Given
91%
while driving a
Citroën 1.0 petrol
(155/70 R13 T) on
a combination of roads
for 2,000
average miles
So, this is an initial review after driving on these tires for 1 season from mid November to mid March in Croatis. I bought them new and they were made in 2016 in Poland. Take this review with a grain of salt because I can only compare these Eskimos to some old winter tires (Klebers and Barums I think) that were on the car when I bought it and with my current summer tires (Nokian iLines).
I decided to change my old tires last fall when I noticed a disconcerting lack of grip on damp roads. I bought only 2 tires because money was an issue and had them installed to the front. I bought them for 300 kunas ( approx. 40 euros) a piece at my local garage with everything included, so it was a good deal. The change was very positive. Dry grip was very good and wet grip was much improved (unlike some drivers here I don't find these tires lacking in the wet, just the opposite, even when compared to my Nokians). Road feedback is good and at first I taught the handling was pretty good, that is until I put the Nokians on. The iLines are much better and much sportier, but to my surprise the Eskimos are more comfortable and quieter. Just to note my profile, or my car for that matter, isn't sporty but the differences are pretty noticeable.
OK, so they are a pretty decent winter tire in these regards but where they really shine is where you'd expect them to: in the snow. We had a couple of days of snowfall here in Croatia and it was real "canadian" weather. I'm talking 30 centimeters of snow on the road in a couple of hours. I needed to make a trip to a nearby town and I felt confident after reading the reviews on this site. Let me tell you I was unstoppable. The snowplows couldn't clean the snow at the rate it was falling, the weather was really bad but I never lost control. I went up some steep roads and down feeling safe.
There you have it. These tires are safe, comfortable, magnificent in the snow and cheap, although not sporty at all. The wear seems minimal for now and I can recommend them to people who want cheap and comfortable dedicated winter tires.