2020 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test

Dry BrakingVredestein Wintrac Pro: 44.2 MDunlop Winter Sport 5: 47.2 M
Dry HandlingBridgestone Blizzak LM005: 97.5 Km/HDuraturn Mozzo Winter: 94.5 Km/H
Wet BrakingBridgestone Blizzak LM005: 43.4 MDuraturn Mozzo Winter: 58.5 M
Wet HandlingVredestein Wintrac Pro: 87.6 Km/HDuraturn Mozzo Winter: 79.7 Km/H
Straight AquaMaxxis Premitra Snow WP6: 78.5 Km/HDuraturn Mozzo Winter: 70.5 Km/H
Snow BrakingDunlop Winter Sport 5: 26.1 MMaxxis Premitra Snow WP6: 27.9 M
Snow TractionDunlop Winter Sport 5: 2385 NMaxxis Premitra Snow WP6: 2230 N
Snow HandlingDunlop Winter Sport 5: 58.4 Km/HMaxxis Premitra Snow WP6: 56.5 Km/H
NoiseSyron Everest 1 plus: 69.9 dBMichelin Alpin 6: 73.7 dB
PriceDuraturn Mozzo Winter: 230 Michelin Alpin 6: 615
Rolling ResistanceUniroyal MS Plus 77: 7.61 kg / tSyron Everest 1 plus: 9.72 kg / t
The 2020 Auto Bild SUV Tyre test has tested ten crossover SUV / 4x4 winter tyres in the popular 225/55 R17 size, with a summer tyre included as a reference.

Of the ten tyres on test, the top four tyres were given the "Exemplary" award, which included the new Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+, the much improved Bridgestone Blizzak LM005, the new Michelin Alpin 6 and the Vredestein Wintrac Pro.

The test winning Goodyear had a good all round performance, with the testers noting the winter tyre felt precise and dynamic in all conditions. The Bridgestone LM005 performed well in the dry and wet to secure second place, while the joint third Michelin and Vredestein pair performed well in all tests, but either cost more to buy (Michelin) or used more fuel (Vredestein.)

Dunlop and Toyo finished fifth and sixth place overall, both being awarded the label "Good". The Dunlop was the strongest tyre in the snow on test, but was let down by the worst dry braking, while the Toyo struggled in the wet.

The final four tyres on test all struggled more in the wet than the best on test.

Dry

The reference summer tyre had a significant advantage in the dry tests, with the gap a huge 5.3 meters. While summer tyres always out performed all season and winter tyres in dry braking, it's rare we see a gap this big, which is probably lengthened by the extra weight and higher centre of gravity of the BMW X1 used for testing.

Dry handling kept the summer tyres advantage, with the Bridgestone performing extremely well from the winter tyres.

Wet

The Bridgestone took the top stop during the wet braking testing, with the gap between the summer tyre and the best winter tyre closing to 2.5 meters.

Vredestein proved to be the best winter tyre during wet handling, with the Duraturn again struggling to perform.

Budget tyres often perform well in aquaplaning testing, however the Duraturn struggled again, floating the X1 significantly earlier than the best on test by Maxxis.

Snow

The snow braking group was very close, with the Dunlop edging out the Uniroyal and Goodyear tyres.

Snow traction again had the Dunlop at the top of the test.

Dunlop rounded out the snow testing with a triple win, performing best in snow handling.

Environment

The Michelin was strangely noisy in this test, something we've not seen before for this tyre.

The summer tyre used the least fuel on test, with the Uniroyal a surprise best of the winter tyres.

Results

Be sure to check out the Auto Bild website for the full results.

1st: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Plus
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking7th45.9 M44.2 M+1.7 M96.3%
Dry Handling5th95.4 Km/H97.5 Km/H-2.1 Km/H97.85%
Wet Braking3rd45.6 M43.4 M+2.2 M95.18%
Wet Handling3rd87 Km/H87.6 Km/H-0.6 Km/H99.32%
Straight Aqua7th75.2 Km/H78.5 Km/H-3.3 Km/H95.8%
Snow Braking3rd26.4 M26.1 M+0.3 M98.86%
Snow Traction2nd2380 N2385 N-5 N99.79%
Snow Handling3rd58.2 Km/H58.4 Km/H-0.2 Km/H99.66%
Noise7th71.4 dB69.9 dB+1.5 dB97.9%
Price8th545 230 +315 42.2%
Rolling Resistance6th8.13 kg / t7.61 kg / t+0.52 kg / t93.6%
Exemplary premium tyres with the best snow quality, high steering precision and dynamic handling properties in all weather conditions, short snow / wet braking distances, good comfort, fair price.
None mentioned.
Excellent.

