The 2020 Auto Bild AllRad SUV / 4x4 tyre test has looked at the popular 255/55 R18 tyre size. While the tyre patterns included in the test are aimed at "soft roaders", which spend 99% of their time on normal roads, Auto Bild still went to the effort of testing the handling and traction on gravel of all ten tyres, along with traction on grass, mud and even sand!
Off-road performance is often an opposing quality to on-road grip, with dedicated off-road tyres performing well in loose surfaces such as gravel and mud, but poorly on-road in the dry and wet. It's worth noting, as we found out with our off-road tyre test, repeatable off-road testing is extremely difficult, especially in mud, so these figures should only be used as a broad guide.
Dry
Dry braking is often closely contested, but the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV proved to have a near meter advantage over the nearest rival. It's also been a long time since we've seen a budget tyre perform poorly in the dry, which is exactly what the Lexani LX-Thirty did, stopping the SUV 6.5 meters behind the Michelin!
The dry handling results were broadly the same, but this time Dunlop narrowly beat Michelin for the fastest lap time.
Wet
Michelin dominated the wet testing, winning all three tests.
Like dry braking, wet braking saw Michelin and Dunlop leading the way, with the budget Lexani tyre taking over 20 meters longer to stop the vehicle.
This time during wet handling, Michelin held the advantage, beating the Dunlop by a significant margin.
Surprisingly Michelin also performed best in the aquaplaning test, which is often an opposing quality for dry grip.
Offroad
Off-road is where things get really interesting / confusing. Usually, a tyre that performs well off-road, doesn't perform on-road, but it seems Michelin have done their best to disprove that rule.
The Pilot Sport 4 SUV was the best in the wet and dry overall, and had the fastest lap time during gravel handling.
Travel traction was close amongst the top five tyres, with Barum taking its first win of the test.
Grass traction was also won by the French manufacturer.
Maxxis won mud testing, with Dunlop and Michelin having to settle for second and third overall.
To highlight how interesting off-road testing is, sand traction was won by Cooper, wich was essentially last in mud and grass traction!
Environment
The Continental owned Barum Bravuris 5HM showed to have a significant advantage during rolling resistance testing, with the otherwise excellent Dunlop joint last.
All ten tyres were in 3dB of each other.
And finally it will be no surprise that the Michelin was the most expensive set of tyres on test, and the budget the cheapest! No wear testing was performed this time, so we're unable to work out what value each tyre represents.
Results
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Test | # | Result | Best | Difference | % |
Dry Braking | 1st | 33.2 M | | | 100% | Dry Handling | 2nd | 112.1 Km/H | 112.2 Km/H | -0.1 Km/H | 99.91% | Wet Braking | 1st | 46.4 M | | | 100% | Wet Handling | 1st | 86.2 Km/H | | | 100% | Straight Aqua | 1st | 89.7 Km/H | | | 100% | Gravel Handling | 1st | 64.5 Km/H | | | 100% | Gravel Traction | 2nd | 2427 N | 2440 N | -13 N | 99.47% | Sand Traction | 3rd | 2449 N | 2472 N | -23 N | 99.07% | Grass Traction | 1st | 3492 N | | | 100% | Mud Traction | 3rd | 2780 N | 2960 N | -180 N | 93.92% | Noise | 8th | 72.1 dB | 69.9 dB | +2.2 dB | 96.95% | Tyre Weight | 5th | 58 Kg | 52 Kg | +6 Kg | 89.66% | Price | 10th | 605 | 345 | +260 | 57.02% | Rolling Resistance | 4th | 7.75 kg / t | 6.68 kg / t | +1.07 kg / t | 86.19% | Driving dynamics in a class of their own. The test winner is ahead in almost all categories. High purchase price. Read Reviews Buy from £164.99 |
