2021 Motor Summer Tyre Test

Dry BrakingContinental Premium Contact 6: 34.5 MImperial Ecosport 2: 39.1 M
Dry HandlingContinental Premium Contact 6: 56.1 sPirelli Cinturato P7 Blue: 57.6 s
Subj. Dry HandlingContinental Premium Contact 6: 7 PointsDebica Presto UHP2: 6.25 Points
Wet BrakingContinental Premium Contact 6: 48.1 MImperial Ecosport 2: 57.5 M
Wet HandlingContinental Premium Contact 6: 87.2 sPirelli Cinturato P7 Blue: 94.8 s
Straight AquaImperial Ecosport 2: 98.1 Km/HLaufenn S Fit EQ Plus: 92.29 Km/H
Curved AquaplaningGoodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5: 3.43 m/sec2Continental Premium Contact 6: 2.64 m/sec2
NoiseNokian PowerProof: 70.6 dBContinental Premium Contact 6: 72.9 dB
PriceImperial Ecosport 2: 234 Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue: 642
Rolling ResistancePirelli Cinturato P7 Blue: 6.6 kg / tGoodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5: 8.85 kg / t
Published a later than usual due to covid travel restrictions, the Polish magazine "Motor" have tested ten 225/55 R17 summer tyres in the usual array of wet and dry testing.

The 17 inch size tested can be found on a wide range of vehicles, such as the Audi A6, BMW 5-Series, and Mercedes E-Class, smaller vehicles like the BMW 3-Series and Mini Countryman, crossovers like the Honda CR-V, Nissan X-Trail and Skoda Karoq, and even minivans / people carriers like the Chrysler Voyager, Fiat Scudo and Opel Vivaro. 

Motor Magazine used a BMW 5 Series for the testing.

Dry

As with most tests including the Continental PremiumContact 6, the German tyre did exceptionally well in the dry, having the shortest dry braking, fastest dry handling lap and the best subjective dry handling feeling. The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 kept the Continental honest in the braking and the timed lap, and the Nokian PowerProof, Bridgestone Turanza T005 and Laufenn S Fit EQ+ performed well.

Unfortunately while the Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue was rated as one of the best tyres in the dry subjectively, it had a lack of grip in braking and handling.

Wet

The wet grip tests had a very similar order to dry, with the Continental tyre leading the Goodyear in both braking and handling tests, the Nokian and Bridgestone also performing well, and the Pirelli having a surprisingly disappointing result for a premium tyre.

The deep water straight aquaplaning test had a surprise win for the Imperial EcoSport 2 budget tyre, where as the Goodyear proved best in curved aquaplaning.

On balance, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 had the best balance between the shallow and deep water testing.

Environment

As we've found in the Tyre Reviews tests, the Nokian Powerproof and Continental PremiumContact 6 sit at opposite ends of the external noise tests.

The rolling resistance test perhaps highlights why Pirelli struggled in the grip tests, as the P7 Blue has a significantly lower rolling resistance than even the Bridgestone Turanza T005, which usually has the lowest rolling resistance on test.

Unsurprisingly the budget tyre is the cheapest tyre on test, with the Pirelli tyre offsetting it's low fuel use with a very high purchase price!

Results

1st: Continental Premium Contact 6

Continental Premium Contact 6
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking1st34.5 M100%
Dry Handling1st56.1 s100%
Subj. Dry Handling1st7 Points100%
Wet Braking1st48.1 M100%
Wet Handling1st87.2 s100%
Straight Aqua8th94.01 Km/H98.1 Km/H-4.09 Km/H95.83%
Curved Aquaplaning10th2.64 m/sec23.43 m/sec2-0.79 m/sec276.97%
Noise10th72.9 dB70.6 dB+2.3 dB96.84%
Price9th572 234 +338 40.91%
Rolling Resistance5th7.96 kg / t6.6 kg / t+1.36 kg / t82.91%
High level of safety and comfort, stable dry behavior, high grip and good wet stability.
Relatively low resistance to aquaplaning.

