Warning, lots of data ahead! For the 2019 winter, Auto Motor und Sport have tested eleven of the best winter tyres in the 215/55 R17 crossover SUV size.
The biggest plus of this test is the sheer amount of data they've produced, as they've rated the tyres both objectively and subjectively in a lot of categories.
It's also good news for Goodyear, as the new Goodyear UltraGrip Performance + wins on its first outing, proving to have an excellent balance of wet and snow performance, along with short dry braking distances.
Stepping up on the promise of 2018, the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 once again proves itself as a strong contender, and maybe the tyre of choice for the snowier climates.
The Vredestein Wintrac Pro rounds out the top three places. This tyre might be the best choice for the drier, warmer climates, as it excelled in the dry and wet handling tests, but was a little weaker than the best on test during snow testing.
The other result worth mentioning was the new Nokian SnowProof. It's not very often we see Nokian performing badly in a winter test, let alone finishing last. In this test, the Nokian performed extremely well in the dry, with the best dry braking result and had a good result in the snow, but really struggled in the wet. As this is the first test of the SnowProof we've seen, we'll await more test data to see whether the new Nokian really is this bad in the wet, or it was something related to this test.
The overall results were incredibly close, with all the tyres down to eighth place being recommended, but if you want the best for your SUV in 215/55 R17, pick from the top five.
Dry
Interestingly, the top two spots during dry braking were taken by the bottom two tyres overall, with the Nokian and Giti proving to be the best at stopping the VW T-Roc.
Dry Braking
Dry braking in meters
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 100 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 96 % | |
| 96 % | |
| 96 % | |
| 94 % |
The difference between best and worst was 6%.
Dry handling was extremely close between the eleven tyres, with a difference of just 2 km/h between the best and worst tyres.
Dry Handling
Dry Handling Average Speed
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 100 % | |
| 100 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 98 % |
All the tyres in the Dry Handling test finished less than 3% apart.
The sporty Vredestein was the only tyre to receive ten points during subjective dry handling scoring.
Subj. Dry Handling
Subjective Dry Handling Score
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 80 % | |
| 80 % | |
| 80 % | |
| 80 % | |
| 70 % | |
| 70 % |
The difference between best and worst was 30%.
Wet
The Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 had a significant advantage during wet braking.
Wet Braking
Wet braking in meters
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 96 % | |
| 96 % | |
| 93 % | |
| 93 % | |
| 93 % | |
| 92 % | |
| 91 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 86 % |
The difference between best and worst was 14%.
The top three tyres overall dominated wet handling, both in average speed and subjectively.
Wet Handling
Wet Handling Average Speed
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 100 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 96 % | |
| 96 % | |
| 96 % | |
| 95 % | |
| 94 % |
The difference between best and worst was 6%.
Subj. Wet Handling
Subjective Wet Handling Score
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 100 % | |
| 100 % | |
| 100 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 70 % | |
| 70 % | |
| 60 % | |
| 60 % | |
| 60 % | |
| 60 % |
The difference between best and worst was 40%.
The Falken had an advantage during the aquaplaning testing, with the rest of the tyres closely matched.
Straight Aqua
Float Speed in Km/H
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 92 % | |
| 92 % | |
| 91 % | |
| 91 % | |
| 91 % | |
| 91 % | |
| 89 % | |
| 87 % | |
| 86 % | |
| 85 % |
The difference between best and worst was 15%.
Snow
Bridgestone once again stopped the VW T-Roc in the shortest distance, this time during snow braking.
Snow Braking
Snow braking in meters
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 96 % | |
| 94 % | |
| 94 % | |
| 94 % | |
| 92 % | |
| 92 % | |
| 91 % |
The difference between best and worst was 9%.
As in the wet testing, the new Goodyear proved to be excellent during snow handling.
Snow Handling
Snow handling average speed
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 100 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 93 % |
The difference between best and worst was 7%.
Subj. Snow Handling
Subjective Snow Handling Score
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 80 % | |
| 80 % | |
| 70 % | |
| 70 % |
The difference between best and worst was 30%.
Environment
All the tyres were relatively close in both external noise and subjective internal noise, but the Falken proved to have the best balance of the two.
Noise
External noise in dB
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 99 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 98 % | |
| 97 % |
All the tyres in the Noise test finished less than 3% apart.
