Winter tires: Play it safe 🎥

The strengths and weaknesses of the various test products were determined on the basis of 18 practical test criteria and 16 tire models were rated "recommended" or better. The high number of 15 tire types were not convincing and were rated "conditionally recommendable" or even worse.

Driving tests on various terrains
In driving tests on various test sites on dry, wet, snow-covered and icy road surfaces, the tire-specific driving behavior was determined. The tires also had to prove themselves in terms of noise development, fuel consumption and wear. In this extensive and demanding test procedure, only 16 of the 31 tire types tested were rated "recommendable" or better.

Behavior in wet conditions or on snow
TCS tested 16 tire models in the 185/65 R15 88T size (the best-selling size for small cars). Three tires received the top rating of "highly recommended", ten models were rated "recommended", one tire was rated "conditionally recommended" and two were rated "not recommended". The reasons for the downgrading of the individual tires are almost always disadvantages in the wet or on snow.

Better results than in summer
TCS tested 15 models in the tire dimension 205/65 R16C 107/105T (suitable for vans and transporters). Three models received the final rating "recommended", eight "conditionally recommended" and four tire types "not recommended".

Fortunately, the properties of the winter tires on wet roads are better overall compared to the summer tire test, but wear out much faster. The reasons for downgrading the van tires are disadvantages in dry, wet, snow or ice conditions.

In the dimension for small cars, the TCS tested 16 common tires for winter. See table.

The behavior was tested on dry, wet and icy surfaces as well as snow. See table.

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