2022 AMS Winter Tyre Test

The first winter tyre test for 2022 is here, and it's the Auto Motor Und Sport UHP winter tyre test! This year AMS tested eight patterns in 245/45 R19 using an Audi A6 test vehicle.

There's almost nothing surprising about this test, it's nice when a test makes sense. At the front we have the Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 and Continental WinterContact TS870P (two of Tyre Reviews favorite UHP Winter tyres), with the wet masters Vredestein and Bridgestone following them up in third and fourth places overall.

Falken will likely be disappointed with last place, however the replacement to the HS01, the HS02, is now new to market so we expect this new tyre to be vastly improved.

Read on for the full data!

Dry

Michelin winter tyres always perform well in the dry, and this test was no exception with the Pilot Alpin 5 having a significant lead in dry braking over the second placed Continental, which in turn had a significant lead over the rest of the group.

Dry handling put the Continental back on top, with the Falken edging out the Michelin to second place.

Wet

The Vredestein Wintrac Pro had a 1.3 meter advantage during the wet braking test! Cooper and in particular Uniroyal struggled.

Vredestein held its lead in wet handling and Falken once again jumped up to second place, this time ahead of the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 in third.

Falken also had a large lead in the aquaplaning result.

Snow

Snow braking was led by the new Firestone WinterHawk 4, with Vredestein once again proving it's ability at slowing the test car.

Snow traction (figures in ms/2 not newtons) was led by Michelin, with Vredestein and Continental also performing well.

Continental and Michelin led the group during the snow handling testing with Falken continuing to struggle.

Environment

The Cooper Discoverer Winter claimed its first test win during external noise measuring.

Impressively the Conti had the lowest rolling resistance, with Falken once again struggling.

The Falken was however one of the cheapest tyres of the test.

Results

1^st

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

245/45 R19 102V

• EU Label: C/B/72
• Weight: 11.51 kgs
• Tread: 7.9 mm

Excellent driving dynamics with direct steering response, high level of grip and the best balance on snow. Shortest braking distances, high cornering stability and great steering precision on dry roads.

Deficits when braking in the wet, low aquaplaning resistance, faintly audible noise when cornering.

Very Good.

Dry

99.6%

Test	#	%
Dry Braking	1st	100%
Dry Handling	3rd	99.25%

Wet

93.2%

Test	#	%
Wet Braking	4th	91.91%
Wet Handling	5th	97.21%
Straight Aqua	5th	94.93%
Curved Aquaplaning	7th	88.89%

Snow

93.2%

Test	#	%
Snow Braking	3rd	96.89%
Snow Traction	1st	100%
Snow Handling	2nd	99.24%
Snow Circle	7th	76.72%

Comfort

99.6%

Test	#	%
Noise	2nd	99.57%

Value

78.6%

Test	#	%
Price	8th	63.43%
Rolling Resistance	6th	93.83%

Read Reviews Test Results

1^st

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

245/45 R19 102V

• EU Label: C/B/71
• Weight: 10.81 kgs
• Tread: 8.6 mm

Despite small deficits in cornering grip, very easy to control handling on snow with wide reserves. Balanced in the wet, short braking distances, neutral and precise grip on dry roads.

Comparatively weak on wet roads with limited braking, low aquaplaning resistance and reduced grip in curves.

Very Good.

Dry

99.2%

Test	#	%
Dry Braking	2nd	98.42%
Dry Handling	1st	100%

Wet

94.9%

Test	#	%
Wet Braking	6th	89.83%
Wet Handling	4th	98.14%
Straight Aqua	8th	92.52%
Curved Aquaplaning	3rd	98.92%

Snow

94.1%

Test	#	%
Snow Braking	3rd	96.89%
Snow Traction	3rd	97.29%
Snow Handling	1st	100%
Snow Circle	4th	82.15%

Comfort

98.4%

Test	#	%
Noise	6th	98.44%

Value

86.3%

Test	#	%
Price	7th	72.59%
Rolling Resistance	1st	100%

Read Reviews Test Results

3^rd

Vredestein Wintrac Pro

245/45 R19 102W

• EU Label: D/B/72
• Weight: 12.46 kgs
• Tread: 8.6 mm

Very good traction and braking on snow. Quite balanced wet properties, safe lane changes.

Unexpectedly low lateral grip on snow. Limited controllability in the wet at the limit of grip. Long dry braking with sensitive handling and lower grip during dry handling. Disturbing noise when cornering.

Very Good.

Dry

95.2%

Test	#	%
Dry Braking	6th	91.97%
Dry Handling	7th	98.51%

Wet

97.5%

Test	#	%
Wet Braking	1st	100%
Wet Handling	1st	100%
Straight Aqua	4th	95.18%
Curved Aquaplaning	6th	94.62%

Snow

93.6%

Test	#	%
Snow Braking	2nd	98.03%
Snow Traction	2nd	98.1%
Snow Handling	7th	96.03%
Snow Circle	4th	82.15%

Comfort

99.6%

Test	#	%
Noise	2nd	99.57%

Value

92%

Test	#	%
Price	5th	87.89%
Rolling Resistance	2nd	96.2%

Read Reviews Test Results

4^th

Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

245/45 R19 102V

• EU Label: C/A/72
• Weight: 11.94 kgs
• Tread: 8.0 mm

Very balanced, reliable and easy to control on snow. Very short braking distances thanks to very good grip in the wet. Dynamic, spontaneous steering and agile on dry roads.

