Test Summary
Wet Braking	Nokian WR D3
Dry Braking	Goodyear UltraGrip 8
Wet Handling	Continental ContiCrossContact Winter Pirelli Scorpion Winter
Rolling Resistance	Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D Continental ContiCrossContact Winter
Noise	Michelin Alpin A4 Continental ContiCrossContact Winter
Snow Handling	Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D Nexen WinGuard SUV Bridgestone Blizzak LM80 EVO Semperit Speed Grip 2 Pirelli Scorpion Winter Imperial Snowdragon 2

This years Auto Bild 4x4 and SUV winter tyre test covers a 215/65 R16 tyre size using a VW Toureg and 10 different winter tyre patterns. As usual, they are put through dry, wet and snow testing.

The Summer Tyre

To make things interesting Auto Bild have included a summer tyre in the test. Unsurprisingly the summer tyre lost every snow test, and won the dry handling and braking test (with Nokian a very close second), it was slightly more interesting in the wet.

The summer tyre took the advantage in wet handling and braking, but again the best winter wasn't far behind, with the Dunlop and Goodyear almost matching the summer tyre in the handling and braking tests respectively. During the curved aquaplaning tests the winter tyres dominated, proving they're far more effective at dealing with the standing water we experience in our long, wet winters.

Surprisingly the summer had the highest rolling resistance of all the winter tyres, save for the Nexen, and the noise test was extremely close with the top 5 tyres within 1/2 db of each other.

The Results

Very balanced winter tyre with few weaknesses, particularly good cornering grip in wet conditions

Relatively high price, average aquaplaning safety

Total: 39

Dry 5

Wet 7

Snow 7

Comfort 6

Rolling Resistance 7

Noise 7

Very balanced winter tyre, great cornering force in snowy conditions

Highest price in this comparison

Total: 38

Dry 6

Wet 6

Snow 7

Comfort 7

Rolling Resistance 6

Noise 6

Balanced and very good performance in snow, lowest rolling resistance in the test

Average performance when braking on wet and dry roads, increased tyre noise

Total: 38

Dry 6

Wet 6

Snow 8

Comfort 7

Rolling Resistance 7

Noise 4

Outstanding aquaplaning, maximum traction on snow, wet shortest braking distance

Prolonged dry braking distance, average braking on snow, not particularly quiet or cheap

Total: 36

Dry 5

Wet 8

Snow 7

Comfort 6

Rolling Resistance 5

Noise 5

Very good in the snow tests, low rolling noise

Prolonged dry braking distance, average rolling resistance and aquaplaning results, expensive

Total: 37

Dry 5

Wet 6

Snow 8

Comfort 6

Rolling Resistance 5

Noise 7

Good price/performance ratio, very quiet, well above average in the wet

Only average lateral grip in snow

Total: 36

Dry 6

Wet 7

Snow 6

Comfort 4

Rolling Resistance 6

Noise 7

Very high aquaplaning safety, almost as good as a summer tyre in the dry

Moderate ride comfort, relatively expensive, average on snow, not too quiet

Total: 33

Dry 7

Wet 7

Snow 5

Comfort 4

Rolling Resistance 5

Noise 5

A very short braking distance on wet roads, good braking on dry roads, low noise level

Moderate traction on snow, average cornering in the wet, average comfort

Total: 36

Dry 6

Wet 6

Snow 6

Comfort 5

Rolling Resistance 6

Noise 7

Cheap, best value when braking on snow and generally good on snow, fairly quiet

Slow on dry pavement, below average in the wet, the highest rolling resistance test

Total: 26

Dry 1

Wet 3

Snow 7

Comfort 4

Rolling Resistance 4

Noise 7

Very low price, very good braking on snow and generally good on snow, low rolling resistance

Disastrous in the wet, especially when braking, average dry roads, hard ride

Total: 25

Dry 4

Wet 1

Snow 6

Comfort 1

Rolling Resistance 6

Noise 7

Menu

2013 Auto Bild SUV / 4x4 Winter Tyre Test

The Summer Tyre

The Results

Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D

Michelin Alpin A4

Continental ContiCrossContact Winter

Goodyear UltraGrip 8

Pirelli Scorpion Winter

Semperit Speed Grip 2

Nokian WR D3

Bridgestone Blizzak LM80 EVO

Nexen WinGuard SUV

Imperial Snowdragon 2

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