12 Best R16 Winter Tires

The budget price tag is not the only advantage of the Cordiant Winter Drive winter Velcro. The experts of the Belarusian edition of Auto Bild during the tests were pleasantly surprised by the handling and braking on a snowy road. In this test, the rubber outperformed the European premium segment. But on the pavement, the driver needs an eye and an eye, since the braking distance turned out to be significantly longer than that of competitors. Real owners note low noise and confidence in driving, subject to the speed limit.At the same time, a non-studded tire at a near-zero temperature exhibits roll during rebuilding.

Premium Velcro tires on a winter road covered with snow and ice behave confidently, as if they were studded tires. On the rolled crust, maneuverability is maintained, as on clean asphalt. The braking distance in such conditions is comparable to the parameters of rubber with spikes, but on bare ice the tires do not show the best result of longitudinal grip. The predicted behavior of the Pirelli FR is confirmed by the experts of the edition "Behind the wheel". Tests in 2016 showed confident behavior on snow and asphalt, good handling on ice and economy when operating in urban areas.

Thin ice, melting slush and water on the pavement - Bridgestone Blizzak Ice Velcro winter tires are the best "habitat". The asymmetry of the tread blocks and the successful selection of the rubber mixture provide confident grip during braking and high-speed maneuvering in such conditions. It is actively chosen by residents of cities and southern regions, where winter is traditionally mild. Non-studded rubber holds shock well, is wear-resistant and quite comfortable in terms of acoustics. These same characteristics have become the cause of the weak side of the tire - it immediately transfers all the bumps in the road to the steering wheel and to the interior of the car.

Alpin 6 for mild winters is one of the best solutions. Velcro confidently behave in the snow and wet asphalt, very quiet. Tire tests in size 205/65 R16 (conducted by ADAC experts in 2019) showed hydroplaning resistance, high speed handling and effective braking. The wear resistance of rubber also causes sincere respect from the owners - tires serve for 4-5 seasons, maintaining excellent driving characteristics with a minimum tread thickness.The high price is attributed to the disadvantages, however, the 5-year manufacturer's warranty confirms that the tires are worth the money.

The domestic publication Avtocentre conducted a test of these Chinese tires back in 2016. Since then, the quality of Sailun Ice Blazer winter tires has changed for the better, but even then the tires showed excellent handling on wet roads. According to users, the Scandinavian tread pattern holds the road well in winter - powerful spikes and deep drainage systems confidently cope with ice porridge. But on dry asphalt, the shoe does not behave in the best way, sometimes there are complaints about the difficulty of balancing. However, the affordability of the R16 more than compensates for the weaknesses of the studded Ice Blazer WST1.

New studded tires from Goodyear have just appeared in Russian stores, and the guys from the Finnish Test World have already carried out comparative tests. UltraGrip Arctic 2 showed the best results in braking on ice and snow, as well as handling on wet pavement. The winter tire's combination of Snow Grip Velcro technology and Arctic Eagle Claw Stud gives the wearer confidence on any surface. The only drawback of tires is the temporary lack of reviews.

The Finnish winter tire offers 8 tire sizes for R16 rims and has a separate line of heavy duty SUVs in this size. The tire is somewhat inferior to competitors in accelerating dynamics and braking, but maneuvering on snow and on slippery roads with studded tires is more than confident.Popular Science magazine was one of the first to test the 2017 novelty and awarded the Hakkapeliitta 9 as the best winter tire. The owners also positively evaluate the double studding (different types of lugs) and at the same time moderate noise, high wear resistance and shock resistance.

In the tests of Teknikens Varld and Vi Bilagare (2017 and 2018 respectively), the IceContact 2 winter tires became number one peremptorily. Studded tires in the popular size 205/55/R16 showed the shortest stopping distance on ice and dry pavement, leaving behind Bridgestone and Nokian. The asymmetry of the directional pattern, the presence of lugs along the edges and in the center of the tread gave the expected results.As weak characteristics, the owners name the not very comfortable behavior of tires in a rut and the loss of up to half of the studs by the end of season 3.

This is already the fifth season of the Nord Frost 200 SUV winter model from the budget subsidiary Continental. Gislaved uses the experience of a more famous brand, which makes the tire with a favorable price tag in no way inferior to the market leaders. Experts from Test World believe that this is one of the best studs for bare asphalt (tested in 2016). The tread perfectly removes snow porridge from the contact patch, and the asymmetric arrangement of the blocks also contributes to stability. The number of spikes does not create excessive acoustic pressure - the rubber is quite comfortable for urban use in winter. The owners of crossovers are satisfied with the choice, and among the shortcomings, only a soft sidewall is most often noted - it is better to protect the tire from impacts.

The studded X-Ice North 4 SUV was developed in 2018 specifically for Russia and the Scandinavian countries, where harsh winters are in the order of things. Despite the rather impressive number of steel lugs (250 spikes are installed on the R16 tire), the tires demonstrate an unexpected noise level for them, comparable to the parameters of Velcro. The directional pattern and powerful siping of the tread showed decent handling results for heavy SUVs at the Test World test site. Owner reviews also serve as confirmation of the tests. For three winter seasons, except for the high price, no shortcomings could be found.

In 2018, tests by the Norwegian Autofil showed the high efficiency of the non-studded Ice Guard SUV and quite confident behavior on roads covered with snow and ice. Designed for harsh winters, Velcro has an asymmetrical tread with three support ribs. This gives excellent handling at speed and low rolling resistance.Drainage outlets from the contact patch are located at an angle, which makes the tire resistant to hydroplaning. A large number of multidirectional lamellas allows the rubber to literally "bite" into the coating. But there is also a drawback - fast abrasion.

If anyone did not know, then the Tigar brand is a budget daughter of the French Michelin. For this reason, the winter Velcro of this brand is pretty good. They confidently cling to small ice, paddle well in the snow and during high-speed maneuvering. They overcome deep puddles without falling into aquaplaning, but the speed must be slowed down. The Belarusian edition ABW.BY three years ago tested non-studded Tigar Winter SUVs in the size 215/65 R16. It turned out that rubber in different conditions proved to be no worse than the premium segment.