The best and only real winter tire on market. Easily outperforms in snow my favorite Yoko BluEarth. If they just made it for 17″ wheels and improved construction. Full specification at manufacturer’s web.
- price about 50€
- it never “wears” it weathers out
- tire compound somewhere between ASC and 10SC
- real winter tire – only spiked winter tires are better
- works well in deep snow
- soft sidewalls and excessive tire deformations
- decent wet performance
- tire size only up to 15″
- in rough terrain easily punctured
The only real winter tire on market
I have always used Continental ContiWinterContact TS serie but I never lived in real mountains. Until one snowy almost spring day in Austrian Alps when Continental “winter” tires failed horribly. It was simple up hill section with 5 millimeters layer of wet snow on tarmac…I was stuck with disco lights on dashboard…
Naturally, I started to seek performance winter tire for Hilda HR I. I always do my research but problem with those review sites is those people have no idea about real driving…it is like those synthetic computer tests…then you buy new processor and you wonder why it is crap despite first in test 😀
I have followed advice from winter tire tests and purchased Nokian WR D4. Test said it is best winter tire you can buy. I went to mountains and it was same crap like Continental ContiWinterContact TS serie just more expensive.
Japanese symbol for “true”
The Dirty Secret of “Winter” Tires
If you cannot crack the code (figure it out), simply ask the masters. Pre-apocalyptic generations still have real skills because they survived those deadly cars without electronic assistants such as ABS.
I asked my friend at tire service. This guy has got over 20 years experience and he is also one of those old-school guys who like to have fun on snow. He told me “Real winter tire has got wide slots that doesn’t get cluttered with pressed snow. Try Sava Eskimo S3+, the only winter tire on market. It has been manufactured for 20 years and you cannot make it better anymore.”
Then I finally figured it out – the so called winter tires are optimized for usual European winter roads that are 90% of time just salty wet. Rest is combination of dry and sometimes little snow on road. If you live in mountains, well bad luck.
Those so called “winter” tires have too fine slots and always are cluttered by snow.
Dance with me baby
Of course, this tire is not optimal for all surfaces but it is wild in snow. It is cheap crap with large room for improvements. Savo deforms, twists and dance like drunken monkey. Surprisingly they are stable in corners once you get used to wild chassis movements.
After while you even use it in your advantage – it is like Scandinavian flick without much drivers input. Of course it is cheap crap that has not much grip on dry – mostly caused by real winter design that simply slides on hard surfaces. They whine under load but they keep consistent grip with smooth dance moves!
Slots don’t keep pressed snow, even deep snow without AWD is great. Stuck in snow? Don’t worry Savo is your friend.
Tires last “forever”. Unfortunately, tires get easily punctures in rough terrain due to their cheap design. Spring time trips to mountains via gravel roads resulted in three punctures in less than 2 months. Guys in tire service started to laugh and I was pissed off by spare-wheel swaps 😀
I never used them again due brakes overheating and high risk of punctures. Sadly, there is no performance winter tire on market. Yoko BluEarth is closest what I have found so far but they cannot beat the migthy Sava in snow !!!
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