Test Summary
Wet Braking	Dunlop Winter Sport 5 Continental WinterContact TS 850 P Horizon Polar Star 5
Dry Braking	Dunlop Winter Sport 5
Wet Handling	Dunlop Winter Sport 5 Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 Michelin Pilot Alpin 4
Rolling Resistance	Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
Noise	Continental WinterContact TS 850 P Michelin Pilot Alpin 4 Hankook Winter i cept evo2
Snow Handling	Vredestein Wintrac xtreme S Horizon Polar Star 5

Most winter tyre tests cover sizes up to 16 inch wheels, as these are by far the most common winter tyre sizes fitted across Europe. Unfortunately, if you're looking to keep your performance car mobile over winter, these tests are largely useless as a reference, as tyre patterns and performances can drastically change as the sizes increase.

Luckily Auto Bild Sportscars have us covered with their latest ultra high performance winter tyre test. Auto Bild have taken eight UHP winter tyres in 225/40 R18 and tested them on a RWD Mercedes C Class across the usual range of snow, wet and dry tests and have included a summer tyre as reference.

Snow

During the snow tests the results were close, and the top places varied. The Nokian offered the best snow braking, the Pirelli was the fastest over a lap and the Michelin offered the best traction. All the winter tyres vastly out performed the summer tyre, which was unable to complete a snow handling lap, and stopped the Mercedes test car in 38.3 meters compared to 22.5 meters for the worst winter tyre on test (Horizon) and 20.5 meters for the best on test (Nokian)

Wet

Under wet testing, the summer tyre regained some points, winning the wet braking, handling and wet circle tests. The margin was greatest in wet handling, where the summer tyre had an average speed of 86.5 kph and the best winter (Dunlop) could only manage 83.2 kph. Under wet braking the margins were closer, with the Continental and Dunlop winter tyres stopping just 1.4 meters behind the summer tyre from 50 mph and the Dunlop and Pirelli beating the summer tyre under the straight line aquaplaning test.

Dry

Again in the dry handling and braking tests, the summer tyre showed its strengths. While the best winter tyre (Continental) could keep close to the summer tyre during dry handling, the dry braking test once again showed where siped tyres lose out, with the test winning Dunlop taking 43.5 meters to stop the car from 60 mph, compared to 36.3 meters for the summer tyre.

