2013 Auto Bild Top 15 Winter Tyre Shootout

After testing 50 different winter tyres in wet and snow braking tests, Auto Bild have taken the top 15 performers through to a final shootout. In this super test, they've examined 16 aspects of the tyres performance, including all aspects of their snow performance, wet and dry capabilities and various other tests, such as wear and rolling resistance in 195/65 R15 on a VW Golf.

The Top 3

Test Summary
Best tyre for dry roads	Nokian WR D3
Best tyre for wet roads	Pirelli Winter Snow Control Series 3 Continental WinterContact TS 850
Best tyre for snow	Continental WinterContact TS 850 Barum Polaris 3
The lowest fuel use	Continental WinterContact TS 850 Semperit Speed Grip 2
The most comfortable	Michelin Alpin A4 Continental WinterContact TS 850 Semperit Speed Grip 2
The lowest wear	Michelin Alpin A4
The quietest tyre	Apollo Alnac Winter Continental WinterContact TS 850 Semperit Speed Grip 2

Michelin win the test with the Michelin Alpin A4 thanks to a balanced performance in all areas, including the best wear score in the test. While the Michelin isn't cheap, and slightly noisy compared to the rest, itâ€™s longevity and total all round performance put the Alpin A4 on the top step of the podium.

Second place was taken by the new Pirelli SnowControl Serie 3, which is proving to be a strong winter tyre for 2013. Let down by wear and price, the Pirelli can't quite match the Michelin in the snow but beats it in the wet.

Rather unusually, third place went to the Continental WinterContact TS850. Having been used to first places finishes since its launch, the TS850 was marked down for its dry performance and high wear compared to the winning Michelin, but was still extremely strong in the wet and on snowy roads.

The Rest

The Bridgestone Blizzak LM32 continued itâ€™s strong 2013 showing with a fourth place finish. Like the Michelin, the Bridgestone wore extremely well while keeping a balance of performance, so while the purchase price might be higher than some, the overall pound per mile make it good value.

Nokian finished fifth with the WRD3, continuing itâ€™s dry road dominance and Barum finished sixth thanks to its low purchase price and balanced performance in all tests.

A disappointing show from Goodyear and Dunlop, finishing eighth and ninth respectively with the Goodyear having a hard time in the dry, and the Dunlop suffering in both the dry and having high wear when compared to the best tyres in the test.

The Results

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

1st: Michelin Alpin A4
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 47 Dry: 6 Wet: 6 Snow: 8 Comfort: 7 Rolling Resistance: 6 Noise: 4 Wear: 10 Excellent winter tyres with balanced handling qualities in all weather conditions. Good characteristics and excellent wear A relatively high level of noise Exemplary Read Reviews
2nd: Pirelli Winter Snow Control Series 3
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 41 Dry: 6 Wet: 8 Snow: 7 Comfort: 6 Rolling Resistance: 5 Noise: 5 Wear: 4 A balanced winter tyre with a sporty, dynamic wet handling qualities, precise steering response, and shortest braking distances on snowy and wet roads High wear Exemplary Read Reviews
3rd: Continental WinterContact TS 850
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 48 Dry: 5 Wet: 8 Snow: 9 Comfort: 7 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 7 Wear: 4 Strong handling qualities on snowy and wet roads, high safety reserves with aquaplaning, a fuel efficient rolling resistance Understeering handling in the dry, high wear Recommended Read Reviews
4th: Bridgestone Blizzak LM32
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 43 Dry: 6 Wet: 7 Snow: 6 Comfort: 4 Rolling Resistance: 6 Noise: 6 Wear: 8 Sporty, safe handling on wet and dry roads, short snow and wet braking distances, good value for money Average traction and cornering on snow Recommended Read Reviews
5th: Nokian WR D3
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 43 Dry: 8 Wet: 6 Snow: 8 Comfort: 5 Rolling Resistance: 7 Noise: 5 Wear: 4 Good steering precision and short braking distances on snow and dry roads, good aquaplaning performance, low rolling resistance High Wear, slightly longer wet braking distances Recommended Read Reviews
6th: Barum Polaris 3
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 38 Dry: 5 Wet: 5 Snow: 9 Comfort: 4 Rolling Resistance: 6 Noise: 6 Wear: 3 Excellent cornering and impressive driving properties on snow, low price Poor aquaplaning result, high wear Recommended Read Reviews
7th: Semperit Speed Grip 2
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 44 Dry: 5 Wet: 6 Snow: 8 Comfort: 7 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 7 Wear: 3 A balanced winter tyre with short braking distances and balanced handling qualities, pleasant ride comfort, fuel efficient rolling resistance High wear, excessive price/performance ratio Recommended Read Reviews
8th: Goodyear UltraGrip 8
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 41 Dry: 4 Wet: 7 Snow: 7 Comfort: 5 Rolling Resistance: 5 Noise: 5 Wear: 8 Best tyre in the aquaplaning tests, good traction and short braking distances on snow, very low wear Average dry handling, high price Satisfactory Read Reviews
9th: Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 38 Dry: 4 Wet: 7 Snow: 8 Comfort: 5 Rolling Resistance: 4 Noise: 6 Wear: 4 Sporty handling on snow and wet roads, precise steering, good aquaplaning resistance, high level of comfort Weak in the dry, high wear Satisfactory Read Reviews
10th: Kleber Krisalp HP2
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 40 Dry: 5 Wet: 5 Snow: 6 Comfort: 5 Rolling Resistance: 7 Noise: 4 Wear: 8 Good handling on snowy and dry roads, low wear, very good value for money Average wet performance, long dry braking distances Satisfactory Read Reviews
11th: Sava eskimo hp
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 39 Dry: 5 Wet: 5 Snow: 7 Comfort: 6 Rolling Resistance: 4 Noise: 6 Wear: 6 Short braking distances on snow, high aquaplaning resistance, low price Understeering handling and long braking distances on wet roads, high rolling resistance Satisfactory Read Reviews
12th: BFGoodrich gForce Winter
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 40 Dry: 5 Wet: 4 Snow: 6 Comfort: 4 Rolling Resistance: 7 Noise: 6 Wear: 8 Short braking distances on snow, excellent price-performance ratio, low wear, low rolling resistance Only average wet and aquaplaning properties, long dry stopping distances, high level of noise Satisfactory Read Reviews
13th: Viking Snow Tech II
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 33 Dry: 5 Wet: 6 Snow: 8 Comfort: 3 Rolling Resistance: 4 Noise: 3 Wear: 4 Snow specialist with short braking distances and good traction on snowy slopes, low price Poor ride comfort, very high wear, high rolling resistance Satisfactory Read Reviews
14th: Hankook Winter i cept RS
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 38 Dry: 6 Wet: 5 Snow: 5 Comfort: 5 Rolling Resistance: 7 Noise: 5 Wear: 5 High resistance to aquaplaning, dynamic handling performance on dry slopes, low wear Poor cornering and driving behavior on snowy and dry roads Satisfactory Read Reviews
15th: Apollo Alnac Winter
195/65 R15 3PMSF: no	Total: 34 Dry: 7 Wet: 5 Snow: 7 Comfort: 3 Rolling Resistance: 3 Noise: 7 Wear: 2 Good handling in all weather conditions, short braking distances on snow, high level of comfort Low resistance to aquaplaning, high wear, poor value for money Satisfactory Read Reviews