Test Summary
Wet Braking	Nokian WR A4
Dry Braking	Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
Wet Handling	Semperit Speed Grip 3
Wear	Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
Noise	Continental WinterContact TS 850 P Fulda Kristall Control HP2 Nokian WR A4
Snow Handling	Kumho WinterCraft WP71 Semperit Speed Grip 3 Michelin Pilot Alpin 4 Fulda Kristall Control HP2 Nokian WR A4
Ice Braking	Nokian WR A4

The first winter tyre test of 2017 has been published! The German publication Auto Motor und Sport [AMS] have tested ten ultra high performance winter tyres in 225/40 R18. This extremely popular 18" tyre sizes is fitted to performance saloons such as the Audi A4, Skoda Octavia VRS, and the 232 bhp BMW 430i Grand Coupe used for this testing.

While AMS chose not to test on ice, they did a very thorough job covering dry, wet and snow running, while also evaluating subjective comfort, external noise and rolling resistance. The use of a heavier, powerful saloon car makes this test more applicable to the standard "executive commuter car" found in the UK.

The highlights of the test and overall results can be found below, and as always, please feel free to leave any questions or comments at the bottom of the page. The results are once again incredibly close, especially between the top five tyres.

Dry

In the dry, the Nokian dominated, winning both the braking and handling tests. The test winning Continental managed top three in each test, while the Kumho scored a strong second place in dry braking, but could only manage ninth place in dry handling.

Wet

If you follow tyre testing, it will come as no surprise that the Continental dominated the wet grip testing, winning both the braking and handling tests, with the second placed overall Dunlop tyre following up the Continental in both tests. In the high water aquaplaning tests the Continental struggled a little more, only managing seventh overall, and where the Fulda tyre struggled in the wet grip testing, it won the aquaplaning tests, highlighting the opposing design qualities of wet grip and wet aquaplaning performance. Nokian had a weak showing in the wet.

Snow

Where the Dunlop couldn't quite match the Continental in the dry, it led the pack in the snow tests, with the Continental just ahead of the mid pack in fourth and fifth.

Other

The new Semperit was the quietest tyre on test, and the Nokian had the lowest rolling resistance.

