The 2018 Auto Motor Und Sport all season tyre test has tested seven all season tyres, and a summer and winter tyre through the usual range of dry, wet, snow and environmental tests.
The unique twist this year? For some reason, the summer and winter reference tyres are in the popular 205/55 R16 size, while the seven tested all season tyres are in 225/45 R17. Strange. In theory, the narrower tyres will have a harder time during the dry testing, but should have a small advantage during snow running.
In spite of the curious size choices, it's a really interesting test, and highlights the different qualities in the various all season tyre offerings. It's also fortunate that the final data and conclusions are very close to our own All Season Tyre Video, so be sure to check that out too.
Dry
It won't come as any surprise that in the dry, the summer tyre dominated the braking test, with the Michelin CrossClimate dividing the gap between the summer tyre, and the rest of the all season tyres. Interestingly, even the narrower winter tyre could hold its own amongst the wider all season tyres, once again proving the brilliance of the Continental WinterContact TS860.
Dry Braking
Dry braking in meters
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 91 % | |
| 85 % | |
| 85 % | |
| 84 % | |
| 82 % | |
| 82 % | |
| 81 % | |
| 79 % |
The difference between best and worst was 21%.
Dry handling mixed the order up a little with the Vredestein Quatrac 5 posting the fastest average speed across the 1900m circuit, beating the narrower summer tyre. The rest of the order was as you would expect.
Dry Handling
Dry Handling Average Speed
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 96 % |
The difference between best and worst was 4%.
Wet
We're unsure why the Continental winter tyre had such an advantage during wet braking, but it led the pack of all season tyres by a huge margin. The summer tyre finished in fifth place overall, behind the Goodyear, Michelin and Nexen all season tyres. This isn't something we've seen in other all season tests, with the summer tyre normally matching the best all season tyres on test.
Wet Braking
Wet braking in meters
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 89 % | |
| 88 % | |
| 88 % | |
| 87 % | |
| 86 % | |
| 86 % | |
| 85 % | |
| 82 % |
The difference between best and worst was 18%.
Wet handling once again changed the order. The narrower summer and winter tyres seemed to struggle during the 1823m wet handling course, leaving the Michelin with a modest advantage over the second placed Goodyear and third placed Nexen.
Wet Handling
Wet Handling Average Speed
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 95 % | |
| 94 % |
The difference between best and worst was 6%.
The narrower tyres naturally had a big advantage during aquaplaning tests, where getting water out of the tread is the key criteria to scoring well.
Straight Aqua
Float Speed in Km/H
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 94 % | |
| 86 % | |
| 85 % | |
| 85 % | |
| 84 % | |
| 83 % | |
| 83 % | |
| 82 % |
The difference between best and worst was 18%.
Snow
The narrower Continental winter tyre just beat the impressive Continental all season tyre during the snow braking and snow handling testing.
Snow Braking
Snow braking in meters
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 96 % | |
| 95 % | |
| 95 % | |
| 91 % | |
| 88 % | |
| 86 % | |
| 54 % |
The difference between best and worst was 46%.
Snow Handling
Snow handling average speed
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 86 % | |
| 86 % | |
| 84 % | |
| 84 % | |
| 84 % | |
| 83 % | |
| 80 % | |
| 14 % |
The difference between best and worst was 86%.
Environment
The three Continental tyres on test all proved to have an excellent low rolling resistance.
Rolling Resistance
Rolling resistance in kg t
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 100 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 96 % | |
| 94 % | |
| 92 % | |
| 87 % | |
| 87 % | |
| 82 % |
The difference between best and worst was 18%.
Interestingly the narrower Continental summer tyre was almost the noisiest tyre on test, once again proving that all season and winter tyres are often quieter than their summer counterparts.
Noise
External noise in dB
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 100 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 95 % |
The difference between best and worst was 5%.
The Nexen was significantly cheaper than the rest of the all season tyres, and even cheaper than the smaller summer and winter tyres. The new Nexen all season tyre is proving to be incredible value.
