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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Click here for the translated article from AMS
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