Auto Bild are the European leaders in tyre testing, and go to lengths with their tests no other publication can. Firstly, to select the sixteen all season tyres in this test, they placed thirty two sets through a dry and wet braking test with the top sixteen qualifying, ensuring these sixteen are some of the very best on the market.
Secondly, Auto Bild contracted out a very expensive wear test, which consisted of 12,000 km for each set of tyres in real world conditions, then extrapolated the data through to 1.6mm. This allows the testers to put the total mileage covered against the purchase price to work out which tyre is best value. More on this later in the article.
This Test VS Tyre Reviews Test
If you've already seen the 2021 Tyre Reviews All Season Tyre Test, you will find the results of this test familiar in parts, and surprising in others due to the different ranking of the tyres across the two tests. As these differences can be confusing to tyre shoppers, I'd like to talk about why these differences exist.
Firstly, the Auto Bild test uses a different scoring weight to Tyre Reviews, and they convert results into points and then into a final point based grade. Unlike Tyre Reviews, some of the calculations made are not public, so it's difficult to work out the exact reason each tyre came where, but they do provide most of the raw data which is very useful.
Secondly, Auto Bild have tested and scored on more categories, including wear and the overall value of the tyre which is an important criteria Tyre Reviews does not.
Thirdly, the test conditions were different. This test used 225/50 R17 on a heavy RWD BMW 3 Series, and tested the dry and wet performance of the tyres in warm summer conditions (22c+). Tyre Reviews used 205/55 R16 on a lighter FWD VW Golf and tested the dry and wet performance of the tyres at a cool 4c. Tyre Reviews also snow tested the traditional way outdoors during winter, whereas Auto Bild used a much smaller indoor snow facility.
Lastly, the grip surfaces were different. Tyre Reviews tested on a track with a surface grip similar to a new tarmac road. Auto Bild like to use low grip surfaces to expand the differences between the tyres, especially in wet braking which can sometimes be artificially low.
The Differing Results
Now you understand the differences in testing, what are the differences in results?
There are four important changes between the two tests, the Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen-3 won this test instead of fifth in Tyre Reviews, the Michelin CrossClimate 2 placed seventh here and won the Tyre Reviews test, the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF2 dropped from second in Tyre Reviews to fourteenth in this test, and the Nokian SeasonProof scored well in this test overall.
The Goodyear result is easy to explain. In the Tyre Reviews test, the 16" Goodyear struggled in wet braking at both temperatures tested. Had it not, it would have been one of the best tyres on test (noted in the article), and in this test it performed as expected. It's difficult to understand why the Goodyear didn't perform well in the Tyre Reviews wet braking tests without further testing, but from all the other testing the tyre has done, it seems like that was the outlier.
The Michelin CrossClimate 2 was marked down for two reasons in Auto Bild. Firstly, it scored relatively poorly in wear, and when you calculate value based on purchase price it worked out to be one of the worst value tyres on test - this is not something Tyre Reviews scores on. Secondly, the French tyre struggled in the wet in both tests, which might be down to the lower grip surfaces used, or a function of the vehicle and size combination.
The Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF2 lost a lot of points in this test due to the worst wet braking and wet handling in this test, compared to the Tyre Reviews test where it had reasonable wet performance. This is harder to explain, but could again be a function of the low grip surface of the tracks or the tyre size differences.
Finally, the Nokian SeasonProof actually had similar results between the tests, it just seems Auto Bild put a much higher weighting on snow performance than Tyre Reviews does. Plus, the high wear and competitive purchase price made this tyre the second best in terms of value on test, which is worth a lot of points promoting it in this test.
Conclusion
To conclude, there are differences in tyre test results all the time, and I understand that it's frustrating for the customer especially when new tyres like the CrossClimate 2 and SF2 have different results between the first big tests they feature in.
In the incredibly complicated world of tyre test, the goal of Tyre Reviews has never been to say "our data is right, ignore everyone else", instead it is to give you as many data points as possible to allow you to make your own purchase decision. I still encourage you do that for future purchases.
The positive is there is a lot of synergies between tests too! The Continental AllSeasonContact performed well in both tests, as did the Vredestein product, and the third placed Hankook in this test also performed well in the Tyre Reviews test last year.
Dry
As we've become accustomed to in all season tests, the Michelin CrossClimate 2 led the way in dry braking and dry handling, but this time some of the other all season tyres had closed the gap.
Wet
Wet testing highlighted three brands as having good wet performance, Vredestein, Goodyear and Falken took the top three spots in both wet braking and wet handling.