Results

1st: Dunlop Winter Sport 5
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 38 Dry: 6 Wet: 8 Snow: 8 Comfort: 5 Rolling Resistance: 6 Noise: 5 Excellent winter tire with sporty and dynamic handling characteristics in all weather conditions, best safety reserves under aquaplaning, precise steering with good feedback, short braking distance in the wet and dry Her türlü hava koşulunda sportif ve dinamik yol tutuş özelliklerine sahip mükemmel kış lastiği, suda kızaklama durumunda en iyi güvenlik rezervleri, iyi geri bildirime sahip hassas direksiyon, ıslak ve kuru zeminde kısa fren mesafesi Hervorragender Winterreifen mit sportlich-dynamischen Fahreigenschaften bei allen Wetterbedingungen, beste Sicherheitsreserven bei Aquaplaning, präzise Lenkung mit guter Rückmeldung, kurzer Bremsweg bei Nässe und Trockenheit Excellent pneu hiver avec des caractéristiques de conduite sportives et dynamiques dans toutes les conditions météorologiques, meilleures réserves de sécurité en cas d'aquaplaning, direction précise avec un bon retour d'information, courte distance de freinage sur sol sec et mouillé Only average ride comfort Sadece ortalama sürüş konforu Nur durchschnittlicher Fahrkomfort Confort de conduite moyen seulement Read Reviews    Buy from £148.58
2nd: Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 40 Dry: 6 Wet: 7 Snow: 7 Comfort: 6 Rolling Resistance: 9 Noise: 5 Sporty winter tyre with balanced safe driving qualities of the highest standard, best grip on a wet track, precise steering response, sporty dynamic dry handling, fuel-saving rolling resistance, good comfort En yüksek standartlarda dengeli güvenli sürüş özellikleri, ıslak zeminde en iyi kavrama, hassas direksiyon tepkisi, sportif dinamik kuru yol tutuşu, yakıt tasarrufu sağlayan yuvarlanma direnci, iyi konfor sunan sportif kış lastiği Sportlicher Winterreifen mit ausgewogenen Fahrsicherheitseigenschaften auf höchstem Niveau, bester Grip auf nasser Strecke, präzises Lenkverhalten, sportlich-dynamisches Trockenhandling, kraftstoffsparender Rollwiderstand, guter Komfort Pneu hiver sportif avec des qualités de conduite sûres et équilibrées du plus haut niveau, meilleure adhérence sur piste mouillée, réponse précise de la direction, tenue de route sportive et dynamique sur sol sec, résistance au roulement économe en carburant, bon confort Slightly long dry braking distances Kuru zeminde biraz uzun fren mesafesi Etwas lange Trockenbremswege Distances de freinage à sec légèrement longues Read Reviews
3rd: Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 38 Dry: 5 Wet: 7 Snow: 8 Comfort: 5 Rolling Resistance: 6 Noise: 7 Winter specialist with excellent cornering and handling qualities on snow, excellent steering precision with good feedback, stable safe driving behavior on wet and dry roads, good aquaplaning characteristics Karda mükemmel viraj alma ve yol tutuşu özelliklerine, iyi geri bildirimle mükemmel direksiyon hassasiyetine, ıslak ve kuru yollarda istikrarlı ve güvenli sürüş davranışına, iyi suda kızaklama özelliklerine sahip kış uzmanı Winterspezialist mit hervorragenden Kurven- und Handlingqualitäten auf Schnee, hervorragende Lenkpräzision mit guter Rückmeldung, stabiles sicheres Fahrverhalten auf nasser und trockener Fahrbahn, gute Aquaplaning-Eigenschaften Spécialiste de l'hiver avec d'excellentes qualités de virage et de maniabilité sur la neige, excellente précision de direction avec un bon retour d'information, comportement de conduite stable et sûr sur routes mouillées et sèches, bonnes caractéristiques d'aquaplaning Slightly high rolling resistance Biraz yüksek yuvarlanma direnci Etwas hoher Rollwiderstand Résistance au roulement légèrement élevée Read Reviews    Buy from £158.28
4th: Michelin Pilot Alpin 4
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 37 Dry: 4 Wet: 6 Snow: 8 Comfort: 6 Rolling Resistance: 6 Noise: 7 Excellent winter tyres with top handling qualities and excellent traction on snow-covered slopes, precise steering response, stable cornering and safe driving behavior on wet and dry roads, pleasantly quiet ride comfort Karla kaplı yamaçlarda üstün yol tutuş özellikleri ve mükemmel çekiş gücü, hassas direksiyon tepkisi, ıslak ve kuru yollarda istikrarlı viraj alma ve güvenli sürüş davranışı, hoş ve sessiz sürüş konforu sunan mükemmel kış lastikleri Hervorragender Winterreifen mit Top-Handling-Qualitäten und hervorragender Traktion auf schneebedeckten Pisten, präzises Lenkverhalten, stabiles Kurvenverhalten und sicheres Fahrverhalten auf nasser und trockener Fahrbahn, angenehm leiser Fahrkomfort Excellents pneus d'hiver avec des qualités de maniabilité de premier ordre et une excellente traction sur les pentes enneigées, une réponse de direction précise, des virages stables et un comportement de conduite sûr sur les routes mouillées et sèches, un confort de conduite agréablement silencieux Slightly long dry braking distances Kuru zeminde biraz uzun fren mesafesi Etwas lange Trockenbremswege Distances de freinage à sec légèrement longues Read Reviews
