Confidence on the road: inexpensive R15 winter tyres

Taurus tyres are produced under the wing of the renowned tyre giant Michelin at production facilities in Serbia. They are subject to the same high quality standards, and the production process is strictly controlled at all its stages.

Taurus 601 Winter is a great option for those who want to save money on buying winter tyres for their "iron horse" without compromising quality. The directional pattern of the tyre tread is made in the shape of a Christmas tree with transverse grooves rounded to the central part of the contact spot for effective removal of meltwater and snow porridge from under the wheels of the car. All tread elements together increase the resistance of rubber to hydroplaning.

On the move, the Taurus 601 Winter shows itself on the positive side both on rolled snow and on dry roadbed. Deterioration of grip with the road occurs when it hits bare ice, which is characteristic not only of this specimen, but in general of all representatives of the detachment of non-studded winter tyres. Drivers who have tested the tyre leave positive notes in their reviews, highlighting the responsive behavior of the model on dry asphalt, in heavy rain and slush, as well as in frost and heat.

Due to the thin side planes, the tyre is soft and smoothes out small irregularities of the road surface. At the same time, these facets of the tyre are afraid of side impacts, which can turn into cuts or hernias. If precautions are taken, you should not be afraid for their appearance. In parallel, you do not have to worry about premature tyre wear — despite its softness, the tyre has a fairly good abrasion resistance.

The Viatti tyre brand was created by a native of the Continental company. The first copies of tyres with a euphonious Italian name were released not so long ago — in 2010.

The small range of Viatti tyres is positioned as a premium class, but the cost of rubber belongs to the low-cost segment. In fact, the brand's products correspond to the family of strong middle-class people, which are designed taking into account the peculiarities of the climate in our latitudes. Confirmation of these words is the Viatti Brina V-521 winter tyre, designed for use in climatic conditions from -45 to +10 °C.

The tyre demonstrates confident behavior on snow-covered surfaces and excellent tenacity for the roadbed in turns. To improve the coupling properties, its tread pattern is made in an asymmetric shape and is divided into many separate blocks cut with deep grooves. Thawed snow and excess moisture are effectively removed from them, which ensures an increase in the course stability of the car.

Rubber gently overcomes the roughness of the roadway and does not harden when the street temperature drops to low values. But in the first warm days (at an outdoor temperature above +10 °C) the tyre becomes too soft, which does not affect the handling of the car in the best way. However, the rise of the thermometer column to such indicators in the spring usually serves as a harbinger of the final onset of heat and the subsequent transition to summer tyres, which should not be delayed.

The Finns, with their long and harsh cold seasons, know a lot about winter tyres. The tyres of the low-cost price segment of the Nokian Nordman RS2 come just from snowy Finland.

The directional pattern of the tyre tread is made in the form of a characteristic "herringbone" with a continuous network of longitudinal and transverse grooves for better removal of snow and moisture. The patency of the model on snow porridge is increased by often located lamellas, but you can not call a noisy tyre at the same time — on dry asphalt it demonstrates a quiet and soft course. To a large extent, this is facilitated by thin sidewalls, which is why when parking a car, care should be taken so as not to accidentally hook the curb — Nokian Nordman RS2 tolerates side impacts badly.

The tyre has good coupling qualities when moving in icy conditions and well counteracts hydroplaning. But on clean ice, you still shouldn't expect superpowers from her — the lack of spikes affects. However, you do not need to count on a different result from the friction rubber in principle. In the off-season, the rubber also shows itself well, without being excessively soft.

In terms of wear resistance, the model does not differ from other state employees, i.e. it will need to be changed after 2-4 seasons of active winter trips (depending on the driving style, the condition of the chassis of the car and the total mileage covered). In its category, the tyre occupies the position of one of the most optimal offers in terms of price / quality ratio. And taking into account the coverage of the tyre of all running wheel sizes (from R13 to R18), it can be recommended to owners of the vast majority of cars who want to save on the purchase of winter tyres.

Useful to know. Hydroplaning is the effect of complete or partial loss of traction of the wheels with the roadbed due to the appearance of water in the tyre contact spot with the road. The main danger in this case lies in creating the likelihood of losing control of the car. The appearance of the effect is influenced by many factors, ranging from the speed of movement and ending with the pattern of the tyre tread, as well as its residual depth.

In the second generation of the popular BF Goodrich G-Force Winter winter tyre, drastic changes have affected the tread pattern. Engineers of Michelin's "daughter" company redesigned it in a serious way, as a result of which the tyre acquired even more predictable behavior on a slippery road and acquired a reliable grip with snow-covered surfaces.

The tread pattern features have become more aggressive: instead of a continuous stiffening rib, the central part of the contact surface of the tyre was stripped with many grooves to improve the stability of the car on a slippery road. The number of grooves has also increased on the sides, respectively, the removal of water and snowmelt has become more efficient, and the resistance of rubber to hydroplaning has increased significantly.

Responsiveness in control and predictable braking was achieved thanks to the use of two types of slats: directed in the centre and zigzag closer to the so-called shoulder area. And their almost doubled number had a positive effect on traction and acceleration characteristics when driving on loose snow and in icy conditions (but not on clean ice).

Marking on many instances of the tyre is applied in an atypical way — the numbers on its sidewall do not bend along the circumference, but are perpendicular to it. This makes the rubber stand out from the grey mass and gives the car a touch of individuality. In general, the real reviews of the owners of BF Goodrich G-Force Winter 2 are entirely positive, which in itself is a serious argument "for" if there are doubts about the expediency of purchasing this tyre.

Comfortable travel conditions in the cold season and confidence in the behavior of the car on snow-covered roads can be provided by the winter friction rubber Hankook Winter i*cept iZ2 W616.

The unidirectional pattern of the tyre tread qualitatively cleans the contact spot from thawed snow masses, as a result, the coupling properties of the tyre with the road are significantly improved. The traction force when starting on loose or rolled snow is increased by the so—called "clinging claws" — sharp three-dimensional edges on the tread. And the sloping sharp edges of the slit-like slots improve braking.

Without going deeper into the technical side of the issue, it is worth noting the really confident responsiveness of rubber on snow-covered and icy road sections. Hankook Winter i*cept iZ2 W616 is afraid only of pure ice, which is what one would expect from winter non-studded "Velcro". The test results and feedback from the owners of the models confirm the predictable behavior of the tyre in the snow under the vagaries of winter weather.

The elasticity of the tyre does not change with the creeping of the scale of the thermometer column down. The silica particles included in the rubber compound of the tyre help to preserve its softness. They also reduce the rolling resistance of the tyre. Having no spikes in its equipment, the Hankook Winter i*cept iZ2 W616 provides a high level of safety and comfort when traveling even in the most severe conditions of winter operation.