VIKINGCONTACT 8

<p>I bought these in the end of spring to use only in winter. Generally they are very good. Having driven only studded winter tyres, I find them much better in the wet and dry. On snow they are exceptional and on ice surprisingly good - given my previous experience with mid to top tier studded alternatives, these frictions truly stand up on ice. They lack a little bit of feel on straights, giving a noticeable gap in steering response, but I'd say this is common on most winter tyres. Handling is good and they are quite predictable even on ice. After the first winter of 16000 km, they seem to hold up fine and I can probably get at least 2 more winters out of them. In my opinion cabin noise is very low and they are truly comfortable as well.
I always hesitated on buying non-studded winter tyres, reason being occasional extreme road conditions, but these exceeded my expectations and I'm happy with them.</p>

Still the best winter tire I have used... very quiet:)

Just a note that this is my initial thoughts, after less than 2.000 km driven in the Nordic countries, in winter, under extreme snow and ice. I have driven multiple vehicles with studded tires, in the arctic circle, under extreme snow and ice conditions. The vikingcontact 8 matches the performance of the studded tires i have used on the past, with superior handling in harsh winter conditions. I used them on a trip in Swedish lapland, in -25C and with severe ice on the road, and could go over 80 km/h with safety. They offer superior handling, makes you feel safe where most tires would struggle. I did the same trip with normal mid-european tires, and the difference in traction and handling is night and day. Great grip, amazing handling, good braking. Overall an amazing winter tire for the nordic area. Not tested in dry, as it's impossible to find a dry road in the arctic circle during winter time. I highly recommend them.

I've had these tires on my 2026 Tiguan and the first impressions are very underwhelming. At very low speeds (residential roads), the car is constantly losing the back end in slow speed corners. I would not feel confident that in the event of a highway speed situation, that I would lose the car completely. My previous Hakkapeliitta SUV (non-studded winter) were lightyears ahead of these tires.

These tires are incredibly balanced, comfortable, and confidence inspiring in snow and icy conditions. I live in West Michigan, and we have been hammered with snow for the last couple months, so I’ve been able to test these tires in all types of weather. They are incredibly comfortable, soaking up all sorts of potholes, and chopped up icy roads. I have not noticed any noise/tones from them, and they don’t have any issues with tram-lining on crosscut concrete. They are very grippy on smooth ice, and pull through slushy snow well, but if they have a weakness it is in deeper slush. Sometimes they struggle to gain traction when accelerating through deep slushy snow, or when trying to turn and accelerate through corners. I haven’t noticed any uneven wear, but it’s still early. I’ll update my review once the winter season is over and I put my summer wheels and tires on.