Non-studded winter tires: reviews and manufacturers

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

With the advent of the new snow season, car owners again face the question of choosing winter tires for their vehicles. The quality and safety of driving depends on how well they will grip the car with the roadway. This task should be approached with full responsibility. And in this article we will present the results of a survey on which non-studded winter tires have been the most positive in recent years. We also consider what features the new items released for this winter season have. We will tell you what to look for when choosing them, how important the tread pattern is, how to choose the best non-studded winter tires that are suitable for your car, taking into account its operating conditions.

Types of products

At the moment, two types of tires are used specifically for the winter season: tires with studs and without them. As part of this review, we consider only non-studded rubber, or, as it is also called, friction. But still, I would like to explain what the choice of whether winter tires are studded or non-studded to put on your vehicles is based on.

Mostthe difference between these species is obvious - the presence of metal spikes. In tires of the first type, they are fixed directly into the surface of the tire. Under the weight of the car, the rubber is compressed, the spikes protrude. Thus, almost all the pressure falls on them. Over time, their base is loosened, and they can fly out. It also explains why a car with studded tires has a longer braking distance on clean asph alt. Until winter finally arrives, use them with care.

On sale you can find friction tires with the so-called crystal spike. The reviews for such non-studded winter tires are positive. But in reality there are no integrated spikes, just this name indicates the use of a special additive, due to which adhesion to the road is increased. These tires can be worn with confidence in autumn.

Velcro tires are good for driving on clean asph alt, wet roads, a thin layer of snow. They are not afraid of frost or snow drifts. The only negative is that on a road with an ice crust or heavily packed snow, driving will be much more complicated. Friction tires are good for urban conditions, where the asph alt remains clean due to the reagents used, and if snow is found, it either melts quickly or is promptly removed by utilities.

How friction rubber works

Studded tires have other names that reflect the essence of their work. Very often, such products are called Velcro. It's all about the principle, due to which they show outstandinggrip characteristics.

These tires are made from a special rubber that retains its elasticity and resilience at negative ambient temperatures. Due to this, they quickly return to their original shape after they come into contact with the asph alt.

Each manufacturer has its own technological recipe for the manufacture of a rubber compound, which determines the optimal amount of additives that improve the behavior of tires at sub-zero temperatures. The most famous additives are carbon black, sulfur and a derivative of organosilicon acid.

The best non-studded winter tires are made from higher quality material. It can be defined as follows: near the rim of the tire, the rubber should not be dry and hard. Its surface can be quite pliable under the fingers and slightly pressed, but at the same time resiliently repel the hand. It also visually looks wetter, reminiscent of a child's slime toy.

To increase the friction force, in order to roll more efficiently on the road and push off from its surface, tires use a special relief pattern - a tread. It depends on him how well the wheels of the car will roll on snow, asph alt or ice.

Studless winter tires have a characteristic tread feature with small gaps called sipes. The distance between them increases when the tire deforms under the weight of the car. Thus, a certain vacuum is formed, and the lamellas work like Velcro suction cups. But their mere presence is not enough, andManufacturers are experimenting with the tread pattern, creating tracks and grooves of various depths on the surface of the tire. They divert snow and water that interfere with traction. The most common drawings are made according to the principle of Christmas trees, checkers, or a combination of them.

This type of tire does not use mechanical means that increase friction, that is, metal spikes. But manufacturers have found some alternative to them. Fiberglass is added to the rubber compound as one of the additives, and tires with this additive are called products with a crystal spike. But the use of this technology will not allow friction tires to be called Velcro, as they are more rigid, and the sipes do not work as efficiently.

Types of non-studded tires

Foreign and domestic manufacturers produce different types of tires. They are designed for different operating conditions, the type of driving a motorist, high-speed mode. They depend on the class of the vehicle, not to mention the size. New items are released for each season, often this is due to the use of a new chemical composition of the rubber compound, and not to the transformation of the tread pattern. If it is changed, then only slightly modifying it, retaining the characteristic features inherent in the previous line. Especially if last year's tires had positive winter non-studded user reviews.

Also, depending on the country of origin, tires have a characteristic tread pattern, on the basis of which products can be divided into European andScandinavian.

