2009 AMS Summer and Winter Tyre Test - Winter

Winter Tyre Test

Tyre	Snow	Wet	Dry	Total	Comments
Continental Winter Contact TS 830	98	89	80	267	Plus: Very good handling, good traction and short braking distances on snow, balanced properties in wet and dry, quiet Minus: increased rolling resistance
Goodyear Ultra Grip Perf 2	84	92	79	255	Plus: Good handling and excellent braking performance on wet roads, good handling in snow, good comfort Minus: Relatively long stopping distance on dry, snow traction is not optimal
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D	89	82	75	246	Plus: Superior handling, very good traction on snow and the best stopping power, balance of properties in wet and dry Minus: increased rolling resistance
Vredestein Snowtrac 3	84	78	81	243	Plus: good performance in all conditions, very good snow traction, very good aquaplaning, short braking distances in dry Minus: Wet traction and comfort moderate
Michelin Primacy Alpin	67	81	89	237	Plus: Very good handling characteristics and short braking distances in dry, good ride comfort, good wet handling Minus: traction and braking on snow
Nokian WR G2	78	75	83	236	Plus: good handling characteristics and short braking distances on dry roads, good wet properties Minus: Moderate traction and long stopping distances on snow, increased road noise
Pirelli Winter Sottozero II	88	69	77	234	Plus: good-natured handling and very good traction on snow, excellent braking ability on wet roads, low rolling resistance Minus: Moderate comfort, road noise significantly increased
Semperit Speed Grip	81	76	73	230	Plus: good handling characteristics and short braking distances on dry roads, good wet brake behavior, good ride comfort Minus: Relatively long stopping distances on snow, increased rolling resistance
All season: Goodyear Vector 4Seasons	54	74	89	217	Plus: Very good handling and braking ability on dry roads and wet, good comfort Minus: traction and braking on snow only average
All season: Hankook Optimo 4S	55	81	81	217	Plus: good handling characteristics and high stopping power in dry, very good traction and short braking distances in wet conditions Minus: traction and braking on snow only average

Winter test conclusion

The Continental Winter Contact TS 830 once again proves it's the snow king, scoring a massive 98 points out of the possible 100 in the snow tests. It also proves extremely strong in both the wet and dry road tests, meaning it really is a tyre you could use all year round. The Goodyear Dunlop brands have placed second and third respectively with the Goodyear Ultra Grip Perf 2 proving the strongest tyre in the wet and the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D a good all round scorer.

Unsurprisingly the All Season tyres tested proved to be miles behind the winter tyres in the snow, but perhaps surprisingly they couldn't even match the best of the winter tyres in the wet or dry. The Goodyear Vector 4Seasons being the stronger of the two all season tyres only managed to match the best winter tyre, the Michelin Primacy Alpin, on dry roads.

What to make of these tests? If you level the playing field and do back to back tests, the big four brands are still the best tyres to be on year round. The gap is however closing every year, and the premiums the top four could once charge no longer seem like value for money.

Any comments, questions or thoughts please feel free to email in or comment below. Happy motoring!

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