Which is better Cordiant or Nokian Nordman

This post is for those who are faced with a choice. I don’t want to convince or change anyone’s mind with this post. The following situation prompted me to write this post: when purchasing Cordiant Snow Cross, the managers in the store, when handing out the goods, spoke sarcastically and mockingly at my choice. In other words, why did you buy this s***...

When I was choosing tires, almost all the reviews were only positive. Then I started riding it and was very surprised at how good it was. Before that there were Nordman 4, Yokahama IG35, BF Goodrich Stud and Hakkapellita 4. Overall, I liked Cordiant more. I thought maybe I was just being glitchy? And then I came across an episode of the Main Road program. Continue watching the video

If you are too lazy to watch the video, below is the result:

At the moment I have driven 820 km. The noise of the studs has returned to normal, on ice it behaves simply super, on asphalt without any questions. There’s nothing to say about snow yet, let’s wait for snowfall. Believe it or not, the tires are really decent, and at their price, I definitely recommend them.

Reading time: 8 minutes

Almost all drivers in the Russian Federation regularly change tires from season to season or after long-term use. Aggressive or careless driving can cause blowouts or punctures, and in rare cases, inattention to tires can cause tires to burst. In order to choose a high-quality, reliable and at the same time inexpensive product, the average person studies various tire ratings compiled by experts, and also looks at reviews from real drivers. Often his choice falls on Cordiant tires. Country of origin: Russian Federation.

What are Cordiant tires?

Cordiant is one of the largest tire companies in Russia, existing since 2002 with headquarters in Moscow and having several of its own factories in Yaroslavl and Omsk. Every year the company produces tires for various purposes for trucks and cars of all classes, the advantage of which lies in the following factors:

Cordiant plant in Yaroslavl

• First of all, it is a reliable holding with 17 thousand employees, which initially acted as a subsidiary division and as an additional figure involved in the sale of products from a large plant.
• The group of companies includes the Intyre research association, whose certified and experienced specialists every year develop new technologies to improve product quality. The company owns dozens of patents and innovations in terms of rubber composition for summer, all-season or winter use, the development of fundamentally new protectors and other nuances that allow every motorist to feel even more confident on the road.
• The company has its own testing grounds and test benches for testing products, and all protocols fully comply with international requirements.
• Over more than 15 years of operation, the company has acquired a huge number of templates for the production of tires for various purposes and hundreds of size options. Thus, almost every owner of a passenger car from compact to premium class, as well as companies that have trucks on their balance sheets, can always select the product they are interested in in the company’s catalogue.
• The convenient official electronic portal “Cordiant” allows you not only to get acquainted with the company’s activities, but also to select the necessary Cordiant tires without leaving your computer, as well as find out where you can buy genuine products and at what prices.
• Thanks to a developed dealer network and an extensive advertising campaign, the brand’s products can be found on the counter of almost any auto store in the country and even abroad. Especially considering the fact that in 2011 the company combined part of the production capacity of the Omsk plant with a Slovak enterprise that produces tires for Matador trucks.

Cordiant Company Structure

Comparison of Nokian and Cordiant tires

Due to the fact that the Cordiant brand positions itself as an international enterprise whose products can easily compete with Western manufacturers, experts also conducted a comparative test of tires from the famous Finnish supplier Nokian with the most popular models of the Russian brand mentioned above. Thus, based on numerous field tests in aggressive operating conditions, this comparative characteristics of the products is given below:

• The products of both tire companies undergo thorough inspection and testing. Thus, the Russian enterprise is aimed at a lower pricing policy, therefore it launches into mass production models that did not score the maximum points, focusing specifically on the affordability of the brand. This cannot be said about Nokian tires, where the company’s management takes care of the best rating, refining each model to perfection.

Which tires are better - Cordiant or Nokian Tires?

In the July 2021 PartReview, Nokian Tires were overall better than Cordiant.

1. Nokian Tires received a PR score of 77 out of 100, and Cordiant managed to score 74 points.
2. Nokian Tires took 13th place in the ranking of the best manufacturers, and Cordiant took 15th place.
3. The average review score for Nokian Tires (4) is higher than for Cordiant (3.8).
4. Nokian Tires tires have better property ratings than Cordiant:
   Wear resistance - owners believe that Nokian Tires has this property better than Cordiant.
5. Handling - car enthusiasts claim that this property of Nokian Tires is superior to Cordiant.
6. Noise - from the reviews it is clear that this property is preferable for Nokian Tires than for Cordiant.

Cordiant Winter Drive tires

The Russian company has long specialized in winter tires that meet the harsh winter conditions of the middle zone.

