2019 SUV 4x4 Summer Tyre Test

The 2019 Auto Bild AllRad SUV tyre test tested ten 225/55 R17 tyre patterns using BMW X3, covering dry, wet, gravel, mud and grass performance! 

As with other tests in 2019, the gap between the best and worst tyres on test is getting ever smaller, and while the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 took another win, three tyres were awarded the second place slot!

The Continental PremiumContact 6, Hankook Ventus Prime 3 and Nokian PowerProof all were deemed "exemplary" buy Auto Bild, with each tyre having a slightly different balance of performance overall, but all equally as recommended.

This is a data heavy test so full information can be found below, but it's worth noting nearly any of the top six placed tyres would be excellent purchases in 2019. Check the results from each test carefully, and decide which tyre best suits your own personal requirements.

Dry

The Continental PremiumContact 6 proved to be the best in the dry, placing top in the dry braking and dry handling tests. The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 placed a close second, with the Hankook third overall.

Wet

In the wet the Goodyear proved to be the best tyre, but the Nokian Powerproof was excellent during the wet handling test.

All ten tyres were extremely close during the aquaplaning testing.

Off-road

Off-road testing is extremely difficult to conduct, and the results of these tests seemed to show no real trends.

The Nokian Powerproof was fastest during gravel handling, but only eighth overall for gravel traction, while the winning Hankook in the gravel traction test was slowest round the gravel handling lap!

There doesn't seem to be any correlation between gravel, grass and mud traction results.

Environment

As proven before, the Bridgestone Turanza T005 has extremely low rolling resistance.

The budget CST proved to be the quietest tyre on test, with the Hankook also scoring well.

The Continental PremiumContact 6 was the most expensive tyre to buy.

