{"id":5332,"date":"2025-09-18T08:05:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T08:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/\/mag\/autozurnals-new-winter-tire-test-tested-the-new-budget-snow-specialist-2\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T08:05:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T08:05:03","slug":"autozurnals-new-winter-tire-test-tested-the-new-budget-snow-specialist-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetirelab.com\/mag\/autozurnals-new-winter-tire-test-tested-the-new-budget-snow-specialist-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Autozurnal&#8217;s new winter tire test tested the new budget snow specialist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Test days took place around Arvidsjaur in Swedish Lapland, where the industry migrates each winter for reliable ice, snow and sub-zero conditions. The field mixed budget and premium names, plus two \u201ctwins\u201d that share the same tread: Kormoran SUV Snow and Riken SUV Snow (both under Michelin\u2019s umbrella and produced in Serbia). The rest of the lineup: Barum Polaris 6 (<a href=\"\/magpost\/3997\">new CZ model, belonging to the Continental Group as we wrote eariler<\/a>), Michelin Alpin 7 (brand-new premium), Tomket Snowroad SUV 3 (marketed as Czech, made in China), Lassa Competus Winter 2+ (TR), and CEAT WinterDrive SUV (IN).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First let&#8217;s talk about weight &#8211; Barum and Michelin came in notably light, with Michelin the lightest carcass (~10.1 kg) and Barum the second lightest; Tomket sat at the other end (\u224812.7 kg). Those unsprung mass differences are not academic\u2014lighter tyres help steering precision and ride over choppy winter surfaces. On construction, Michelin\u2019s tread clearly borrows from CrossClimate\u2019s V-layout but with dense winter siping to keep the blocks \u201calive\u201d in cold conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Test size: 215\/65 R17; vehicles like Tiguan, Karoq, Tucson, Sportage<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Field highlights: Michelin Alpin 7 (new), Barum Polaris 6 (new CZ), CEAT &amp; Lassa as value wildcards; Kormoran &amp; Riken are near-identical twins<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Snow told the most interesting story. Barum dominated: best in snow braking, acceleration and traction, and second in snow handling; the spread between the best and the weakest in snow braking from 50 km\/h was just 1.6 m (Barum stopped at 24.7 m; Tomket needed 26.3 m). Michelin hovered mid-pack in snow\u2014exactly what you\u2019d expect from a design chasing all-surface balance rather than snow bias\u2014yet still posted a strong snow handling time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On wet, Michelin flipped the script and simply ran away with it. It led wet braking (52.4 m from 100 km\/h), won longitudinal aquaplaning, and topped wet handling. CEAT surprised as the wet-braking runner-up (55.2 m), while Lassa kept showing up in the top group across wet categories, including second in longitudinal aquaplaning. Barum had a mixed wet showing but won lateral aquaplaning and sat tightly behind Michelin\/Lassa\/CEAT in wet handling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Snow: Barum #1 overall on snow; Michelin middle but tidy (strong snow handling)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wet: Michelin clear #1; CEAT and Lassa the value standouts; Barum wins lateral aquaplaning<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Dry was where Michelin\u2019s \u201cbalanced everywhere\u201d approach paid another dividend. It either won or shared the top spots in dry braking (tied with CEAT at 44.9 m from 100 km\/h) and took the dry handling honors. Tomket, despite struggling on snow and wet, actually looked decent on dry dynamics (third in dry overall), which tracks with many budget tyres tuned more for warm asphalt than for grip on water film or compact snow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The comfort\/efficiency block is worth a call-out. Barum aced rolling resistance and external noise (both 50 and 80 km\/h), with Michelin close behind on RR and on the podium for noise. For daily use\u2014fuel economy\/e-range and cabin hush\u2014those metrics matter, especially on heavier SUVs that can turn small RR gains into real consumption savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dry: Michelin wins; CEAT ties Michelin in dry braking; Tomket\u2019s one bright spot is dry<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NVH &amp; efficiency: Barum wins both rolling resistance and external noise; Michelin follows<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>About those \u201ctwins\u201d: Kormoran vs Riken. With near-identical tread, weight, and factory, their scores landed nearly on top of each other across categories, confirming they\u2019re essentially the same recipe with different sidewalls. They sat just behind the leaders on snow and wet\u2014respectable, predictable, and decent value if your expectations are aligned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tomket finished last overall.