2016 AMS SUV All Season Tyre Test

With the 2016 winter season fast approaching, the AMS all season tyre test has been published, this time in the SUV / 4x4 size 215/60 R17.

Auto Motor Und Sport used a crossover Vauxhall Mokka to test four all season patterns, and compared them to a summer Continental Premium Contact 5 tyre, and a winter Continental WinterContact TS850 P SUV.

Like the ACE all season tyre test, Auto Bild found that despite the excellent snow performance, the all seasons tyres had a significant penalty under dry braking when compared to the summer tyre on test. This meant none of the all season tyres took the top award of "highly recommended", with just the Goodyear taking the "recommended" title.

The conclusion was that for optimum year round motoring, a summer and winter tyre combination was still the best choice.

For reference, the summer tyre (Continental Premium Contact 5) scored 9.5 in the dry, 9.8 in the wet, just 1.4 in the snow, 8 for environment, and 7.7 overall. The winter tyre (Continental Winter Contact TS850 P SUV) scored 7.1 in the dry, 8.3 in the wet, 9.7 in the snow, 7.7 for environment and 8.2 overall.

Results

1^st

Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2

215/60 R17

A well balanced tyre. A little understeer in the snow, good dynamics in the wet, good dry cornering but slightly weak under dry braking. An excellent winter bias all season tyre with low rolling resistance

All discipline results (5)

Test	%
Dry	—
Wet	—
Snow	—
Rolling Resistance	—
Overall	—

2^nd

Michelin CrossClimate

215/60 R17

As the only summer bias all season tyre in the test, the Michelin CrossClimate won the dry testing by a margin. It equaled the test winning Goodyear in the wet, but couldn't match the winter-bias all season Goodyear in the snow and ice. The best choice for climates which don't see heavy snowfall.

All discipline results (5)

Test	%
Dry	—
Wet	—
Snow	—
Rolling Resistance	—
Overall	—

3^rd

Nokian WeatherProof

215/60 R17

Auto Bild considered the Nokian WeatherProof SUV the most winter-like all season tyre on test. It excelled in the snow, and was strong in the wet, but had long dry braking distances.

All discipline results (5)

Test	%
Dry	—
Wet	—
Snow	—
Rolling Resistance	—
Overall	—

4^th

Vredestein Quatrac 5

215/60 R17

The Vredestein Quatrac 5 performed well under dry handling test, almost feeling sporty, but once again had a long dry braking distance when compared to the summer / CrossClimate. The Vredestein struggled under wet braking, and had weak grip and a poor balance in the snow tests.

All discipline results (5)

Test	%
Dry	—
Wet	—
Snow	—
Rolling Resistance	—
Overall	—