Results

View Results as a single table and adjust the score weighting

1st: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5
225/55 R17	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 2nd +0.6 M 98.27% Dry Handling 2nd -0.7 Km/H 99.33% Wet Braking 1st 100% Wet Handling 2nd -0.5 Km/H 99.44% Straight Aqua 7th -1.8 Km/H 97.8% Gravel Handling 5th -1.5 Km/H 97.77% Gravel Traction 3rd -376 N 96.2% Grass Traction 1st 100% Mud Traction 4th -211 N 92.26% Noise 3rd +0.8 dB 98.77% Price 8th +220 55.1% Rolling Resistance 4th +1.13 kg / t 87% Excellent handling, precise steering response and very short stopping distances on dry and wet roads. None mentioned. Test winner. Read Reviews    Buy from £106.79
2nd: Continental Premium Contact 6
225/55 R17	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 1st 100% Dry Handling 1st 100% Wet Braking 2nd +0.6 M 98.74% Wet Handling 2nd -0.5 Km/H 99.44% Straight Aqua 8th -3.8 Km/H 95.37% Gravel Handling 3rd -0.2 Km/H 99.7% Gravel Traction 10th -1462 N 85.24% Grass Traction 6th -782 N 91.81% Mud Traction 10th -495 N 81.83% Noise 8th +2.9 dB 95.68% Price 10th +280 49.09% Rolling Resistance 2nd +0.83 kg / t 90.11% Excellent dry handling, very short wet and dry braking. Poor grip in gravel and dirt. Exemplary. Read Reviews    Buy from £121.69
2nd: Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
225/55 R17	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 2nd +0.6 M 98.27% Dry Handling 3rd -0.8 Km/H 99.24% Wet Braking 3rd +1.6 M 96.7% Wet Handling 6th -2 Km/H 97.77% Straight Aqua 8th -3.8 Km/H 95.37% Gravel Handling 10th -2.4 Km/H 96.44% Gravel Traction 1st 100% Grass Traction 2nd -86 N 99.1% Mud Traction 6th -305 N 88.81% Noise 2nd +0.6 dB 99.07% Price 6th +165 62.07% Rolling Resistance 7th +1.62 kg / t 82.35% Good dry handling, good wet and dry braking, good off road, best price / performance ratio. None mentioned. Exemplary. Read Reviews    Buy from £92.49
2nd: Nokian PowerProof
225/55 R17	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 4th +1.5 M 95.77% Dry Handling 6th -1.3 Km/H 98.76% Wet Braking 6th +4.3 M 91.6% Wet Handling 1st 100% Straight Aqua 5th -0.9 Km/H 98.9% Gravel Handling 1st 100% Gravel Traction 8th -1118 N 88.71% Grass Traction 3rd -246 N 97.42% Mud Traction 5th -300 N 88.99% Noise 9th +3.2 dB 95.25% Price 7th +205 56.84% Rolling Resistance 3rd +1.02 kg / t 88.11% Good performance on all types of surfaces, very good handling on gravel and wet asphalt. Increased noise. Exemplary. Read Reviews    Buy from £104.79
5th: Maxxis Premitra HP5
225/55 R17	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 5th +1.6 M 95.51% Dry Handling 3rd -0.8 Km/H 99.24% Wet Braking 5th +4 M 92.14% Wet Handling 4th -1 Km/H 98.89% Straight Aqua 1st 100% Gravel Handling 4th -1.1 Km/H 98.37% Gravel Traction 4th -416 N 95.8% Grass Traction 9th -1480 N 84.5% Mud Traction 2nd -154 N 94.35% Noise 6th +1.9 dB 97.13% Price 2nd +50 84.38% Rolling Resistance 9th +1.82 kg / t 80.6% Great aquaplaning resistance, good handling on dry and wet roads. Weak grip on grass and sand. Exemplary. Read Reviews    Buy from £90.49
6th: Bridgestone Turanza T005
225/55 R17	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 6th +1.7 M 95.24% Dry Handling 8th -1.9 Km/H 98.19% Wet Braking 4th +3 M 93.99% Wet Handling 5th -1.4 Km/H 98.44% Straight Aqua 6th -1 Km/H 98.78% Gravel Handling 6th -1.8 Km/H 97.33% Gravel Traction 7th -841 N 91.51% Grass Traction 10th -1561 N 83.65% Mud Traction 9th -330 N 87.89% Noise 9th +3.2 dB 95.25% Price 8th +220 55.1% Rolling Resistance 1st 100% Good handling in almost any environment, high aquaplaning resistance, low rolling resistance. Weak grip on grass. Exemplary. Read Reviews    Buy from £102.99
7th: Toyo Proxes Sport
225/55 R17	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 8th +3.1 M 91.64% Dry Handling 5th -0.9 Km/H 99.14% Wet Braking 8th +5.7 M 89.16% Wet Handling 7th -2.1 Km/H 97.66% Straight Aqua 4th -0.6 Km/H 99.27% Gravel Handling 2nd -0.1 Km/H 99.85% Gravel Traction 5th -660 N 93.33% Grass Traction 8th -1024 N 89.28% Mud Traction 8th -318 N 88.33% Noise 5th +1.3 dB 98.02% Price 4th +105 72% Rolling Resistance 7th +1.62 kg / t 82.35% Good handling on gravel and in the dry, high aquaplaning resistance. Poor wet handling. Good. Read Reviews    Buy from £78.69
8th: Nexen N Fera RU1
225/55 R17	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 7th +2.5 M 93.15% Dry Handling 7th -1.8 Km/H 98.28% Wet Braking 7th +5.4 M 89.67% Wet Handling 8th -2.2 Km/H 97.55% Straight Aqua 10th -4.2 Km/H 94.88% Gravel Handling 8th -2.1 Km/H 96.88% Gravel Traction 2nd -310 N 96.87% Grass Traction 7th -829 N 91.32% Mud Traction 7th -315 N 88.44% Noise 6th +1.9 dB 97.13% Price 3rd +80 77.14% Rolling Resistance 10th +2.68 kg / t 73.83% Acceptable handling on dry and wet roads, high grip on sand and gravel. Long wet braking, highest rolling resistance. Good. Read Reviews    Buy from £90.69
9th: Cooper Zeon CS8
225/55 R17	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 9th +3.5 M 90.67% Dry Handling 10th -2.4 Km/H 97.71% Wet Braking 9th +7.8 M 85.74% Wet Handling 9th -3 Km/H 96.66% Straight Aqua 2nd -0.5 Km/H 99.39% Gravel Handling 7th -2 Km/H 97.03% Gravel Traction 6th -760 N 92.32% Grass Traction 4th -669 N 92.99% Mud Traction 3rd -183 N 93.28% Noise 4th +1 dB 98.47% Price 5th +130 67.5% Rolling Resistance 6th +1.23 kg / t 86.01% Good dry grip. Poor wet handling, grip and long wet braking distances. Conditionally Recommended. Read Reviews    Buy from £112.49
10th: CST Medallion MD A1
225/55 R17	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 10th +3.8 M 89.95% Dry Handling 9th -2.2 Km/H 97.9% Wet Braking 10th +13.3 M 77.91% Wet Handling 10th -5.1 Km/H 94.32% Straight Aqua 2nd -0.5 Km/H 99.39% Gravel Handling 9th -2.3 Km/H 96.59% Gravel Traction 9th -1323 N 86.64% Grass Traction 5th -712 N 92.54% Mud Traction 1st 100% Noise 1st 100% Price 1st 100% Rolling Resistance 5th +1.18 kg / t 86.5% Low noise, excellent in the mud. Dangerously long wet braking distances, poor wet handling, high levels of understeer in the dry. Not Recommended. Read Reviews