Test Summary | |
Wet Braking | Continental Premium Contact 6 Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue |
Dry Braking | Continental Premium Contact 6 |
Rolling Resistance | Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue |
Noise | Yokohama Advan Fleva V701 |
Snow Braking | Continental Premium Contact 6 |
Snow Handling | Sava Intensa UHP 2 Michelin Primacy 3 |
Ice Braking | Leao Nova Force |
As a change from the usual FWD hatchback used for testing, Auto Bild tested the 225/50 R17 size using a RWD BMW 3 Series.
As there are a lot of tyres on test, we will keep the commentary to a minimum and just provide the key data and final results. It is worth keeping in mind, only the Kumho in twentieth place was classified as "not recommended" due to a weak wet performance, and the Yokohama in nineteenth place "conditionally recommended", again for a poor wet performance. All the other tyres at least achieved a "recommended" rating.
One of the unique tests Auto Bild perform is a wear test. Continental, who have struggled in the past with average wear seem to have fixed their only problem, and now have a tyre that has wet grip, dry grip and excellent wear properties.
The Results
The full results are below, with the data underneath the results. Please note, the "cost" field relates to the purchase price VS predicted miles.
1st: Continental Premium Contact 6 | |
| Excellent results on dry and wet surfaces for braking and handling, precise steering response, good wear Relatively low resistance to aquaplaning Exemplary / Test Winner Read Reviews Buy from £119.30 |
2nd: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 | |
| Very good premium tire with no obvious weaknesses, good handling on wet and dry surfaces, precise steering response and good feedback, very high resistance to aquaplaning, good wear Relatively high rolling resistance Exemplary Read Reviews Buy from £105.98 |
2nd: Falken Azenis FK510 | |
| Good controllability, high lateral stability and short braking distances on dry surfaces, well priced Relatively high rolling resistance Exemplary Read Reviews |
2nd: Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue | |
| Good handling on wet roads, fast and accurate steering response, lowest rolling resistance Lowest resistance to aquaplaning Exemplary Read Reviews Buy from £126.08 |
5th: Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 | |
| Good handling and short braking distances on dry and wet roads, attractive price, low noise Low resistance to aquaplaning Exemplary Read Reviews |
6th: Fulda SportControl 2 | |
| Balanced performance and good handling in all conditions, short braking distances on dry and wet surfaces, good comfort, low rolling resistance, well priced Average wear Exemplary Read Reviews |
7th: Bridgestone Turanza T001 Evo | |
| Good handling on dry and wet roads, high resistance to aquaplaning Poor value due to high purchase price and average wear Good Read Reviews |
8th: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 | |
| Good handling on dry and wet roads, high resistance to aquaplaning, short braking distance on dry roads Average value due to high purchase price and average wear Good Read Reviews Buy from £138.54 |
9th: Michelin Primacy 3 | |
| Excellent wear, short braking distances on dry roads, low rolling resistance Average wet grip, limited resistance to aquaplaning, highest price Recommended Read Reviews Buy from £133.60 |
10th: Uniroyal RainSport 3 | |
| The highest resistance to aquaplaning, good handling and short braking distances on wet roads Inaccurate response to steering and a tendency to understeer on dry surfaces, average travel comfort, increased rolling resistance Recommended Read Reviews Buy from £114.66 |
11th: Vredestein Ultrac Satin | |
| Good handling on wet surfaces, high braking performance, low rolling resistance Average levels of grip and a tendency to understeer on dry surfaces Recommended Read Reviews |
12th: Sava Intensa UHP 2 | |
| Short braking distances on dry and wet roads, good value for money Poor steering response and a tendency to understeer on wet surfaces Recommended Read Reviews |
12th: Toyo Proxes Sport | |
| Good controllability on dry and wet surfaces, low noise level Poor value Recommended Read Reviews Buy from £112.22 |
14th: Maxxis Premitra HP5 | |
| Good handling in the dry, excellent wear Average resistance to aquaplaning, limited wet grip Recommended Read Reviews |
15th: Avon ZV7 | |
| Short braking distances on dry roads Slow steering response in the dry and wet, long wet braking distances Recommended Read Reviews Buy from £95.41 |
15th: Nokian zLine | |
| Good handling on dry roads Tendency to understeer and a relatively long braking distance on wet surfaces, poor wear, high rolling resistance Recommended Read Reviews |
17th: Cooper Zeon CS8 | |
| Good value Unbalanced behavior in the dry, average comfort, high rolling resistance Recommended Read Reviews |
17th: Leao Nova Force | |
| Low noise level, cheap to buy Slow response to steering and reduced grip on dry and wet surfaces, poor wear Recommended Read Reviews |
19th: Yokohama Advan Fleva V701 | |
| Short braking distances in the dry Very poor aquaplaning resistance, slow steering response and low grip in the wet and dry Conditionally recommended Read Reviews Buy from £112.48 |
20th: Kumho Ecsta HS51 | |
| Good resistance to aquaplaning Slow response to steering and reduced grip on dry and wet roads, worst wear on test Read Reviews |