Laufenn winter tyre philosophy and technology
Hankook Tire launched its second brand, Laufenn, on 5 November 2014, and the very first model line already included the winter I Fit Ice. The brand arrived in Europe a year later, and Hankook's technical centre in Hanover took part in developing the range. From the outset the winter tyres split in two directions: a studless tyre for Western Europe and a studdable one for the Northern and Eastern European markets (Hankook). The manufacturer itself describes Laufenn as a brand designed in Hankook R&D centres and built in ISO-certified factories (laufenn.com).
What Laufenn inherits from Hankook: compound chemistry and a school of tread geometry. The I FIT+ runs a nano-sized silica compound and the I Fit IZ an STSF (Super Tensile Spike Fiber) winter compound, and the manufacturer has named and described both.
What it does not inherit: the number of technology layers and the breadth of the range. The choice of large diameters and high speed ratings is narrower on the Laufenn side than in Hankook's main range, and that is where the price difference comes from. The lower positioning is deliberate.
The model range by application
The name says little about what a tyre is for, so here is where each model sits in the range.
| Model | Studs | Segment | Available diameters | 3PMSF |
|---|
| I FIT+ (LW31) | Studless, not designed for studding | Central European type winter tyre for passenger cars and crossovers, the only one offered with H and V speed ratings | R13-R19 | Yes |
| I Fit Ice (LW71) | Both versions available: ready-studded, and studdable with the studs fitted by a workshop | Ice tyre, T speed rating only | R14-R18 | Yes |
| I Fit IZ (LW51) | Studless friction tyre | Nordic type tyre for ice and packed snow | R14-R18 | Yes |
| i Fit VAN (LY31) | Studless friction tyre | Vans and light commercial vehicles, C marking and dual load indices | R15-R16 | Yes |
The I FIT+ covers the widest span of sizes on the passenger car side. Its directional tread, Aqua Slush Edge Groove channels, Grip Claw 3D edges and 3D Kerf sipes are aimed at snow and wet surfaces rather than pure ice, and that is how the manufacturer itself describes the tyre. In the list below the LW31 may appear under two slightly different spellings of the name, but it is one and the same tyre.
The I Fit IZ goes the other way. 3D sipes, extended snow-grip sipes, a micro pattern and Spuit holes are the Nordic recipe, and its job is to hold the car on ice without studs (laufenn.com).
Only one model in the range takes studs. The manufacturer builds the I Fit Ice with a sixteen-row stud layout, the studs concentrated in the middle of the contact patch, a fang-shaped edge in the centre of the tread and water absorption holes (laufenn.com). Every size here comes in the T speed rating only. The studdable version leaves the factory without studs: until a workshop has fitted them, the tyre runs and is rated as a friction tyre, so studding should be booked before the season.
The only model with a C marking is the i Fit VAN. Two steel belt plies and a reinforced shoulder area carry a constant load, and the choice here is governed by the vehicle's gross weight and axle load rather than the speed rating (laufenn.com). A passenger car tyre is not a substitute, even if the size matches.
Independent tests
In ADAC's 2021 winter test in size 195/65 R15 the Laufenn I FIT+ (LW31) scored 3.0 overall, and on the ADAC scale a lower number is better. Snow at 1.9 and ice at 2.0 were among the best in the whole test, wet surfaces 2.2, dry 2.6, noise and comfort 2.9, but wear 3.0 - and it was wear that pulled the overall score down (ADAC).
A broader picture comes from the Tyre Reviews summary: eight independent tests between 2020 and 2024, the best result being seventh place in ADAC's 2021 15-inch winter test. The category scores there are uneven: snow 87.3/100 and comfort 81.9/100 against wet 65.3/100 and dry 60.4/100. Braking distance on snow is roughly 0.8% longer than for premium rivals, on a wet surface roughly 6%. The trade-off is clear: on snow the tyre keeps up, on wet tarmac it falls behind.
There are no publicly available independent test results for the I Fit IZ, I Fit Ice or i Fit VAN. Only a handful of models in a handful of sizes make it into the Auto Bild and ADAC winter tests each season, so most of any brand's range never appears in them, and the LW31 figures cannot be carried over to the other models - those have a different tread and a different compound.
Just how differently the tyre types themselves behave is shown by the 2025 Teknikens Värld test in size 235/45 R18: Central European type tyres resisted aquaplaning up to 75-77 km/h, Nordic friction tyres up to 55.7-64.6 km/h and studded tyres up to 57-67 km/h, while on ice the studded tyres were ahead.
Which drivers Laufenn suits in Latvian conditions
If the car spends winter mostly on cleared streets and gritted main roads, the I FIT+ is the one, and it is also the only Laufenn winter tyre with H and V speed ratings. For a driver who heads out onto icy country roads every morning and does not want studs, the I Fit IZ is the better fit. Anyone who does want studs is left with the I Fit Ice, in either the ready-studded or the studdable version. For a van owner the choice narrows to the i Fit VAN. Reinforced (XL) versions are available on several models in the range, including the I FIT+ and I Fit Ice, and a standard load tyre is not a substitute for them.
The winter tyre calendar in Latvia is strict: they are mandatory from 1 December to 1 March, studs are allowed from 1 October to 1 May, and the minimum tread depth for a winter tyre is 4 mm, not 1.6 mm. Since 1 December 2024 only a tyre carrying the 3PMSF symbol counts as a winter tyre (CSDD), and the whole Laufenn winter range has that marking. Studs on larger-diameter rims can be found in our Nokian and Sailun sections, and Sailun offers a studded tyre with a higher speed rating.
Behind every one of these tyres stands Hankook engineering, and the size range starts as low as R13. For older and smaller cars that premium brands no longer make sizes for, this is often the simplest way to get a 3PMSF-marked winter tyre with a traceable origin.
