Starting out with fifty tyre patterns, Autobild tested all the tyres wet braking performance. Once the wet braking order was set, Autobild took the twenty seven patterns which stopped the car within 20% of the best through to snow braking, then the top twenty wet and snow braking results combined to this, the full tyre test.
The top twenty tyres 205/55 R16 tyres were tested over a number of days using a VW Golf, and went through the usual dry, wet, snow, comfort, noise and fuel economy tests. Autobild also tested wear, which means this winter tyre test is one of the few yearly tests to give you the complete picture of a winter tyres performance.
The Top Three
If you followed the dominance of the TS850, it will come as no surprise that the new Continental WinterContact TS860 aces the test. It's amongst the best, or the best in the dry, wet and snow testing, has a low rolling resistance and a good level of comfort. The real surprise of the test was wear, with the TS860 proving to be the best wearing tyre on test, something Continental have historically struggled with. As a premium winter tyre, there's no beating the TS860.
The run of good performances for the updated Michelin Alpin A5 continues, with the French manufacturer taking second place overall. The A5 is the strongest tyre on snow and ice, has an excellent wet handling and braking performance, and is strong in the dry. The only the initial purchase price drew criticism, Michelins are often the most expensive tyres on the market.
Rounding out the top three is the Goodyear UltraGrip 9. It matched the Michelin in the dry and wet, only losing out in a little snow performance when compared to the best on test.
The Full Results
The full results, with comments are below. Autobild weight the overall scores as follow.
Dry - 14%. Wet - 30%, Snow - 30%, Comfort - 3%, Rolling Resistance - 4%, Noise - 3%, Wear - 10%, Price - 6%
1st: Continental WinterContact TS 860 | |
| A class leading winter tyre with no real negative points. Dynamic handling in all weather, precise steering with good feedback and best economy Hiçbir gerçek olumsuz noktası olmayan, sınıfının lideri bir kış lastiği. Her türlü havada dinamik yol tutuşu, iyi geri bildirimli hassas direksiyon ve en iyi ekonomi Ein klassenführender Winterreifen ohne wirkliche Minuspunkte. Dynamisches Handling bei jedem Wetter, präzise Lenkung mit gutem Feedback und beste Wirtschaftlichkeit Un pneu hiver de premier ordre sans aucun point négatif réel. Tenue de route dynamique par tous les temps, direction précise avec un bon retour d'information et la meilleure économie None mentioned Hiçbiri belirtilmedi Keine erwähnt Aucun mentionné Read Reviews |
2nd: Michelin Alpin 5 | |
| Winter specialist with the best snow results. Stable wet and dry handling with short wet braking distances. Low noise En iyi kar sonuçlarına sahip kış uzmanı. Kısa ıslak fren mesafeleriyle istikrarlı ıslak ve kuru yol tutuşu. Düşük gürültü Winterspezialist mit besten Schneeergebnissen. Stabiles Nass- und Trockenhandling mit kurzen Nassbremswegen. Geringe Geräuschentwicklung Spécialiste de l'hiver avec les meilleurs résultats sur neige. Tenue de route stable sur sol mouillé et sec avec de courtes distances de freinage sur sol mouillé. Faible niveau sonore Quite expensive Oldukça pahalı Ziemlich teuer Assez cher Read Reviews |
3rd: Goodyear UltraGrip 9 | |
| Excellent performance on snow and in the wet, excellent aquaplaning resistance, low noise Karda ve ıslak zeminde mükemmel performans, mükemmel suda kızaklama direnci, düşük gürültü Hervorragende Leistung auf Schnee und bei Nässe, hervorragende Aquaplaning-Sicherheit, geringe Geräuschentwicklung Excellentes performances sur neige et sur sol mouillé, excellente résistance à l'aquaplaning, faible bruit Quite expensive Oldukça pahalı Ziemlich teuer Assez cher Read Reviews Buy from £89.45 |
4th: Dunlop Winter Sport 5 | |
