| Test Summary | |
| Wet Braking | Michelin Primacy 3 |
| Dry Braking | Continental Premium Contact 5 |
| Rolling Resistance | Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance |
| Noise | Continental Premium Contact 5 |
| Snow Handling | Continental Premium Contact 5 |
Strangely, in the overall results, Auto Review have scored the 10 premium tires ahead of the 6 mid range tires, despite the Continental owned Matador scoring enough points to finish a respectable 6th overall! We've used the original Auto Review scoring, but it’s worth inspecting the full result to get a clear picture.
The Results
1st: Continental Premium Contact 5 | |
| Good wet grip and handling, good comfort Poor wear Unconditional victory for all test on the road! On the winding roads - they have the perfect balance between grip and drift, and they start sliding in a soft, easily predictable manner. Rain tires? Not quite: in heavy rain, they will "float" on the puddles slightly before other tires.
And on dry roads - the shortest braking distance and excellent comfort: this is the quietest and softest tires in our test. But on the track dry handling this softness was to the detriment of car agility. Moreover, after six fastest laps shoulder area of the tread was worn more than the competitors tires.
Lovely tires for normal operating conditions. And for track days is better to choose something else. Read Reviews Buy from £97.22 |
2nd: Pirelli CINTURATO P7 | |
| Good wet grip, good dry handling, low noise The tendency to skid in the wet, lack of comfort This is the 5th year the P7 Cinturato has been i our tests, but the second place in our ranking confirms that the tires have been successfully updated over the years. In traction on wet roads, they are second only to Continental, and resist aquaplaning better than any tire. On the track, wet handling is not always appropriate, marked by a sometimes excessive propensity to drift.
In the dry, the grip is excellent. And no noise. Small joints and seams are smoothed well, but bigger bumps noticeably felt in the cabin. Feels like a high "carcass stiffness."
Good option for active drivers. Read Reviews Buy from £66.98 |
3rd: Hankook Ventus Prime2 | |
| Good wet grip, good handling in the dry, low noise Average wet grip, comfort This year, the Hankook OE approved for much of the Mercedes S-Class, and we can see why! The Hankook Ventus Prime2 provide excellent traction on wet roads and confidently resist aquaplaning. On a wet track the car's behavior is rather darty - somewhat reminiscent of driving on tires Pirelli, but they both allow you to go fast.
And on dry pavement - quickly and enjoyably. Reaction to steering clear and accurate even at a speed of 150 km / h, and for the comfort of the tires, Hankook has the same evaluations as Pirelli. Nois is the same, and the difference is that the Hankook slightly stiffer respond to small irregularities, but slightly softer for larger bumps.
Are you still wondering about the Korean origin tires? Not us. At least for summer tires, Hankook can be put on the premium cars. The winter models are still lagging behind, for now... Read Reviews Buy from £154.99 |
4th: Toyo Proxes CF2 | |
| Good grip and handling in the wet, good comfort, low price Lack of dry grip Toyo Proxes CF2 - excellent tires! The car performs well on the track and road.
On dry pavement Toyo tires provide confident braking, but on the track the light steering results in a handling delay, and during a high-speed corner the car sometimes required a correction of drift. But they provide a quiet soft ride. And light: the coefficient of rolling resistance of these tires are included in the top three.
And the most important advantage - price. Of the "first line" tires, these are the most affordable tires - Toyo Proxes CF2. Recommended. Read Reviews |
5th: Michelin Primacy 3 | |
| Good grip in the wet and dry, safe handling in the wet Low traction in the wet, average comfort Michelin Primacy 3 tire appeared in last year seats test. On wet roads these stopped 2.5 meters more than the tires Continental, and were slower on a wet track. In turns the tire understeers, but no hint of a skid the rear axle making them easy to drive even without the stabilization system.
On dry pavement Michelin tires are traditionally good and had good braking and handling on the road. And rolling resistance was great - only beaten by the Goodyear. Worse comfort: noise is unobtrusive, but its level is higher than the leading competitors.