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2nd: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking2nd34.9 M34.5 M+0.4 M98.85%
Dry Handling2nd56.2 s56.1 s+0.1 s99.82%
Subj. Dry Handling8th6.4 Points7 Points-0.6 Points91.43%
Wet Braking2nd49.3 M48.1 M+1.2 M97.57%
Wet Handling2nd88.5 s87.2 s+1.3 s98.53%
Straight Aqua4th94.8 Km/H98.1 Km/H-3.3 Km/H96.64%
Curved Aquaplaning1st3.43 m/sec2100%
Noise7th71.3 dB70.6 dB+0.7 dB99.02%
Price6th508 234 +274 46.06%
Rolling Resistance9th8.85 kg / t6.6 kg / t+2.25 kg / t74.58%
Good handling and short braking distances on dry and wet roads, good aquaplaning resistance.
High rolling resistance.

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3rd: Nokian PowerProof

Nokian PowerProof
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking3rd35.3 M34.5 M+0.8 M97.73%
Dry Handling5th57 s56.1 s+0.9 s98.42%
Subj. Dry Handling5th6.5 Points7 Points-0.5 Points92.86%
Wet Braking3rd50.3 M48.1 M+2.2 M95.63%
Wet Handling5th90.4 s87.2 s+3.2 s96.46%
Straight Aqua3rd94.94 Km/H98.1 Km/H-3.16 Km/H96.78%
Curved Aquaplaning3rd3.27 m/sec23.43 m/sec2-0.16 m/sec295.34%
Noise1st70.6 dB100%
Price5th452 234 +218 51.77%
Rolling Resistance7th8.18 kg / t6.6 kg / t+1.58 kg / t80.68%
Good performance on dry and wet surfaces, low noise level, well priced.
High rolling resistance.

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4th: Bridgestone Turanza T005

Bridgestone Turanza T005
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking4th35.5 M34.5 M+1 M97.18%
Dry Handling3rd56.8 s56.1 s+0.7 s98.77%
Subj. Dry Handling4th6.55 Points7 Points-0.45 Points93.57%
Wet Braking4th51.2 M48.1 M+3.1 M93.95%
Wet Handling4th90 s87.2 s+2.8 s96.89%
Straight Aqua4th94.8 Km/H98.1 Km/H-3.3 Km/H96.64%
Curved Aquaplaning5th3.22 m/sec23.43 m/sec2-0.21 m/sec293.88%
Noise9th72 dB70.6 dB+1.4 dB98.06%
Price8th546 234 +312 42.86%
Rolling Resistance2nd7.12 kg / t6.6 kg / t+0.52 kg / t92.7%
Good handling on dry and wet surfaces, low rolling resistance.
High externa noise.

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5th: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2

Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking4th35.5 M34.5 M+1 M97.18%
Dry Handling6th57.2 s56.1 s+1.1 s98.08%
Subj. Dry Handling5th6.5 Points7 Points-0.5 Points92.86%
Wet Braking6th51.9 M48.1 M+3.8 M92.68%
Wet Handling3rd89.7 s87.2 s+2.5 s97.21%
Straight Aqua2nd95.19 Km/H98.1 Km/H-2.91 Km/H97.03%
Curved Aquaplaning2nd3.39 m/sec23.43 m/sec2-0.04 m/sec298.83%
Noise8th71.5 dB70.6 dB+0.9 dB98.74%
Price7th525 234 +291 44.57%
Rolling Resistance8th8.2 kg / t6.6 kg / t+1.6 kg / t80.49%
Good handling in all conditions (light understeer appears in high-speed corners on wet surfaces, but overall the tires provide a fairly high level of grip), good level of comfort, high resistance to aquaplaning.
High rolling resistance.

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6th: Maxxis Premitra HP5

Maxxis Premitra HP5
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking8th36.1 M34.5 M+1.6 M95.57%
Dry Handling6th57.2 s56.1 s+1.1 s98.08%
Subj. Dry Handling5th6.5 Points7 Points-0.5 Points92.86%
Wet Braking5th51.3 M48.1 M+3.2 M93.76%
Wet Handling5th90.4 s87.2 s+3.2 s96.46%
Straight Aqua6th94.4 Km/H98.1 Km/H-3.7 Km/H96.23%
Curved Aquaplaning7th3.09 m/sec23.43 m/sec2-0.34 m/sec290.09%
Noise3rd70.8 dB70.6 dB+0.2 dB99.72%
Price3rd376 234 +142 62.23%
Rolling Resistance6th8.12 kg / t6.6 kg / t+1.52 kg / t81.28%
Good balance of performance, good handling on dry and wet surfaces (although there is a slight tendency to understeer), well priced.
Long dry braking.

