Russian winter is unpredictable, and every car owner knows that road safety depends on tires. Buying quality tires at an affordable price is a common problem for all vehicle drivers. There is an opinion that there are no good rubber manufacturers in Russia, and people prefer to overpay and buy an expensive imported product.
Today we decided to create an article aimed at studying Tunga winter studded tires. Reviews from car owners, information about the manufacturer and model range are presented in the further contents of this publication.
Manufacturer
The brand is owned by the largest domestic tire holding Sibur - Russian Tires. The company manufactures in Russia and specifically for Russia. Winter tires "Tunga", reviews of which will be presented in the content of this article, are intended for use in any region of our vast country.
The line includes only two types of tires for the summer season and one for all-season use. Tunga is a brand created primarily for winter. According to the manufacturer, the tires are produced in accordance with current safety standards and meet all car owners’ requirements for tire quality.
Technology
The Russian holding has thoroughly reviewed the production of tires and created a brand that is ideally suited to any climatic conditions of the winter season. The rubber composition is optimized for all regions, and this is the main advantage of Tunga winter tires. Reviews from car owners confirm that the tire retains its elasticity and softness even in severe frosts. And this means ideal grip on the road, ease of driving, and therefore traffic safety for the owner of this vehicle and for other road users.
The manufacturer also created a combined breaker, which allows you to maintain movement stability.
Tread patterns are created using a computer. Such modeling helps to make this element not only as efficient as possible, but also attractive in appearance.
Tunga Extreme Contact
This tire has become the most popular in the entire line presented by the brand. “Extreme Contact” was created for drivers who value a comfortable ride behind the wheel in any weather conditions and who value the safety of themselves and other road users. These tubeless, studded winter tires have a directional tread pattern, which allows for excellent traction and grip on the road surface typical of the Russian winter. “Tunga Extreme Contact” is a rubber that is endowed with excellent properties for driving in icy conditions and the presence of snow porridge on the road.
The protector is made of a wide layer of material, the main component of which is real Malaysian rubber. The breaker is three-layer, which guarantees the stability of the wheels on the road. This type of breaker also gives the tire durability. It consists of two layers: a metal cord and a shielding layer, which protects the tire from all kinds of deformations even during strong impacts, which is not uncommon on Russian roads.
Winter tires "Tunga Extreme Contact": reviews
Car enthusiasts, of course, first noted the cost of tires. Winter tires for 13 Tunga cars cost no more than 1,500 rubles. Reviews say that the “Extreme Contact” model can be purchased by owners of cars equipped with tires of 13, 14 and 15 diameters, and the maximum price will not exceed 2,600 rubles.
Drivers also noted an acceptable noise level. They write that for a winter tire it is quite quiet, since the rubber does not “tan” in the cold. It was noted that both in icy conditions and when there is a mess of wet snow on the road, the Tunga Extreme winter tires behave predictably.
Reviews from car owners claim that these tires will perform better in city conditions, but not on the highway. They write that at a speed of more than 100 kilometers per hour, the car begins to “throw” to the sides. Among the disadvantages, car owners noted the poor quality of the factory studs. Many drivers have lost more than half of their studs after just ten thousand kilometers. Those that remained in place were worn out.
So to take it or not to take it?
The attitude towards domestic producers in our country has always been ambiguous. In principle, this is completely justified. The fact is that Russian products are not always of high quality. Therefore, many car enthusiasts are willing to overpay just to be sure that winter tires are manufactured in accordance with all the rules of the technological process and with pre-sale quality control.
European brands guarantee that studded tires will not let you down at a crucial moment. However, even among imported manufacturers there are careless suppliers. Even products from world-famous brands can be defective. Moreover, the climate in many European countries is radically different from the Russian winter with unexpected thaws and severe frosts. Therefore, imported tires often do not withstand severe tests and do not perform at their best.
Purchasing an expensive set of imported winter tires can make a significant dent in the budget of the average car owner. In order to somehow compensate for the high cost, many Russian car enthusiasts are turning to products from Asian manufacturers. Despite the fact that such tires belong to the middle price range, purchasing Japanese, Korean or even Chinese tires is still quite expensive. However, safety on winter roads should be paramount.
As for Tunga Nordway, the products of the well-known tire alliance in Russia deserve attention. Domestic studded tires may well be the ideal solution for car enthusiasts interested in purchasing good quality winter tires at an affordable price. The Cordiant tire concern has many years of experience. During the existence of the alliance, the brand gained national recognition and became a clear leader in the Russian tire industry.
Tunga C-140
This is a winter, tubeless, radial type tire. In order to ensure safe driving, minimize hydroplaning and increase traction, the tread pattern was divided by the manufacturer into semi-open grooves of variable width and direction. Their width gradually increases towards the edges of the treadmill from the center, and they turn into transverse grooves located in the shoulder area. A large number of diverse slats allows you to drive a car on a snow-covered road. The tread pattern allowed the use of anti-skid studs.
The studs are offset, so when driving on asphalt the noise level will increase slightly. The rubber composition of the tire is multifunctional: the tires do not “tan” even in severe frosts, and retain their shape and elasticity when the temperature rises.
The tread is multifunctional; it has a directional pattern, divided along four longitudinal grooves, and this serves for excellent drainage of water from under the wheels. A solid rib with varying width, located in the center of the tread, allows for a more visible contact patch, which improves traction. The checkers, arranged in two figured rows, are elongated transversely.
