Test Summary
Wet Braking	Bridgestone Blizzak LM001
Dry Braking	Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
Wet Handling	Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
Rolling Resistance	Bridgestone Blizzak LM001
Noise	Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
Snow Handling	Pace Antarctica 5 Pace

For 2017, the "All Road" edition of the German publication Auto Bild has tested ten 225/55 R17 winter tires. This size is commonly used by compact crossovers, such as the BMW X1 used in this test.

The biggest interest in this test was the Chinese budget winter tire from Pace. With the most expensive set of winter tires costing 660 euros at time of test, the budget Pace tires were a full 400 euros cheaper, at just 260 euros. Are the savings worth the performance drop? Read on below to find out.

Dry

In the dry, the summer tire dominates braking, and wins the handling test. The Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 is the best of the winter tires, while the test-topping Goodyear and Continental tires could only manage mid-pack. The budget Pace tire is acceptable under dry braking conditions, but is by far the worst during the dry handling lap.

Wet

For the top five winter tires, wet braking was closely contested with the summer tire, with the Goodyear winter tire finishing top. Wet handling puts the summer reference back on top, with the Goodyear winter being the best of the winter tires on test. In both tests, the budget Pace tire again performs the worst.

Snow

Surprisingly the Pace budget tire wins the snow braking test, proving that it's easy for a budget tire manufacturer to make a tire which works well in one road condition, but not all three. Snow handling is also closely contested, with only the Maxxis and Vredestein noticeably behind the rest.

Environmental

Both the Continental and Bridgestone winter tires have a lower rolling resistance than the summer tire on test, and every winter tire proves to be quieter than the summer.

Result

Auto Bild started the test asking whether the huge cost saving of a budget winter tire was worth the risk? Their answer is a firm no, unless you only ever drive it on snow covered roads - the dry and wet penalty is too vast.

1st: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1
225/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 53 Dry: 8 Wet: 11 Snow: 8 Comfort: 10 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 8 Very good results on snow, High resistance to aquaplaning, Very high grip on wet surfaces, High level of comfort, Precise steering on dry surfaces Slightly high noise level, expensive Test winner Read Reviews
2nd: Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
225/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 50 Dry: 8 Wet: 8 Snow: 10 Comfort: 8 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 8 Good balance of performance, Very good results on snow, especially in terms of lateral stability, Low noise level Average braking performance on dry surfaces, Average ride comfort, High price Recommended Read Reviews
3rd: Michelin Alpin 5
225/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 50 Dry: 8 Wet: 10 Snow: 8 Comfort: 8 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 8 Good results on snow, High resistance to aquaplaning, Short braking distance on wet roads Average braking performance on dry surfaces, High price Recommended Read Reviews
4th: Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
225/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 50 Dry: 8 Wet: 10 Snow: 8 Comfort: 8 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 8 Short braking distance on dry and wet surfaces, Good lateral stability on wet surfaces Medium traction and lateral stability in snow, Increased noise level Recommended Read Reviews    Buy from £147.58
5th: Bridgestone Blizzak LM001
225/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 51 Dry: 10 Wet: 8 Snow: 8 Comfort: 8 Rolling Resistance: 9 Noise: 8 Close to a summer tire in the dry, good snow traction, low rolling resistance Average aquaplaning resistance, poor snow handling Good Read Reviews
6th: Hankook Winter i cept evo2
225/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 44 Dry: 6 Wet: 8 Snow: 8 Comfort: 6 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 8 Short braking distance and general well balanced snow performance, well priced Long braking distances in the dry and wet, average comfort Satisfactory Read Reviews
7th: Vredestein Wintrac xtreme S
225/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 46 Dry: 8 Wet: 10 Snow: 6 Comfort: 8 Rolling Resistance: 6 Noise: 8 Short braking distance and generally high wet grip, Low noise level Poor snow grip, poor dry grip, high rolling resistance Satisfactory Read Reviews
8th: Kumho WinterCraft WP71
225/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 46 Dry: 8 Wet: 8 Snow: 8 Comfort: 6 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 8 Good snow handling, Low price Average aquaplaning resistance, low wet grip, poor dry grip and handling Satisfactory Read Reviews
9th: Maxxis Arctictrekker WP05
225/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 44 Dry: 8 Wet: 6 Snow: 8 Comfort: 8 Rolling Resistance: 6 Noise: 8 Good resistance to aquaplaning, Good grip on dry surfaces, Low noise level Relatively weak grip and a long stopping distance on snow and wet surfaces, High rolling resistance Not Recommended Read Reviews
10th: Pace Antarctica 5 Pace
225/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 39 Dry: 6 Wet: 4 Snow: 8 Comfort: 6 Rolling Resistance: 6 Noise: 9 Very good results on snow, Very low price, Very low noise level Weak grip on dry and wet surfaces, Very long braking distances on wet surfaces, High rolling resistance Not Recommended Read Reviews