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2020 Retread Summer Tyre Test

Jonathan Benson
Data analyzed and reviewed by Jonathan Benson
3 min read Updated
Contents
  1. Introduction
  2. Dry
  3. Wet
  4. Environment
  5. Results
  6. Continental Premium Contact 6
  7. Debica Presto HP
  8. King Meiler HPZ

Test Publication:
195/65 R16 3 tyres 4 categories
Similar Tests
Test Publication:
Tyre Reviews
https://www.tyrereviews.com
Test Size: 195/65 R16
Tyres Tested: 3 tyres
Test Categories:
4 categories (9 tests)
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Here at Tyre Reviews, we receive many different questions about tyres, but one question that comes up more than most asks if modern retreaded tyres, sometimes called "retread" or "remoulds", any good?

While we've not been able to test ourselves, tests from many years ago indicate that retreaded tyres don't perform as well as even a budget tyre. Car tyres typically aren't designed to be retreaded (commercial bus and lorry tyres are), so the retreading process can leave you with not only poor performance, but a product that could be classified as unsafe.

Naturally in the past few years there have been improvements in the car retreading process, and one brand in particular, King Meiler, has established a name for itself as "the" retreading brand.

To find out whether a modern retread can match a premium, or even a budget tyre, the Polish magazine "Motor" have tested the King Meiler HPZ against the premium Continental PremiumContact 6, and a much cheaper Debica Presto HP.

The results speak for themselves.

Dry

It's been a while since we've seen such huge differences in the dry between a premium tyre and a brand like Debica, which indicates that this version of the Presto HP certainly isn't the grippiest tyre on test, so for the retreaded tyre to be so far behind in both dry braking and dry handling, indicates a serious lack of grip!

Dry Braking

Spread: 7.00 M (19.7%)|Avg: 39.07 M
Dry braking in meters (Lower is better)
  1. Continental Premium Contact 6
    35.50 M
  2. Debica Presto HP
    39.20 M
  3. King Meiler HPZ
    42.50 M

Dry Handling

Spread: 2.40 s (4.6%)|Avg: 53.63 s
Dry handling time in seconds (Lower is better)
  1. Continental Premium Contact 6
    52.60 s
  2. Debica Presto HP
    53.30 s
  3. King Meiler HPZ
    55.00 s

Subj. Dry Handling

Spread: 2.90 Points (39.2%)|Avg: 5.77 Points
Subjective Dry Handling Score (Higher is better)
  1. Continental Premium Contact 6
    7.40 Points
  2. Debica Presto HP
    5.40 Points
  3. King Meiler HPZ
    4.50 Points

Wet

Wet was a similar story to dry, except with larger margins. While the Debica stopped the car a pretty sizable 6.3 meters after the premium Continental, the King Meiler took a HUGE extra 24.3 meters to stop the car, again from 100 km/h.  This means, where the car on the Debica stops, the car fitted with the King-Meiler tyres will still be doing more than 48 km/h!

Wet Braking

Spread: 24.30 M (46.9%)|Avg: 62.00 M
Wet braking in meters (Lower is better)
  1. Continental Premium Contact 6
    51.80 M
  2. Debica Presto HP
    58.10 M
  3. King Meiler HPZ
    76.10 M

Wet Handling

Spread: 13.80 s (15.9%)|Avg: 93.07 s
Wet handling time in seconds (Lower is better)
  1. Continental Premium Contact 6
    86.70 s
  2. Debica Presto HP
    92.00 s
  3. King Meiler HPZ
    100.50 s

The retread tyre also performed poorly in straight aquaplaning.

Straight Aqua

Spread: 11.20 Km/H (13.6%)|Avg: 78.50 Km/H
Float Speed in Km/H (Higher is better)
  1. Debica Presto HP
    82.30 Km/H
  2. Continental Premium Contact 6
    82.10 Km/H
  3. King Meiler HPZ
    71.10 Km/H

Environment

With the retreaded tyre both noiser, and less comfortable than the premium and budget tyres, its only positive quality was price. However, with the longevity of the tyre untested, is a 100 euro saving really worth all the negative qualities?

