| Test Summary | |
| Wet Braking |
Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R |
| Dry Braking |
Falken Azenis FK510 |
| Wear |
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 |
| Rolling Resistance |
Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 |
| Noise |
Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 Falken Azenis FK510 |
| Snow Handling |
Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R |
| Snow Handling |
Nankang Noble Sport NS20 Toyo R888 |
| Ice Handling |
Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 Falken Azenis FK510 |
Using a BMW M2, Sport Auto used the M2 OE sizes of 245/35 R19 front and 265/35 R19 rear, and objectively tested wet and dry performances while also scoring the subjective handling and feel of a tyre.
As you would expect, the track day tyres dominated in the dry, were the weakest in the wet, and generally had the highest rolling resistance and were the nosiest. Some of the road tyres were surprisingly close to the track day rubber during dry testing, and they were leagues ahead in the wet testing.
Read on for the full results!
Dry
The Pirelli Trofeo R was perhaps the most confusing tyre in the dry. It was the strongest during dry handling, both in speed and subjective feel, but it could only manage fifth place overall in dry braking, being beaten by both the Michelin and Continental road tyres!
The track oriented Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 was second in both braking and handling, while the road going Michelin, the Pilot Sport 4S, proved to be the best road tyre for dry laptime, braking and subjective feel.
The cheapest tyre on test, the Nankang NS20 had the slowest lap time, the longest dry braking, and the poorest subjective handling.
Wet
In the wet, the order was quite different. The Falken FK510 proved to be the best wet weather tyre, winning the wet braking test and scoring second in wet handling. Confusingly, the Nankang NS20 which usually scores very poorly in the wet, proved to be the fastest wet handling tyre on test. This could be down to a compound update or a size irregularity, but with the NS20 proving to be the slowest in the 2018 Auto Bild 19" and 20" tests, this is a very unexpected result.
Of the track day tyres, the Michelin was the fastest on the wet handling lap, and had quite a subjective lead compared to the other two track day tyres. The Toyo R888 stopped the car the quickest just 0.2 metres ahead of the Michelin, with the Pirelli Trofeo R struggling a further 3 metres on.
There are few surprises in the aquaplaning test results, other than the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 out performing the other track day tyres significantly.
Environmental
The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S had the lowest fuel use.
While the Toyo R888 had the lowest drive-by noise, internally it was the least comfortable tyre on test highlighting the EU external label score for noise doesn't directly relate to the internal noise or comfort levels.
The Michelin pair of tyres were by far the most expensive on test, with the Nankang less than half the price of the Michelin in the 265/35 R19 size.
Results
Please note, Sport Auto also graded the track day tyres with a "dry track grading", where the Pirelli won with 10.7, the Michelin was second with 10.3 and the Toyo third with 9.9. We've used the "road and track" ratings for each tyre instead of the track only scorings. For full details please visit the Sport-Auto website and read the full test (in German)
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