Ultra High Performance Tyre Tests

It's rare you find tyre tests specifically scoring subjective handling qualities as it's a very difficult thing for tyre testers to quantify, but this latest tyre test from the Finish publication Test World scores the tyres subjective behaviour out of a possible ten points in both the dry and wet. This is particularly interesting if you're not worried about that final 0.1 seconds of dry lap time, but do rate the subjective qualities of a tyre such as steering feel, feedback and car balance.

This test covers sixteen 225/45 R17 UHP tyre patterns using an Audi A3 - perhaps not the last word in dynamic handling but it is still an insight to the tyres we don't usually get.

We're a little bit late with this one, as it's likely the UK has had most of its bad weather for winter 2017/18, however we can't resist covering a winter ultra high performance tyre test, especially when they use a RWD Toyota GT86 as the test car!

For this test, Sport Auto magazine fitted the GT86 with ten different patterns of 225/40 R18 sports winter tyres, and put the tyres through the normal dry, wet and snow testing.

The first winter tyre test of 2017 has been published! The German publication Auto Motor und Sport [AMS] have tested ten ultra high performance winter tyres in 225/40 R18. This extremely popular 18" tyre sizes is fitted to performance saloons such as the Audi A4, Skoda Octavia VRS, and the 232 bhp BMW 430i Grand Coupe used for this testing.

We'll keep the words low and data high for this Australian ultra high performance tyre test. All tyres tested were 235/35 R19, and the magazine used a Ford Focus RS.

The 2017 EVO magazine summer tyre test tested nine 225/40 R18 ultra high performance tyres using a VW Golf GTI.

As with previous years, the overall result is 60% subjective and 40% objective, making it quite a different test from the traditional tyre tests which rate objective data above subjective. This means that while the raw objective figures from the wet and dry tests are still important, how the tyre feels subjectively with regards to steering speed and car balance has an even more importance on the overall result.

The German publication Auto Bild have published their third tyre test of 2017, this time testing nine UHP tyres in 245/40 R18 using an Audi TT. Without a budget tyre included in the test, this is one of the closest tyre tests we've seen in years, and highlight just how close the latest generation of tyres have become in terms of raw performance.

For 2017, Auto Motor und Sport have tested ten 245/45 R18 ultra high performance tyres using a BMW 3 Series Estate.

This test is the first time the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 and Continental Premium Contact 6 have appeared in the same test, which should give us some interesting data about the two big rivals.

This year Sport Auto magazine have tested six performance winter tyres in 235/40 R18.

Due to the limited number of patterns in the test, and no all season or summer comparison, we'll forgo the usual commentry and just present the results below.

Using a BMW 3 Series wearing 245/40 R18 tyres, Auto Bild placed eight ultra high performance winter tyre patterns to the test.

The 2016 Auto Express summer tyre test has just been published, and it's the first test to have the "holy 4"! The new Dunlop Sport Maxx RT 2, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3, Michelin Pilot Sport 4 and Pirelli P Zero PZ4 have finally been tested together at the same track, on the same car (VW Golf GTI), in the same 225/40 R18 size!

The Test World ultra high performance summer tyre test puts thirteen 225/40 R18 tyre patterns through the usual array of wet, dry and environment testing using a VW Golf GTI.

Sadly, there's no Michelin Pilot Sport 4 in this test, with Test World testing the older Pilot Sport 3 pattern, but they have included the new Goodyear and Dunlop tyres.

The 2016 Auto Bild SUV and 4x4 tyre test looks at seven of the latest tyres for the quickly growing "softroad" vehicle segment. These latest softroaders have sporty driving characteristics, and spend most of their time on road, yet should still retain some performance on grass or gravel.

The 2016 ADAC 225/45 R17 summer tyre test is a classic ADAC by-the-numbers tyre test, with the results driven from data rather than subjective scoring.

Of the sixteen tyres tested, at least three patterns have already been replaced, with the Michelin Pilot Sport 3, Toyo Proxes T1 Sport and GT Radial Champiro HPY already superseded by the Michelin Pilot Sport 4, Toyo Proxes T1 Sport+ and GT Radial Sport Active in late 2015.

Goodyear and Dunlop are also noticeably absent from this test, with the newly released Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 and Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 missing.

Testing 10 premium UHP winter tyres in 225/50 R17, including three patterns released in 2015, Auto Motor und Sport put the tyres through the usual range of dry, wet, snow and environmental tests across Finland and Germany.

Our copy of the 2015 ACE winter tyre test is a little thin on details, but we thought it was important to include as it tests many of the new winter tyres for 2015, in the popular 225/50 R17 tyre size.

This year, Sport Auto have tested seven different UHP winter tyres in 235/35 R19, on a VW Golf R.

There's not much we can say about the excellent 2015 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test, other than head over to the Auto Express site and check out the full review!

Most winter tyre tests cover sizes up to 16 inch wheels, as these are by far the most common winter tyre sizes fitted across Europe. Unfortunately, if you're looking to keep your performance car mobile over winter, these tests are largely useless as a reference, as tyre patterns and performances can drastically change as the sizes increase.

Luckily Auto Bild Sportscars have us covered with their latest ultra high performance winter tyre test. Auto Bild have taken eight UHP winter tyres in 225/40 R18 and tested them on a RWD Mercedes C Class across the usual range of snow, wet and dry tests and have included a summer tyre as reference.

The 2015 Auto Express tyre test covers eleven patterns in the popular 225/45 R17 size.  Testing at Continentals test track in Texas, Auto Express used the benchmark VW Golf to carry out nine thorough tests covering dry and wet performance, along with rolling resistance and cabin noise.