Winter tires

Autozurnal’s new winter tire test tested the new budget snow specialist

Jiri Zelinka Author Jiri Zelinka
5 min read

Test days took place around Arvidsjaur in Swedish Lapland, where the industry migrates each winter for reliable ice, snow and sub-zero conditions. The field mixed budget and premium names, plus two “twins” that share the same tread: Kormoran SUV Snow and Riken SUV Snow (both under Michelin’s umbrella and produced in Serbia). The rest of the lineup: Barum Polaris 6 (★83) (new CZ model, belonging to the Continental Group as we wrote eariler), Michelin Alpin 7 (brand-new premium), Tomket Snowroad SUV 3 (marketed as Czech, made in China), Lassa Competus Winter 2+ (TR), and CEAT WinterDrive SUV (IN).

First let’s talk about weight – Barum and Michelin came in notably light, with Michelin the lightest carcass (~10.1 kg) and Barum the second lightest; Tomket sat at the other end (≈12.7 kg). Those unsprung mass differences are not academic—lighter tyres help steering precision and ride over choppy winter surfaces. On construction, Michelin’s tread clearly borrows from CrossClimate’s V-layout but with dense winter siping to keep the blocks “alive” in cold conditions.

  • Test size: 215/65 R17; vehicles like Tiguan, Karoq, Tucson, Sportage
  • Field highlights: Michelin Alpin 7 (new), Barum Polaris 6 (new CZ), CEAT & Lassa as value wildcards; Kormoran & Riken are near-identical twins

Snow told the most interesting story. Barum dominated: best in snow braking, acceleration and traction, and second in snow handling; the spread between the best and the weakest in snow braking from 50 km/h was just 1.6 m (Barum stopped at 24.7 m; Tomket needed 26.3 m). Michelin hovered mid-pack in snow—exactly what you’d expect from a design chasing all-surface balance rather than snow bias—yet still posted a strong snow handling time.

On wet, Michelin flipped the script and simply ran away with it. It led wet braking (52.4 m from 100 km/h), won longitudinal aquaplaning, and topped wet handling. CEAT surprised as the wet-braking runner-up (55.2 m), while Lassa kept showing up in the top group across wet categories, including second in longitudinal aquaplaning. Barum had a mixed wet showing but won lateral aquaplaning and sat tightly behind Michelin/Lassa/CEAT in wet handling.

  • Snow: Barum #1 overall on snow; Michelin middle but tidy (strong snow handling)
  • Wet: Michelin clear #1; CEAT and Lassa the value standouts; Barum wins lateral aquaplaning

Dry was where Michelin’s “balanced everywhere” approach paid another dividend. It either won or shared the top spots in dry braking (tied with CEAT at 44.9 m from 100 km/h) and took the dry handling honors. Tomket, despite struggling on snow and wet, actually looked decent on dry dynamics (third in dry overall), which tracks with many budget tyres tuned more for warm asphalt than for grip on water film or compact snow.

The comfort/efficiency block is worth a call-out. Barum aced rolling resistance and external noise (both 50 and 80 km/h), with Michelin close behind on RR and on the podium for noise. For daily use—fuel economy/e-range and cabin hush—those metrics matter, especially on heavier SUVs that can turn small RR gains into real consumption savings.

  • Dry: Michelin wins; CEAT ties Michelin in dry braking; Tomket’s one bright spot is dry
  • NVH & efficiency: Barum wins both rolling resistance and external noise; Michelin follows

About those “twins”: Kormoran vs Riken. With near-identical tread, weight, and factory, their scores landed nearly on top of each other across categories, confirming they’re essentially the same recipe with different sidewalls. They sat just behind the leaders on snow and wet—respectable, predictable, and decent value if your expectations are aligned.

Tomket finished last overall. The tyre simply fell away on wet (e.g., 67.2 m wet braking from 100 km/h—when Michelin had already stopped, Tomket was still traveling ~47 km/h). It also trailed on snow. If you only cherry-pick its dry performance you’ll miss the broader safety picture; winter is about the worst-case days, and that’s where Tomket’s deficit is too large to ignore.

  • Kormoran & Riken: as expected, near-identical performance, mid-pack across most tests
  • Tomket: strong dry, but large safety gap on wet/snow → not recommended

Final standings & takeaways (based on Autožurnál’s composite scores)

  1. Michelin Alpin 7 — 101.1: Wins wet & dry, 4th on snow. The most complete winter SUV tyre here if you want confidence in rain and on bare/cold asphalt without sacrificing winter credibility.
  2. Barum Polaris 6 — 100.0 (reference): Absolute snow star, 2nd on dry, 4th on wet overall but with a notable win in lateral aquaplaning. Also best for rolling resistance and external noise—great everyday economics.
  3. CEAT WinterDrive SUV — 99.1: Big value surprise; tied fastest in dry braking, consistently strong on wet, solid on snow.
  4. Lassa Competus Winter 2+ — 98.1: Another value performer—2nd overall on wet, mid-pack elsewhere; dependable balance. 5/6) Kormoran SUV Snow — 96.6 and Riken SUV Snow — 96.0: Essentially the same tyre; honest, predictable winter behavior a notch behind the leaders.
  5. Tomket Snowroad SUV 3 — 93.7: Dry pace is fine, but snow and especially wet safety metrics undercut the package—Autožurnál rates it “Zlý / Bad.”
  • Best all-rounder: Michelin Alpin 7
  • Best for snow + low RR/quiet: Barum Polaris 6 (★83)
  • Best value risers: CEAT WinterDrive SUV, Lassa Competus Winter 2+

Notes from the data (relative to Barum = 100 baseline):

  • Wet braking (100→0 km/h): Michelin 103.6; CEAT 100.1; Lassa 100.7; Tomket 87.2
  • Long./Lat. aquaplaning: Michelin 107.6/102.1; Barum wins lateral with 100 (category baseline)
  • Dry braking (100→0 km/h): CEAT 44.9 m (= top), Michelin also 44.9 m; Tomket 45.6 m; Lassa 48.3 m
  • Wet braking (100→0 km/h): Michelin 52.4 m; CEAT 55.2 m; Lassa 55.4 m; Barum 56.3 m; Tomket 67.2 m
  • Rolling resistance & noise: Barum 100/100 (best); Michelin 101.2 RR and ~98.4 noise (very good)

If you drive mostly wet and slushy highways with occasional snow, Michelin Alpin 7 is the safe, sure-footed choice. If your winters are genuinely snowy—or you value a quiet, efficient long-hauler—Barum Polaris 6 makes a ton of sense and keeps up on dry, too. CEAT and Lassa are the price/performance plays that don’t feel like compromises in daily use. Kormoran/Riken are steady and predictable mid-table options. Tomket? The dry pedigree can’t offset the wet and snow gaps—hard pass for winter duty.