“By 2020, the all-season tyres have become remarkably similar. Have we really come to the standard? – shared his thoughts Burkhard Wies, technical specialist on Auto Bild car tyres. – No. The fact is that the development of any tyre is aimed at solving the contradictions. On this way the technically optimal solutions are crystallized, which is very similar to human evolution. What exactly is a good V-shaped tread? The directional tread wins traction on snow and ice and at the same time is produced on dry and wet roads, it is particularly good at coping with the threat of aquaplaning.
Many tyre manufacturers claim that all-season models promise safety in any weather. But is this really the case? The answer is given by German experts of the profile edition Auto Bild, who compared the performance of more than 30 sets of all-season tyres on dry, wet and snowy surfaces.
In the Auto Bild test of the 205/55 R16 all-season tyres, not all participants were able to demonstrate comprehensive safety in all weather conditions, despite the fact that each of them has a 3PMSF icon.
Selection stage of the test
All Auto Bild tests consist of two stages. The first tyre passes a so-called qualification that helps to separate “grains from tailles”: participants with the lowest braking efficiency are sifted out.
In this test, outside the main, final, part of the competition remained 18 of the 32 models, the total braking distance which on dry and wet road surface exceeded 95 m. The all-season tyres, which were particularly “distinguished”, had a total of over 100 m and their test group urged you to avoid using them if you care about your safety.
With such reasoning Auto Bild started to test 32 year-round tyres 205/55 R16, the vast majority of which have V-shaped pattern. The tests were conducted in stages. First of all, German observers have checked how well all-season brakes on dry and wet asphalt. The initial speed is 62mph.
- Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3
- Vredestein Quatrac
- Continental AllSeasonContact
- Michelin CrossClimate+
- Falken EuroALL Season AS210
- Firestone Multiseason 2
- Hankook Kinergy 4S2 H750
- Kleber Quadraxer 2
- BFGoodrich G-Grip All Season 2
- Bridgestone Weather Control A005
- Nexen N Blue 4 Season
- Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
- Kumho HA32 Solus 4S
- Maxxis Premitra AS AP3
Main stage
Auto Bild carried out the driving test on its own. Experts of the engineering company IFV from the German city of Clausthal-Zellerfeld helped the journalists to evaluate the potential mileage. They ran a grueling 12,000-kilometer abrasion marathon with each tyre. The results of the marathon became the basis for calculating the full potential mileage.
For the sake of understanding the capabilities of year-round tyres, a pair of seasonal models – summer and winter – participated in the main stage.
As Burkhard Wies mentioned before the start of the competition, the technology is improving, so the all-weather tyres are getting better and better. That’s why it’s natural that the 2020 Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 won the test. Let the winner did not win any discipline, but it turned out to be the most universal. Importantly, the versatility did not affect the mileage: potentially tread comes out 50,000 miles. You couldn’t think of a better reason to turn a blind eye to the price.
The highest rating of “exemplary” on the totality of all tests were:
Vredestein Quatrac. Another debutant. The model started to be sold only in September, and, judging by all appearances, the demand will be good. Excellent traction, short braking and maximum mileage speak in its favor.
Continental AllSeason Contact. The all-rounder who doesn’t let age get in the way of staying in shape. In addition to decent driving qualities, it shows low rolling resistance, which is a direct fuel economy.
Michelin CrossClimate +. Aside from the high price, everything is in order. Buyers are entitled to expect dynamic and predictable behavior in all weathers, excellent drivability and fuel economy.
Falken EuroAll Season AS 210. Strictly speaking, only braking on snow is a problem with the tyre. The main distinctive feature – magnificent payback!
In the middle of the summary table with an overall grade of “good” are the tyres that were not convincing in at least one safety-relevant characteristic. For example, Firestone Multiseason Gen02 and Kleber Quadraxer 2 were slightly let down by aquaplaning resistance. In its turn, the Hankook Kinergy 4S2 H750 surpassed the other test participants in terms of aquaplaning resistance, but it could not become an excellent tyre due to a rather fast wear.
While the BFGoodrich g-Grip All Season 2 “blew up” the snowy track, and the Nexen Nblue 4Season won the title of “best buy,” both tyres were let down by average lateral wet grip. Bridgestone Weather Control A005 Evo’s performance showed that the model was not fully ready for winter.
Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF, Kumho Solus 4S HA 32 and Maxxis Premitra All Season AP3 performed at “unsatisfactory” in the tests. The first on this list has excellent braking and helps save on fuel, but it lacks turning ability on snow and wet surfaces. The Korean tyre finds itself in the unfortunate 13th place due to its low mileage and fuel inefficiency, though it is not bad on the road. The Taiwanese model had to close the summary table due to its mediocre scores in the “rain” tests.
Applicability of the size.
As written by German reviewers, 205/55 R16 tyres are not losing popularity. It’s 2020, and they’re still common on both small and mid-size cars. Some cars that fit this size are:
Audi 80, Audi 100, Audi A3, Audi A4, Audi A6.
BMW 3 Series, BMW 5 Series.
Citroen C3, Citroen C4, Citroen C5.
Ford C-Max, FordFocus.
Honda Civic.
Hyundai Elantra.
Kia Ceed, Kia Soul.
Mazda 3, Mazda 5, Mazda 6.
Mercedes-Benz B-Class, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
Opel Astra, Opel Vectra, Opel Zafira.
Peugeot 207, Peugeot 307, Peugeot 308, Peugeot 406, Peugeot 408.
Renault Laguna, Renault Megane.
Skoda Octavia.
VWGolf, VW Passat, VW Sharan, VW Touran.