The Goodyear finishes 2 points behind the Michelin, with a very similar overall result to its Dunlop brother, albest slightly weaker in the snow and the Pirelli finishes 5th, extremely strong in the wet but disappointing in the dry and the snow.
What do these results show? With hundreds of millions of pounds spent in research and development, even the best winter tyres still have to compromise in certain areas. With the results so close, it's important to make sure you pick a tyre that is right for your driving conditions.
The Results:
Nokian WR D3
225/45 R17
The Finnish brand Nokian clearly show their snow expertise by winning the snow and dry tests, combining two key qualities of a winter tyres. When wet, the D3 score slightly weakens due to poor "on the limit handling", switching between under and oversteer.
All discipline results (3)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D
225/45 R17
The Dunlop Winter Sport 4D is the winter tyre to have on any terrain. Characterised by good ride, the Dunlop narrowly missed out on the test win due to slightly poor dry braking.
All discipline results (3)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
Michelin Alpin A4
225/45 R17
Perhaps the sportiest tyre on test, the Michelin Alpin A4 wins the wet tests and only trails the leading dry tyre by 1 point. Unfortunately it seems the sporty characteristics in the dry and wet leave the Michelin scoring poorly in the snow, leaving the BMW with understeer.
All discipline results (3)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance 2
225/45 R17
While the Goodyear is closely related to the Dunlop, the different design approaches are obvious. The Goodyear has a much safer approach, which leaves the car understeering when it could develop extra grip at the risk of dynamic instability. Still, a good all round result, only slightly weaker than the Dunlop in the snow.
All discipline results (3)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
Pirelli Sottozero Serie II
225/45 R17
When wet, the Pirelli is one of the best tyres for a sporty drive, giving just a little understeer on the limit. Unfortunately the Pirelli can't carry the performance through to the dry or the snow, taking over 2 metres longer than the Nokian to stop in the dry.
All discipline results (3)
| Test | % |
|---|---|
| Dry | — |
| Wet | — |
| Snow | — |
with a test aimed at performance tyres, why did you test the WR D3, which is aimed at family 'economy' cars, and not the A3, which is the performance oriented tyre. I've just finished a 2400 mile trip through the alps on the A3s on my twin turbo legacy, and they were great in the snow, but also perform fantastically well in the wet and dry.
Hi,
Unfortunately it wasn't one of our tests, but it's a question we've wondered too.
Nokian must have had the choice of which tyre to supply, perhaps the A3 wasn't in full production when these tests were run...