| Top performance on snow and in the wet, low rolling resistance. Karda ve ıslak zeminde üstün performans, düşük yuvarlanma direnci. Top-Performance auf Schnee und Nässe, geringer Rollwiderstand. Performances optimales sur neige et sur sol mouillé, faible résistance au roulement. Average performance in the dry Kuru zeminde ortalama performans Durchschnittliche Leistung im Trockenen Performance moyenne sur le sec Read Reviews Buy from £89.40 |
5th: Pirelli Cinturato Winter | |
| Dynamic handling in the snow and wet roads, low wear Karlı ve ıslak yollarda dinamik yol tutuşu, düşük aşınma Dynamisches Handling auf Schnee und nasser Fahrbahn, geringer Verschleiß Tenue de route dynamique sur routes enneigées et mouillées, faible usure Average performance in the dry Kuru zeminde ortalama performans Durchschnittliche Leistung im Trockenen Performance moyenne sur le sec Read Reviews |
6th: Semperit Speed Grip 2 | |
| Good wet handling and short wet braking distances İyi ıslak yol tutuşu ve kısa ıslak fren mesafeleri Gutes Nasshandling und kurze Nassbremswege Bonne tenue de route sur sol mouillé et courtes distances de freinage sur sol mouillé Weak handling on snow Karda zayıf yol tutuşu Schwaches Handling auf Schnee Faible tenue de route sur la neige Read Reviews |
7th: Nokian WR D4 | |
| Excellent snow performance, low rolling resistance Mükemmel kar performansı, düşük yuvarlanma direnci Hervorragende Schneeeigenschaften, geringer Rollwiderstand Excellentes performances sur neige, faible résistance au roulement Average performance in the dry, high wear Kuru, yüksek aşınmada ortalama performans Durchschnittliche Leistung im Trockenen, hoher Verschleiß Performances moyennes sur sol sec, usure élevée Read Reviews |
8th: Hankook Winter i cept RS2 | |
| Excellent aquaplaning resistance, good dry handling, well priced Mükemmel suda kızaklama direnci, iyi kuru yol tutuşu, uygun fiyatlı Ausgezeichnete Aquaplaning-Sicherheit, gutes Trockenhandling, guter Preis Excellente résistance à l'aquaplaning, bonne tenue de route sur sol sec, prix abordable Average wet grip, long wet braking Ortalama ıslak tutuş, uzun ıslak frenleme Durchschnittliche Nasshaftung, langes Nassbremsen Adhérence moyenne sur sol mouillé, freinage long sur sol mouillé Read Reviews |
9th: Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 | |
| Excellent in the snow, high aquaplaning resistance, very good fuel economy Karda mükemmel, yüksek suda kızaklama direnci, çok iyi yakıt ekonomisi Hervorragend im Schnee, hohe Aquaplaning-Sicherheit, sehr guter Kraftstoffverbrauch Excellent sur la neige, haute résistance à l'aquaplaning, très bonne économie de carburant Poor dry handling, long dry braking distances Zayıf kuru yol tutuşu, uzun kuru fren mesafeleri Schlechtes Trockenhandling, lange Trockenbremswege Mauvaise tenue de route sur sol sec, longues distances de freinage sur sol sec Read Reviews Buy from £120.70 |
10th: Barum Polaris 3 | |
| Strong in the snow, stable wet handling, good value for money Karda güçlü, ıslak zeminde dengeli yol tutuşu, paraya değer Stark im Schnee, stabiles Nasshandling, gutes Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis Solide sur la neige, tenue de route stable sur sol mouillé, bon rapport qualité/prix Low dry grip Düşük kuru tutuş Geringe Trockenhaftung Faible adhérence sur sol sec Read Reviews |
11th: Kleber Krisalp HP2 | |
| Excellent snow performance, low rolling resistance Mükemmel kar performansı, düşük yuvarlanma direnci Hervorragende Schneeeigenschaften, geringer Rollwiderstand Excellentes performances sur neige, faible résistance au roulement Average wet grip, low aquaplaning resistance Ortalama ıslak tutuş, düşük suda kızaklama direnci Durchschnittliche Nasshaftung, geringe Aquaplaning-Beständigkeit Adhérence moyenne sur sol mouillé, faible résistance à l'aquaplaning Read Reviews |
12th: Uniroyal MS+ 77 | |