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Test | # | Result | Best | Difference | % |
Dry Braking | 2nd | 33.8 M | 33.2 M | +0.6 M | 98.22% | Dry Handling | 3rd | 111.4 Km/H | 112.2 Km/H | -0.8 Km/H | 99.29% | Wet Braking | 2nd | 48.1 M | 46.4 M | +1.7 M | 96.47% | Wet Handling | 2nd | 84.5 Km/H | 86.2 Km/H | -1.7 Km/H | 98.03% | Straight Aqua | 7th | 85.8 Km/H | 89.7 Km/H | -3.9 Km/H | 95.65% | Gravel Handling | 2nd | 64.2 Km/H | 64.5 Km/H | -0.3 Km/H | 99.53% | Gravel Traction | 5th | 2408 N | 2440 N | -32 N | 98.69% | Sand Traction | 8th | 2242 N | 2472 N | -230 N | 90.7% | Grass Traction | 4th | 3183 N | 3492 N | -309 N | 91.15% | Mud Traction | 2nd | 2840 N | 2960 N | -120 N | 95.95% | Noise | 6th | 71 dB | 69.9 dB | +1.1 dB | 98.45% | Tyre Weight | 8th | 58.4 Kg | 52 Kg | +6.4 Kg | 89.04% | Price | 8th | 530 | 345 | +185 | 65.09% | Rolling Resistance | 10th | 8.38 kg / t | 6.68 kg / t | +1.7 kg / t | 79.71% | Balanced performance in nearly all categories. High steering precision and short wet and dry braking. Average rolling resistance. Read Reviews Buy from £134.33 |
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Test | # | Result | Best | Difference | % |
Dry Braking | 5th | 34.8 M | 33.2 M | +1.6 M | 95.4% | Dry Handling | 7th | 111 Km/H | 112.2 Km/H | -1.2 Km/H | 98.93% | Wet Braking | 5th | 50.8 M | 46.4 M | +4.4 M | 91.34% | Wet Handling | 3rd | 84.2 Km/H | 86.2 Km/H | -2 Km/H | 97.68% | Straight Aqua | 5th | 86.4 Km/H | 89.7 Km/H | -3.3 Km/H | 96.32% | Gravel Handling | 2nd | 64.2 Km/H | 64.5 Km/H | -0.3 Km/H | 99.53% | Gravel Traction | 10th | 2228 N | 2440 N | -212 N | 91.31% | Sand Traction | 6th | 2319 N | 2472 N | -153 N | 93.81% | Grass Traction | 2nd | 3268 N | 3492 N | -224 N | 93.59% | Mud Traction | 4th | 2720 N | 2960 N | -240 N | 91.89% | Noise | 3rd | 70.2 dB | 69.9 dB | +0.3 dB | 99.57% | Tyre Weight | 3rd | 56.8 Kg | 52 Kg | +4.8 Kg | 91.55% | Price | 5th | 465 | 345 | +120 | 74.19% | Rolling Resistance | 2nd | 7.26 kg / t | 6.68 kg / t | +0.58 kg / t | 92.01% | Great price / performance ratio, good wet handling, low noise, low rolling resistance. Average traction on gravel. Read Reviews |
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Test | # | Result | Best | Difference | % |
Dry Braking | 3rd | 34.1 M | 33.2 M | +0.9 M | 97.36% | Dry Handling | 1st | 112.2 Km/H | | | 100% | Wet Braking | 3rd | 49.4 M | 46.4 M | +3 M | 93.93% | Wet Handling | 3rd | 84.2 Km/H | 86.2 Km/H | -2 Km/H | 97.68% | Straight Aqua | 7th | 85.8 Km/H | 89.7 Km/H | -3.9 Km/H | 95.65% | Gravel Handling | 7th | 63.5 Km/H | 64.5 Km/H | -1 Km/H | 98.45% | Gravel Traction | 3rd | 2423 N | 2440 N | -17 N | 99.3% | Sand Traction | 4th | 2387 N | 2472 N | -85 N | 96.56% | Grass Traction | 8th | 2967 N | 3492 N | -525 N | 84.97% | Mud Traction | 7th | 2680 N | 2960 N | -280 N | 90.54% | Noise | 1st | 69.9 dB | | | 100% | Tyre Weight | 5th | 58 Kg | 52 Kg | +6 Kg | 89.66% | Price | 8th | 530 | 345 | +185 | 65.09% | Rolling Resistance | 8th | 8.28 kg / t | 6.68 kg / t | +1.6 kg / t | 80.68% | Top performance on dry roads, dynamic dry handling, precise steering behavior, short dry braking, good comfort. Average grass traction. Read Reviews Buy from £124.99 |