It’s a shame we didn’t test the durability rating of the tires, as this is the traditional advantage of Michelin. However, even without this, we can recommend tires Michelin Primacy 3 - especially those who live in the southern regions and loves to drive fast.The main thing - do not go too fast on very wet surfaces. Read Reviews Buy from £86.67 |
6th: Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance | |
| Excellent wet grip, high comfort and low rolling resistance Poor wet braking, dry handling
Goodyear tires are traditionally strong on the asphalt, and the EfficientGrip Performance is no exception. Handling on the track they are only slightly behind the test leader, Continental, only 0.3 seconds over 2.3 km. On the steering wheel the car reacts smoothly and accurately. And only when braking occurs uncertainty - the wheels are locked early. With a speed of 80 km / h Octavia stops almost five meters further than tires Continental!
On dry roads the situation is reversed - with brakes all good, but in the corners reactions become "smeared."
This soft and quiet tires, and we would recommend them if you want a quiet, comfortable ride. Read Reviews Buy from £71.19 |
7th: Nokian Hakka Blue | |
| Good grip in the wet and dry Low resistance to aquaplaning, low comfort levels On our tests have already visited and "green" and "black" Nokian tires - Hakka Black and Hakka Green . No results were outstanding, and now we’re testing the "blue" tires. On wet roads, despite the new technology according to the manufacturer (polished tread grooves, a special composition of silica), the tires were not able to compete with the leaders. Although the behavior of the car on the track is good, the car gently moves into sliding and is easy to control. The main thing - to avoid deep puddles: the Nokian lift early.
On dry roads the reaction is fast and accurate, but the movement is accompanied by increased noise and vibration. This can be partly explained labeled XL - tires designed for heavy loads and respectively have an enhanced, more rigid frame structure. Sadly there’s no softer option, with the entire line of Hakka Blue marked XL. Read Reviews |
8th: Yokohama C Drive2 | |
| High resistance to aquaplaning Wet grip, low comfort In wet braking - even better than the tires Goodyear! However, on a winding road it lacks grip - the car slips sharply into a long slide. As a result - more than seven seconds behind the leader on the test track length of 2.3 km. But the tread pattern has no problems with standing water, the Yokohama tires confidently resist aquaplaning.
On dry roads the braking performance and handling performance are average, and in comfort, below average (for small bumps on the body transferred telling blows). This is partly determined by the fact that these tires are XL, and this can only serve as consolation is that the eternal competitor Bridgestone, are even tougher. Read Reviews Buy from £85.72 |
9th: Bridgestone Turanza T001 | |
| Wet traction Poor control in the wet, high noise A year ago, tires Bridgestone Potenza S001 showed good results in the comparative test tires UHP class . But more mass model Turanza T001, the hopes of a good result were dashed. Major problems - on the asphalt. Even on the long circle, where with other tires the car comes to an easy slide on the front wheels, on Bridgestone tires it breaks into a skid, which we have to adjust the wheel!
Not impressed and behavior in the dry either. The tires irritate with increased noise on rough pavement and excessive rigidity on uneven surfaces. The latter can be explained by high-capacity (XL), the carcass of tires Bridgestone Turanza T001 dual layer, while major competitors have a single-layer frame structure. Hopefully, the second layer will provide increased strength when hit in potholes or driving over obstacles. Read Reviews Buy from £91.00 |
10th: Cooper Zeon CS6 | |
| Low rolling resistance, comfortable Poor resistance to aquaplaning, low traction American company Cooper tire and Rubber is among the top ten global tire manufacturer, producing annually about 45 million tires, but they don’t perform.
With such low traction on wet roads, they can only compete with the second line of tires. Bad braking, and poor wet cornering, meaning during road handling it was necessary to go much slower than on the competitors tires. But the most surprising is that despite numerous transverse grooves, the tire still aquaplanes early..
On dry roads the braking is mediocre, and the car is unstable during high-speed cornering with the rear axle sometimes sliding at the most inopportune moment. But comfort is not the worst - the average noise level and smoothness.
Tires with mediocre quality that, in Russia at least, sell for unreasonably high prices. Read Reviews |
11th: Matador MP 44 Elite 3 | |
| Good grip in the wet and dry Low level of comfort Matador tires success in its segment is easy to predict,the Slovak company Matador is 100 percent owned concern Continental. Previously, the Matador and produced by the joint venture Matador Omskshina in Omsk, but now the company will produce for the Continental part of Russian models at its plant in Kaluga, and part - supply of Slovakia.
