2021 Auto Express Summer Tyre Test

10 Ultra High Performance Summer tyres tested in 225/45 R17 | Published October 22nd, 2021 by Jonathan Benson

Test Summary
Wet Braking	Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Dry Braking	Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Wear	Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3
Rolling Resistance	Bridgestone Turanza T005
Snow Handling	Avon ZV7

Auto Express have asked Tyre Reviews not to cover too much of their test, so if you'd like to see the full results of this 225/45 R17 summer tyre test head over to the Auto Express website!

Here's a very basic overview of the results. One thing to keep in mind is there's a mix of tyre types in this test, with more performance bias patterns such as the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 and Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 up against touring bias tyres such as the Bridgestone Turanza T005 and Pirelli Cinturato P7 C2.

One final note, the scoring is based on percentages against the best in test. Dry and wet are made up of two and five tests respectively which is why they're over 100%.

Results

Click here to view Results as a single table and adjust the score weighting based on your own driving needs!

1st: Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3
225/45 R17 EU Label: C/A/72 3PMSF: no	Total: 941.4 Dry: 197.2 Wet: 477.1 Rolling Resistance: 68.2 Noise: 98.9 Overall: 100 A deserved win for the Hankook, excelling in wet braking and generally a great all round performance. Read Reviews Buy from £95.77
2nd: Michelin Pilot Sport 4
225/45 R17 EU Label: C/A/71 3PMSF: no	Total: 952.4 Dry: 199.3 Wet: 491.7 Rolling Resistance: 63.8 Noise: 98.1 Overall: 99.5 The PS4 continues to be impressive in the wet and dry. Read Reviews Buy from £102.36
3rd: Vredestein Ultrac
225/45 R17 EU Label: C/A/69 3PMSF: no	Total: 945 Dry: 197.5 Wet: 481.1 Rolling Resistance: 67.8 Noise: 99.2 Overall: 99.4 The updated Vredestein Ultrac is impressive, with a consistent performance in all tests. Read Reviews Buy from £98.13
4th: Bridgestone Turanza T005
225/45 R17 EU Label: B/A/71 3PMSF: no	Total: 951.1 Dry: 195.6 Wet: 457.2 Rolling Resistance: 100 Noise: 99.1 Overall: 99.2 The T005 has very low rolling resistance but struggled in the wet. Read Reviews Buy from £77.99
5th: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5
225/45 R17 EU Label: D/A/71 3PMSF: no	Total: 944 Dry: 196.3 Wet: 484.4 Rolling Resistance: 65.7 Noise: 98.8 Overall: 98.8 The Asym 5 had a balanced performance in the we and dry but had a very high rolling resistance. Read Reviews Buy from £84.16
6th: Continental Premium Contact 6
225/45 R17 EU Label: C/A/71 3PMSF: no	Total: 907.8 Dry: 196.8 Wet: 441.8 Rolling Resistance: 71.2 Noise: 99.3 Overall: 98.7 The PremiumContact 6 remains a good tyre but is getting on and a replacement is needed to put Continental at the very front. Read Reviews Buy from £89.17
7th: Nokian PowerProof
225/45 R17 EU Label: C/A/69 3PMSF: no	Total: 922.6 Dry: 196.3 Wet: 461 Rolling Resistance: 68.2 Noise: 99.4 Overall: 97.7 The PowerProof needs work if it's to match the big names. Read Reviews
8th: Pirelli Cinturato P7 C2
225/45 R17 EU Label: B/A/70 3PMSF: no	Total: 923.4 Dry: 194.9 Wet: 449.7 Rolling Resistance: 82 Noise: 99.2 Overall: 97.6 The wet weather improvement needs improvement for the P7 C2 to get to the front of testing in this size. Read Reviews Buy from £100.19
9th: Avon ZV7
225/45 R17 EU Label: D/A/70 3PMSF: no	Total: 902.3 Dry: 191.2 Wet: 445 Rolling Resistance: 68.7 Noise: 100 Overall: 97.4 Avon is closing in on its rivals with the ZV7, but there's still a way to go! Read Reviews Buy from £72.97
10th: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
225/45 R17 EU Label: E/A/72 3PMSF: no	Total: 926.9 Dry: 194.2 Wet: 465.3 Rolling Resistance: 70.9 Noise: 99.9 Overall: 96.6 The worrying wet braking result means a replacement for the RT2 can't come soon enough. Read Reviews Buy from £80.73