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7th: Debica Presto UHP2

Debica Presto UHP2
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking6th35.6 M34.5 M+1.1 M96.91%
Dry Handling9th57.6 s56.1 s+1.5 s97.4%
Subj. Dry Handling10th6.25 Points7 Points-0.75 Points89.29%
Wet Braking8th53.8 M48.1 M+5.7 M89.41%
Wet Handling5th90.4 s87.2 s+3.2 s96.46%
Straight Aqua7th94.11 Km/H98.1 Km/H-3.99 Km/H95.93%
Curved Aquaplaning6th3.17 m/sec23.43 m/sec2-0.26 m/sec292.42%
Noise2nd70.7 dB70.6 dB+0.1 dB99.86%
Price4th390 234 +156 60%
Rolling Resistance3rd7.76 kg / t6.6 kg / t+1.16 kg / t85.05%
Acceptable performance on dry and wet surfaces, good balance of performance, low noise level, low rolling resistance
Slow dry handling lap.

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8th: Laufenn S Fit EQ+

Laufenn S Fit EQ Plus
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking7th35.9 M34.5 M+1.4 M96.1%
Dry Handling4th56.9 s56.1 s+0.8 s98.59%
Subj. Dry Handling2nd6.7 Points7 Points-0.3 Points95.71%
Wet Braking7th53.7 M48.1 M+5.6 M89.57%
Wet Handling8th93.6 s87.2 s+6.4 s93.16%
Straight Aqua10th92.29 Km/H98.1 Km/H-5.81 Km/H94.08%
Curved Aquaplaning9th2.78 m/sec23.43 m/sec2-0.65 m/sec281.05%
Noise6th71.1 dB70.6 dB+0.5 dB99.3%
Price2nd319 234 +85 73.35%
Rolling Resistance3rd7.76 kg / t6.6 kg / t+1.16 kg / t85.05%
Acceptable dry results, relatively low rolling resistance.
Long wet braking, poor aquaplaning resistance.

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9th: Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue

Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking9th37.1 M34.5 M+2.6 M92.99%
Dry Handling9th57.6 s56.1 s+1.5 s97.4%
Subj. Dry Handling2nd6.7 Points7 Points-0.3 Points95.71%
Wet Braking9th56.4 M48.1 M+8.3 M85.28%
Wet Handling10th94.8 s87.2 s+7.6 s91.98%
Straight Aqua9th92.82 Km/H98.1 Km/H-5.28 Km/H94.62%
Curved Aquaplaning8th2.82 m/sec23.43 m/sec2-0.61 m/sec282.22%
Noise4th70.9 dB70.6 dB+0.3 dB99.58%
Price10th642 234 +408 36.45%
Rolling Resistance1st6.6 kg / t100%
Very low rolling resistance.
Long braking distances and poor handling on dry and wet surfaces, relatively low resistance to aquaplaning, high price.

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10th: Imperial Ecosport 2

Imperial Ecosport 2
  • 225/55 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking10th39.1 M34.5 M+4.6 M88.24%
Dry Handling8th57.3 s56.1 s+1.2 s97.91%
Subj. Dry Handling8th6.4 Points7 Points-0.6 Points91.43%
Wet Braking10th57.5 M48.1 M+9.4 M83.65%
Wet Handling9th94.6 s87.2 s+7.4 s92.18%
Straight Aqua1st98.1 Km/H100%
Curved Aquaplaning3rd3.27 m/sec23.43 m/sec2-0.16 m/sec295.34%
Noise4th70.9 dB70.6 dB+0.3 dB99.58%
Price1st234 100%
Rolling Resistance9th8.85 kg / t6.6 kg / t+2.25 kg / t74.58%
Very low price, good wet performance, low noise level.
Poor dry performance, high rolling resistance.

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