Michelin has sold around 13 million Alpin winter tyres over six generations and has now launched a seventh – the Michelin Alpin 7. Designed for combustion, electric and hybrid vehicles, the new tyre will be available for this coming winter in 62 dimensions. According to the manufacturer, Michelin Alpin 7 offers a six per cent improvement in braking on snow-covered roads and nine per cent less rolling resistance than the Alpin 6.
The Continental WinterContact TS 870’s strength in wet and dry conditions proved just enough for Auto Express to make it the winner of its Winter Tyre Test 2023. Competing against six other global manufacturers’ products, the Conti tyre beat the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005 – the reigning champion of many European tyre tests and Tyrepress’ sister consumer tyre advice website, WhatTyre’s Winter Tyre of the Year – by a narrow 0.3-point margin overall. None of the seven tyres tested disgraced itself, with the last-placed Vredestein Wintrac Pro only 3.2 points out of 100 behind the Conti tyre: the differences between seven of the top-performing winter tyres proved largely down to different interpretations of what performance characteristics a winter tyre should target; both by the manufacturers and Auto Express test lead Kim Adams. The tyres were tested in size 225/45R17 at Pirelli’s Sottozero winter testing facility in Flurheden in northern Sweden and at Continental’s Pferdsfeld proving ground. In its report, Auto Express detailed the shipping challenges associated with sourcing tyres to conduct tests have not yet fully relented; while manufacturers supplied their own tyres for the winter tyre test, the top three were checked against tyres bought on the open market.
The Autozeitung winter tyre test has revealed “extreme differences” between the best and worst winter tyres, according to its testing panel. The first and last-placed tyres in the product comparison were ultimately no less than 43 percentage points apart in the overall rating. This is, in part, because Autozeitung has changed its evaluation scheme compared to previous years. A percentage value is now given for the performance shown in the three performance categories of snow, wet, and dry – previously points were awarded – with a mean average percentage calculated to define final placements. 14 tyres in size 205/55 R16 were mounted on a VW Golf 1.5 TSI for the test.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.