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2nd: Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking4th45.4 M44.2 M+1.2 M97.36%
Dry Handling1st97.5 Km/H100%
Wet Braking1st43.4 M100%
Wet Handling4th86.8 Km/H87.6 Km/H-0.8 Km/H99.09%
Straight Aqua6th75.3 Km/H78.5 Km/H-3.2 Km/H95.92%
Snow Braking6th26.9 M26.1 M+0.8 M97.03%
Snow Traction5th2345 N2385 N-40 N98.32%
Snow Handling6th57.2 Km/H58.4 Km/H-1.2 Km/H97.95%
Noise2nd70.2 dB69.9 dB+0.3 dB99.57%
Price7th505 230 +275 45.54%
Rolling Resistance3rd7.68 kg / t7.61 kg / t+0.07 kg / t99.09%
Convincing all round performance, precise steering behavior, short snow and wet braking distances, dynamic dry handling, low external noise, good price / performance ratio.
None mentioned.
Excellent.

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3rd: Michelin Alpin 6

Michelin Alpin 6
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking2nd44.7 M44.2 M+0.5 M98.88%
Dry Handling4th95.6 Km/H97.5 Km/H-1.9 Km/H98.05%
Wet Braking4th45.9 M43.4 M+2.5 M94.55%
Wet Handling5th85.9 Km/H87.6 Km/H-1.7 Km/H98.06%
Straight Aqua5th75.6 Km/H78.5 Km/H-2.9 Km/H96.31%
Snow Braking9th27.8 M26.1 M+1.7 M93.88%
Snow Traction7th2325 N2385 N-60 N97.48%
Snow Handling8th57.1 Km/H58.4 Km/H-1.3 Km/H97.77%
Noise10th73.7 dB69.9 dB+3.8 dB94.84%
Price10th615 230 +385 37.4%
Rolling Resistance4th7.86 kg / t7.61 kg / t+0.25 kg / t96.82%
Premium tyres with stable handling qualities in all weather, excellent wet handling, precise steering with good feedback.
High price, increased pass-by noise.
Excellent.

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3rd: Vredestein Wintrac Pro

Vredestein Wintrac Pro
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking1st44.2 M100%
Dry Handling6th95.3 Km/H97.5 Km/H-2.2 Km/H97.74%
Wet Braking2nd44.7 M43.4 M+1.3 M97.09%
Wet Handling1st87.6 Km/H100%
Straight Aqua4th76.4 Km/H78.5 Km/H-2.1 Km/H97.32%
Snow Braking7th27.6 M26.1 M+1.5 M94.57%
Snow Traction6th2330 N2385 N-55 N97.69%
Snow Handling6th57.2 Km/H58.4 Km/H-1.2 Km/H97.95%
Noise4th70.6 dB69.9 dB+0.7 dB99.01%
Price6th500 230 +270 46%
Rolling Resistance8th8.85 kg / t7.61 kg / t+1.24 kg / t85.99%
Balance winter tyres with dynamic driving characteristics on wet roads, high aquaplaning resistance, short wet braking distances, good comfort.
Slightly high rolling resistance.
Excellent.

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5th: Dunlop Winter Sport 5

Dunlop Winter Sport 5
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking10th47.2 M44.2 M+3 M93.64%
Dry Handling6th95.3 Km/H97.5 Km/H-2.2 Km/H97.74%
Wet Braking6th47.2 M43.4 M+3.8 M91.95%
Wet Handling2nd87.1 Km/H87.6 Km/H-0.5 Km/H99.43%
Straight Aqua3rd76.8 Km/H78.5 Km/H-1.7 Km/H97.83%
Snow Braking1st26.1 M100%
Snow Traction1st2385 N100%
Snow Handling1st58.4 Km/H100%
Noise6th71.3 dB69.9 dB+1.4 dB98.04%
Price9th590 230 +360 38.98%
Rolling Resistance5th8.12 kg / t7.61 kg / t+0.51 kg / t93.72%
The winter king with best driving performance on snow, good aquaplaning resistance, precise steering behavior, dynamic wet handling.
Slightly longer dry braking distances.
Good.

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6th: Toyo Observe S 944

Toyo Observe S 944
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking5th45.7 M44.2 M+1.5 M96.72%
Dry Handling3rd96 Km/H97.5 Km/H-1.5 Km/H98.46%
Wet Braking5th46.9 M43.4 M+3.5 M92.54%
Wet Handling7th84.6 Km/H87.6 Km/H-3 Km/H96.58%
Straight Aqua9th74.3 Km/H78.5 Km/H-4.2 Km/H94.65%
Snow Braking7th27.6 M26.1 M+1.5 M94.57%
Snow Traction4th2350 N2385 N-35 N98.53%
Snow Handling9th57 Km/H58.4 Km/H-1.4 Km/H97.6%
Noise9th71.9 dB69.9 dB+2 dB97.22%
Price4th465 230 +235 49.46%
Rolling Resistance6th8.13 kg / t7.61 kg / t+0.52 kg / t93.6%
Balance with tyres with stable driving characteristics on snow covered and wet roads, high aquaplaning resistance.
Slow steering response and understeer in the wet.
Good.

