Rating of summer wear-resistant passenger tires

Which company is better to choose budget winter tires?

As the cold season approaches, it is important to prepare and choose good winter tires for your car that will help you confidently handle the road in snow, ice and slush. There are many inexpensive brands on the market, but among them there are a lot of fakes and low-quality copies of famous models. In order not to get lost in the variety of budget tires for winter, we present here a rating of the best manufacturers.

Here are some good brands:

• Belshina is a large company in the tire industry, with over 300 tire sizes available in its assortment. It produces products for passenger cars, trucks, large-sized and specialized types of transport. All rubber is manufactured according to the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, STB ISO 9001-2015 and IATF 16949:2016. The company has its own research center, where it constantly develops new technologies. Car tires from this company are durable, reliable and provide comfortable travel in Russian winter conditions.
• Viatti is a new brand that first demonstrated its products in 2010. It is focused on the production of tires in the middle price class, but also produces a number of budget models. The company was founded by the vice president of Continental, who decided to transfer the achievements of the premium segment to the production of relatively inexpensive tires. The company focuses on manufacturability and compliance with European quality standards. The advantages of the brand's products are resistance to significant temperature changes, excellent road handling, good quality material.
• Cordiant is a company that has been producing car tires since 2005 and is aimed at the low and middle price class. It develops rubber primarily for cars and small trucks. The company's products are wear-resistant, as they are based on computer-aided design and a rubber compound of European quality. Most models provide good driving characteristics when driving on snowy, icy and wet roads.
• Kama is the largest domestic brand that has been on the market since 1973. Over decades of work, the company has developed tires in more than 70 sizes. It specializes in producing inexpensive tires that are comparable in quality and grip to most mid-segment models. The company's products are supplied on an ongoing basis to the assembly line of Fiat, Skoda, Volkswagen. Their advantages are considered to be adaptability to domestic conditions and a successful balance of comfortable ride with wear resistance.
• Marshal is a manufacturer with a 36-year history, whose products are supplied to advanced European countries. The company belongs to the Korean manufacturer Kumho. Most tires are first developed in Korea and then sent to the European Technical Center, where they are tested and modified to suit the conditions of all Western countries. The brand aims to produce tires suitable for high-speed travel. He pays the greatest attention to traffic safety, so his tires have good grip on the road and minimal braking distance.
• Roadstone is a subsidiary of Nexen Tire, whose production is located in South Korea, China and the Czech Republic. The brand owns large laboratories, which allows it to constantly offer worthy innovative solutions. All products comply with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 certificates. The company produces budget winter tires for passenger cars, SUVs and light duty vehicles. Their main advantages: soft running, economical fuel consumption, resistance to sudden temperature changes and low-quality road surfaces.
• Firestone is a company with a large range of tires for various purposes. The manufacturer places maximum emphasis on high-quality tire grip on the road in rain, snow and ice. An extensive catalog of standard sizes allows you to choose tires for most car models. Over more than 100 years of operation, the company's products have gained a reputation as safe, durable and comfortable tires with good handling, regardless of external conditions.

The best all-season tires

Summer tire test R15 (195/65)

Click on the photo to enlarge the test table for 195/65 R15 tires.
The tires of the most popular standard size are subject to high demands from Za Rulem experts.

They must be quiet, comfortable, economical, easy to change lanes on dry and wet roads, as well as stable at high speeds and at the same time have good handling when performing extreme maneuvers. Tests are carried out at the AVTOVAZ test site near Tolyatti.

As for comfort, the N'Blue HD Plus tires excel here. However, they were unable to adequately pass the shift tests on dry and wet asphalt.

If you're looking for optimal fuel efficiency, go for the Matador Hectorra 3, just be aware that it doesn't have the best directional stability and has poor (for its high price) grip.

But the test winners do not have these shortcomings:

Continental PremiumContact 6

Almost silent tires that have become undisputed winners in terms of braking properties on dry surfaces and behavior on dry roads.

But if you don’t like increased gas mileage, then these tires are clearly not the answer to the question of which summer tires are the best. When driving quietly at a speed of 60 km/h, they are quite gluttonous.

Hankook Tire Ventus Prime3

These tires showed the best grip on wet roads, and simply excellent grip on dry roads. They walk on wet asphalt “like dry land”, just as quickly and predictably.

What the Tire Ventus Prime3 has problems with is gas mileage at 60 km/h.