Subj. Comfort

Spread: 1.50 Points (20%)|Avg: 6.67 Points
Subjective Comfort Score (Higher is better)
  1. Continental Premium Contact 6
    7.50 Points
  2. Debica Presto HP
    6.50 Points
  3. King Meiler HPZ
    6.00 Points

Noise

Spread: 1.40 dB (2.2%)|Avg: 64.13 dB
External noise in dB (Lower is better)
  1. Debica Presto HP
    63.30 dB
  2. Continental Premium Contact 6
    64.40 dB
  3. King Meiler HPZ
    64.70 dB

Price

Spread: 99.04 (76.3%)|Avg: 177.92
Price in local currency (Lower is better)
  1. King Meiler HPZ
    129.72
  2. Debica Presto HP
    175.28
  3. Continental Premium Contact 6
    228.76

Results

1st

Continental Premium Contact 6

195/65 R16
Continental Premium Contact 6
Test # Result Best Diff %
Dry Braking 1st 35.5 M 100%
Dry Handling 1st 52.6 s 100%
Subj. Dry Handling 1st 7.4 Points 100%
Test # Result Best Diff %
Wet Braking 1st 51.8 M 100%
Wet Handling 1st 86.7 s 100%
Straight Aqua 2nd 82.1 Km/H 82.3 Km/H -0.2 Km/H 99.76%
Test # Result Best Diff %
Subj. Comfort 1st 7.5 Points 100%
Noise 2nd 64.4 dB 63.3 dB +1.1 dB 98.29%
Test # Result Best Diff %
Price 3rd 228.76 129.72 +99.04 56.71%
Read Reviews Test Results Results Table Test Charts
2nd

Debica Presto HP

195/65 R16
Debica Presto HP
Test # Result Best Diff %
Dry Braking 2nd 39.2 M 35.5 M +3.7 M 90.56%
Dry Handling 2nd 53.3 s 52.6 s +0.7 s 98.69%
Subj. Dry Handling 2nd 5.4 Points 7.4 Points -2 Points 72.97%
Test # Result Best Diff %
Wet Braking 2nd 58.1 M 51.8 M +6.3 M 89.16%
Wet Handling 2nd 92 s 86.7 s +5.3 s 94.24%
Straight Aqua 1st 82.3 Km/H 100%
Test # Result Best Diff %
Subj. Comfort 2nd 6.5 Points 7.5 Points -1 Points 86.67%
Noise 1st 63.3 dB 100%
Test # Result Best Diff %
Price 2nd 175.28 129.72 +45.56 74.01%
Read Reviews Test Results Results Table Test Charts
3rd

King Meiler HPZ

195/65 R16
King Meiler HPZ
Test # Result Best Diff %
Dry Braking 3rd 42.5 M 35.5 M +7 M 83.53%
Dry Handling 3rd 55 s 52.6 s +2.4 s 95.64%
Subj. Dry Handling 3rd 4.5 Points 7.4 Points -2.9 Points 60.81%
Test # Result Best Diff %
Wet Braking 3rd 76.1 M 51.8 M +24.3 M 68.07%
Wet Handling 3rd 100.5 s 86.7 s +13.8 s 86.27%
Straight Aqua 3rd 71.1 Km/H 82.3 Km/H -11.2 Km/H 86.39%
Test # Result Best Diff %
Subj. Comfort 3rd 6 Points 7.5 Points -1.5 Points 80%
Noise 3rd 64.7 dB 63.3 dB +1.4 dB 97.84%
Test # Result Best Diff %
Price 1st 129.72 100%
Read Reviews Test Results Results Table Test Charts

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Discussion

15 comments
  1. John archived

    For an interesting comparison heres a Finnish tyre test of studded winter tyres comparing retreaded Ässä tyres to Goodyears, where the results for the retread were actually decent (in Finnish):

    https://www.is.fi/autot/art...

