Test Summary
Wet Braking	Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Dry Braking	Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 Vredestein Ultrac Vorti Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
Rolling Resistance	Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3
Noise	Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Snow Handling	Vredestein Ultrac Vorti Hankook Ventus S1 evo2

The German publication Auto Bild have published their third tire test of 2017, this time testing nine UHP tires in 245/40 R18 using an Audi TT. Without a budget tire included in the test, this is one of the closest tire tests we've seen in years, and highlight just how close the latest generation of tires have become in terms of raw performance.

Wet

In the wet, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 came out best overall. It won the aquaplaning tests and was joint fastest during the wet handling lap. The Firestone tire lost both categories.

Under wet braking, the Michelin only managed sixth position, but when you consider the gap between the test winning Dunlop and sixth placed Michelin was just 0.4 meters, you realise the order of the top tires could fall within the variance of the testing. The now-dated Continental Sport Contact 5 struggled, but not as much as the Firestone tire, a full ten meters behind the winning Dunlop.

Dry

As in the wet, the Michelin was the fastest tire in the dry, with Vredestein a close second.

The dry braking test verified Vredesteins dry ability, with Vredestein convincingly winning the test. Firestone once again finished last, rounding out last place in every test of grip performed.

The rolling resistance test was won by Goodyear, with the first five places close enough not to make a huge impact in overall fuel use. The excellent dry grip of the Vredestein does have a trade off, the Ultrac Vorti had the worst efficiency of all tires on test.

The quietest tires on test were Hankook and Vredestein. Firestone once again ranks last, but is the cheapest tire on test.

Results

Below are the overall results. Auto Bild place a higher score weighting on the wet results, which is why the total scores aren't in sequence with the order of results.

1st: Michelin Pilot Sport 4
245/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 35 Dry: 8 Wet: 7 Comfort: 7 Rolling Resistance: 7 Noise: 6 Very good handling on dry and wet surfaces, precise steering response, good feedback and short braking distances in all conditions. High level of comfort None mentioned Exemplary / Test Winner Read Reviews    Buy from £133.81
2nd: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3
245/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 35 Dry: 7 Wet: 7 Comfort: 6 Rolling Resistance: 9 Noise: 6 Good handling and a short stopping distance on wet and dry surfaces, high lateral stability on wet roads, low rolling resistance None mentioned Exemplary Read Reviews    Buy from £134.14
2nd: Vredestein Ultrac Vorti
245/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 30 Dry: 7 Wet: 7 Comfort: 5 Rolling Resistance: 4 Noise: 7 Good handling and a short stopping distance on wet and dry roads, low noise Slightly high rolling resistance Exemplary Read Reviews
4th: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
245/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 33 Dry: 6 Wet: 7 Comfort: 6 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 6 Good handling on dry roads, short stopping distance on wet and dry surfaces, good levels of comfort A tendency to oversteer on wet roads Good Read Reviews    Buy from £109.57
4th: Hankook Ventus S1 evo2
245/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 31 Dry: 7 Wet: 6 Comfort: 5 Rolling Resistance: 6 Noise: 7 High lateral stability and good handling on dry roads, short stopping distance on wet and dry surfaces, high resistance to aquaplaning, low noise Strong tendency to understeer in the wet Good Read Reviews    Buy from £117.71
6th: Falken Azenis FK510
245/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 29 Dry: 6 Wet: 6 Comfort: 5 Rolling Resistance: 6 Noise: 6 High lateral stability and good handling on dry roads, short stopping distance on wet and dry surfaces, high resistance to aquaplaning A tendency to oversteer on wet roads Good Read Reviews
6th: Nokian zLine
245/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 29 Dry: 6 Wet: 6 Comfort: 4 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 5 Short stopping distance on wet and dry surfaces, high lateral stability on wet roads Delayed response to steering and the tendency to oversteer, average comfort level Good Read Reviews
8th: Continental Sport Contact 5
245/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 30 Dry: 5 Wet: 5 Comfort: 6 Rolling Resistance: 8 Noise: 6 Good resistance to aquaplaning, low rolling resistance, good levels of comfort Average braking, slow steering, low stability on wet roads Average Read Reviews    Buy from £124.22
9th: Firestone Firehawk SZ90
245/40 R18 3PMSF: no	Total: 18 Dry: 4 Wet: 1 Comfort: 5 Rolling Resistance: 5 Noise: 3 Acceptable resistance to aquaplaning Unbalanced handling and long braking distances on wet and dry roads. High noise levels Not recommended Read Reviews