2014 AMS Winter Tire Test

Test Summary
Wet Braking	Pirelli Winter Snow Control Series 3
Dry Braking	Continental WinterContact TS 850
Wet Handling	Goodyear UltraGrip 9
Rolling Resistance	Continental WinterContact TS 850
Snow Handling	Westlake SW 608

The 2014 Auto Motor Und Sport tire test was carried out in Sweden and Germany, and covered ten winter tires in 205/55 R16.

As usual, the emphasis of this test was placed on snow performance, with the results of the test weighted accordingly. This means for climates which see less snow, it’s worth breaking down the results yourself to take into account the balance of dry, wet and snow grip.

Results

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
205/55 R16 3PMSF: no	Total: 45.2 Dry: 8.7 Wet: 9.5 Snow: 9 Rolling Resistance: 10 Noise: 8 Very balanced tires, Good performance on snow, excellent performance in the wet, low rolling resistance None listed Read Reviews
2nd: Goodyear UltraGrip 9
205/55 R16 3PMSF: no	Total: 42.7 Dry: 8.1 Wet: 8.8 Snow: 9.8 Rolling Resistance: 7 Noise: 9 Very short stopping distances and high lateral stability in the snow, good grip in the wet and dry, low noise Slightly long braking distances in the wet Read Reviews Buy from £89.45
3rd: Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D
205/55 R16 3PMSF: no	Total: 42.4 Dry: 8.1 Wet: 8.3 Snow: 9 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 9 Good handling, short braking and good cornering in the snow, wet and dry Relatively high rolling resistance, noise Read Reviews Buy from £109.48
4th: Michelin Alpin 5
205/55 R16 3PMSF: no	Total: 41.4 Dry: 7.8 Wet: 9.2 Snow: 9.4 Rolling Resistance: 7 Noise: 8 Good handling in the snow, short braking distance in the wet, high resistance to aquaplaning, good comfort Relatively poor performance in the dry, relatively high rolling resistance Read Reviews
5th: Pirelli Winter Snow Control Series 3
205/55 R16 3PMSF: no	Total: 40.3 Dry: 9.1 Wet: 8.8 Snow: 8.4 Rolling Resistance: 7 Noise: 7 Show braking distances and good handling in the snow, very good grip in the dry and wet Low resistance to aquaplaning, high rolling resistance Read Reviews
6th: Nokian WR D3
205/55 R16 3PMSF: no	Total: 40.8 Dry: 9 Wet: 8 Snow: 8.8 Rolling Resistance: 7 Noise: 8 Excellent all round grip in the snow, good cornering in the dry, high resistance to aquaplaning, good all round performance in the dry Relatively long braking distances in the wet, high rolling resistance Read Reviews
7th: Bridgestone Blizzak LM32
205/55 R16 3PMSF: no	Total: 39.6 Dry: 9 Wet: 8.2 Snow: 7.4 Rolling Resistance: 6 Noise: 9 Great grip and handling in the dry Poor grip in snow, high rolling resistance Read Reviews
8th: Hankook Winter i cept RS
205/55 R16 3PMSF: no	Total: 39.8 Dry: 8.6 Wet: 6.8 Snow: 8.4 Rolling Resistance: 9 Noise: 7 Short braking distances and good traction on snow, good resistance to aquaplaning, precise steering response and excellent grip in the dry, low rolling resistance Relatively weak lateral stability and understeer in the snow and on dry roads Read Reviews
9th: Toyo Snowprox S943
205/55 R16 3PMSF: no	Total: 38.6 Dry: 8.9 Wet: 6.7 Snow: 8 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 7 Good traction and short braking in the snow and dry roads, good handling in the dry, low rolling resistance Weak lateral stability in the snow, long braking distance and poor grip in the wet, low resistance to aquaplaning Read Reviews
10th: Westlake SW 608
205/55 R16 3PMSF: no	Total: 38.4 Dry: 7.6 Wet: 6.8 Snow: 7 Rolling Resistance: 7 Noise: 10 Acceptable braking on snow and dry roads, good handling in the dry, low noise Weak lateral stability and traction in the snow. Low grip and slow steering in the wet, high risk of aquaplaning, high rolling resistance Read Reviews