Thus, these products have the following quality characteristics and features:

• Most of the materials for this tire are purchased in Russia, which affects the cost of production. And the best researchers from the Institute of Fine Chemical Technology in Moscow participated in the development of the finished winter product. Thus, as in the best Western analogues, particles of carbon and silicate materials are introduced into the composition of this tire, which helps improve grip.
• Asymmetrical multi-directional treads with deeply cut sipes with sharp edges help the driver to keep the road clearly both when accelerating or braking, and when cornering. Snow masses that linger between the edges of the lamellas increase friction several times, allowing the car to keep track at any speed.

Cordiant Sport 1 tires

• The size range of this tire includes 5 types of Cordiant tires with parameter ranges 185-205/55-65/R15, which shows that the tire is intended primarily for Lada cars and some budget foreign small cars.

Other popular Cordiant tire models

Among Russian consumers, these include:

• Guardian Sno Max tires with the most popular size 205/55/R16, installed not only on Russian cars, but also on many foreign cars up to the business class level. Thus, this product has a large number of sharp multidirectional studs that improve traction on slippery roads and allow the driver to move even in conditions of severe ice. At the same time, the high tire profile of 55 mm helps to rest on loose snow in deep snowdrifts, even along the side surface of the product.
• Cordiant summer tires Sport 1 - directional treads of this model of summer tires allow you to ensure a confident ride even in heavy rain, as comfortable sharp sipes reliably fix the position of the car on the road, and drainage grooves eliminate the possibility of aquaplaning.
• Summer tires Cordiant Sport 2 are a newer and more expensive modification from the first generation, and, unlike it, provide the driver with safe driving, including on dry roads, since Sport 1 had rather low characteristics in this regard.

What features do Cordiant tires have?

Cordiant tires provide good traction, which ensures good vehicle handling. These tires are manufactured using the most modern European technologies. Also, they are quite affordable.

The profile pattern on the tire ensures stability on the road surface, as well as predictability of the vehicle on the road in any season and in any weather conditions. Cordiant tires provide short braking distances and reduced fuel consumption.

Cordiant tires are available in various models, both for winter and summer.

Kumho, hankook, and goodyear tires are also popular.

205/55 R16

Budget "winter"

The popular “sixteenth” tire size comes from popular brands. In this comparative test, we collected and evaluated the qualities of ten friction tires costing from 100 to 200 rubles. The cheapest of the selected tires were produced in Russia (Cordiant and Viatti) and Belarus (Belshina’s native Artmotion). But the most expensive was the Japanese Dunlop: from 200 rubles per wheel. Let's see how much more effective and safe this imported product turns out to be. Also included in the test were studded tires – Nitto Therma Spike. We did not stud them (by the way, studding one wheel will cost about 40 rubles) and decided to check how “unarmed” tires, which are designed to be used without studs, would perform.

We also remind you that during comparative tests, the characteristics of winter tires are primarily assessed, which are responsible for safe behavior on roads covered with snow or ice, as well as on wet and dry asphalt. Simply put, we evaluate the level of grip provided by the tires.

The winter part of the tests was carried out at a polar training ground on ice and snow at a temperature of -10...-8°C. The spring part of the tests took place at a temperature of +5...+7°C.

The test program for Scandinavian winter tires includes four tests on icy surfaces. Acceleration and braking on ice are the most important for any driver. In the test with braking from a speed of 25 km/h, five tires performed excellently, stopping the car in 12-13 meters. The leaders are Nokian and Cordiant. Among the outsiders, four tires of the Dunlop, Kumho and Nitto brands stopped the car almost 1.5 meters later. Belshina's result is the lagging behind, 16 meters. The same pattern of results was noted in the acceleration time test on ice.

A similar ranking of test participants was noted in the lateral grip test on ice. In this test, the car moved around an ice circle for a time. The better a particular tire provided stability on a bend, the faster the car completed a lap. The best results were shown by Nokian and Viatti tires, and the pilot noted the clear behavior and predictable handling on both of these tires. Then, with a lag of about 1.5 seconds, the test car arrived on Sava, Cordiant, Gislaved and Hankook tires. The pilot also noted that on these tires the cars begin to slide outward early, and on Hankook tires, the “grip” that seems good at first glance is replaced by a rather sharp drift into sliding. The last four tires were noted for their low lap speed, due to weak lateral grip on ice, and rather deep drifts.