    Granted it is already from a few years back but does paint a different picture. Maybe you cant put all retreads in the same basket?

    #5903
    1. TyreReviews John archived

      Thanks, I'll check it out!

      #5904
  2. Claudio Di Francesco archived

    Well, this is exactly, what we have seen over years. In MotorTalk i've been fired after writing bad things about KingMeiler. :) MotorTalk ist in the tyre forum absolutely silly because of a Moderator, who don't likes critical words about KingMeiler an chinese KungFu-Tyres. Critics are only allowed on premium tires..... The best was, the owner of the King-Meiler-Factory places loads of promotion there as posts.... if you try to ask for the truth, you'll get kicked off... I think, when she sees the wet-brake-results, she says you used oil instead of water when King-Meiler was on the track :D

    My personal result: King-Meiler is dangerous rubberwaste, it should be prohibited in the EC, better in the whole world on passenger cars

    #5832
  3. Scour archived

    Thanks, it´s what I expected after the Autobild Braking-Test.

    At Motor-Talk, the biggest car-forum in Germany Kingmeiler-tyres have a real fight-topic with some ultrahard Retreaded-worshipper and some ppl who have worse experiences with it.

    I wrote even a 3rd-brand of a leading manufacturer (hope the translation for Drittmarke is correct?) is much better than a Kingmeiler, but you show even a 4th-brand beat it easy.

    In Germany retreaded tyres for cars have a very very small marketshare, dunno how it is in UK

    #5828
    1. TyreReviews Scour archived

      It's certainly an interesting topic! I'm going to try and get a set of retreads into a test sometime, I'm not sure what brands I can get in the UK though.

      #5829
      1. Scour TyreReviews archived

        A typo? You
        mean the Conti instead of Debica?

        “This
        means, where the car on the Debica stops, the car fitted with the King-Meiler
        tyres will still be doing more than 48 km/h!”

        And if I take a look at all summer tyres test I
        read the retreated tyres are 195-65

        #5830
        1. TyreReviews Scour archived

          I believe that was not a typo, braking speeds are often terrifying!

          #5836
          1. Scour TyreReviews archived

            Could be, 18m difference is a lot. I think a normal car don´t need 18m to stop from 48km/h

            #5843
  4. Solomon Grundy archived

    Thanks, this is what folks suspected all along! It would be interesting to know if the EU tyre label wet and noise markings are a true reflection of these results too.

    #5827
  5. Andrew Watson archived

    Thanks for that, so still as bad as ever.

    Thanks also for the youtube vid showing the Conti above compared to the Goodyear and Michelin. I have a MX5 NC with BBR turbo and used to have Michelin supersport in 17 inch, but as you mentioned the top tyres now only appear made for 19 inch wheels on 1,2 litre Corsas...

    :(

    So that video very useful. The Goodyear seems a real no-brainer, nice compromise and a lot cheaper , you almost get a free tyre if you buy a set of 4 !

    Interesting the Conti wear .. I was in that camp that thought they made them really soft just to win the tests by the German car magazines.... :)

    All the best, cracking website, hope it goes from strength to strength.

    #5824
    1. TyreReviews Andrew Watson archived

      Thanks, let me know if you make the switch and how you find it!

      #5825
  6. Igor archived

    Auto Bild also tested King Meiler sport 3 this year in 245/45R18 size. Also last place.
    https://www.tyrereviews.co....

    I guess it's maybe safer to buy any Chinese brand, even the price may be the same.

    #5821
    1. TyreReviews Igor archived

      A logical assumption to make

      #5822
  7. Pedro Neves archived

    The results were even worst than I expected! In which tyre size were they tested?

    #5813
    1. TyreReviews Pedro Neves archived

      Sorry, article updated. It was 205/55 R16

      #5817