5th: Hankook Winter i cept evo2
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 36 Dry: 5 Wet: 4 Snow: 7 Comfort: 6 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 6 Stable cornering and high traction on snow, balanced safe driving characteristics on dry roads, low rolling resistance Karda istikrarlı viraj alma ve yüksek çekiş, kuru yollarda dengeli güvenli sürüş özellikleri, düşük yuvarlanma direnci Stabile Kurvenlage und hohe Traktion auf Schnee, ausgewogene, sichere Fahreigenschaften auf trockener Fahrbahn, geringer Rollwiderstand Virages stables et traction élevée sur la neige, caractéristiques de conduite sûres et équilibrées sur routes sèches, faible résistance au roulement Understeering driving behavior and slow steering response in the wet, long dry braking distances Islak zeminde, uzun kuru fren mesafelerinde yetersiz direksiyon hakimiyeti ve yavaş direksiyon tepkisi Untersteuerndes Fahrverhalten und langsame Lenkreaktion bei Nässe, lange Trockenbremswege Comportement de conduite sous-vireur et réponse lente de la direction sur sol mouillé, longues distances de freinage sur sol sec Read Reviews
6th: Nokian WR D4
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 34 Dry: 5 Wet: 5 Snow: 6 Comfort: 4 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 6 Good braking and stable cornering on snow, short dry braking distances, fuel-saving rolling resistance. Karda iyi frenleme ve stabil viraj alma, kısa kuru fren mesafesi, yakıt tasarrufu sağlayan yuvarlanma direnci. Gutes Brems- und stabiles Kurvenverhalten auf Schnee, kurze Trockenbremswege, kraftstoffsparender Rollwiderstand. Bon freinage et virages stables sur la neige, courtes distances de freinage sur sol sec, résistance au roulement économisant du carburant. Slow steering response, poor steering precision on wet and dry roads Yavaş direksiyon tepkisi, ıslak ve kuru yollarda zayıf direksiyon hassasiyeti Langsame Lenkreaktion, schlechte Lenkpräzision auf nasser und trockener Fahrbahn Réponse lente de la direction, faible précision de la direction sur routes mouillées et sèches Read Reviews
7th: Vredestein Wintrac xtreme S
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 32 Dry: 4 Wet: 4 Snow: 5 Comfort: 5 Rolling Resistance: 6 Noise: 8 Good braking on snowy slopes, quiet, low rolling resistance Karlı yamaçlarda iyi frenleme, sessiz, düşük yuvarlanma direnci Gutes Bremsverhalten auf schneebedeckten Pisten, leiser, geringer Rollwiderstand Bon freinage sur pentes enneigées, silencieux, faible résistance au roulement Understeer on snow and wet roads, delayed turn-in, long braking distances on wet and dry roads Karlı ve ıslak yollarda önden kayma, gecikmeli dönüşler, ıslak ve kuru yollarda uzun fren mesafeleri Untersteuern auf Schnee und nasser Fahrbahn, verzögertes Einlenken, lange Bremswege auf nasser und trockener Fahrbahn Sous-virage sur routes enneigées et mouillées, virage retardé, longues distances de freinage sur routes mouillées et sèches Read Reviews
8th: Horizon Polar Star 5
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 24 Dry: 6 Wet: 1 Snow: 2 Comfort: 4 Rolling Resistance: 3 Noise: 8 Short dry braking distances Kısa kuru fren mesafeleri Kurze Trockenbremswege Distances de freinage courtes sur sol sec Dangerous cheap tires with reduced winter and wet qualities. Dramatic long wet braking distances, understeer and poor balance in the wet and on snow, slow steering response, high rolling resistance Kış ve ıslak zeminde düşük kaliteye sahip tehlikeli ucuz lastikler. Dramatik uzun ıslak fren mesafeleri, ıslak zeminde ve karda önden kayma ve zayıf denge, yavaş direksiyon tepkisi, yüksek yuvarlanma direnci Gefährlicher Billigreifen mit eingeschränkten Winter- und Nässeeigenschaften. Dramatisch lange Nassbremswege, Untersteuern und schlechte Balance bei Nässe und auf Schnee, langsame Lenkreaktion, hoher Rollwiderstand Pneus bon marché dangereux avec des qualités hivernales et humides réduites. Distances de freinage sur sol mouillé très longues, sous-virage et mauvais équilibre sur sol mouillé et sur neige, réponse lente de la direction, résistance au roulement élevée Read Reviews