Test Summary | |
Dry Braking | ▲Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125: 35.1 M ▼Vredestein Ultrac Satin: 38.3 M |
Dry Handling | ▲Maxxis Premitra HP5: 73.8 s ▼Nankang Noble Sport NS20: 76.1 s |
Subj. Dry Handling | ▲Maxxis Premitra HP5: 30 Points ▼Nankang Noble Sport NS20: 08 Points |
Wet Braking | ▲Bridgestone Turanza T005: 57.3 M ▼Nankang Noble Sport NS20: 69.4 M |
Wet Handling | ▲Continental Premium Contact 6: 088.8 s ▼Achilles ATR Sport 2: 102.3 s |
Subj. Wet Handling | ▲Continental Premium Contact 6: 45 Points ▼Achilles ATR Sport 2: 04 Points |
Straight Aqua | ▲Vredestein Ultrac Satin: 102.4 Km/H ▼Firestone RoadHawk: 087.2 Km/H |
Subj. Comfort | ▲Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue: 8 Points ▼Star-Performer UHP 3: 6 Points |
Noise | ▲Apollo Aspire XP: 70 dB ▼Firestone RoadHawk: 72 dB |
Price | ▲Goodride SA37: 230 ▼Michelin Primacy 4: 540 |
Rolling Resistance | ▲Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue: 6.33 kg / t ▼Nankang Noble Sport NS20: 9.08 kg / t |
As 225/50 R17 tyres generally bias towards comfort rather than outright sporty performance, AZ tested with the new brand BMW 3 Series, and performed the usual array of thirteen dry, wet, comfort and economy tests.
Proving that you get what you pay for, the top three tyres in the test were also the most expensive! Continental took the top spot, with excellent wet handling, short braking distances and good levels of comfort, while Michelin and Bridgestone tied for second place, with the Michelin performing better in the wet, and the Bridgestone having a very good dry performance.
A number of tyres performed very poorly in the wet, with the testers actually voicing safety concerns about one of the patterns tested! Read on for the full details below.
While Hankook could only manage fifth place overall, the Ventus Prime 3 had an unusually large advantage in dry braking. The top three tyres overall placed second to fourth, with Falken, Maxxis and Linglong close behind.
The Maxxis HP5 was narrowly fastest during the dry handling testing, and combined the fastest lap time with the best subjective handling score. The similarly priced Giti should be proud of their new tyres performance in the dry, also out performing the more expensive premium rivals.
Bridgestone and Michelin drew during wet braking, stopping the car a full meter shorter than the third placed Continental. This time Linglong was the stand out performer from the cheaper tyres on test.
Continental improved on its braking result, finishing fastest by a good margin during wet handling testing. The top three tyres from the wet handling lap were also the highest rated subjectively.
Vredestein had a significant advantage during the aquaplaning testing.
Pirelli won its first test by having the lowest rolling resistance on test.
All twenty tyres were split by 3dB in the external noise test.
Pirelli, Vredestein and Dunlop proved to be the most comfortable tyres.
While the Goodride, Achilles and Star Performer tyres were the cheapest on test, when you look at the overall results below you'll understand why choosing a tyre based on price might not be the safest idea.
1st: Continental Premium Contact 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Very short braking distance and balanced wet handling, good handling and high grip in the dry. None mentioned. Read Reviews Buy from £103.10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2nd: Bridgestone Turanza T005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Good handling in the wet, short dry braking distances, good dry stability. None mentioned. Read Reviews Buy from £98.80 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2nd: Michelin Primacy 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Excellent handling, traction and wet braking performance, short braking distance on dry surfaces, low rolling resistance. Average steering feel in the dry. Read Reviews Buy from £108.20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4th: Maxxis Premitra HP5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Predictable handling on dry surfaces, including during sharp maneuvers, good wet handling, well priced. Long wet braking. Read Reviews Buy from £72.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5th: Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Good wet traction, short dry braking, good dry handling. Understeer in the wet. Read Reviews Buy from £81.50 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6th: Vredestein Ultrac Satin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Very high aquaplaning resistance, good comfort, low noise. Long wet braking, poor dry stability and long dry braking distances. Read Reviews Buy from £84.40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7th: Dunlop Sport BluResponse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Low fuel use, short dry braking. Poor wet grip. Read Reviews Buy from £89.80 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7th: Falken ZIEX ZE914 EcoRun | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Good aquaplaning resistance, good wet handling, short dry braking. Weak lateral stability and understeer in the dry. Read Reviews Buy from £123.35 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9th: Giti GitiPremium H1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Good dry grip. Long wet braking distances and average wet handling. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10th: Apollo Aspire XP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Good dry traction, low noise. Slow steering response in the dry, poor wet grip. Read Reviews Buy from £77.53 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11th: Yokohama BluEarth AE50 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Precise steering in the wet, good slalom performance and good dry handling. Long wet braking distances. Read Reviews Buy from £92.60 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12th: Firestone RoadHawk | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Good dry handling. Understeer in the wet, average aquaplaning resistance. Read Reviews Buy from £79.70 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13th: Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Very low rolling resistance, good ride comfort. Long wet braking distances, poor lateral stability in the wet, low aquaplaning resistance, slow steering. Read Reviews Buy from £114.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14th: Linglong Green Max | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Short wet braking. Weak traction and lateral stability in the wet, poor balance in the dry. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15th: Westlake Sport SA37 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Acceptable dry handling. Nervous handling in the wet, high noise level. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16th: Rotalla RU01 S Pace | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Acceptable dry handling. Long wet braking and generally poor wet grip. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17th: Star Performer UHP 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Good dry handling. Long wet braking and generally poor wet grip. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18th: Goodride SA37 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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None mentioned. Long wet braking, slow steering, low wet safety. Understeer in the dry. Read Reviews Buy from £56.70 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19th: Nankang Noble Sport NS20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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None mentioned. Very long braking, poor traction, and slow steering in the wet. Very high rolling resistance. Oversteer in the dry. Read Reviews Buy from £56.10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20th: Achilles ATR Sport 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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None mentioned. Long braking distances and poor lateral stability in the wet (safety issue), long dry braking, unstable rear during dry handling. Read Reviews |