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Test | # | Result | Best | Difference | % |
Dry Braking | 4th | 34.7 M | 33.2 M | +1.5 M | 95.68% | Dry Handling | 3rd | 111.4 Km/H | 112.2 Km/H | -0.8 Km/H | 99.29% | Wet Braking | 4th | 50.2 M | 46.4 M | +3.8 M | 92.43% | Wet Handling | 9th | 82.1 Km/H | 86.2 Km/H | -4.1 Km/H | 95.24% | Straight Aqua | 9th | 85.3 Km/H | 89.7 Km/H | -4.4 Km/H | 95.09% | Gravel Handling | 7th | 63.5 Km/H | 64.5 Km/H | -1 Km/H | 98.45% | Gravel Traction | 6th | 2379 N | 2440 N | -61 N | 97.5% | Sand Traction | 7th | 2264 N | 2472 N | -208 N | 91.59% | Grass Traction | 5th | 3071 N | 3492 N | -421 N | 87.94% | Mud Traction | 9th | 2650 N | 2960 N | -310 N | 89.53% | Noise | 5th | 70.4 dB | 69.9 dB | +0.5 dB | 99.29% | Tyre Weight | 10th | 59.2 Kg | 52 Kg | +7.2 Kg | 87.84% | Price | 7th | 500 | 345 | +155 | 69% | Rolling Resistance | 5th | 8.11 kg / t | 6.68 kg / t | +1.43 kg / t | 82.37% | A balanced premium summer tyre with stable and safe behaviour on wet and dry roads, good comfort. Average offroad performance. Read Reviews Buy from £148.62 |
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Test | # | Result | Best | Difference | % |
Dry Braking | 8th | 35.2 M | 33.2 M | +2 M | 94.32% | Dry Handling | 6th | 111.1 Km/H | 112.2 Km/H | -1.1 Km/H | 99.02% | Wet Braking | 6th | 52.4 M | 46.4 M | +6 M | 88.55% | Wet Handling | 7th | 82.4 Km/H | 86.2 Km/H | -3.8 Km/H | 95.59% | Straight Aqua | 2nd | 88.1 Km/H | 89.7 Km/H | -1.6 Km/H | 98.22% | Gravel Handling | 4th | 64.1 Km/H | 64.5 Km/H | -0.4 Km/H | 99.38% | Gravel Traction | 8th | 2320 N | 2440 N | -120 N | 95.08% | Sand Traction | 5th | 2354 N | 2472 N | -118 N | 95.23% | Grass Traction | 6th | 2996 N | 3492 N | -496 N | 85.8% | Mud Traction | 1st | 2960 N | | | 100% | Noise | 2nd | 70.1 dB | 69.9 dB | +0.2 dB | 99.71% | Tyre Weight | 8th | 58.4 Kg | 52 Kg | +6.4 Kg | 89.04% | Price | 3rd | 410 | 345 | +65 | 84.15% | Rolling Resistance | 7th | 8.19 kg / t | 6.68 kg / t | +1.51 kg / t | 81.56% | High aquaplaning resistance, good off road handling, good in the dry. Average wet performance in all categories. Read Reviews |
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Test | # | Result | Best | Difference | % |
Dry Braking | 9th | 36.8 M | 33.2 M | +3.6 M | 90.22% | Dry Handling | 9th | 109.7 Km/H | 112.2 Km/H | -2.5 Km/H | 97.77% | Wet Braking | 9th | 55.9 M | 46.4 M | +9.5 M | 83.01% | Wet Handling | 8th | 82.2 Km/H | 86.2 Km/H | -4 Km/H | 95.36% | Straight Aqua | 4th | 87.1 Km/H | 89.7 Km/H | -2.6 Km/H | 97.1% | Gravel Handling | 4th | 64.1 Km/H | 64.5 Km/H | -0.4 Km/H | 99.38% | Gravel Traction | 1st | 2440 N | | | 100% | Sand Traction | 2nd | 2460 N | 2472 N | -12 N | 99.51% | Grass Traction | 7th | 2993 N | 3492 N | -499 N | 85.71% | Mud Traction | 4th | 2720 N | 2960 N | -240 N | 91.89% | Noise | 9th | 72.2 dB | 69.9 dB | +2.3 dB | 96.81% | Tyre Weight | 1st | 52 Kg | | | 100% | Price | 2nd | 380 | 345 | +35 | 90.79% | Rolling Resistance | 1st | 6.68 kg / t | | | 100% | High traction on gravel and sand, good comfort, low rolling resistance, well priced. Understeer during dry handling, long wet braking, average traction on grass. Read Reviews |
