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by Editors of Consumer Reports
by Hasse Britth
This Swedish magazine rates seven studded winter tires and six studless tires on a snowy, icy test track. Each tire gets a numeric score in several categories: braking, handling on ice, etc., and a total… score. Motorföraren then ranks the tires accordingly. Although some of the top picks are not available in the U.S., three are: the studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 and the studless Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSI and Michelin X-Ice. This article is available online, but only in Swedish.
by Jukka Antila and Rune Korsvoll
This comprehensive test, published in the Norges Automobil Forbund (Norwegian Auto Club) member magazine, Motor, is conducted in Finland in conjunction with other auto publications in Scandinavia and Russia… (Auto Motor & Sport, Aftonbladet, Tekniikan Mallma and Autorevue). Ten studded and 10 studless snow tires are tested on ice and snow, as well as on wet and dry asphalt, earning numeric scores for their performance, economy and comfort. All of the tires are passenger-car tires, tested on an Audi A3. Some of the tires tested are not available in the U.S., but two of the top three studless scorers are (the Michelin X-Ice Xi2 and the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R), as is the top studded tire (the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5). Testing methods and scores are clearly delineated, and the article is available online -- but not in English.
by Martin Ström
This Swedish magazine took part in the multi-publication Finnish snow tire test cited in Motor magazine (above). Like Motor, Auto Motor & Sport presents the results clearly in charts, ranking the tires from… best to worst. But Auto Motor & Sport scores the tires a bit differently from Motor, resulting in a few slightly different recommendations, although both publications largely agree on the best tires.
by Editors of Automobile Protection Association
This Canadian nonprofit association is dedicated to protecting consumer interests in the marketplace. It is funded by individual consumers' membership fees, with no subsidies from the automobile, oil or… insurance industries. APA puts more weight on the tires' snow and ice capability, with less concern given to dry-road performance than some other reviewers. APA has greatly expanded its reviews this year, rating 71 winter tires for cars (both passenger and performance) and SUVs. Readers get only a sentence or two of advice on each tire, but APA does give each tire a star rating, making it easy to see which are the best.
by Linus Pröjtz and Ruben Börjesson
This Swedish publication, whose name translates as World of Technology, tests eight studded and eight studless winter tires on its test track. Experts rate each tire on its braking, hydroplaning, road… performance, comfort and "the moose test" -- how well the tires handle a sudden swerve, as if to miss a moose standing in the middle of an icy road. Teknikens Värld also picks overall winners in both the studded and studless categories, and it lists several winter tires consumers should avoid. Most of the tires are not available in the U.S., but one of the top-ranked studless tires - the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R -- is.
by Editors of Tire Rack
Tire Rack is a retail site that both sells and reviews tires. Staffers test the new Michelin X-Ice Xi2 against three competing winter tires: the Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice, Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi and the… Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60. The test, at an icy, snowy track in Quebec, Canada, was part of a media event orchestrated by Michelin. Tire Rack ranks the tires, provides pros and cons, and follows with a thorough report of how they performed on the ice and snow (the Michelin dethrones last year's winner, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60). This site also includes consumer reviews posted for some tires.
by Editors of Tire Rack
Although this is not the most recent Tire Rack test, it is valuable because it tests three studless tires often recommended elsewhere (the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60, Dunlop Graspic DS-2 and Michelin X-Ice)… and compares them with a studdable tire (the Firestone Winterforce M+S). Tire Rack ranks the tires, provides pros and cons, and follows with a thorough report of how they performed on the ice and snow.
by Contributors to Tire Rack
Thousands of consumers contribute to these ratings at Tire Rack, which rank 16 passenger winter tires and five for light trucks and SUVs. Each tire is scored in 13 categories (ice traction, deep snow… traction, etc.), and the results are presented in easy-to-read charts. Consumers report how many miles they've driven each tire, and on what type of car. Tire Rack averages the scores and ranks the tires accordingly. Users can also click and read narrative consumer reviews for each tire -- usually many reviews, several of which are quite thorough and thoughtful.
by Editors of Canadian Driver
by Editors of Auto Zeitung
by Contributors to Epinions.com
Twenty-seven winter tire models have accumulated reviews from consumers who post at Epinions. Several tires have just a handful of reviews, and some reviews are outdated. However, some reviews are recent,… thorough and offer helpful snapshots of the tires' real-life performance. The Bridgestone Blizzak series gets the highest possible rating, with more than 30 reviews. Reviewers also indicate how much they paid for their tires.
by John Mahler
by John Werner
John Werner, a software engineer from upstate New York, is also a snow tire enthusiast who has been conducting amateur snow tire tests and publishing the results online since 2001. His most recent test,… from 2006, is now outdated. However, Werner posts that a 2009 test is in the works, with Nokian and Vredestein already verbally committed to donate tires. Werner's site also has a message board where users discuss their experiences with different models of snow tires.
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