| Strong winter performance, good comfort, good value Güçlü kış performansı, iyi konfor, iyi değer Starke Winterperformance, guter Komfort, gutes Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis Excellentes performances hivernales, bon confort, bon rapport qualité/prix Average grip in wet and dry Islak ve kuru zeminde ortalama tutuş Durchschnittlicher Grip bei Nässe und Trockenheit Adhérence moyenne sur sol sec et mouillé Read Reviews |
13th: General Altimax Winter+ | |
| Good winter performance, good comfort, low price İyi kış performansı, iyi konfor, düşük fiyat Gute Winterperformance, guter Komfort, günstiger Preis Bonnes performances hivernales, bon confort, prix bas Average wet grip, long dry braking Islak zeminde ortalama tutunma, kuru zeminde uzun frenleme Durchschnittliche Nasshaftung, langes Trockenbremsen Adhérence moyenne sur sol mouillé, freinage long sur sol sec Read Reviews |
14th: Mabor Winter Jet 2 | |
| Good snow handling, good in the dry, good value for money Karda iyi tutuş, kuru zeminde iyi, paraya değer Gutes Schneehandling, gut im Trockenen, gutes Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis Bonne tenue de route sur neige, bon sur sol sec, bon rapport qualité/prix Average wet grip, high rolling resistance Ortalama ıslak tutuş, yüksek yuvarlanma direnci Durchschnittlicher Nassgriff, hoher Rollwiderstand Adhérence moyenne sur sol mouillé, résistance au roulement élevée Read Reviews |
15th: Sava eskimo hp | |
| Good traction and short braking distances on snow. Cheap to buy Karda iyi çekiş ve kısa fren mesafesi. Satın almak ucuz Gute Traktion und kurze Bremswege auf Schnee. Günstig im Kauf Bonne traction et distances de freinage courtes sur la neige. Achat pas cher Long wet braking Uzun ıslak frenleme Langes Nassbremsen Freinage long sur sol mouillé Read Reviews |
16th: Cooper Weather Master SA2+ | |
| Ok performance on snow and on wet roads Karda ve ıslak yollarda iyi performans Gute Leistung auf Schnee und nassen Straßen Bonnes performances sur la neige et sur route mouillée Long dry braking, poor wear Uzun süreli kuru frenleme, zayıf aşınma Langes Trockenbremsen, geringer Verschleiß Freinage long à sec, faible usure Read Reviews |
17th: Falken Eurowinter HS449 | |
| Good value, ok in the snow İyi değer, karda iyi Gutes Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis, ok im Schnee Bon rapport qualité/prix, ok dans la neige Low aquaplaning resistance, poor dry performance Düşük suda kızaklama direnci, zayıf kuru performans Geringe Aquaplaning-Resistenz, schlechte Trockenleistung Faible résistance à l'aquaplaning, mauvaises performances sur sol sec Read Reviews Buy from £121.99 |
18th: Vredestein Snowtrac 5 | |
| Good dry handling İyi kuru yol tutuşu Gutes Trockenhandling Bonne tenue de route à sec Average snow, poor aquaplaning resistance, long wet braking Ortalama kar, zayıf suda kızaklama direnci, uzun ıslak frenleme Durchschnittlicher Schnee, schlechte Aquaplaning-Resistenz, langes Nassbremsen Neige moyenne, faible résistance à l'aquaplaning, freinage long sur sol mouillé Read Reviews |
19th: BFGoodrich gForce Winter | |
| Very good fuel economy Çok iyi yakıt ekonomisi Sehr guter Kraftstoffverbrauch Très bonne économie de carburant Average aquaplaning resistance, poor wet handling, long wet and dry braking Ortalama suda kızaklama direnci, zayıf ıslak yol tutuşu, uzun ıslak ve kuru frenleme Durchschnittliche Aquaplaning-Resistenz, schlechtes Nass-Handling, langes Nass- und Trockenbremsen Résistance moyenne à l'aquaplaning, mauvaise tenue de route sur sol mouillé, freinage long sur sol mouillé et sec Read Reviews |
20th: Fulda Kristall Control HP | |
| Safe snow performance Güvenli kar performansı Sicheres Verhalten auf Schnee Performances sécuritaires sur la neige Poor wet grip Islak zeminde tutuş zayıf Schlechter Grip bei Nässe Mauvaise adhérence sur sol mouillé Read Reviews |
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