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Test | # | Result | Best | Difference | % |
Dry Braking | 7th | 35.1 M | 33.2 M | +1.9 M | 94.59% | Dry Handling | 3rd | 111.4 Km/H | 112.2 Km/H | -0.8 Km/H | 99.29% | Wet Braking | 8th | 55.4 M | 46.4 M | +9 M | 83.75% | Wet Handling | 5th | 83.3 Km/H | 86.2 Km/H | -2.9 Km/H | 96.64% | Straight Aqua | 10th | 82.7 Km/H | 89.7 Km/H | -7 Km/H | 92.2% | Gravel Handling | 6th | 63.6 Km/H | 64.5 Km/H | -0.9 Km/H | 98.6% | Gravel Traction | 4th | 2410 N | 2440 N | -30 N | 98.77% | Sand Traction | 1st | 2472 N | | | 100% | Grass Traction | 9th | 2910 N | 3492 N | -582 N | 83.33% | Mud Traction | 8th | 2670 N | 2960 N | -290 N | 90.2% | Noise | 3rd | 70.2 dB | 69.9 dB | +0.3 dB | 99.57% | Tyre Weight | 2nd | 56 Kg | 52 Kg | +4 Kg | 92.86% | Price | 4th | 450 | 345 | +105 | 76.67% | Rolling Resistance | 6th | 8.13 kg / t | 6.68 kg / t | +1.45 kg / t | 82.16% | High traction on sand and gravel, stable dry handling, low rolling noise. Limited aquaplaning resistance, long wet braking distances. Read Reviews Buy from £126.70 |
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Test | # | Result | Best | Difference | % |
Dry Braking | 6th | 34.9 M | 33.2 M | +1.7 M | 95.13% | Dry Handling | 8th | 110.7 Km/H | 112.2 Km/H | -1.5 Km/H | 98.66% | Wet Braking | 7th | 54.2 M | 46.4 M | +7.8 M | 85.61% | Wet Handling | 6th | 82.6 Km/H | 86.2 Km/H | -3.6 Km/H | 95.82% | Straight Aqua | 3rd | 88 Km/H | 89.7 Km/H | -1.7 Km/H | 98.1% | Gravel Handling | 9th | 63.1 Km/H | 64.5 Km/H | -1.4 Km/H | 97.83% | Gravel Traction | 9th | 2305 N | 2440 N | -135 N | 94.47% | Sand Traction | 10th | 2225 N | 2472 N | -247 N | 90.01% | Grass Traction | 2nd | 3268 N | 3492 N | -224 N | 93.59% | Mud Traction | 4th | 2720 N | 2960 N | -240 N | 91.89% | Noise | 7th | 71.2 dB | 69.9 dB | +1.3 dB | 98.17% | Tyre Weight | 3rd | 56.8 Kg | 52 Kg | +4.8 Kg | 91.55% | Price | 6th | 480 | 345 | +135 | 71.88% | Rolling Resistance | 3rd | 7.39 kg / t | 6.68 kg / t | +0.71 kg / t | 90.39% | Good safety reserves for aquaplaning, low noise, low rolling resistance. Long wet braking, average offroad performance. Read Reviews |
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Test | # | Result | Best | Difference | % |
Dry Braking | 10th | 39.8 M | 33.2 M | +6.6 M | 83.42% | Dry Handling | 10th | 108.4 Km/H | 112.2 Km/H | -3.8 Km/H | 96.61% | Wet Braking | 10th | 68.3 M | 46.4 M | +21.9 M | 67.94% | Wet Handling | 10th | 78.2 Km/H | 86.2 Km/H | -8 Km/H | 90.72% | Straight Aqua | 6th | 85.9 Km/H | 89.7 Km/H | -3.8 Km/H | 95.76% | Gravel Handling | 9th | 63.1 Km/H | 64.5 Km/H | -1.4 Km/H | 97.83% | Gravel Traction | 7th | 2364 N | 2440 N | -76 N | 96.89% | Sand Traction | 9th | 2232 N | 2472 N | -240 N | 90.29% | Grass Traction | 10th | 2829 N | 3492 N | -663 N | 81.01% | Mud Traction | 10th | 2470 N | 2960 N | -490 N | 83.45% | Noise | 10th | 72.7 dB | 69.9 dB | +2.8 dB | 96.15% | Tyre Weight | 5th | 58 Kg | 52 Kg | +6 Kg | 89.66% | Price | 1st | 345 | | | 100% | Rolling Resistance | 9th | 8.37 kg / t | 6.68 kg / t | +1.69 kg / t | 79.81% | Cheap. Extremely long wet and dry braking distances, poor steering feel and feedback, dangerous levels of understeer. Read Reviews |