01/19/2019
From Scott Hutchings ...
Winter tire test: Gislaved Nordfrost 200
2009 Saab 9-7X 5.3i
255-55/18
I've been waiting for winter to finally get here so I could try these tires out. Up until now (cold weather, clear roads), the tires have impressed the hell out of me. They are super quiet, grip the corners well, and don't feel like a winter tire.
Now that we finally have some snow, I was able to try them out. Below are my findings ...
The Saab 9-7X 5.3i is equipped with GM's AWD system, comprised of Stabilitrac, Traction Control, a LSD rear diff, and an electronically controlled transfer case.
With everything enabled, I noticed the rear end kicks out when accelerating from a stop. It does this as well with the TC turned off. With ST turned off, it accelerates straighter as the front diff seems to kick in sooner.
I took the truck to along a road with a very steep climb and several tight switchbacks.
With everything turned on, ST basically prevented me from going anywhere because of wheel-spin. With the TC turned off, I was able to make it up the hill ok.
The trip back down was very uneventful as the tires maintained traction all the way down ... I found this to be very impressive considering this is not a lightweight!!!
I made another run up, this time with both TC and ST turned off. This time I was able to keep a higher speed up the hill with all 4 wheels pulling all the time.
One thing to note: if this truck was operating in RWD only, I would not have been able to climb the hill.
Again, the trip back down was uneventful.
All in all, I am very happy with these tires and how they perform on the 9-7X. I've had other models of the Nordfrost on Saab cars (2005 9-5 Aero SportCombi) and they were even better (I'm sure due to lesser weight of the 9-5).