European tires are designed for cleared roads, sipes provide confident grip with the roadway. And their aggressive tread copes well with the abundance of wet loose snow, ground by wheels to a state of slurry. They effectively remove snow and water due to the diagonal and longitudinal tracks made on the rubber surface of the tire. Velcro from European manufacturers are designed for fast driving on clean roads. In terms of softness, their rubber is very similar to the material for the manufacture of summer rain tires. But on smooth surfaces, whether it is ice or packed snow, it is extremely ineffective, and the car owner needs to exercise maximum caution while driving. Also, these tires do not behave very well in severe frost and become stiffer.

The tread of Scandinavian tires is not so embossed, but its pattern is more complex, and the elements are located more tightly relative to each other. Such products at first glance look flatter, but this is not entirely true: their tread depth is no less than European ones. But the contact patch - the area of the tire surface at the point of contact between the tire and the road - is larger. This allows you to level the snow cover under the wheels. And the lamellas provide controllability of the car even on ice. Compared to the "Europeans", their tires are softer and suitable for cars with a rigid suspension. That is, winter non-studded tires for SUVs may well be of the Scandinavian type.

This division is very conditional, and even Japanese manufacturers produce winter tires of both types, but whatlet's talk about Germans or Finns.

Note that the selection of tires depends on the brand of car, climate zone, driving style and other things. Among the most popular brands in our country, I would like to highlight Continental, Nokian, Dunlop and Bridgestone.

Car tires

All of the above manufacturers produce non-studded winter tires. Consumer feedback helps to identify features that manifest themselves in the different behavior of a car shod in such rubber. Some of them are better controlled at minus ten, while others become too hard at such indicators. But regardless of whether you have an all-wheel drive SUV or not, you should change a full set of tires. But in most cases, R16 non-studded winter tires open up a lineup separating passenger cars from crossovers.

For a product like non-studded winter tires, it's incredibly difficult to rank. All estimates are very subjective depending on weather conditions. But in order to bring all the data to a common denominator, we will proceed in our estimates from the description of the manufacturer and the price, focusing on the features associated with operating conditions. The review of tires "Continental" winter non-studded from Germany will begin.

Continental

Let's start with the novelty of this season ContiVikingContact 6, which replaced the well-proven fifth version. These tires are made of soft rubber, which allows them to be classified as a Scandinavian type. Asymmetrical patternThe tread, formally divided into three parts, provides reliable control of the car when turning. And the central part, the lamellas of which are zoned in a checkerboard pattern, provides reliable grip on the road covered with ice. There is also a zone with longitudinal grooves that trap snow, thereby increasing the friction force. This model is available in sizes R15 to R20.

The manufacturer set himself the task that these Continental winter non-studded tires would surpass the fifth version, therefore, you can safely rely on reviews of the previous model, the new version definitely did not become worse.

Those who do not want to take risks and take an untested product can pay attention to the ContiWinterContact TS 850, which was released in 2012. These tires are European. They have a symmetrical directional tread pattern that allows you to effectively remove melted snow. These tires are suitable for high-speed driving and active driving style. Their central part securely holds the car on the ice, and the sidewalls increase friction, allowing you to control the car when cornering and reduce the braking distance. The design feature of the tire carcass made it possible to reduce rolling resistance, which minimizes gasoline consumption.

Dunlop

Dunlop winter non-studded tires for passenger cars perform better in southern regions, where there is practically no snow and no frost. For central Russia, and even more so for Siberia, they react too badly to negative temperatures. Freezing, they become too hard, and, asAs a result, transport becomes poorly managed. But we will still consider the two most popular models.

The Graspic DS-3 (non-studded winter tyre) has the best reviews of Dunlop products. These are products with a crystalline spike, which should allow them to perform better on an icy surface. But in reality this does not happen, and judging by the fact that tires can slip on wet roads. It's not about the rubber compound, it's about the tread. His drawing is not too complicated, just the cells are staggered. But the longitudinal grooves quite effectively rake up the snow, allowing you to easily climb even uphill. Also, due to the nature of the tread, you need to be careful when cornering, where the car can go skid.

The SP Winter Sport 4D model has a more complex tread pattern with longitudinal grooves that evacuate water and wet snow. This allows the car to confidently stay on the road in mild winter conditions. But such tires do not cope very well with the ice crust, especially with side sliding. These are their main features.

