2011 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tire Test

7 Max Performance Winter tires tested in 225/40 R18 | Published October 18th, 2011 by Jonathan Benson

Auto Bild Performance, the German version of EVO magazine have put together the tire test EVO should have. 7 wide 225/40 R18 tires on a 260bhp Mazda 3 MPS.

On test are the usual premium brands, with only Bridgestone missing from the "big 6". Also included a midrange Hankook and a budget Rockstone.

Do budget winters work in the UK?

Perhaps the most interesting part of the test was the inclusion of a performance budget winter tire. The UK, known as one of the largest buyers of budget tires, has been importing budget winter tires in masses this year. With the UK winters being appropriately 40% dry, 45% wet and 15% snow, seriously sacrificing wet weather performance for snow performance would be an oversight, yet that's exactly what this test shows with the Rockstone getting the lowest possible wet performance score.

While not all budgets are equal, it's important to do research when considering any tire to ensure you get balanced performance.

Results

Click here to view Results as a single table and adjust the score weighting based on your own driving needs!

1st: Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 24 Dry: 7 Wet: 8 Snow: 9 Excellent winter tires with dynamic handling characteristics. Highest safety reserves in aquaplaning, with short braking distances on both wet and dry roads. Read Reviews
2nd: Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance 2
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 23 Dry: 7 Wet: 7 Snow: 9 Top winter tires with excellent traction and shortest braking distances on snow covered slopes. Stable cornering with safe driving characteristics. Excellent aquaplaning properties Read Reviews
3rd: Pirelli Sottozero Serie II
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 21 Dry: 7 Wet: 7 Snow: 7 Balanced sports winter tire. Stable cornering and safe qualities on snow, excellent steering precision with good dynamic response and handling Read Reviews
4th: Continental WinterContact TS 830 P
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 21 Dry: 7 Wet: 7 Snow: 7 Sport handling qualities on wet and dry track, short braking distance and pleasant ride comfort Understeer on snow, only average aquaplaning result Read Reviews
5th: Hankook Winter i cept evo
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 21 Dry: 7 Wet: 6 Snow: 8 Impressive handling qualities on snow, good stering precision and short braking distances on dry roads Slightly longer braking distances on wet roads and a high rolling resistance Read Reviews
6th: Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 18 Dry: 8 Wet: 4 Snow: 6 Good on snow, high steering precision and cornering stability on dry roads. Low rolling resistance Understeer and long braking in the wet, average aquaplaning results Read Reviews
7th: Rockstone Ice plus s210
225/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 18.1 Dry: 8 Wet: 0.1 Snow: 10 Good snow performance Perhaps the perfect example of why budget winter tires struggle in the UK climate. While this tire was excellent in the snow it was rated dangerous in the wet with massive braking distances and terrible aquaplaning properties. Overall Autobild called the tire "defective"! Read Reviews