Results

1st: Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 61.4 Dry: 9.1 Wet: 9.6 Snow: 8.7 Comfort: 9 Noise: 8 Cost: 8 Overall: 9 Good performance in the snow, high level of safety on wet surfaces, predictable behavior and good handling on dry surfaces Karda iyi performans, ıslak yüzeylerde yüksek güvenlik seviyesi, kuru yüzeylerde öngörülebilir davranış ve iyi yol tutuşu Gute Leistung im Schnee, hohe Sicherheit auf nasser Fahrbahn, vorhersehbares Verhalten und gutes Handling auf trockener Fahrbahn Bonnes performances sur la neige, haut niveau de sécurité sur sol mouillé, comportement prévisible et bonne tenue de route sur sol sec Relatively weak resistance to aquaplaning Suda kızaklamaya karşı nispeten zayıf direnç Relativ schwache Aquaplaning-Resistenz Résistance relativement faible à l'aquaplaning Highly Recommended Şiddetle tavsiye edilir Sehr empfehlenswert Hautement recommandé Read Reviews
2nd: Dunlop Winter Sport 5
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 57.9 Dry: 8.5 Wet: 8.9 Snow: 8.9 Comfort: 8 Noise: 8 Cost: 7 Overall: 8.6 Short braking distance in the snow, good performance on dry and wet surfaces Karda kısa fren mesafesi, kuru ve ıslak zeminde iyi performans Kurzer Bremsweg im Schnee, gute Performance auf trockener und nasser Fahrbahn Distance de freinage courte sur la neige, bonnes performances sur surfaces sèches et humides Relatively long braking distances in the dry, low lateral stability in snow (snow circle test not listed) Kuru zeminde nispeten uzun fren mesafeleri, karda düşük yanal denge (kar dairesi testi listelenmemiş) Relativ lange Bremswege im Trockenen, geringe Seitenstabilität im Schnee (Schneekreistest nicht aufgeführt) Distances de freinage relativement longues sur sol sec, faible stabilité latérale sur neige (test du cercle de neige non répertorié) Recommended Tavsiye edilen Empfohlen Recommandé Read Reviews    Buy from £148.58
3rd: Semperit Speed Grip 3
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 57.9 Dry: 7.6 Wet: 7.2 Snow: 9.9 Comfort: 7 Noise: 10 Cost: 8 Overall: 8.2 High tractive effort and short braking distance in the snow, good lateral stability on wet surfaces, acceptable results on dry surfaces Karda yüksek çekiş gücü ve kısa fren mesafesi, ıslak yüzeylerde iyi yanal denge, kuru yüzeylerde kabul edilebilir sonuçlar Hohe Zugkraft und kurzer Bremsweg im Schnee, gute Seitenstabilität auf nasser Fahrbahn, akzeptable Ergebnisse auf trockener Fahrbahn Effort de traction élevé et courte distance de freinage sur la neige, bonne stabilité latérale sur sol mouillé, résultats acceptables sur sol sec Relatively low lateral stability at high loads on dry surfaces Kuru yüzeylerde yüksek yüklerde nispeten düşük yanal stabilite Relativ geringe Seitenstabilität bei hoher Belastung auf trockener Fahrbahn Stabilité latérale relativement faible à des charges élevées sur des surfaces sèches Recommended Tavsiye edilen Empfohlen Recommandé Read Reviews
4th: Michelin Pilot Alpin 4
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 55.8 Dry: 8.1 Wet: 7.7 Snow: 8 Comfort: 8 Noise: 10 Cost: 6 Overall: 8 Reliable grip on snow, balanced behavior on wet surfaces, very well balanced on dry surfaces Karda güvenilir tutuş, ıslak yüzeylerde dengeli davranış, kuru yüzeylerde çok iyi denge Zuverlässiger Grip auf Schnee, ausgewogenes Verhalten auf nasser Fahrbahn, sehr ausgewogen auf trockener Fahrbahn Adhérence fiable sur la neige, comportement équilibré sur sol mouillé, très bien équilibré sur sol sec Relatively long braking distances on wet surfaces, weak resistance to transverse aquaplaning Islak yüzeylerde nispeten uzun fren mesafeleri, enine suda kızaklamaya karşı zayıf direnç Relativ lange Bremswege auf nasser Fahrbahn, schwache Resistenz gegen Queraquaplaning Distances de freinage relativement longues sur sol mouillé, faible résistance à l'aquaplaning transversal Recommended Tavsiye edilen Empfohlen Recommandé Read Reviews
5th: Fulda Kristall Control HP2
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 57.5 Dry: 7.3 Wet: 6.8 Snow: 9.5 Comfort: 9 Noise: 10 Cost: 7 Overall: 7.9 High traction and short braking distance in the snow, good resistance to aquaplaning Karda yüksek çekiş gücü ve kısa fren mesafesi, suda kızaklamaya karşı iyi direnç Hohe Traktion und kurzer Bremsweg auf Schnee, gute Aquaplaning-Sicherheit Traction élevée et courte distance de freinage sur la neige, bonne résistance à l'aquaplaning Relatively low grip and slow reactions to steering movements on dry and wet surfaces Kuru ve ıslak yüzeylerde nispeten düşük kavrama ve direksiyon hareketlerine yavaş tepkiler Relativ geringer Grip und langsame Reaktionen auf Lenkbewegungen auf trockener und nasser Fahrbahn Adhérence relativement faible et réactions lentes aux mouvements de direction sur surfaces sèches et humides Recommended with restrictions Kısıtlamalarla önerilir Mit Einschränkungen zu empfehlen Recommandé avec restrictions Read Reviews
