Austrian Experts Test Off Road Tyres’ Winter Suitability

The Austrian Automotive Club, ÖAMTC, has tested five winter, two all-season and one conventional off road tyre for winter performance. All products were sizes 215/65 R16. According to the automobile club, snow braking performance really “separated the wheat from the chaff.” At a speed of 40 km/h the all-season tyres had a substantially longer braking distance than winter tyres.

Pirelli’s Scorpion Ice & Snow and the Cooper Weather Master S/T2 stopped after 23 metres. All other winter tyres, including the Dunlop Winter Sport M3, the Nokian WR and Michelin’s Alpin 4×4, required longer stopping distances on average. These ranged from 24.1 to 25.5 metres. Pirelli’s Scorpion STR all-season tyre needed more than 28 metres, while Goodyear’s Wrangler HP All Season needed as much as 34 metres. The Fulda Kristall Supremo passenger car winter tyre, achieved a braking distance of 25.2 metres.

When it came to dry road braking, there was not much difference between the products. Only Cooper stood out from the crowd braking from 100 km/h in 47 metres, five metres more than the rest of the field. In wet braking conditions (stopping from 80 km/h) both all season tyres recorded roughly 30 metres, the winter tyres achieved around 32 metres, while the Cooper Weather Master S/T2 skidded as far as 38 metres before coming to a standstill.