A more complex and multifaceted test of tires on ice is driving on an icy track at speed. Cordiant and Nokian tires showed good and similar results, which also give the car clear and predictable driving behavior. Dunlop tires also give the car a very harmonious character, but their grip on ice is generally worse. “Belshina” showed an average time and was generally remembered for its rather predictable handling. The same cannot be said about Sava and especially Nitto tires, which behave nervously on ice: on them the car suddenly and deeply breaks into skids or drifts.

This time, among budget tires, Hankook tires showed an exemplary result. The worst result is for the “unarmed” Nitto. When accelerating on snow, the spread of results increased to 15%. Six tires showed very close results with a difference of literally 5%. The outsiders were Nitto, Belshina and Sava.

But in a more dynamic test - checking handling on a snowy track - Sava tires performed exemplary. They provide good lateral grip and give the car easy handling. Viatti and Nitto tires, as well as Nokian, showed quite decent results. Less confidently, the test car rushed along the track on Hankook and Gislaved tires.

The “spring” tests of winter tires on asphalt included braking on wet and dry asphalt, as well as handling on a wet track. As often happens, in the asphalt program tires perform well that lost on ice and snow. In braking on wet asphalt, Sava tires showed the best results. The second result is for Belshina. The longest braking distance - with an extra four meters - was shown on Dunlop and Kumho tires.

Sava tires also led in handling on wet asphalt; Gislaved tires showed very close results. “Belshina” held on well, showing the 4th result. The slipperiest tires on wet asphalt were Kumho, Dunlop, Cordiant and especially Nitto.

Rolling resistance

We assessed the ease of rolling on a special stand with a metal drum. For studded tires, the studs had to be removed for this test. The rolling resistance coefficient is expressed in kg/t (or N/kN). A factor of 7 kg/t means that if a tire is weighed down by one tonne, a force of 70 N must be constantly applied to it to prevent it from losing speed due to rolling resistance. The lowest rolling resistance coefficient is found in winter tires Nokian, Hankook and Gislaved. The highest are at Cordiant and Belshin.

Cordiant tires

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Russian Cordiant tires have some advantages that most other tire models from other European manufacturers do not have. These advantages, first of all, include the ability to use tires in harsh winter times, their safety margin is incredibly high, and the design features of the tires and the composition of the rubber compound allow these tires not to lose air pressure during sudden temperature changes. For the use of such tires in Russian conditions, this is a very important advantage, since most European modifications of car tires have such an unpleasant property - the pressure in the tires drops sharply with a sharp jump in air temperature.

It should also be noted that Cordiant tires have excellent road grip. A large number of winter tires are studded, which gives such excellent grip even on completely icy road surfaces, even when driving on such a road at very high speeds. The braking properties of these tires are also well developed - the braking distance even on slippery surfaces is quite short.

Susceptibility to temperature changes, grip and braking qualities - these properties can be considered the most important advantage of using Russian tires. This is not to say that these tires no longer have positive qualities, but all other properties are less well developed.

Which tires are more popular - Nokian Tires or Cordiant?

In July 2021, on PartReview, Nokian Tires tires were generally more popular than Cordiant.

In terms of votes, Nokian Tires tires surpassed Cordiant:

• Nokian Tires had a ratio of positive votes (636) to negative votes (181) of 455 votes.
• Cordiant had a ratio of positive votes (466) to negative votes (162) of 304 votes.

In terms of the number of reviews, Nokian Tires tires surpassed Cordiant:

• There are 253 reviews written on Nokian Tires tires: 182 positive, 41 neutral, 30 negative.
• There are 195 reviews written on Cordiant tires: 132 positive, 33 neutral, 30 negative.

Nokian tires

Finnish Nokian tires are very familiar to both Russian drivers and everyone else around the world. Everyone knows very well that these tires have excellent performance characteristics and are famous for their safety and reliability of use. Let's take a closer look at all the benefits that drivers of cars equipped with these Finnish-made tires receive.

Let's start with the fact that all car tires produced by Nokian have excellent road grip, even in Russian road conditions. It must be said that this is facilitated by a large number of factors - these are the design features of these car tires, and the optimized tread pattern for each Finnish-made tire model, and the composition of the rubber mixture that is used for the production of Nokian tire models.

The optimized design of the projector has extended grooves in almost all models, and this allows water masses to be removed from the contact patch in a fairly short period of time. This property prevents the formation of a water wedge when moving on a wet road surface, which, in principle, indicates the virtual absence of drift from a straight path during high-speed movement.

It should also be noted that all Nokian tires have a very high degree of safety and reliability. Tires are made from a large number of synthetic materials, which may indicate that the materials are not environmentally friendly, but in reality this is not the case - the composition of the rubber mixture is still dominated by the presence of natural rubber.