5th: Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 52.7 Dry: 8.2 Wet: 7.9 Snow: 7.8 Comfort: 7 Noise: 8 Cost: 6 Overall: 7.8 Accurate reactions to steering movements and good information in all conditions Direksiyon hareketlerine doğru tepkiler ve her koşulda iyi bilgiler Präzise Reaktionen auf Lenkbewegungen und gute Informationen unter allen Bedingungen Des réactions précises aux mouvements de direction et de bonnes informations dans toutes les conditions Relatively long braking distances on wet surfaces, increased rolling resistance, increased noise level Islak zeminde nispeten uzun fren mesafeleri, artan yuvarlanma direnci, artan gürültü seviyesi Relativ lange Bremswege auf nasser Fahrbahn, erhöhter Rollwiderstand, erhöhter Geräuschpegel Distances de freinage relativement longues sur sol mouillé, résistance au roulement accrue, niveau de bruit accru Recommended with restrictions Kısıtlamalarla önerilir Mit Einschränkungen zu empfehlen Recommandé avec restrictions Read Reviews    Buy from £158.28
5th: Nokian WR A4
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 59.4 Dry: 9.2 Wet: 6.3 Snow: 7.1 Comfort: 9 Noise: 10 Cost: 10 Overall: 7.8 Excellent grip on dry surfaces, very low rolling resistance Kuru yüzeylerde mükemmel kavrama, çok düşük yuvarlanma direnci Hervorragender Grip auf trockenen Oberflächen, sehr geringer Rollwiderstand Excellente adhérence sur sol sec, très faible résistance au roulement Low lateral stability and understeer on snow. Weak grip, unstable behavior and a long braking distance on wet surfaces Karda düşük yanal denge ve önden kayma. Islak yüzeylerde zayıf kavrama, dengesiz davranış ve uzun fren mesafesi Geringe Seitenstabilität und Untersteuern auf Schnee. Schwacher Grip, instabiles Verhalten und langer Bremsweg auf nasser Fahrbahn Faible stabilité latérale et sous-virage sur la neige. Faible adhérence, comportement instable et longue distance de freinage sur sol mouillé. Recommended with restrictions Kısıtlamalarla önerilir Mit Einschränkungen zu empfehlen Recommandé avec restrictions Read Reviews
8th: Hankook Winter i cept evo2
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 52.9 Dry: 8.3 Wet: 6.8 Snow: 8.1 Comfort: 7 Noise: 8 Cost: 7 Overall: 7.7 Acceptable braking on snow, stable behavior and precise reactions to steering movements on dry surfaces Karda kabul edilebilir frenleme, istikrarlı davranış ve kuru yüzeylerde direksiyon hareketlerine hassas tepkiler Akzeptables Bremsen auf Schnee, stabiles Verhalten und präzise Reaktionen auf Lenkbewegungen auf trockener Fahrbahn Freinage acceptable sur neige, comportement stable et réactions précises aux mouvements de direction sur surfaces sèches Low lateral stability and poor handling on the snow, long braking distance on wet roads Karda düşük yanal denge ve zayıf yol tutuşu, ıslak yollarda uzun fren mesafesi Geringe Seitenstabilität und schlechtes Handling auf Schnee, langer Bremsweg auf nasser Fahrbahn Faible stabilité latérale et mauvaise tenue de route sur la neige, longue distance de freinage sur route mouillée Recommended with restrictions Kısıtlamalarla önerilir Mit Einschränkungen zu empfehlen Recommandé avec restrictions Read Reviews
9th: Kumho WinterCraft WP71
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 51.1 Dry: 7.8 Wet: 7.1 Snow: 7.8 Comfort: 6 Noise: 10 Cost: 5 Overall: 7.4 Short stopping distance on snow and dry surfaces, acceptable braking and balanced behavior on wet surfaces Karlı ve kuru yüzeylerde kısa durma mesafesi, ıslak yüzeylerde kabul edilebilir frenleme ve dengeli davranış Kurzer Bremsweg auf Schnee und trockener Fahrbahn, akzeptables Bremsen und ausgewogenes Verhalten auf nasser Fahrbahn Distance d'arrêt courte sur la neige et les surfaces sèches, freinage acceptable et comportement équilibré sur surfaces mouillées Unstable behavior during an emergency maneuver on dry surfaces, increased noise level Kuru yüzeylerde acil manevra sırasında dengesiz davranış, artan gürültü seviyesi Instabiles Verhalten bei einem Notmanöver auf trockener Fahrbahn, erhöhter Geräuschpegel Comportement instable lors d'une manœuvre d'urgence sur des surfaces sèches, niveau de bruit accru Recommended with restrictions Kısıtlamalarla önerilir Mit Einschränkungen zu empfehlen Recommandé avec restrictions Read Reviews
10th: Cooper Weather Master SA2+
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 47.6 Dry: 7.1 Wet: 6.8 Snow: 6.9 Comfort: 7 Noise: 8 Cost: 5 Overall: 6.8 Acceptable braking performance on dry surfaces and good traction in the snow Kuru yüzeylerde kabul edilebilir fren performansı ve karda iyi çekiş gücü Akzeptable Bremsleistung auf trockener Fahrbahn und gute Traktion im Schnee Performances de freinage acceptables sur surfaces sèches et bonne traction sur la neige Slow steering in the dry, unstable behavior at the limit of wet grip, reduced comfort level, high rolling resistance, increased noise level Kuru zeminde yavaş direksiyon hakimiyeti, ıslak zeminde tutunma sınırında dengesiz davranış, konfor seviyesinin azalması, yüksek yuvarlanma direnci, artan gürültü seviyesi Langsame Lenkung im Trockenen, instabiles Fahrverhalten an der Nasshaftungsgrenze, eingeschränkter Komfort, hoher Rollwiderstand, erhöhte Geräuschentwicklung Direction lente sur sol sec, comportement instable à la limite de l'adhérence sur sol mouillé, niveau de confort réduit, résistance au roulement élevée, niveau de bruit accru Conditionally recommended Koşullu olarak tavsiye edilir Bedingt empfehlenswert Recommandé sous conditions Read Reviews