Hi guys! This is my first review here.
So winter came and I needed some budget winter tires as my old 2013 Vredstein Xtreme Giugiaros became unbearable, noisy, hard crashing over potholes, no grip on ice, etc.
First I want to mention that I love comfort before anything, that is quietness and low NVH in my car (noise, vibration, harshness) so I looked for good budget winter tires with good levels of comfort and low noise.
I got the tires in 225 55 17 and I was impressed with the "cushy" ride. I do have the electronic adaptive suspension on my S80 but compared against my old Vredsteins, those were like blocks of concrete, felt like my entire suspension was shot to pieces when going over potholes.
I can't score the snow and ice grip yet because I missed the days when we had it, but I can tell you that wet grip and dry grip on cold days is very very good. They are very quiet, off course compared to my old Vredsteins and the summer tires I removed. Keep in mind these are budget tires, I wonder how premium ones are in terms of noise.
Indeed, as some tests and previous reviews stated, the handling suffers. I found it a little bit scary at first to be honest, the "barge like" feeling is very high, good for comfort, but if you plan on pushing the speed limits and\or taking some hard corners I recommend either increasing the pressure or switching the suspension to Sport.
Overall, if you're looking for good budget winter tires and you prefer comfort and the old "barge like" feeling you can 100% go for these.