Nokian Hakka Green 2

These tires are among the top three not only in the 195/65 R15 segment, but also in the 185/60 R14 segment (read about this below). They easily change lanes on wet or dry surfaces, grip the road tenaciously and are very predictable even at speed.

Summer tires R16 (215/65)

Click on the photo to enlarge the test chart of tires 215/65 r16
For crossovers that drive not only on roads, but also off-road, you need the most reliable tires. To select them, the “Behind the Wheel” pilots visited AVTOVAZ’s Togliatti training ground, where they conducted rigorous tests on a Renault Duster, which was operated in front-wheel drive 2WD mode.

The Toyo Proxes CF2 SUV tires turned out to be the most comfortable and economical, and experts recommended the relatively inexpensive Viatti Bosco A/T for those who often drive on dirt roads.

Here's what the winning trio looks like:

Nokian Hakka Blue 2 SUV

Everything about this tire is good: reliable road grip, increased comfort and excellent handling. If only it weren’t so “gluttonous” at a speed of 90 km/h... But there is no perfection in the world.

Pirelli Scorpion Verde

These summer tires are suitable for those who value cross-country ability and handling. But with comfort things are not so good.

Continental ContiPremiumContact 5

Rounding out the top three in the 2021 R16 summer tire rating “Behind the Wheel” is a model that is distinguished by the highest traction properties. It has an impressive ride and comfort.

Just don’t make extreme maneuvers on a dry surface, the ContiPremiumContact 5 has problems with this.

Rating of the best budget winter tires

Not only the quality and comfort of driving, but also traffic safety depends on car tires during the cold season. First of all, winter tires are required to ensure the responsiveness of the car and its high-quality adhesion to the road surface for the shortest braking distance.

Here are the important parameters for compiling the TOP of the best tires:

• Economical fuel consumption;
• Minimum rolling resistance;
• Ability to get out of ruts;
• Resistance to aquaplaning;
• Effective removal of snow from the tread sipes;
• Large contact patch;
• Resistance to driving on poor-quality road surfaces;
• Maintaining controllability at high speed;
• Wide range of sizes;
• Wear resistance to friction.

In addition to the listed factors, the price-quality ratio was taken into account, which is especially important when choosing budget tires. The rating is also based on reviews from drivers and experts.

The best winter studded tires

What to look for when choosing summer tires

Summer tires are divided into all-season tires, that is, suitable for other periods, sports tires and road tires. Sports models are used for high-speed driving, while road models are suitable for those who drive on public roads. Whatever type you choose, you need to pay attention to the following parameters:

• The optimal diameter is determined individually for each vehicle;
• The tread pattern can be symmetrical or asymmetrical, directional or non-directional;
• A wide profile is suitable for those who drive at high speeds, a narrow profile is for fans of quiet movement;
• The speed index must be chosen taking into account the make and model, it indicates the maximum safe speed;
• Load index , that is, the permissible long-term load on a tire, depends on the car model;
• The lower the noise level inside the cabin, the more comfortable the ride will be and the lower the chances of driver error.

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Rating of the TOP 15 best summer tires 2020-2021

Summer tire test R14 (185/60)

Click on the photo to enlarge the test chart for 185/60 R14 tires.
Za Rulem magazine traditionally tests the best summer tires of 2021, size R14, at the AVTOVAZ test site near the city of Tolyatti. The “carrier” is a Lada Granta car equipped with ABS.

It is curious that the most economical tires when driving at a speed of 90 km/h were those that were not even included in the top ten - Sailun Antrezzo ECO. And the hardest ones are Achilles tires; you can’t expect a smooth ride with them. If you need silence, choose Continental tires.

Let's take a closer look at the tires included in the top 3:

Continental ContiPremiumContact 5

An ideal option for those who place high demands on summer tires. It has good grip properties, a high level of comfort, and will not let you down if you suddenly want to perform an extreme maneuver on wet asphalt.

However, on dry asphalt during extreme maneuvering, the ContiPremiumContact 5 does not behave in the best way.

Nokian Hakka Green 2

Quiet, smooth, low fuel consumption and predictable handling on any road and with any driving style. Even the picky Za Rulem testers couldn’t find anything to complain about. In general, you have to take it!

Nordman SX2

Another quiet tire with predictable behavior when changing lanes on both dry and wet asphalt. These tires caused minor complaints from Za Rulem experts during extreme maneuvering on dry asphalt.