The weekly UK publication Auto Express has just published their 2018 winter tire test! This year Auto Express have tested eight winter tire patterns in 205/55 R16 using a VW Golf.
As Auto Express have previously asked us to keep our coverage of their tests to a minimum, below is a summary of what went on. As always, head over to the Auto Express website for the full glorious details of this excellent winter test!
The standout point from the test has to be the Michelin CrossClimate+ being one of the best tires during the snow testing. The "summer bias" all season Michelin generally proves to be very strong in the dry, but slightly behind winter and regular all season tires in the snow. The fact it was third overall in snow testing and was the best on test during snow braking is a real surprise.
Everything else in the test was as you'd expect. Continental win, Hankook continue to post strong results taking second place of the winter tires, and the Goodyear UltraGrip range continues to be impressive in 2018 with a third place for the UltraGrip Performance Gen-1.
Results
The reference summer tire was the excellent Continental Premium Contact 5
1st: Continental WinterContact TS 860 | |
| A great all round performance, particularly strong in the wet but also excellent handling in the snow. Low rolling resistance. None mentioned. Read Reviews |
2nd: Michelin CrossClimate+ | |
| Better than all the winter tires in the dry, strong in the wet and best snow braking result on test. None mentioned. Read Reviews Buy from £106.37 |
3rd: Hankook Winter i cept RS2 | |
| Best winter tire in the snow, excellent aquaplaning resistance, well priced. High rolling resistance. Read Reviews |
4th: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1 | |
| Well balanced performance, excellent aquaplaning result. Slightly weak dry handling, high rolling resistance. Read Reviews |
5th: Pirelli Cinturato Winter | |
| Strong in snow, excellent aquaplaning resistance, second place during wet handling. Average in the dry. Read Reviews |
6th: Dunlop Winter Sport 5 | |
| Strong wet performance, low noise. Average in the dry. Read Reviews Buy from £89.40 |
7th: Nokian WR D4 | |
| Lowest rolling resistance, excellent dry handling, good snow braking. Poor wet grip. Read Reviews |
8th: Falken Eurowinter HS01 | |
| Good snow performance. Weak in the wet, highest rolling resistance. Read Reviews Buy from £100.00 |
9th: Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 EVO | |
| Good in the dry. Last in the snow and aquaplaning, poor wet braking. Read Reviews |
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