A reasonable price-quality ratio can be counted among the undoubted advantages. This model is suitable for careful drivers whose speed slightly exceeds 100 km/h.

Nokian

Finnish winter studless tires Nokian are one of the recognized leaders on the Russian market. The manufacturer not only produces rubber with a complex chemical composition, but also uses tread cells connected inspecial shape.

What are these non-studded winter tires? Reviews for the most part note the Hakkapeliitta R2 model. This is one of the most outstanding tires for the Russian winter, regardless of the region of residence, Scandinavian-type tires made of soft and resilient rubber. That rare case when friction tires perform better on snow or ice than on bare asph alt. The tread pattern is symmetrical, the central directional cells are wedge-shaped.

Nokian WR G2 was noted among European-type tires. The asymmetric tread design is specifically designed for vehicles used in urban environments, but ice and packed snow have traditionally been poorly handled.

Bridgestone

Let's consider the Japanese Bridgestone tires winter studless Blizzak Revo GZ models. The manufacturer uses a special microporous rubber that increases traction in difficult weather conditions. This allows them to take first place in the list, which includes winter non-studded tires. The rating presented in the article is based, among other things, on customer reviews.

The tread pattern allows you to not only bite into the ice surface. Its grooves effectively evacuate water as well as wet snow and mud. At the same time, the design of the pattern is such that the recesses are not clogged. This model confidently keeps a straight course of the car on the road, regardless of weather conditions. True, with lateralmaneuvering begins to "swim", but this is a common problem with non-studded tires.

The Blizzak VRX is pretty good too, but everyone says it needs a longer break-in. Only after that, she reveals all her characteristics in full. It is better to put it even at positive temperature.

Tires for SUVs and crossovers

The review of winter non-studded tires would be incomplete if we did not touch on all-wheel drive vehicles designed for increased cross-country ability. But let's start with the new products that came out for this season.

Winter studless tires for crossovers replenished with the model Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2. The composition of microporous rubber has been improved, which seems to absorb water. But in fact, due to the capillary effect, the liquid is better removed from the contact patch, thereby reducing the braking distance. In addition, this allowed to improve driving performance on ice. And the first tests confirm this.

Another novelty is Winter Maxx Sj8 tires from Dunlop. Their feature was a directional tread pattern made using 4D Nano technology, which made it possible to improve water drainage. To improve high-speed properties, the material from which the tire is made was made more rigid. At the same time, the number of sipes was increased by a quarter, thereby compensating for the car's handling on ice. T-shaped grooves are used for better snow traction.

CrossContact Winter are Continental winter non-studded tires. PictureThe tread is asymmetric, which allows the driver to confidently drive the car both on snow (solid outer edges are responsible for this) and on open asph alt (the inner part of the tread pattern does the work). Also, this design allows you to more evenly distribute the pressure in the contact patch between the tire and the roadway.

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R SUV is a non-studded winter tire for SUVs that comes with some branded features. A special wedge-shaped tread pattern allows the tires to be classified as directional. Reinforced side arms take the load associated with the high weight of the car. For smooth running, the rigidity of the frame structure is compensated by a particularly elastic grade of rubber. For durability, silicate and rapeseed oil are added to the tires, which prevent the rubber from hardening at low ambient temperatures.

In most cases, urban SUVs and crossovers do not require special tires. They are quite similar to analogues of non-studded rubber for cars, only of the appropriate size.

Summing up

Are you interested in the question of what is better to buy non-studded winter tires? Feedback from customers who actively exploited them increases the chance of a successful purchase. The same tires behave differently in different weather conditions. But it doesn't say whether they are good or bad. No, reviews only show whether the product is suitable for a particular person. There can be no clear winners in principle due to different weather, driving style and other factors.

Allthe friction tire models described above have a number of advantages:

• They are virtually silent compared to both summer and studded tires.
• Wear more slowly when driving on asph alt and do not destroy the road surface.
• Retain their properties at positive temperatures, in these conditions their stopping distance is shorter.

Whatever non-studded winter tires you buy, with the advent of heat, do not be too lazy to leave your review about them. Perhaps your opinion will help someone make a choice.