2013 AMS Sports Winter Tire Test

225/50 R17, a BMW 3 Series and 8 sets of the latest winter tires summarise the 2013 Auto Motor Und Sport winter tire test.

Test Summary
Wet Braking	Nokian WR D3
Dry Braking	Continental WinterContact TS 850
Wet Handling	Continental WinterContact TS 850
Rolling Resistance	Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Noise	Continental WinterContact TS 850 Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Performance Michelin Alpin A4
Snow Handling	Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Performance Fulda Kristall Control HP

The results in the snow tests were extremely close, with the best snow braking tire (Fulda) stopping from 50 km/h in 27.3 metres and the worst (Goodyear) just over a metre further, at 28.6 metres. The gap was equally as close during snow handling, with the quickest tire (Dunlop) posting a 73.5 second lap, and the slowest (Toyo) 2.4 seconds behind at 75.9.

In the wet the gap opened a little more, with Continental winning both wet braking and wet handling. This time, the worst tire (Toyo) stopped 6 metres behind the Continental, and the slowest tire around the wet handling circuit (Fulda) was 5.3 seconds slower.

In the dry the Nokian reigned supreme, convincingly winning dry braking and handling. The Fulda again showed a comparative weakness, losing both the dry tests, stopping 3.9 metres further than the Nokian and taking 1.9 long to do the dry handling lap.

The Results

While the Continental only won three of the eleven tests, it rarely finished out of the top three places to take another convincing win. Pirelli placed a strong second thanks to an excellent wet showing (other than aquaplaning), and Dunlop rounded out the top three with a comfortable quiet tire which worked well in all conditions.

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

1st: Continental WinterContact TS 850
225/50 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 277 Dry: 50 Wet: 99 Snow: 95 Comfort: 10 Rolling Resistance: 14 Noise: 9 Short braking distances on snow and wet surfaces, very high wet grip, very balanced ride quality Relatively weak results for the dry Particularly recommended Read Reviews
2nd: Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
225/50 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 270 Dry: 50 Wet: 92 Snow: 90 Comfort: 10 Rolling Resistance: 20 Noise: 8 Very good grip on snow, high level of safety and neutral behavior, low rolling resistance, short braking distances on wet surfaces Relatively weak resistance to aquaplaning Particularly recommended Read Reviews Buy from £156.38
3rd: Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D
225/50 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 258 Dry: 54 Wet: 84 Snow: 87 Comfort: 10 Rolling Resistance: 13 Noise: 10 High level of comfort, low noise, high lateral grip on the snow, short braking distances on wet surfaces Handling on wet surfaces Particularly recommended Read Reviews
4th: Nokian WR D3
225/50 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 253 Dry: 60 Wet: 75 Snow: 83 Comfort: 8 Rolling Resistance: 18 Noise: 9 The shortest braking distances and best handling on dry surfaces, confident behavior in the snow, although with a tendency to understeer Relatively weak performance in the wet Particularly recommended Read Reviews
5th: Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Performance
225/50 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 248 Dry: 47 Wet: 85 Snow: 87 Comfort: 10 Rolling Resistance: 9 Noise: 10 Good grip and handling on wet surfaces, and especially in the snow Relatively poor braking performance, high rolling resistance Recommended Read Reviews
6th: Michelin Alpin A4
225/50 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 240 Dry: 52 Wet: 72 Snow: 85 Comfort: 10 Rolling Resistance: 12 Noise: 9 Short braking distances and good handling on snow, high level of comfort Relatively long braking distances on wet surfaces, low resistance to aquaplaning Recommended Read Reviews
7th: Fulda Kristall Control HP
225/50 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 228 Dry: 39 Wet: 67 Snow: 91 Comfort: 9 Rolling Resistance: 12 Noise: 10 The shortest braking distances and excellent handling on snow Weak results in the wet Recommended Read Reviews
8th: Toyo Snowprox S953
225/50 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 218 Dry: 50 Wet: 67 Snow: 79 Comfort: 9 Rolling Resistance: 4 Noise: 9 High resistance to aquaplaning, good handling on dry surfaces Low brake performance, high rolling resistance , poor handling on snow and wet surfaces Conditionally recommended Read Reviews