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7th: Uniroyal MS+ 77

Uniroyal MS Plus 77
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking9th46.8 M44.2 M+2.6 M94.44%
Dry Handling8th95.2 Km/H97.5 Km/H-2.3 Km/H97.64%
Wet Braking8th49 M43.4 M+5.6 M88.57%
Wet Handling8th84.5 Km/H87.6 Km/H-3.1 Km/H96.46%
Straight Aqua2nd77.4 Km/H78.5 Km/H-1.1 Km/H98.6%
Snow Braking2nd26.2 M26.1 M+0.1 M99.62%
Snow Traction7th2325 N2385 N-60 N97.48%
Snow Handling4th58.1 Km/H58.4 Km/H-0.3 Km/H99.49%
Noise5th71.1 dB69.9 dB+1.2 dB98.31%
Price5th470 230 +240 48.94%
Rolling Resistance1st7.61 kg / t100%
Winter professional with very good driving characteristics in the snow, low rolling resistance.
Average wet grip, long wet and dry braking distances, understeer in wet handling.
Fair.

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8th: Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6

Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking3rd45.3 M44.2 M+1.1 M97.57%
Dry Handling2nd96.2 Km/H97.5 Km/H-1.3 Km/H98.67%
Wet Braking7th48.3 M43.4 M+4.9 M89.86%
Wet Handling6th85.2 Km/H87.6 Km/H-2.4 Km/H97.26%
Straight Aqua1st78.5 Km/H100%
Snow Braking10th27.9 M26.1 M+1.8 M93.55%
Snow Traction10th2230 N2385 N-155 N93.5%
Snow Handling10th56.5 Km/H58.4 Km/H-1.9 Km/H96.75%
Noise8th71.7 dB69.9 dB+1.8 dB97.49%
Price3rd385 230 +155 59.74%
Rolling Resistance9th8.95 kg / t7.61 kg / t+1.34 kg / t85.03%
Best aquaplaning performance, short snow braking distances, stable dry handling, low price.
Longer wet braking distances, slow steering response, higher rolling resistance.
Fair.

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9th: Syron Everest 1 plus

Syron Everest 1 plus
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking5th45.7 M44.2 M+1.5 M96.72%
Dry Handling9th94.7 Km/H97.5 Km/H-2.8 Km/H97.13%
Wet Braking9th49.9 M43.4 M+6.5 M86.97%
Wet Handling9th83.6 Km/H87.6 Km/H-4 Km/H95.43%
Straight Aqua8th74.8 Km/H78.5 Km/H-3.7 Km/H95.29%
Snow Braking4th26.6 M26.1 M+0.5 M98.12%
Snow Traction3rd2355 N2385 N-30 N98.74%
Snow Handling5th57.9 Km/H58.4 Km/H-0.5 Km/H99.14%
Noise1st69.9 dB100%
Price2nd310 230 +80 74.19%
Rolling Resistance10th9.72 kg / t7.61 kg / t+2.11 kg / t78.29%
Good winter performance, low noise, low price.
Slow steering with average grip and understeer in the wet, long dry braking distances, high rolling resistance.
Not Recommended.

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10th: Duraturn Mozzo Winter

Duraturn Mozzo Winter
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking8th46.1 M44.2 M+1.9 M95.88%
Dry Handling10th94.5 Km/H97.5 Km/H-3 Km/H96.92%
Wet Braking10th58.5 M43.4 M+15.1 M74.19%
Wet Handling10th79.7 Km/H87.6 Km/H-7.9 Km/H90.98%
Straight Aqua10th70.5 Km/H78.5 Km/H-8 Km/H89.81%
Snow Braking5th26.7 M26.1 M+0.6 M97.75%
Snow Traction7th2325 N2385 N-60 N97.48%
Snow Handling2nd58.3 Km/H58.4 Km/H-0.1 Km/H99.83%
Noise3rd70.4 dB69.9 dB+0.5 dB99.29%
Price1st230 100%
Rolling Resistance2nd7.67 kg / t7.61 kg / t+0.06 kg / t99.22%
Inexpensive winter tyre with good snow qualities.
Low wet grip, low aquaplaning resistance, poor steering response, dangerously long wet and dry braking distances.
Not Recommended.

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