| Test Summary | |
| Wet Braking |
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue |
| Dry Braking |
Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue Uniroyal RainSport 3 Semperit SpeedLife 2 |
| Rolling Resistance |
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance Dunlop Sport BluResponse |
| Noise |
Continental Premium Contact 5 Nexen N Blue HD Plus Semperit SpeedLife 2 |
| Snow Braking |
Yokohama BluEarth AE50 |
| Snow Handling |
Yokohama BluEarth AE50 |
| Ice Braking |
Yokohama BluEarth AE50 |
The Tests
Auto Bild tested all 15 tyres across twelve tests using a MK7 VW Golf. The tests covered wet performance, dry performance, comfort, noise, wear, rolling resistance and the value of the tyre, based on the cost per set and the number of miles achieved.
The Wet
In the wet, the second placed overall Pirelli P7 Cinturato proved to be the best wet performer, with the test winning Hankook marked down for an average aquaplaning performance, third placed Continental good in all areas, but couldn't quite match the Pirelli, and fourth placed Goodyear all extremely close top the Pirelli. Two other Continental owned brands scored extremely well in the wet, with Semperit and Uniroyal matching the Pirellis overall wet result.
The Dry
As these were the best 15 tyres from a test of 50, all the tyres were extremely close in the dry with the average lap speed separated by just 1.4 mph! Once again the Pirelli was the best across the dry lap, with the Hankook, Dunlop and Continental close behind. The Semperit and Uniroyal tyre, which proved to be strong in the wet, highlighted a good wet / dry balance is still reserved for the premium tyres, as they finished last in the dry handling test.
Fuel economy
The overall result of the rolling resistance testing was extremely close, with the test winning Dunlop offering just 4% better economy than the Nokian, which was the worst tyre on test.
Wear
Wear tests are extremely hard to replicate in the lab, so Auto Bild hired the independent test body DEKRA to carry out real-world wear tests. DEKRA drove each tyre for 10,000 km on the road, then laser measured the wear to extrapolate total mileage at 1.6mm.
Surprisingly, the usual wear king Michelin only took second place at 40,981 km, with Yokohama a surprise victor with a projected distance of 42,660 km. Hankook showed an excellent balance of wet grip and wear, finishing third with 36,884 km, whereas Hankooks wet and dry rival Pirelli only promised 28,208 km.
The test once again highlighted the trade between wet grip and wear some of the manufacturers have to make to hit a price point, with Semperit and Uniroyal finishing bottom of the test with almost half the tread life the Yokohama offered, at 24,139 km and 22,998 km respectively.
Value
With an accurate wear test, Auto Bild were able to compare price vs mileage to give the tyres a value score. Unsurprisingly Yokohama win, with Hankook , Nexen and Michelin close behind. Pirelli finished eleventh due to the high price / average wear, and unsurprisingly Uniroyal finished last.
The Full Results
2016 seems to be the year of Hankook, with the new Ventus Prime3 offering premium levels of performance at a slightly lower price than the established premium rivals. The wet grip / wear balance is one of the best on tests, and the only real weakness is an average aquaplaning performance.
Pirelli must have recently updated the Cinturato P7 Blue, as it seems to be testing very well this year, and Continental stay strong with their now aging Premium Contact 5, rounding out the top three.
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