Longer dry braking distances, oversteer balance when driving fast in the dry.

Very Good.

Dry

96.2%

Test	#	%
Dry Braking	5th	93.35%
Dry Handling	4th	99.09%

Wet

97.4%

Test	#	%
Wet Braking	2nd	96.07%
Wet Handling	3rd	98.27%
Straight Aqua	3rd	96.58%
Curved Aquaplaning	4th	98.57%

Snow

92.1%

Test	#	%
Snow Braking	5th	95.77%
Snow Traction	5th	95.93%
Snow Handling	4th	97.35%
Snow Circle	6th	79.24%

Comfort

98.3%

Test	#	%
Noise	7th	98.3%

Value

86.2%

Test	#	%
Price	6th	76.26%
Rolling Resistance	2nd	96.2%

Read Reviews Test Results

5^th

Firestone Winterhawk 4

245/45 R19 102V

• EU Label: C/B/71
• Weight: 11.92 kgs
• Tread: 7.9 mm

Easy to control with very good driving dynamics, high level of grip and generous reserves on snow. Balanced cornering dynamics dry at a reduced level.

Weak braking and limited liability reserves, plus sensitive to load changes in the wet, increased risk of aquaplaning. Long braking distances even on dry tracks. Audible internal noise and low levels of comfort.

Good.

Dry

94.3%

Test	#	%
Dry Braking	7th	89.69%
Dry Handling	5th	98.92%

Wet

90.3%

Test	#	%
Wet Braking	5th	91.64%
Wet Handling	6th	96.54%
Straight Aqua	6th	92.78%
Curved Aquaplaning	8th	80.29%

Snow

93.1%

Test	#	%
Snow Braking	1st	100%
Snow Traction	4th	97.02%
Snow Handling	3rd	99.05%
Snow Circle	8th	76.34%

Comfort

99.1%

Test	#	%
Noise	4th	99.14%

Value

97.5%

Test	#	%
Price	1st	100%
Rolling Resistance	5th	95%

Read Reviews Test Results

6^th

Cooper Discoverer Winter

245/45 R19 102V

• EU Label: C/B/71
• Weight: 11.75 kgs
• Tread: 7.9 mm

Still decent braking and traction on snow. Very quiet and quite comfortable tyre.

Unexpectedly low cornering on snow with respectable traction and braking grip. Poor performance with risk of oversteer in the wet and less secure balance in dry corners. High rolling resistance.

Sufficient.

Dry

97.3%

Test	#	%
Dry Braking	4th	96.24%
Dry Handling	8th	98.42%

Wet

93.8%

Test	#	%
Wet Braking	7th	82.6%
Wet Handling	7th	95.88%
Straight Aqua	2nd	97.21%
Curved Aquaplaning	2nd	99.64%

Snow

94.5%

Test	#	%
Snow Braking	7th	92.22%
Snow Traction	7th	92.14%
Snow Handling	5th	96.6%
Snow Circle	2nd	96.9%

Comfort

100%

Test	#	%
Noise	1st	100%

Value

92%

Test	#	%
Price	3rd	96.55%
Rolling Resistance	7th	87.36%

Read Reviews Test Results

6^th

Uniroyal WinterExpert

245/45 R19 102V

• EU Label: C/C/72
• Weight: 12.46 kgs
• Tread: 8.8 mm

Still decent traction in snow, good cornering ability on dry asphalt.

Poor driving stability and poor grip in the wet. Too long braking distances on wet and dry asphalt. Sensitive to load changes in fast corners. Audible rolling noises in the interior when cornering.

Sufficient.

Dry

93.9%

Test	#	%
Dry Braking	8th	88.78%
Dry Handling	5th	98.92%

Wet

90.6%

Test	#	%
Wet Braking	8th	80.51%
Wet Handling	8th	92.42%
Straight Aqua	6th	92.78%
Curved Aquaplaning	5th	96.77%

Snow

92.4%

Test	#	%
Snow Braking	6th	94.32%
Snow Traction	6th	94.58%
Snow Handling	6th	96.41%
Snow Circle	3rd	84.14%

Comfort

98.6%

Test	#	%
Noise	5th	98.58%

Value

92.6%

Test	#	%
Price	4th	89.09%
Rolling Resistance	2nd	96.2%

Read Reviews Test Results

6^th

Falken Eurowinter HS01

245/45 R19 102V

• EU Label: D/B/72
• Weight: 13.84 kgs
• Tread: 8.9 mm

Very decent wet performance with superior aquaplaning resistance but small limitations in cornering grip. Safe, understeering, reliable driving dynamics on dry roads, high levels of comfort.

Long braking distances, sluggish steering response and little grip on snow. Disturbing rolling noise in curves.

Sufficient.

Dry

97.9%

Test	#	%
Dry Braking	3rd	96.45%
Dry Handling	2nd	99.42%

Wet

98.2%

Test	#	%
Wet Braking	3rd	93.53%
Wet Handling	2nd	99.07%
Straight Aqua	1st	100%
Curved Aquaplaning	1st	100%

Snow

88.9%

Test	#	%
Snow Braking	8th	83%
Snow Traction	8th	81.3%
Snow Handling	8th	91.12%
Snow Circle	1st	100%

Comfort

97.1%

Test	#	%
Noise	8th	97.07%

Value

88.1%

Test	#	%
Price	2nd	99.49%
Rolling Resistance	8th	76.77%

Read Reviews Test Results