Cold weather tyres
In our first full test of cold weather rubber, we rate the top sellers.
Two harsh winters have highlighted the massive safety benefits of winter tyres. In our first full test of cold weather rubber (here), we took the biggest selling 16-inch patterns from six producers and tried them on snow, wet and dry roads, plus included fuel economy, price and noise to find a winner.
Our winner
Goodyear UltraGrip 7+
Price: £111 (per tyre)
Contact: www.goodyear.co.uk
Brilliant performance on snow, along with decent showings on the wet and dry winter roads, sealed the victory for the surefooted UltraGrip 7+. A super-safe tyre, and its only flaw was fuel economy.
Commended
Continental ContiWinterContact TS830
Price: £120 (per tyre)
Contact: www.conti-online.co.uk
Good results in just about every category helped the ContiWinterContact TS830 on to the podium. It kept the Goodyear honest on snow, but fared better on wet roads and at the pumps. Another great all-rounder.
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D
Price: £130 (per tyre)
Contact: www.dunlop.eu/dunlop_uk
Happiest on wet and dry roads, and the Dunlop was by no means disgraced in the snow. Another to have been replaced for this coming winter, so look out for old stock bargains – as it’s still a fine choice.
