The 2016 Auto Bild sports cars tire test places six maximum performance tires through their paces on a Jaguar F-Type, in 255/35 R20 front and 295/30 R20 rear sizes.

The new Continental Sport Contact 6 was tested against the reigning performance tire king, the Michelin Pilot Super Sport, and the result was surprising.

The previous Continental has always had the edge on the Michelin in the wet, but new the new Continental tire also has the better dry grip and steering feel, at least according to this test.

The one area they didn't test was wear, which is where Michelin usually claws back some marks, but for now the new Sport Contact 6 looks to be every bit the tire Continental have promised us!

It's also another strong performance for Hankook, with the Ventus S1 Evo 2. Hankook have been slowly improving this tire, and in the 19 inch and above sizes, it is now testing extremely well! As the cheapest tire on test, it has a price vs performance ratio that is hard to beat!

As we've yet to see the full article, we've summarised what we know in bullet points below. If you prefer this style of reporting, please let us know in the comment section at the bottom of the page.

Dry

• Dunlop Sport Maxx GT and Vredestein Ultrac Vorti have a slightly slower steering response than the best on test.
• The Yokohama steering is extremely quick, to the point of it unstabilising the car in the quicker corners.
• The new Continental is the fastest in dry and the best subjectively, with a good balance front to rear.
• Michelin is a close second in the dry, both in time and subjective feel.
• The Hankook matches the Vredestein to finish joint third.

Wet

• In the wet the Michelin aquaplaned early, something we're used to seeing from the dry optimised Pilot Super Sport.
• The Hankook is the best in the wet overall, winning the aquaplaning, wet circle and wet braking tests.
• The Yokohama and Vredestein have a good wet balance with a hint of understeer, but they can't match the Hankook under wet braking.
• The Continental almost matches the Hankook in wet grip and is subjectively very good again, with the Michelin is once again very close to the new Continental.
• The Dunlop has more oversteer in the wet than the other tires.

Update 

We've a little more information on the dry and wet handling tests. 

The average SPEEDS of the tires over a lap were (higher the better, ordered by dry speed, km/h)

As you can see, the difference between the best and worst in the group is small in both the dry and wet

Results

1st: Continental Sport Contact 6
255/35 R20 3PMSF: no	Total: 15 Dry: 9 Wet: 6 In the first test, the new Sport Contact 6 shines, especially in the dry. Excellent handling, fast steering and good road feedback. Short braking distances in both the dry and wet, and low noise round out a complete performance. Exemplary Read Reviews
2nd: Hankook Ventus S1 evo2
255/35 R20 3PMSF: no	Total: 15 Dry: 6 Wet: 9 Very high resistance to aquaplaning, shortest braking in the wet Exemplary Read Reviews
3rd: Michelin Pilot Super Sport
255/35 R20 3PMSF: no	Total: 13 Dry: 7 Wet: 6 Fast accurate steering response, high lateral stability and short braking distances in the dry. Poor resistance to aquaplaning, in the wet the car can oversteer quickly Good Read Reviews
4th: Yokohama Advan Sport V105
255/35 R20 3PMSF: no	Total: 12 Dry: 5 Wet: 7 Good handling and stability in the wet, short braking in the dry, low rolling resistance An understeer balance in the dry Good Read Reviews    Buy from £185.73
5th: Vredestein Ultrac Vorti
255/35 R20 3PMSF: no	Total: 12 Dry: 6 Wet: 6 Good handling in the wet Understeer in the dry, longer braking in the dry and wet Satisfactory Read Reviews
6th: Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT
255/35 R20 3PMSF: no	Total: 10 Dry: 5 Wet: 5 SHort braking in the wet and dry Poor handling and oversteer balance in the wet Satisfactory Read Reviews