Tunga Nordway 2
These are winter studded tires. According to the manufacturer, they are reliable when passing icy and snow-covered road sections. Suitable for long periods of use in harsh conditions. The performance is determined by the special tread geometry and compound composition. The main features of Nordway winter tires are:
- directional stability, explained by the Scandinavian style of the tread with its symmetrical orientation, the presence of a developed lamella system and a central zigzag rib with numerous edges for gripping;
- maneuverability achieved due to multiple “shoulder” blocks:
- the speed of freeing the tread from snow that has fallen into it and cleaning it from dirt, which is facilitated by deep channels connected to each other;
- the ability to travel on icy roads without losing control of the vehicle thanks to a stud system consisting of 100 studs with an original fastening system;
- adhesion to various types of road surfaces due to the large contact patch area.
A distinctive feature of the studding of Tunga Nordway 2 tires is their rigid fixation at the bottom and softer fixation at the top. This contributes to the long-term preservation of the integrity of the stud. The running-in is checked by a special indicator that looks like a snowflake. The erasure of this indicator means its successful completion. Among the disadvantages of this rubber, car owners note:
- a fair amount of noise and even hum emitted by Nordway 2 tires, especially at speeds above 80-90 km/h on dry and wet asphalt;
- difficulties with balancing;
- mediocre behavior on the ice.
Winter tires "Tunga S-140": reviews
Car owners indicate in their reviews that the Tunga-140 winter tires make their way through the snow like a tank, row perfectly, and do not slip. She also performed excellently in icy conditions. Noisiness is rated four out of five. Car owners write that comfort in the vehicle interior is ensured in the same way as when using more expensive tires. The tires are soft and do not lose elasticity in severe frosts on an unheated car.
Reviews of the Tunga winter tires for this model are impressive; eight out of ten car owners recommend it. The comments noted that control over the vehicle is not lost, even in the presence of sharp turns it does not skid.
They note the cost of tires, on average 1,700 rubles. per tire. Drivers write that they did not expect to buy good quality tires for that kind of money, they mostly bought them “for a season of riding,” but were surprised that they last much longer and are pleasing with their quality.
They also responded very well to the spikes. When a new wheel is properly run-in, no more than 20% of the studs are lost, and this is the norm. Those who remain are not going anywhere anymore, having qualitatively fallen into place.
See the date of the Tunga tire recall.
A suitable model in a discussion that is more than 5 years old requires more careful study than browsing through numerous opinions. Because for the same Nordway (Kordiant Tunga winter tires were previously produced in Omsk under this name), reviews can be found both with and without mention of studs. Paradox? No way. It’s just that the old production line didn’t allow the tires to be studded right away. The spikes were inserted in the next room. When they didn’t have time, they sold it without spikes, then wholesalers or the sellers themselves spiked it. As a result, one user is sure that “the car confidently holds the icy road and the spikes are all in place after winter,” while another is perplexed: “I have a new one, it paddles both through porridge and snow; clings to the ice with lamellas; There are holes, but there were no thorns in them.”
Taking into account the date, you should also look at the Cordiant Tunga Zodiak tire - reviews (there are for any version of the Zodiac) about how it “resists well aquaplaning, brakes well and accelerates well” can be read for informational purposes only. Because the current version of the official catalog no longer contains such a model.
Ignoring the year of manufacture only in relation to the recall, but not to the tire, is permissible when choosing a Tunga model without an additional name (previously it was produced in one standard size and was called S-141), or Tunga Master (originally S-142). For these models, the ratio of positive to negative reviews (80:20) has remained virtually unchanged since the word “Tunga” was used to describe tires.
We recommend that you read the article – “Reviews of Cordiant Sport”.
Tunga Master
This tire will be loved by everyone who prefers to drive a car at low speeds - up to one hundred kilometers per hour, since at higher speeds the clarity of control may be lost - as noted in the comments about the model. What does the manufacturer say?
The tread pattern is directional, V-shaped. The grooves are wide, arched, provide high-quality vehicle control on a road covered with slushy snow, and eliminate the effect of aquaplaning. The unique Tunga winter tire breaker protects against various types of damage. Consumer reviews confirm that no swelling (hernias) are detected during operation, and the tire is not deformed.
Of the minuses, they noted a quick imbalance. They also write that the studs are not of the highest quality, but quite good for a 14-diameter wheel (the only size in which the model is produced), costing from 1,700 to 2,100 rubles, depending on the supplier.
Current reviews about Tunga tires
The best place to look for a competent opinion about tires is the environment of car enthusiasts. On the Internet, these are, of course, car forums. The good thing about this option is that it allows you to quickly find exclusive and reliable information by using the search or posing a specific question that interests you for discussion with experienced compatriots. Here, the likelihood of disassembling any feature of a particular tire is higher than even at some branded points of sale. And unreliable opuses (as well as the opinion of the interested person) are calculated and, importantly, reasonably sorted out in the shortest possible time. Even if the discussion concerns the budget segment of tires, to which Cordiant Tunga tires directly relate.
Reviews on official dealer resources - they may well be left by real buyers, but even a superficial analysis shows that the seller is unlikely to disclose an objective picture of the product being sold. There are also sections with responses on brand websites, but in the case of Tunga there is no such information. But this is where you can find interesting facts about tires sold today.
Take, for example, the fact that the word “Cordiant” is not used when labeling modern Tung tires. Tunga Extreme Contact (reviews only since 2015 record this fact), Tunga Master, Tunga Road, and simply Tunga are presented today on the manufacturer’s official website. That is, if you are looking for reviews on other models, keep in mind that there are reviews, but the tires themselves are no longer produced.
