Have you ever wondered exactly what differences rubber compound or studs can make to a winter tyres performance?

To find out, I test a Central European winter tyre designed for milder winters, a Nordic / Extreme winter tire, designs for countries which get more snow and ice such as Finland or Canada, and a studded tyre, designed for climates which have a lot of ice.

What will make more of a difference on snow and ice? Compound, or studs?

The test car is a VW Golf using 205/55 R16 tires. The tyres on test are the Nokian WR SnowProof, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 and the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9.