and got the final 20% 'ideal' choice.
Caveat: A high-performance car however, will amplify differences, especially if it's rear-wheel-drive. And I wouldn't recommend all-seasons on a performance car. But if your vehicle is more modest (say, just as a rough guideline, under 200 BHP) then the brand differences will be smaller. If you have a performance car, then take a look at corresponding Owner Forums and you'll usually come across a 'wheels and tyres' topic with feedback about winter tyres on your specific model. You'll usually find that a couple of brands appear as the preferred choice. Personally, I'm not a great fan of the magazine reviews because they seem so inconsistent.
@Old Fartbag, I've got plenty of tread left on the summer tyres so there's no gain for me to go the all season route, other than swapping each time, but that's no biggy. I'd probably prefer a dedicated winter tyre in Austria in January anyway.
These new All Weather tyres are almost as good as a dedicated Winter Tyre and almost as good as a Summer Tyre.
The Michelin came top a couple of years ago - and I know someone who uses them....any of the top 3 listed by Albob would work nicely.
Check out the Auto Express tyre tests.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I recently got a set of the Continental allseasonscontact tyres fitted, looking forward to seeing how they perform in the snow.
These new All Weather tyres are almost as good as a dedicated Winter Tyre and almost as good as a Summer Tyre.
The latest generation of all-seasons are very good. But not as good as summers in summer or winters in winter. Cue an impossible-to-resolve debate about the degree of difference. I have all-seasons on my 2nd small run-around car after having run it with separate winters and winters year-'round. But on my main car, which is a performance model, I'd not put all-seasons on because as I said, the difference is amplified, and so I opt for winters even just in the UK. Going to he Alps in it swings the decision easily to winters.
But I appreciate that the difference, especially between a winter-biased all-season vs a full winter may not be enough for some owners to justify separate winter/summer tyres, or if needed, a 2nd set of wheels as well. But for me, it's going to the Alps that would swing it i.e. if I was taking the run-around to the Alps, then I'd go back to having separate winters for it.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I use Nokian WR A4s on my Octavia Scout 4x4 and had used the older version on my Subaru for 8 years. They are basically a winter tyre that also performed well enough in summer to get an all season rating. I run them all year with no problems, and even spending full winters at the top of a steep road with hairpin bends at 990m in the Austrian Alps I have never once required snow chains, even during last years massive 3 week snow event.
After all it is free
After all it is free
I've got Nokian WR D4s on at the moment, having previously had Conti WinterContacts; like Scarpa, I have Octavia Scout AWD. Both tyres have been fine, no complaints with either and I'd struggle to find any difference in performance in wet, slush, or snow.
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@Tom Doc, we have those Nokian's on our 4x4 at the moment. We usually have Vredestein Wintracs but the new set got lost in transit somewhere between the depot in Germany and home last December, so we had to sort something else sharpish. They've been fine.
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Tom Doc wrote:
I know, sorry, sorry, sorry!
I'm not going to overthink this, so if no one has any strong opinions or experience I'll just pick one.
These will be used in rainy N. Ireland and for a month in January in and around (hopefully) snowy Innsbruck this winter, and who knows after that?
Wr4 Suv on my car since last winter. Coped with all conditions. Will be driving in these to switzerland in Dec and Italy in Feb. Nokian is a winter tyre specialist (Finnish) and I believe that Bridgestone invested in it some time ago as well. In terms of a product, would go with wr4 for winter driving
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Last year rented an Opel Grandland with Michelin Crossclimates. It was fine on the road, but getting out of a snowy car park was difficult. Needed a bit of pushing and rocking back and forth while playing with the clutch, not something I would be happy to do in my own car. I'd say on previous trips in cars with "full" winters on, it was easy to get out of similar spots
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I used this one to choose my Pirelli Scorpion Winters last year as the my profile of winter driving, mainly cold and wet but with 2 trips to the Alps each winter matched the Pirelli best. I wasn't disappointed. Nice and stable in the English winter and some nice performance on snow. I don't think they make the Pirellis in your size but the site is brilliant.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2018-Auto-Bild-Winter-SUV-4x4-Tyre-Test.htm
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Looking at the Pirelli website, the Pirelli Scorpion Winter seems to be the SUV equivalent to the car Pirelli Winter Sottozero S3. If that's so, then its strengths are in snow and anti-aquaplaning. I have the S3 on my 330 BHP RWD main car, and they're my winter tyre of choice for a performance vehicle. I've found them particularly good in wet and heavy rain.
Pirelli also do the Winter Sottozero Serie-II which I had on my previous AWD and which were not quite as good in the snow or heavy rain, but better than the S3 in warmer, dryer conditions. So it was a matter of deciding where my priorities lay, and I've stuck with the S3s.
I think that most manufacturers have a similar range of tyres on offer, where different winters and all-seasons are going to match different use profiles by owners. As I said, I think that the reviews are OK as a general guide but often inconsistent and as long as you actually do go for a winter tyre, whatever (mainstream, quality) one you opt for, you'll get a big improvement over summers, even if it's just in typical cool/wet UK conditions.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Used to have Sottozero 2's on my eclass estate. Ran them all year round no issue. Fine in winter. Put summers on in spring and have just ordered some dunlop sp4's to go on for this winter, then I will swap back to the summers. Chose the dunlop on price really. Get decent reviews, and 40 quid a corner cheaper than the top rated stuff. Only going to the alps in March, and have chains.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@endoman, We had Dunlops on our first Swiss SUV. Very effective.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I ended up buying the Nokians - the Contis weren't available for the good price I saw, and ended up quite a bit more. If they're terrible I'll let you know!
(they'll be fine)
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Tom Doc,
You'll love them in snowy Innsbruck. I loved the Nokians in the snow on my rwd BMW320. Made a point of going out for a play in the snowbound empty lift carparks at the end of the day. So much fun. They weren't quite as good in the cold and damp but still miles better than summers.
Have fun.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Couple of very good videos from tyrereview YouTube channel to help clear things up:
Comparison of tyre performance across Nokian range from summer to studded winter - all seasons do well:
Comparison of all season tyres (it’s about a year old but still applicable). Key point here is to evaluate if you need a summer or winter biased all season tyres.
Not meant to be exact, but more an aid to discussing and reviewing which tyres are best for your circumstances: from summer warmth on the left, through winter cold and wet, to Alpine snow on the right.
Let's be clear, no one tyre and particularly, no all-season can cover the whole spectrum of conditions optimally. So it's really a matter of balancing convenience, cost, risk and usage.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
. I've run the 850's as winter tyres for years and they're superb in every respect. The 860 is the latest version but they don't make it yet for the wheel size of my new car so I've stayed with the 850's.
and you've asked about winter tyres, so overthinking is essential 
