2020 Auto Bild UHP 19 inch Tyre Test

Ultra high performance tyre tests always make us happy, and Auto Bild do some of the best. For 2020, AutoBild have tested nine sports tyres in the staggered 245/35 R19 and 265/35 R19 sizes using a Mercedes Benz C63 AMG.

Like our UHP tyre test in 2019, Auto Bild have tested the very three best UHP tyres on the market, the Continental SportContact 6, Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport, and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, along with some of the other well know UHP tyres from Hankook, Vredestein, Falken and other brands.

The end results are very close, so instead of spoiling the surprise, read on below for all the geeky data! It's particularly important to read the testers notes at the bottom of the page, as these give a small insight into the subjective feel of the tyres along side the numbers, but if you'd like to learn more about how these tyres differ subjectively, go and watch our video of a very similar test!

One addition Auto Bild have made is the inclusion of the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 semi slick track day tyre. Unsurprisingly this tyre dominated the dry testing, with a significant advantage over even the best UHP tyres, but couldn't match the best in the wet, especially during the aquaplaning testing where the lack of tread grooves really impacted the tyres performance.

Dry

Continental proved to be the best in the dry, offering the shortest braking distance and the fastest lap time. Michelin was close behind, and while the Falken Azenis FK510 placed third in the braking tests, it struggled more during handling.

Goodyear, Vredestein and Hankook were also all very close in the dry, but when looking at the testing notes it was the Goodyear that offered the best steering feel and feedback.

Wet

As we've seen before in the wet, a tyre which works well in braking doesn't always work as well in handling.

In this test, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S offered the best wet braking performance, but could only manage seventh fastest lap time, while the Goodyear was the fastest in the wet, but took 4.4 meters longer to stop the car than the Michelin!

The only tyre with a balanced performance between braking and handling was the Falken, which finished second in both tests meaning it was the best tyre overall.

Nankang had a significant advantage during aquaplaning testing, however this doesn't make up for the long wet braking and poor wet handling in the other wet tests.

The rest of the tyres were extremely close.

Environment

Hankook had the lowest rolling resistance on test, with Yokohama having the highest fuel use.

Only the Goodyear and Yokohama tyres were significantly louder than the others on test.

As usual, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S was the most expensive tyre on test. Sadly no wear testing was done, however in previous testing Michelin, Goodyear and Continental all seem to have similar, best in class tread life.

Results