Update: The final twenty tyre shootout can be read here.
Most magazines look to test around ten different tyre patterns each test, with some pushing up to fifteen different tyres. Auto Bild like to go a step further and this year, have tested test fifty sets of 205/55 R16 winter tyres.
First they put all fifty sets through wet braking tests, then take the tyres who stopped within 20% of the best through to snow braking breaking, which this year meant testing twenty seven tyres on the white stuff. Once those tyres have been rated, Auto Bild then take the top twenty through to a full winter tyre test to test all aspects of the tyres performance, not just wet and snow braking.
Below is the results of part one of the test, the fifty tyre shootout. As always, Auto Bild purchased all the tyres on the open market to avoid the possibility of any "special" tyres being included in the test.
The Results