Cordiant Polar tires

Characteristics of Cordiant Polar

Advantages and problems of Cordiant Polar

Advantages:

1. Not expensive.
2. Good grip on the surface.
3. Excellent maneuverability.
4. Strong sides.

Flaws:

1. Noisy.
2. No directional stability.

Video review of Cordiant Polar

The best Cordiant tire models

The best modifications of car tires in the Cordiant model range can be considered Comfort PS 400 and Winter Drive, according to the opinions and assessments of independent experts. The first model is intended for use in the summer season, but many Russian drivers often use it in winter, since the safety margin and excellent road grip allow this to be done.

The only drawback of this trick is the loss of tire pressure; after all, this is a summer model, which is not entirely intended for use in the winter season. In general, road grip, excellent rolling resistance, and excellent properties for removing water masses from the contact patch are quite developed in this model and are in no way inferior to many leading European-made models.

As for the Winter Drive model, this winter modification also has an exceptionally high level of safety of use, and also creates excellent reliability when driving on poor road surfaces in winter. This tire model is equipped with studs, which allows you to significantly reduce the braking distance during any braking. It is also worth noting the high acceleration properties that are achieved thanks to the optimized tread pattern. It is because of it that the tires fit tightly to the road surface, allowing cars to quickly accelerate and brake sharply.

The best Nokian tire models

The most leading models of car tires from the Finnish manufacturer Nokian are modifications of Hakka Green and Nordman SX. The first model is summer, and it has a huge number of advantages. These tires have virtually no disadvantages - each quality is highly developed, which allows drivers to feel comfortable and safe in any car on the road in any condition in various weather conditions.

It is especially worth highlighting the grip on the road surface, which allows you to maintain a straight trajectory when driving on not the best roads. This model also has excellent sound insulation - the sound of wheels touching during high-speed driving is virtually inaudible. Also, the properties of water repellency and rolling resistance are at a fairly high level.

As for the Nordman SX model, all the same qualities can be noted here. The only thing worth noting here additionally is better grip on any quality road surface. These tires have an excellent, optimized rubber compound composition - it includes absorbent gels, natural rubber and silica. All this together gives these tires excellent performance in all conditions of use.

Nokian or Goodyear

Nokian's top winter model is Hakapelita 8. Goodyear's is Ultra Grip Ice Arctic. The Hakkapeliitta 8 tires feel ideal on Russian winter roads, as they were developed specifically for such conditions.

There are increased numbers of spikes on the surface of the rubber. Paired with a modified tread pattern, they significantly improve traction in difficult conditions.

They are resistant to the effect of aquaplaning, as they have a drainage system through the grooves of which moisture and snow are removed. They have improved wear resistance, ideal traction on ice and snow, and also provide minimal braking distance.

However, in ruts, tires behave unstably and are characterized by high cost.

Goodyears are also suitable for harsh winters and are also suitable for off-road use. Thanks to the change in rubber composition, they have an increased service life. Advantages of this model:

• directional stability will be maintained at high speed,
• resistant to aquaplaning.

But when they hit a rut, they can go into a skid.

If we compare Nokian and Goodyear, then it is impossible to give an exact answer. Nokian has better grip and cross-country properties, but at the same time the cost of these tires is higher. If financial capabilities allow, then it is best to purchase Nokian, but if not, then Goodyear, since they also have acceptable performance.

Final comparison of Cordiant and Nokian tires

If we compare the best models of Cordiant and Nokian tires, it becomes clear that Russian-made tires still do not reach the level of performance that exists in the production of Finnish tires. In all respects, Nokian tires are superior to their Russian counterparts, except for one component - if we consider the conditions of use in Russia, then, of course, Cordiant tires win here, since they were created for use specifically on Russian roads.

However, they have also found use on European roads. In all other respects, Cordiant tires are noticeably inferior to Finnish products - in terms of road grip quality, braking properties, speed characteristics and many other features.

Summary

As a result, we can say the following - even if we consider the model ranges of both car tire manufacturers in full and try to compare them with each other, then such a comparison is inappropriate and meaningless - car tires from the Finnish manufacturer Nokian have a clear advantage here. In the Finnish manufacturer's model range there are no models that have either low performance qualities or at least average ones.

This suggests that the Finnish manufacturer has really worked hard on the technologies for producing its own products, which ultimately brought Nokian tires to a qualitatively new high level. The Russian manufacturer just needs to work further in this direction. This is not to say that everything is so bad with Russian Cordiant tires - far from it, many characteristics are very well developed. But still, this development does not occur at such a qualitatively high level as with Finnish-made tires.