Subj. Comfort
Subjective Comfort Score
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 90 % | |
| 80 % | |
| 80 % | |
| 80 % | |
| 70 % |
The difference between best and worst was 30%.
The Continental WinterContact TS850P had the lowest rolling resistance, but was one of the most expensive to buy.
Rolling Resistance
Rolling resistance in kg t
relative index, 100 = best in test ↑| Position / Tyre | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 % | |
| 97 % | |
| 94 % | |
| 93 % | |
| 93 % | |
| 88 % | |
| 86 % | |
| 85 % | |
| 84 % | |
| 82 % | |
| 80 % |
The difference between best and worst was 20%.
Results
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+
215/55 R17Category scores (% of best)
All discipline results (13)
Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.
| Test | Position in discipline | % |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 3rd / 11 | 99.1% |
| Dry Handling | 11th / 11 | 98.28% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 6th / 11 | 80% |
| Wet Braking | 3rd / 11 | 96% |
| Wet Handling | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Straight Aqua | 2nd / 11 | 92.06% |
| Snow Braking | 2nd / 11 | 98.46% |
| Snow Handling | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Subj. Comfort | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Noise | 6th / 11 | 98.72% |
| Rolling Resistance | 4th / 11 | 92.5% |
- Price
- 145.00
Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
215/55 R17Category scores (% of best)
All discipline results (13)
Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.
| Test | Position in discipline | % |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 4th / 11 | 98.88% |
| Dry Handling | 7th / 11 | 98.97% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Wet Braking | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Wet Handling | 3rd / 11 | 99.45% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Straight Aqua | 6th / 11 | 90.85% |
| Snow Braking | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Snow Handling | 7th / 11 | 97.17% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Subj. Comfort | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Noise | 6th / 11 | 98.72% |
| Rolling Resistance | 2nd / 11 | 97.37% |
- Price
- 128.00
Vredestein Wintrac Pro
215/55 R17Category scores (% of best)
All discipline results (13)
Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.
| Test | Position in discipline | % |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 4th / 11 | 98.88% |
| Dry Handling | 4th / 11 | 99.4% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Wet Braking | 4th / 11 | 95.71% |
| Wet Handling | 2nd / 11 | 99.86% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Straight Aqua | 5th / 11 | 91.22% |
| Snow Braking | 8th / 11 | 93.77% |
| Snow Handling | 4th / 11 | 97.98% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 8th / 11 | 80% |
| Subj. Comfort | 8th / 11 | 80% |
| Noise | 4th / 11 | 99% |
| Rolling Resistance | 8th / 11 | 85.06% |
- Price
- 118.00
Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
215/55 R17Category scores (% of best)
All discipline results (13)
Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.
| Test | Position in discipline | % |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 8th / 11 | 96.5% |
| Dry Handling | 3rd / 11 | 99.57% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Wet Braking | 2nd / 11 | 96.59% |
| Wet Handling | 5th / 11 | 98.91% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 5th / 11 | 90% |
| Straight Aqua | 4th / 11 | 91.46% |
| Snow Braking | 6th / 11 | 94.12% |
| Snow Handling | 6th / 11 | 97.77% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Subj. Comfort | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Noise | 9th / 11 | 98.02% |
| Rolling Resistance | 1st / 11 | 100% |
- Price
- 147.00
Michelin Alpin 6
215/55 R17Category scores (% of best)
All discipline results (13)
Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.
| Test | Position in discipline | % |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 4th / 11 | 98.88% |
| Dry Handling | 7th / 11 | 98.97% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Wet Braking | 5th / 11 | 93.13% |
| Wet Handling | 4th / 11 | 99.05% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Straight Aqua | 7th / 11 | 90.73% |
| Snow Braking | 6th / 11 | 94.12% |
| Snow Handling | 10th / 11 | 96.56% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Subj. Comfort | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Noise | 8th / 11 | 98.3% |
| Rolling Resistance | 4th / 11 | 92.5% |
- Price
- 160.00
Hankook Winter i cept evo2 SUV
215/55 R17Category scores (% of best)
All discipline results (13)
Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.