The summer tyre had a surprisingly large lead in the straight aquaplaning test. The curved aquaplaning data can be found in the results table below.
Snow
All three snow tests were led by Nokian, who have a strong history with excellent winter products. Michelin have improved on the snow performance of the CrossClimate+, with the CrossClimate 2 scoring well in all three tests, and Firestone and Continental also performed well in the winter conditions.
Environment
The Pirelli Cinturato SF2 had the lowest external noise on test in a group which was only split by 3db.
Of the leading tyres overall, Michelin and Pirelli had very low rolling resistances.
Wear
The three charts below cover the calculated total tread life of the tyre based on 15,000km on the road, then calculated down to 1.6mm, the purchase price of the tyres in euros at the time of publication (this figure can vary between markets and times of year) and then the value of the tyre, based on how many euros you pay in wear based every 1000 miles.
Michelin, long known for some of the best wear on test, seem to have dropped some mileage from the new CrossClimate 2, which could only finish mid pack with an estimated tread life of 40,000km. Instead, the Kumho Solus 4S HA32 proved to have the lowest wear of the group, calculated to cover over 54,000km with the Nokian SeasonProof in second at a very reasonable 51,000km.
Perhaps most impressively, given the high grip in nearly all tests, was the Goodyear Vector 4Season Gen-3 which promised to cover 50,000km, with it's main rivals from Continental and Hankook only expected to cover 43,000km and 34,000km respectively.
While the wear performance of the top tyres on test were impressive, the difference in value was even more apparent, with the high priced Michelin one of the worst value tyres on test with the group leading Kumho and Nexen products offering nearly half the price per kilometer travelled.
The Goodyear offered the best best value of the leading tyres overall.
Results
1st: Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Test winner with convincing performance in any weather, dynamic handling, short wet braking distances, very good aquaplaning resistance, very low wear, good value for money. None mentioned. Read Reviews Buy from £125.88 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2nd: Continental AllSeasonContact | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Convincing all round performance with good winter qualities, precise steering behavior, best safety reserves at aquaplaning, good ride comfort, low rolling resistance. High price. Read Reviews Buy from £141.99 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3rd: Hankook Kinergy 4S2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Good all season tyres with balanced driving characteristics, stable wet and dry handling, short snow and wet braking, good aquaplaning resistance, well priced. Limited mileage. Read Reviews Buy from £124.81 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4th: Vredestein Quatrac Pro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wet specialist with dynamic handling and short braking distances on wet roads, good comfort. Limited mileage, high rolling resistance. Read Reviews Buy from £109.99 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5th: Nokian SeasonProof | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Winter specialist with convincing driving characteristics on snow, low wear, good price to performance ratio. Understeer in the dry and wet. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5th: Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Good traction and short braking distances in the snow, dynamic wet and dry handling, short wet braking distances, low wear. Understeering snow handling, high rolling resistance. Read Reviews Buy from £115.85 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7th: Michelin CrossClimate 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dry specialist with safe snow qualities, dynamic handling, good aquaplaning resistance, low rolling resistance. Understeer in the wet, high price level. Read Reviews Buy from £146.08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8th: Maxxis Premitra All Season AP3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Good cornering and high traction in the snow, short snow braking, low noise, cheap purchase price. Average in the wet, average mileage. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9th: Dunlop Sport All Season | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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New all season tyre with good performance and dynamic driving in the dry and wet. Lots of understeer in the snow, average mileage. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9th: Bridgestone Weather Control A005 EVO | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sporty dynamic dry handling, good traction and short braking on ice and snow, stable wet handling. Understeer snow handling, poor wear. Read Reviews Buy from £125.99 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11th: Viking FourTech | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Short snow braking, good aquaplaning safety, short wet braking, low rolling resistance. Average snow traction, understeer in the wet, long dry braking. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12th: Kumho Solus 4S HA32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dynamic dry handling, lowest wear in test. Average wet grip, understeer in the snow. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13th: Firestone MultiSeason Gen 02 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Good traction and short braking distances in the snow, stable dry and snow handling, low wear. Very low aquaplaning resistance, average grip in the wet. Read Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14th: Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dynamic handling and short braking distances in the snow and on dry roads, low rolling resistance. Long wet braking. Read Reviews Buy from £136.99 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15th: Nexen N Blue 4 Season | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Low wear, short dry braking distances, cheap price. Average winter performance, high understeer in the wet, high rolling resistance. Read Reviews Buy from £99.28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16th: Giti GitiAllSeason AS1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Short snow and wet braking distances, good comfort, low noise. Weak lateral grip in the dry and on snow, limited mileage, high rolling resistance. Read Reviews |