Results
Magazine score weighting - 20% dry, 40% wet, 20% snow, 20% environment
Continental AllSeasonContact
225/45 R16
All discipline results (9)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
| Subjective | — |
| Wet Subjective | — |
| Comfort | — |
| Rolling Resistance | — |
| Noise | — |
| Overall | — |
- Price
- 126.00
Continental WinterContact TS 860
225/45 R16
All discipline results (9)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
| Subjective | — |
| Wet Subjective | — |
| Comfort | — |
| Rolling Resistance | — |
| Noise | — |
| Overall | — |
- Price
- 110.00
Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
225/45 R16
All discipline results (9)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
| Subjective | — |
| Wet Subjective | — |
| Comfort | — |
| Rolling Resistance | — |
| Noise | — |
| Overall | — |
- Price
- 127.00
Michelin CrossClimate+
225/45 R16
All discipline results (9)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
| Subjective | — |
| Wet Subjective | — |
| Comfort | — |
| Rolling Resistance | — |
| Noise | — |
| Overall | — |
- Price
- 131.00
Nexen N Blue 4 Season
225/45 R16
All discipline results (9)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
| Subjective | — |
| Wet Subjective | — |
| Comfort | — |
| Rolling Resistance | — |
| Noise | — |
| Overall | — |
- Price
- 92.00
Vredestein Quatrac 5
225/45 R16
All discipline results (9)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
| Subjective | — |
| Wet Subjective | — |
| Comfort | — |
| Rolling Resistance | — |
| Noise | — |
| Overall | — |
- Price
- 123.00
Nokian WeatherProof
225/45 R16
All discipline results (9)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
| Subjective | — |
| Wet Subjective | — |
| Comfort | — |
| Rolling Resistance | — |
| Noise | — |
| Overall | — |
- Price
- 117.00
Continental Premium Contact 5
225/45 R16
All discipline results (9)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
| Subjective | — |
| Wet Subjective | — |
| Comfort | — |
| Rolling Resistance | — |
| Noise | — |
| Overall | — |
- Price
- 93.00
Toyo Celsius
225/45 R16
All discipline results (9)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
| Subjective | — |
| Wet Subjective | — |
| Comfort | — |
| Rolling Resistance | — |
| Noise | — |
| Overall | — |
- Price
- 106.00
According to BMW "Star" marked tyres are essential on the All4 Mini as ordinary tyres can cause the electronicaly controlled 4 wheel drive gear train to tie itself in knots, but local BMW dealers did not know of any Star marked all seasons tyres.
Still looking for tips on best Tyres 235X40X18 for Audi S4V8 Quatro living near Inverness; less concerned about mpg or noise most concerned about handling / steering sensitivity and wet / icy conditions.
Manufacturers love that line, but I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot of people running non * marked tyres with no issue.
Can you please direct me to some All4 Mini owners who have had "No Issues" with non Star marked tyres ?
A tyre dealer assured me that they had had "No trouble" with ordinary tyres on a Mini, but when pressed conceded that it was not a 4 wheel drive Mini.
Why would a BMW dealer not expecting me to buy tires from them be so adamant that non Star marked tires could accelerate wear on my All4 Mini transmission ?
I have no such sources, I don't own a BMW mini. I'd suggest getting over to an owners forum and seeing what people are doing in the real world. Dealers advice is often as cautious and on brand message as possible.
Need all season tyres for two very different cars, Inverness weather. All 4 Mini and Audi S4 ( Quatro 350 BHP V8). Very brassed of with Michelin, tyres perishing after 7 years, Michelin said get stuffed, over 6 years old.
So need a BMW Allwheel drive star marked tyre for the Mini All4 (MUST be star marked )
and very positive handling all season for the S4 Vredesteiin or Continental ?
Any suggestions gratefully recd
Sadly I'm not in a position to know what's * marked and what isn't in your various sizes. The 7 year rule is fair though, no one recommends using tyres after 5 years of use.
It is mentioned in the results summary that the Michelin CrossClimates got a "poor curved aquaplaning result" but there is no curved aquaplaning graph?
We don't cover every element tested, you can check out the Auto Motor Und Sport website for the curved aqua testing :)
Thanks!
Hi Tyre Reviews, I've just bought a mid engined 2006 MR2 Roadster, and I want to get some all season tyres to use over the winter months to avoid any hairy moments if it gets frosty. I was all set to get Continental All Season Contact (theoretically the best available in my staggered sizes - 215/45 16 and 185/55 15). Then I saw the above test, and saw that the Vredestein Quatrac 5 gets a score of 9 for subjective (the same as the reference summer tyre), and is said to have the best steering response. As I am keen to retain as sporty a feel as possible in normal conditons, I'm now leaning towards the Vred instead. Is my logic sound, or am I being overly led by the results of a single test? Thanks
Your logic is both good in both directions. The Conti is a great tyre, but the Vred is very good for the size and the Vred has been noted to have great steering in a number of tests now. The other option is CrossClimate but i presume not available in your awkward sizes?
Thanks. Yeah, Crossclimate unavailable. I've emailed Michelin and they've no intention at present of making them in my rear size. Think I'll try the Vred
Whatever you go for, let me know how you find them :)
Hello Again, got my Vredestein Quatrac 5 fitted today, and took car out on some choice roads. Really, really pleased. Instantly make the car really secure, even in this unseasonably mild weather we're having here in the south at the mo. Roads just starting to get the first fall of leaves which, mixed with rain, create that greasy road feeling and the car just felt planted, even over bumpy, twisty negative camber back lanes. My first ever tyre with snowflake mountain symbol, so I've got nothing to compare them to. But the tyres I bought the car with, three weeks ago, were Tigar Prima front - drastically lacking feel, and Bridgestone Potenza RE040 rear - apparently good in it's day, but honestly a bit skittish. Compared to those, my new Vreds have more feel at the front, about the same feel at the back, and more grip across the board. So, it looks like I've got what I wanted. Difficult for me to imagine a siped tyre feeling more sporty. Can't wait to try them in cold weather ...
Excellent, glad you like them :)
John - I've got the same car and I've gone for the TS860's, so we can compare notes on MR2ROC in March ;)
Thanks for the reviews (to the other John!)...
Nice one. Just got my Vred Quatracs fitted today and lovin em! Feel really secure
There's no graph for the snow performance?
VERY good point! I've updated the article to include the graphs!