| Test | Position in discipline | % |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 11th / 11 | 94.23% |
| Dry Handling | 2nd / 11 | 99.83% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 6th / 11 | 80% |
| Wet Braking | 5th / 11 | 93.13% |
| Wet Handling | 7th / 11 | 96.45% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 8th / 11 | 60% |
| Straight Aqua | 9th / 11 | 87% |
| Snow Braking | 4th / 11 | 96.6% |
| Snow Handling | 2nd / 11 | 99.6% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Subj. Comfort | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Noise | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Rolling Resistance | 10th / 11 | 82.22% |
- Price
- 115.00
Falken Eurowinter HS01 SUV
215/55 R17Category scores (% of best)
All discipline results (13)
Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.
| Test | Position in discipline | % |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 10th / 11 | 96.08% |
| Dry Handling | 9th / 11 | 98.54% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 10th / 11 | 70% |
| Wet Braking | 8th / 11 | 91.76% |
| Wet Handling | 10th / 11 | 95.23% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 8th / 11 | 60% |
| Straight Aqua | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Snow Braking | 3rd / 11 | 98.08% |
| Snow Handling | 3rd / 11 | 98.58% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Subj. Comfort | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Noise | 3rd / 11 | 99.28% |
| Rolling Resistance | 11th / 11 | 79.57% |
- Price
- 106.00
Toyo Snowprox S954 SUV
215/55 R17Category scores (% of best)
All discipline results (13)
Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.
| Test | Position in discipline | % |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 8th / 11 | 96.5% |
| Dry Handling | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Wet Braking | 10th / 11 | 89.66% |
| Wet Handling | 8th / 11 | 96.18% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 8th / 11 | 60% |
| Straight Aqua | 8th / 11 | 89.17% |
| Snow Braking | 11th / 11 | 91.1% |
| Snow Handling | 8th / 11 | 96.96% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 10th / 11 | 70% |
| Subj. Comfort | 8th / 11 | 80% |
| Noise | 10th / 11 | 97.61% |
| Rolling Resistance | 3rd / 11 | 93.67% |
- Price
- 111.00
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
215/55 R17Category scores (% of best)
All discipline results (13)
Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.
| Test | Position in discipline | % |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 7th / 11 | 98.44% |
| Dry Handling | 10th / 11 | 98.36% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 6th / 11 | 80% |
| Wet Braking | 9th / 11 | 90.7% |
| Wet Handling | 9th / 11 | 95.91% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 6th / 11 | 70% |
| Straight Aqua | 10th / 11 | 86.28% |
| Snow Braking | 10th / 11 | 91.76% |
| Snow Handling | 8th / 11 | 96.96% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 8th / 11 | 80% |
| Subj. Comfort | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Noise | 11th / 11 | 97.47% |
| Rolling Resistance | 7th / 11 | 86.05% |
- Price
- 134.00
Giti GitiWinterW1
215/55 R17Category scores (% of best)
All discipline results (13)
Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.
| Test | Position in discipline | % |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 2nd / 11 | 99.55% |
| Dry Handling | 5th / 11 | 99.22% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 10th / 11 | 70% |
| Wet Braking | 5th / 11 | 93.13% |
| Wet Handling | 6th / 11 | 96.59% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 6th / 11 | 70% |
| Straight Aqua | 2nd / 11 | 92.06% |
| Snow Braking | 9th / 11 | 92.42% |
| Snow Handling | 11th / 11 | 93.12% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 10th / 11 | 70% |
| Subj. Comfort | 11th / 11 | 70% |
| Noise | 5th / 11 | 98.86% |
| Rolling Resistance | 9th / 11 | 84.09% |
- Price
- 73.00
Nokian WR Snowproof
215/55 R17Category scores (% of best)
All discipline results (13)
Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.
| Test | Position in discipline | % |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 1st / 11 | 100% |
| Dry Handling | 5th / 11 | 99.22% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 6th / 11 | 80% |
| Wet Braking | 11th / 11 | 86.43% |
| Wet Handling | 11th / 11 | 94% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 8th / 11 | 60% |
| Straight Aqua | 11th / 11 | 84.6% |
| Snow Braking | 5th / 11 | 96.24% |
| Snow Handling | 4th / 11 | 97.98% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 2nd / 11 | 90% |
| Subj. Comfort | 8th / 11 | 80% |
| Noise | 2nd / 11 | 99.43% |
| Rolling Resistance | 6th / 11 | 88.1% |
- Price
- 125.00


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