2022 AutoBild Sports Cars UHP Summer Tire Test

Test Size: 225/45 R18
Tires Tested: 11 tires
Test Categories:
4 categories (10 tests)
Similar Tests

Test Category Best Performer Worst Performer Difference
Dry (2 tests)
Dry Braking Bridgestone Potenza Sport: 36 M Fulda SportControl 2: 37.8 M1.8 M (4.8%)
Dry Handling Michelin Pilot Sport 4: 104.1 Km/H Tomket Sport 3 Series 3: 99 Km/H5.1 Km/H (5.2%)
Wet (5 tests)
Wet Braking Bridgestone Potenza Sport: 45.7 M Tomket Sport 3 Series 3: 65.6 M19.9 M (30.3%)
Wet Handling Vredestein Ultrac Vorti Plus: 88.9 Km/H Tomket Sport 3 Series 3: 75.2 Km/H13.7 Km/H (18.2%)
Wet Circle Bridgestone Potenza Sport: 11.47 s Tomket Sport 3 Series 3: 12.78 s1.3 s (10.3%)
Straight Aqua Toyo Proxes Sport A: 99.4 Km/H Tomket Sport 3 Series 3: 94.6 Km/H4.8 Km/H (5.1%)
Curved Aquaplaning GT-Radial SportActive 2: 3.69 m/sec2 Tomket Sport 3 Series 3: 2.82 m/sec20.9 m/sec2 (30.9%)
Comfort (1 tests)
Noise Tomket Sport 3 Series 3: 70.8 dB Continental Premium Contact 6: 74.1 dB3.3 dB (4.5%)
Value (2 tests)
Price Tomket Sport 3 Series 3: 335 Michelin Pilot Sport 4: 660 325.0 (49.2%)
Rolling Resistance Tomket Sport 3 Series 3: 8.18 kg / t Vredestein Ultrac Vorti Plus: 10 kg / t1.8 kg / t (18.2%)
The 2022 Autobild Sportscars summer tire test has tested eleven 225/45 R18 sizes using a BMW 3 Series, but has also tested four of the SAME sets in a staggered 225/45 R18 front and 255/4 R18 rear size to compare the two different options.

First up, the main test. Sadly the test was missing Goodyear and Pirelli, and interestingly the testers found the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 not only to be the best, but also to have the sportiest handling, something we're don't see often.

Even more surprising was that the Vredestein Ultrac Vorti+ finished joint first, beating every tire in the wet handling test and ending up with enough points to match the Pilot Sport 4.

It was the test of ties, with the Falken FK510 and Toyo Proxes Sport A finishing joint third and the Bridgestone Potenza Sport and Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 finishing joint fifth.

Square vs Staggered Setup

The most interesting part of the test was the square vs staggered setup. Unfortunately the Tire Reviews database can't list both results, just the square, so we'll have to explain the differences below referencing the square data we have already.

The tires tested in both square and staggered were the Michelin Pilot Sport 4, the Vredestein Ultrac Vorti+, Falken FK510 and Nexen N'Fera Sport.

In the dry, the staggered setup with the wider rear tire stopped 0.1 meters worse for the Falken and 0.2m behind for Michelin and Vredestein which is certainly counter intuitive, but the Nexen was 0.3 meters better with the wider rear tire. 

Dry handling made no more sense with the Michelin finishing 0.8 km/h faster with the wider rear tire, 1.3 km/h faster for the Vredestein, 1.5 km/h faster for the Nexen, but 1.3 km/h slower for the Falken.

Wet braking had the Michelin stopping the BMW 0.5 meters shorter with the wider rear, 1.3 meters shorter for Nexen but exactly the same for Vredestein and 0.5 longer for the Falken!

Finally, every set of tires was significantly slower in the wet with the wider rear tire.

What can we conclude regarding square vs staggered tires? The data shows that there's not a huge amount of difference with the extra 20 mm of rear tire width, and whether you get better or worse performance varies between what test is being tested, and the tire brand used!

There's more information in the full Auto Bild test, so we suggest you check that out if you're interested in further information.

Below is all the data from the 225/45 R18 square test.

Dry

Bridgestone, Hankook and Toyo had an impressive lead in dry braking.

Michelin aced the dry handling test with the quickest lap time and the sportiest handling.

Wet

Bridgestone again led the way in wet braking.

But couldn't quite beat Vredestein for the top place in wet handling.

GT Radial and Toyo led the way in the aquaplaning testing.

Environment

The budget Tomket had the lowest external noise on test.

And the lowest rolling resistance.

And the lowest price.

