Achilles Winter 101

The Achilles Winter 101 is a Touring Winter tyre designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.

Dry Grip 84%
Wet Grip 84%
Road Feedback 86%
Handling 83%
Wear 84%
Comfort 84%
Buy again 91%

Tyre review data from 9 tyre reviews averaging 85% over 71,750 miles driven.

The Winter 101 is ranked 8th of 96 Winter Touring tyres.

Latest Tyre Test Results

2016 Winter Tyre Market Overview - 22nd of 43 tyres

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2015 Winter Tyre Market Overview - 35th of 51 tyres

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2014 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 195/65 R15 - 14th of 14 tyres

  • Positive - None listed
  • Negative - Very weak in the wet, weak on snow, ice and dry roads
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2016 Tyre Tests

  • 22nd: 2016 Winter Tyre Market Overview (205/55 R16)
  • 2015 Tyre Tests

  • 35th: 2015 Winter Tyre Market Overview (185/60 R14)
  • 2014 Tyre Tests

  • 14th: 2014 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 195/65 R15 (195/65 R15)
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    Top 3 Achilles Winter 101 Reviews

    Given 93% while driving a SEAT Leon FR tdi (215/45 R17 W) on mostly motorways for 45,000 easy going miles
    These tyres I purchased on a whim as the hype about Winter tyres was about. So I thought I’d buy a cheap set, try them out and if I didn’t like them, then I could chuck them away and move on. I Fitted these tyres on to My BMW E36 M3 initially, ran them for a few thousand miles, then took them off and put them on to my E36 323 Touring for a few thousand miles, but on the same rims, then changed them finally to a 1M Seat Leon FR TDi 150ps on to different rims where they stayed until exchange for a new set.

    These tyres surprised me. An M3, 300hp and no issues in British snow, ice or rain. I managed to get everywhere, up hills in Wales as well as 65mph on motorways on lanes that were slushy. No twitching or nothing.

    When I moved these tyres on to my Seat, they spent 99% of their time on motorways. They clocked 45000 miles on this car(+ whatever few thousand I did in the BMW’s,) so the wear is excellent. The economy was not hindered over normal summer tyres, the performance of the side loads on the tyre were fine, but if I was to criticise them for anything, it would be the slight slip that you get from any winter tyre in conditions above 15 degrees Celsius. From that last comment, you can see that I left them on all year round, and apart from a marginal increase in wear during the months of July and Aug on the hotter days of which there are few, they were fine. No issues with overheating or slip.

    These tyres assisted me on a road trip around the Yorkshire dales and Lake District in Summer last year, some spirited driving was undertaken on roads such as the Snake Pass and Buttertubs Pass, apart from knowing I would get a little more understeer than on a summer tyre, they performed great.

    The tyres have been removed yesterday, (only because one was worn in the middle, I managed to remove a chunk out one on a kerb and I ran one flat for an unknown number of miles (which was very evident when removed),) and replaced with the same tyre again, I liked them that much. They have gone back on the Seat, as well as another set for the 323 BMW. When removed, there was evidence of minor cracking above the letters for ‘Achilles’ and ‘Winter’ on the inside of the tyre, so if you buy a set, keep an eye out for this. Bear in mind they were fitted in 2012 and removed in 2017 so the time of cyclic thermal loading may be the cause for this. I changed the tyres at approx. 2-3mm, but that was out of choice as rear left was worn out due to a suspension issue creating an alignment issue.

    These tyres perform as well as some of the bigger brands, at a fraction of the cost. Granted that the bigger brands may perform at the extremes of weather, but in Britain, this is rare, so some carful driving on those days should suffice. I managed to get a deal on eBay, I paid for a set of 4 new from stock the same as you would pay for a Michelin Alpin with fitting and balance, so if it bothers anyone that much, change at 5mm as these tyres come with 9.7mm from new not the 7mm that you get from Michelin and some others.

    I know this may be sad, but I have recorded a graph of ‘mileage against wear’ whilst on the Seat so this can be sent to anyone whom desires to review.