<\/strong> The tyre simply fell away on wet (e.g., 67.2 m wet braking from 100 km\/h\u2014when Michelin had already stopped, Tomket was still traveling ~47 km\/h). It also trailed on snow. If you only cherry-pick its dry performance you\u2019ll miss the broader safety picture; winter is about the worst-case days, and that\u2019s where Tomket\u2019s deficit is too large to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Kormoran &amp; Riken: as expected, near-identical performance, mid-pack across most tests<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tomket: strong dry, but large safety gap on wet\/snow \u2192 not recommended<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final standings &amp; takeaways (based on Auto\u017eurn\u00e1l\u2019s composite scores)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Michelin Alpin 7 \u2014 101.1<\/strong>: Wins wet &amp; dry, 4th on snow. The most complete winter SUV tyre here if you want confidence in rain and on bare\/cold asphalt without sacrificing winter credibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Barum Polaris 6 \u2014 100.0 (reference)<\/strong>: Absolute snow star, 2nd on dry, 4th on wet overall but with a notable win in lateral aquaplaning. Also best for rolling resistance and external noise\u2014great everyday economics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CEAT WinterDrive SUV \u2014 99.1<\/strong>: Big value surprise; tied fastest in dry braking, consistently strong on wet, solid on snow.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lassa Competus Winter 2+ \u2014 98.1<\/strong>: Another value performer\u20142nd overall on wet, mid-pack elsewhere; dependable balance. 5\/6) <strong>Kormoran SUV Snow \u2014 96.6<\/strong> and <strong>Riken SUV Snow \u2014 96.0<\/strong>: Essentially the same tyre; honest, predictable winter behavior a notch behind the leaders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tomket Snowroad SUV 3 \u2014 93.7<\/strong>: Dry pace is fine, but snow and especially wet safety metrics undercut the package\u2014Auto\u017eurn\u00e1l rates it \u201cZl\u00fd \/ Bad.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Best all-rounder: <strong>Michelin Alpin 7<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Best for snow + low RR\/quiet: <strong>Barum Polaris 6<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Best value risers: <strong>CEAT WinterDrive SUV<\/strong>, <strong>Lassa Competus Winter 2+<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Notes from the data (relative to Barum = 100 baseline):<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Wet braking (100\u21920 km\/h):<\/strong> Michelin 103.6; CEAT 100.1; Lassa 100.7; Tomket 87.2<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Long.\/Lat. aquaplaning:<\/strong> Michelin 107.6\/102.1; Barum wins <strong>lateral<\/strong> with 100 (category baseline)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dry braking (100\u21920 km\/h):<\/strong> CEAT 44.9 m (= top), Michelin also 44.9 m; Tomket 45.6 m; Lassa 48.3 m<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wet braking (100\u21920 km\/h):<\/strong> Michelin 52.4 m; CEAT 55.2 m; Lassa 55.4 m; Barum 56.3 m; Tomket 67.2 m<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rolling resistance &amp; noise:<\/strong> Barum 100\/100 (best); Michelin 101.2 RR and ~98.4 noise (very good)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you drive mostly wet and slushy highways with occasional snow, Michelin Alpin 7 is the safe, sure-footed choice. If your winters are genuinely snowy\u2014or you value a quiet, efficient long-hauler\u2014Barum Polaris 6 makes a ton of sense and keeps up on dry, too. CEAT and Lassa are the price\/performance plays that don\u2019t feel like compromises in daily use. Kormoran\/Riken are steady and predictable mid-table options. Tomket? The dry pedigree can\u2019t offset the wet and snow gaps\u2014hard pass for winter duty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Test days took place around Arvidsjaur in Swedish Lapland, where the industry migrates each winter for reliable ice, snow and sub-zero conditions. The field mixed budget and premium names, plus two \u201ctwins\u201d that share the same tread: Kormoran SUV Snow and Riken SUV Snow (both under Michelin\u2019s umbrella and produced in Serbia). The rest of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetirelab.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetirelab.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetirelab.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetirelab.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetirelab.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5332"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thetirelab.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5333,"href":"https:\/\/thetirelab.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5332\/revisions\/5333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetirelab.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetirelab.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetirelab.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetirelab.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}