The first winter tyre test for 2022 is here, and it's the Auto Motor Und Sport UHP winter tyre test! This year AMS tested eight patterns in 245/45 R19 using an Audi A6 test vehicle.
5 categories (13 tests)
Test Category | Best Performer | Worst Performer | Difference |
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Dry (2 tests) | |||
Dry Braking | ▲ Michelin Pilot Alpin 5: 43.5 M | ▼ Uniroyal WinterExpert: 49 M | 5.5 M (11.2%) |
Dry Handling | ▲ Continental WinterContact TS 870 P: 120.5 Km/H | ▼ Cooper Discoverer Winter: 118.6 Km/H | 1.9 Km/H (1.6%) |
Wet (4 tests) | |||
Wet Braking | ▲ Vredestein Wintrac Pro: 31.8 M | ▼ Uniroyal WinterExpert: 39.5 M | 7.7 M (19.5%) |
Wet Handling | ▲ Vredestein Wintrac Pro: 75.2 Km/H | ▼ Uniroyal WinterExpert: 69.5 Km/H | 5.7 Km/H (8.2%) |
Straight Aqua | ▲ Falken Eurowinter HS01: 78.9 Km/H | ▼ Continental WinterContact TS 870 P: 73 Km/H | 5.9 Km/H (8.1%) |
Curved Aquaplaning | ▲ Falken Eurowinter HS01: 2.79 m/sec2 | ▼ Firestone Winterhawk 4: 2.24 m/sec2 | 0.6 m/sec2 (24.6%) |
Snow (4 tests) | |||
Snow Braking | ▲ Firestone Winterhawk 4: 24.9 M | ▼ Falken Eurowinter HS01: 30 M | 5.1 M (17.0%) |
Snow Traction | ▲ Michelin Pilot Alpin 5: 3.69 N | ▼ Falken Eurowinter HS01: 3 N | 0.7 N (23.0%) |
Snow Handling | ▲ Continental WinterContact TS 870 P: 52.9 Km/H | ▼ Falken Eurowinter HS01: 48.2 Km/H | 4.7 Km/H (9.8%) |
Snow Circle | ▲ Falken Eurowinter HS01: 3.13 S | ▼ Firestone Winterhawk 4: 4.1 S | 1.0 S (23.7%) |
Comfort (1 tests) | |||
Noise | ▲ Cooper Discoverer Winter: 69.5 dB | ▼ Falken Eurowinter HS01: 71.6 dB | 2.1 dB (2.9%) |
Value (2 tests) | |||
Price | ▲ Firestone Winterhawk 4: 196 | ▼ Michelin Pilot Alpin 5: 309 | 113.0 (36.6%) |
Rolling Resistance | ▲ Continental WinterContact TS 870 P: 7.6 kg / t | ▼ Falken Eurowinter HS01: 9.9 kg / t | 2.3 kg / t (23.2%) |
There's almost nothing surprising about this test, it's nice when a test makes sense. At the front we have the Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 and Continental WinterContact TS870P (two of Tyre Reviews favorite UHP Winter tyres), with the wet masters Vredestein and Bridgestone following them up in third and fourth places overall.
Falken will likely be disappointed with last place, however the replacement to the HS01, the HS02, is now new to market so we expect this new tyre to be vastly improved.
Read on for the full data!
Dry
Michelin winter tyres always perform well in the dry, and this test was no exception with the Pilot Alpin 5 having a significant lead in dry braking over the second placed Continental, which in turn had a significant lead over the rest of the group.
Dry handling put the Continental back on top, with the Falken edging out the Michelin to second place.
Wet
The Vredestein Wintrac Pro had a 1.3 meter advantage during the wet braking test! Cooper and in particular Uniroyal struggled.
Vredestein held its lead in wet handling and Falken once again jumped up to second place, this time ahead of the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 in third.
Falken also had a large lead in the aquaplaning result.
Snow
Snow braking was led by the new Firestone WinterHawk 4, with Vredestein once again proving it's ability at slowing the test car.
Snow traction (figures in ms/2 not newtons) was led by Michelin, with Vredestein and Continental also performing well.
Continental and Michelin led the group during the snow handling testing with Falken continuing to struggle.
Environment
The Cooper Discoverer Winter claimed its first test win during external noise measuring.
Impressively the Conti had the lowest rolling resistance, with Falken once again struggling.
The Falken was however one of the cheapest tyres of the test.
Results
1st: Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Excellent driving dynamics with direct steering response, high level of grip and the best balance on snow. Shortest braking distances, high cornering stability and great steering precision on dry roads. Deficits when braking in the wet, low aquaplaning resistance, faintly audible noise when cornering. Very Good. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1st: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Despite small deficits in cornering grip, very easy to control handling on snow with wide reserves. Balanced in the wet, short braking distances, neutral and precise grip on dry roads. Comparatively weak on wet roads with limited braking, low aquaplaning resistance and reduced grip in curves. Very Good. Read Reviews Buy from £244.39 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3rd: Vredestein Wintrac Pro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Very good traction and braking on snow. Quite balanced wet properties, safe lane changes. Unexpectedly low lateral grip on snow. Limited controllability in the wet at the limit of grip. Long dry braking with sensitive handling and lower grip during dry handling. Disturbing noise when cornering. Very Good. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4th: Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Very balanced, reliable and easy to control on snow. Very short braking distances thanks to very good grip in the wet. Dynamic, spontaneous steering and agile on dry roads. Longer dry braking distances, oversteer balance when driving fast in the dry. Very Good. Read Reviews Buy from £234.72 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5th: Firestone Winterhawk 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Easy to control with very good driving dynamics, high level of grip and generous reserves on snow. Balanced cornering dynamics dry at a reduced level. Weak braking and limited liability reserves, plus sensitive to load changes in the wet, increased risk of aquaplaning. Long braking distances even on dry tracks. Audible internal noise and low levels of comfort. Good. Read Reviews Buy from £182.65 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6th: Cooper Discoverer Winter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Still decent braking and traction on snow. Very quiet and quite comfortable tyre. Unexpectedly low cornering on snow with respectable traction and braking grip. Poor performance with risk of oversteer in the wet and less secure balance in dry corners. High rolling resistance. Sufficient. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6th: Uniroyal WinterExpert | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Still decent traction in snow, good cornering ability on dry asphalt. Poor driving stability and poor grip in the wet. Too long braking distances on wet and dry asphalt. Sensitive to load changes in fast corners. Audible rolling noises in the interior
when cornering. Sufficient. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6th: Falken Eurowinter HS01 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Very decent wet performance with superior aquaplaning resistance but small limitations in cornering grip. Safe, understeering, reliable driving dynamics on dry roads, high levels of comfort.
Long braking distances, sluggish steering response and little grip on snow. Disturbing rolling noise in curves. Sufficient. Read Reviews |