    Enjoy!
    Helpful 25 - tyre reviewed on June 7, 2017
    Given 82% while driving a Volvo XC70 D5 (235/55 R17 V) on a combination of roads for 250 spirited miles
    Early days but after the Pirelli's that came with my car these tyres have transformed the car! Feels very sure footed along sweeping country back roads. Nice & quiet and economy seems no worse than before. At this early stage i am really pleased more so that they cost half the price of some mid range tyres!
    Helpful 19 - tyre reviewed on October 28, 2018
    Given 86% while driving a Volkswagen Golf MK5 1.6 FSI (205/55 R16 H) on mostly town for 1,000 spirited miles
    I purchased these tires for the price only, my previous AVON ice Touring St were now consumed.
    The day after the installation I was able to test them on the highway, I was pleasantly surprised by the silence and driving comfort.The poor week I could try them on the icy roads of the hills of Slovenia, very icy believe me, although I did not trust much of these cheap tires, the driving impression was safety and road feedback (the greatest strength).I have not had any dangerous situation. On wet roads, I must admit that nothing can compete with my loved AVON, however, the impression is overall positive even in this situation (esp intervened in rapid trajectory changes).Unfortunately I have not yet had the chance to test it on the snow. I can recommend this tire, because of the current price range.
    Helpful 21 - tyre reviewed on December 29, 2017
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    Latest Achilles Winter 101 Reviews

    Given 100% while driving a Citroën C4 Picasso (2013 ) (225/45 R18) on a combination of roads for 5,000 miles
    great tyre!
    Helpful 20 - tyre reviewed on February 13, 2018
    Given 86% while driving a Hyundai elantra (215/45 R17 V) on a combination of roads for 14,000 spirited miles
    It is sure that cannot used in summer, after 4 years I want to change it to new one (sure speaking for winter), so I used it in summer 28 to 38 degree Celsius most day temperature. The tire become as it cut by a cutter 1/3 of its circumference and some are less.
    Actually I made test speed-distance
    Helpful 19 - tyre reviewed on October 13, 2017
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    Given 83% while driving a BMW 330d M Sport (225/35 R19) on a combination of roads for 2,000 average miles
    I needed to buy quickly some winter tyres for my BMW front wheels.
    My choice was Achilles Winter 101 cuz I heard good opinion from my friend about them. First impression - not bad, more quiet than Nokian WR3 which I have had on my Audi A5 year ago, and what surprised me, better grip on wet roads. I like progressive driving and at the beginning I didn't trust them as they are still economy branded but now, I don't even think about it. I know that RWD car behave differently than FWD, but I didn't expect much from those tyres and to be honest I'm really impressed so far. I don't feel that car is sliding while braking on wet or dry surfaces, corners are easy going too. I'm living in North East England where rain doesn't stop raining during winter, and roads are icy at 6am, but I'm not afraid, I've got good grip. Highly recommend those tyres to all.
    Helpful 16 - tyre reviewed on January 12, 2016
    Given 93% while driving a Volvo V70 2.4 (205/55 R16 R) on a combination of roads for 1,500 easy going miles
    These are the first winter tyres I have ever had.
    They are fitted to a 2003 Volvo V70 Auto with traction control.

    Please be aware that I am a stereotypical Volvo driver, ie I do not drive fast. I used to be an advanced police driver. Therefore my 'fun' was had in police cars and not my own private cars.

    My immediate impressions when first driving with the new tyres was how quiet and comfortable they are. Top score for that.

    The road feedback is good whereby you can feel the grip that is being generated. I have pulled away from stand still without wheel spin (don't forget it's an auto though!) and the grip is everything that you need in non-snowy conditions in both wet and dry and also on wet leaves.

    We had a few days of very mild weather, up to 14 degrees, and the tyres didn't seem to mind at all.

    But recently there's been plenty of snow and this is where they excel!!
    The grip is huge compared with summer tyres.
    I experimented with hill starts on compacted snow where summer tyres would have been totally useless. The grip provided by the winter tyres enabled an easy hill start. Cornering on compacted snow has proved equally as impressive.

    Braking on sheet ice is reasonable if you are gentle on the brakes - after all, ice is ice!

    I have covered a distance of 1500 miles so far so cannot reliably give an opinion on wear.

    So my verdict is a simple one: Although it's a budget tyre it does what you would want it to do and you should consider this brand in confidence.
    Helpful 15 - tyre reviewed on January 25, 2013
    Given 66% while driving a Ford Mondeo (225/40 R18) on a combination of roads for 1,000 average miles
    Just fitted a pair of these to the front of my Mondeo. Decent tyre for a budget brand.
    But then i upgraded from Doublstar tyres so these are a substantial improvement
    Helpful 18 - tyre reviewed on January 9, 2013