Summer Tyre Tests

Following on from the 52 set braking shootout, the full Autobild summer tyre test has taken the best twenty tyres to the full set of testing, with some interesting highlights!

There are two interesting stories. Firstly, is the rise of the Chinese tyres, with both Linglong and Sailun performing really well in the grip tests. Does this mean Chinese tyres are now fighting with the premium manufacturers? Well, sort of.

There's a new comfort bias summer tyre to market, the Pirelli Cinturato C3! To see how good the new tyre really is, I've tested it against some of its key rivals from Michelin and Continental. I've also added some new tyres I've not tested before. 

As usual, all the tyres in this test will be tested in the dry and wet, and I'll be assessing the comfort, noise, and rolling resistance (energy use) of the tyres to give you a complete overview of which tyre is best.

The 2025 Auto Zeitung summer tyre test has tested ten ultra high performance 225/45 R18 patterns in the dry and wet, and this year included wear!

The wear test has added some interesting highlights, which we'll discuss below.

The 2025 ADAC summer tyre test has been published, and it follows this years trend of testing in the sporty 225/40 R18 tyre size!

As always with ADAC they sadly don't give us all the data for the test, but they do give us some interesting insights, including wear, and they do a great job summarising each tyres performance overall.

So it begins, the 2025 summer tyre test season is upon is, and it's going to be an interesting year!

To start things off, Autobild have published their annual 52 tyre shootout, where they test the wet and dry braking of pretty much every tyre they can get their hands on to work out the best 20 to take through to the full tyre test.

Top Tyre Review has put six Asian-market ultra-high performance tyres through a comprehensive test for 2024/25. The lineup includes five standard UHP tyres - Continental MaxContact MC7, Michelin Pilot Sport 5, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6, Toyo Proxes TR1, and the Chinese-made RoadX RXMotion U11. Adding an interesting comparison, Hankook's EV-focused iON evo was included to see how a dedicated electric vehicle tyre performs against traditional UHP options.

This is the data from the 2024 EVO Summer Tyre Test.

Auto Bild Klassik magazine recently conducted a test of seven classic-style summer tyres in the 205/70 VR 15 size, aiming to improve safety and performance for vintage sports cars. The testers used a Jaguar E-Type Lightweight replica, an iconic 1960s sports car renowned for its powerful 270 PS engine and impressive 240 km/h top speed. I'm very sad this isn't a Tyre Reviews test!

As usual with Auto Bild tests, they've done a proper job. On wet surfaces, the tyres were evaluated for their resistance to aquaplaning, cornering stability, overall handling, and braking efficiency. Dry condition tests focused on handling, braking performance, rolling comfort, and noise levels. Additionally, the tyres' rolling resistance was measured to gauge their efficiency.

This year's Auto Express Summer Tyre Test focused on the popular 225/45 R17 size, a common fitment for many UK vehicles.

As usual with Auto Express tests, we've kept the summary to a minimum and encourage you to read the full test on their website.

If you enjoy going fast, the Porsche 992 911 GT3 RS is the track car to own, and what use is the best track car without the best track tyres?

Porsche offers six different tyre options specifically homologated for the GT3 RS, and the wonderful people at Autobild have tested them all! 

The tyres on test are the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R, brand new Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS, and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport RS - and the three more street-oriented options - the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, Pirelli P Zero Corsa, and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport R.

While the tyres were tested in the wet, most of the scoring was based on the dry performance. The tyres were tested on both a single lap of the long punishing Nardo test facility, and long six lap runs.

We're finally going to find out what the fastest tyre in the world is, and the result might surprise you!

As motorcycle enthusiasts, we all know that choosing the right set of tyres is crucial for a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable ride. Sadly, I'm not a good enough rider to do motorbike testing myself, so that's where the annual Motorrad motorcycle touring tyre test comes in.

For the 2024 edition, Motorrad has put six of the most popular touring tyres in the 120/70 ZR 17 front and 180/55 ZR 17 rear sizes to the test. The contenders are the Bridgestone Battlax T 32, Continental RoadAttack 4 GT, Dunlop Roadsmart IV GT, Metzeler Roadtec 02, Michelin Road 6 GT, and Pirelli Angel GT II.

The Auto Bild 2024 summer tyre test for electric vehicles (EVs) in the 235/55 R19 size aimed to compare the performance of standard and specialized EV tyres to determine if EV-specific tyres offer significant advantages over their conventional counterparts. The test included eight tyre models: the Continental PremiumContact 7, Falken e.Ziex [ev specific], Hankook iON evo SUV [ev specific], Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6, GT Radial SportActive 2 EV [ev specific], Bridgestone Potenza Sport, and Goodride ZuperEco Z-107.

For 2024 Autobild's motorhome magazine tested ten sets of 225/55 R17 tyres using a van like Mercedes Vito Tourer.

The onset of the travel season marks a crucial time for motorhome owners to evaluate the condition and performance of their tyres. Autobild’s comprehensive review begins with practical advice on tyre inspection, emphasizing the significance of understanding tyre age through the DOT code and the necessity of regular checks for wear and damage. Generally speaking, tyres which are over five years old are nearing the end of their life, even if they have good tread depth.

For their 2024 summer tyre test, the magazine "Auto Motor und Sport" tested eight summer tyres in the popular 235/55 R18 SUV size. 

The test includes new tyres like Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 SUV, Bridgestone Turanza 6, and Continental PremiumContact 7, evaluating them on wet and dry braking, handling, aquaplaning resistance, comfort, and environmental impact. 

In a data-extravaganza, Autobild have taken eleven SUV summer tyres in the popular 235/55 R19 size, and even though this size is an ultrahigh performance fitment, and is fitted to soft-roaders such as the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Honda CR-V and many others, tested them exhaustively in off-road tests along with the usual dry and wet testing!

The 2024 AZ Summer Tyre Test evaluated nine premium touring summer tyres, providing a detailed analysis of their performance in various conditions, including dry and wet braking, handling, noise level, and rolling resistance. The Continental PremiumContact 7 stood out with top marks in most categories, followed closely by other brands like Pirelli and Hankook.

The 2024 summer tyre test conducted by Sport Auto magazine compared five premium-category summer tyres against an all-season tyre on a Hyundai i20 N. The test aimed to determine if the all-season tyre could compete with the best summer tyres had to offer during warm (approximately 25c / 77f air temperature) conditions.

Every year Autobild Sports Cars aims to go big, and this year they've literally have, testing UUHP summer tyres! In search for the sportiest performance tyre, they used a Mercedes AMG test vehicle which is fitted with 265/35 R19 front and 295/30 R20 rear tyres.

As usual the excellent drivers at AutoBild put seven sets of UUHP / maximum performance tyres to the test in the dry and wet, as well as testing the rolling resistance and noise levels of the tyres.

It's a good bunch of tyres, and includes the brand new Vredestein Ultrac Pro (which replaces the Ultrac Vorti) against the very best in the category.

The 2024 AutoBild Summer Tyre Test reviewed 20 premium touring summer tyres in size 205/55 R16. The test focused on several key performance indicators including dry and wet braking, handling, noise, wear, value, and rolling resistance. 

Michelin Primacy 4+ ranked first, demonstrating a balanced performance with short braking distances and high efficiency. Continental PremiumContact 7 and Bridgestone Turanza 6 followed, showing strong wet and dry road performance and low wear levels.

The 2024 ADAC summer tyre test tested sixteen tyres in the popular 215/55 R17 size.