According to the brake test on wet roads, the Matador is in third place! And on the road handling can go fast. Slightly quick transition to slip, but the car remains under control.
On dry pavement tires Matador also work perfectly: good braking characteristics, the turns can go quickly and without fear of slides - the car continues to uniquely respond to the steering and traction.
Noise and smoothness - average.
Overall a very good combination of price and quality. Recommended. Read Reviews |
12th: Formula Formula Energy | |
| High resistance to aquaplaning Poor grip in the wet After Pirelli acquired two Russian tire plants, the need arose and a new brand under which Russian refineries would be issue "second line" tires. Formula tires made ​​on the new equipment in Voronezh, and in the same factory also produce tires for Pirelli.
Asymmetric tire tread Formula Energy means the Formula resists aquaplaning almost as well as Pirelli, but the wet asphalt, where the rubber composition is important, the Formula lags behind, but are good for the second line subgroup. On dry roads the performance is average, and for acoustic comfort and smoothness they are better than more expensive tires like Nokian and Bridgestone. And in the final ranking Formula tires are higher than Bridgestone: on one step with tires Yokohama.
The debut is a success. Read Reviews |
13th: Nokian Nordman SX | |
| High resistance to aquaplaning Poor grip in the wet, low level of comfort If other manufacturers produce tires for the "second line" new tread patterns and, consequently, forced to make a mold "from scratch", the company Nokian Tires received more efficiently using Nordman tire mold tire Nokian previous generations. The tread on tires Nordman SX are just like tires Nokian i3. The same pattern - the same digital-wear indicators. Easy way, thing - the driver sees what residual tread depth in millimeters.
The main advantage - good resistance to aquaplaning. But traction on wet pavement is low. Particularly acute on the track during wet handling - the car breaks down abruptly into a skid, braking is not always possible to find a delicate balance wheel lock.
And on dry pavement grip is not impressive - on account of tire Nordman SX maximum braking distance. In addition, they are noisy and hard. Read Reviews |
14th: Cordiant Sport 3 | |
| Resistance to aquaplaning Grip in the wet, high noise New models of tires Cordiant suspiciously resemble tires Nokian. That tire tread Cordiant Sport 3 largely repeats the tire tread Nokian Hakka Blue. Even the wear indicator is - true, simple, a slot of variable depth. However, with the theme of plagiarism even understand stakeholders and our business - real tires.
On wet pavement, the grip is low - during both braking and cornering. .
On dry pavement grip is on the middle level, but special handling problems arise and they’re also extremely noisy. Read Reviews |
15th: Viatti Strada Asimmetrico | |
| Cheap Poor grip in the wet and dry, high noise On wet roads the tire tread works badly - and in the longitudinal and transverse coupling properties are clearly insufficient. On the road handling car almost all the time slips. and the car floats early during aquaplaning.
On dry roads the tires also show low grip and braking, and poor handling on the road. Reaction to steering is slow.
Average comfort, and in terms of fuel economy, these tires the worst - they have the highest rolling resistance.
The only indisputable advantage of these tires - low price. Read Reviews |
16th: Sava intensa | |
| Quiet Extremely low grip in the wet, low resistance to aquaplaning, poor handling on dry roads Slovenian company Sava wholly is owned by Goodyear since 2004, and the cooperation between the companies began in 1995. That is now all sold tires Sava created under the supervision of specialists of the company directly or Goodyear. Knowing the strengths of tires Goodyear, we figured that Sava tires will work well on wet pavement.
Alas. Coupling properties of extremely low - when braking from a speed of 80 km / h the vehicle will require additional ten meters free road! And on the road handling - the worst time. And the arrowhead tread pattern has not met expectations: aquaplaning starts very early.
On dry pavement braking performance mediocre, and on the road handling at the limit the car slides at the rear axle. Have to adjust the trajectory of the wheel hard, if late, the car falls into a dangerous skid. But with a quiet ride, enjoy the silence in the cabin - Sava tires are not the softest, but one of the quietest in our test.
However, Intensa model is leaving the market - it is replaced by the tires Sava Intensa HP. Hopefully, more quality. Read Reviews |
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