Results

1st: Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Michelin Pilot Sport 4
  • 225/45 R18
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking6th37.1 M36 M+1.1 M97.04%
Dry Handling1st104.1 Km/H100%
Wet Braking2nd47.6 M45.7 M+1.9 M96.01%
Wet Handling5th86.9 Km/H88.9 Km/H-2 Km/H97.75%
Wet Circle7th12.01 s11.47 s+0.54 s95.5%
Straight Aqua3rd98.2 Km/H99.4 Km/H-1.2 Km/H98.79%
Curved Aquaplaning6th3.27 m/sec23.69 m/sec2-0.42 m/sec288.62%
Noise4th72.8 dB70.8 dB+2 dB97.25%
Price11th660 335 +325 50.76%
Rolling Resistance2nd8.42 kg / t8.18 kg / t+0.24 kg / t97.15%
Premium summer tires with the best dynamic driving characteristics in the dry (direct steering with good feedback), safe wet handling, short wet and dry braking, low rolling resistance.
High price level.

Read Reviews    Buy from £139.70

1st: Vredestein Ultrac Vorti+

Vredestein Ultrac Vorti Plus
  • 225/45 R18
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking8th37.5 M36 M+1.5 M96%
Dry Handling4th103.2 Km/H104.1 Km/H-0.9 Km/H99.14%
Wet Braking5th49.5 M45.7 M+3.8 M92.32%
Wet Handling1st88.9 Km/H100%
Wet Circle4th11.82 s11.47 s+0.35 s97.04%
Straight Aqua5th97.9 Km/H99.4 Km/H-1.5 Km/H98.49%
Curved Aquaplaning5th3.34 m/sec23.69 m/sec2-0.35 m/sec290.51%
Noise8th73.3 dB70.8 dB+2.5 dB96.59%
Price3rd485 335 +150 69.07%
Rolling Resistance11th10 kg / t8.18 kg / t+1.82 kg / t81.8%
Sporty balanced summer tire, good wet grip, good aquaplaning resistance, sporty dry handling with precise steering, short wet and dry braking distances.
High rolling resistance.

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3rd: Falken Azenis FK510

Falken Azenis FK510
  • 225/45 R18
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking5th37 M36 M+1 M97.3%
Dry Handling5th102.9 Km/H104.1 Km/H-1.2 Km/H98.85%
Wet Braking3rd47.9 M45.7 M+2.2 M95.41%
Wet Handling6th86.4 Km/H88.9 Km/H-2.5 Km/H97.19%
Wet Circle6th11.95 s11.47 s+0.48 s95.98%
Straight Aqua4th98 Km/H99.4 Km/H-1.4 Km/H98.59%
Curved Aquaplaning4th3.54 m/sec23.69 m/sec2-0.15 m/sec295.93%
Noise7th73.2 dB70.8 dB+2.4 dB96.72%
Price9th570 335 +235 58.77%
Rolling Resistance7th9.01 kg / t8.18 kg / t+0.83 kg / t90.79%
Good performance potential, excellent aquaplaning resistance, stable handling the wet, sporty dry dynamics.
High price level.

Read Reviews    Buy from £138.60

3rd: Toyo Proxes Sport A

Toyo Proxes Sport A
  • 225/45 R18
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking2nd36.1 M36 M+0.1 M99.72%
Dry Handling2nd104 Km/H104.1 Km/H-0.1 Km/H99.9%
Wet Braking4th48.8 M45.7 M+3.1 M93.65%
Wet Handling4th87.5 Km/H88.9 Km/H-1.4 Km/H98.43%
Wet Circle2nd11.73 s11.47 s+0.26 s97.78%
Straight Aqua1st99.4 Km/H100%
Curved Aquaplaning2nd3.6 m/sec23.69 m/sec2-0.09 m/sec297.56%
Noise9th73.5 dB70.8 dB+2.7 dB96.33%
Price5th495 335 +160 67.68%
Rolling Resistance8th9.47 kg / t8.18 kg / t+1.29 kg / t86.38%
Exemplary driving characteristics, very good aquaplaning resistance, sporty handling in the wet and dry, short wet and dry braking, fair price.
Reduced ride comfort, high rolling resistance.

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5th: Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3

Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3
  • 225/45 R18
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking2nd36.1 M36 M+0.1 M99.72%
Dry Handling3rd103.5 Km/H104.1 Km/H-0.6 Km/H99.42%
Wet Braking5th49.5 M45.7 M+3.8 M92.32%
Wet Handling3rd87.6 Km/H88.9 Km/H-1.3 Km/H98.54%
Wet Circle3rd11.76 s11.47 s+0.29 s97.53%
Straight Aqua9th95.6 Km/H99.4 Km/H-3.8 Km/H96.18%
Curved Aquaplaning10th2.85 m/sec23.69 m/sec2-0.84 m/sec277.24%
Noise2nd72.2 dB70.8 dB+1.4 dB98.06%
Price7th520 335 +185 64.42%
Rolling Resistance5th8.76 kg / t8.18 kg / t+0.58 kg / t93.38%
Balanced tire with good driving characteristics in the dry and wet, short braking distances, low noise, low rolling resistance, low price.
Limited curved aquaplaning resistance.

Read Reviews    Buy from £126.94

5th: Bridgestone Potenza Sport

Bridgestone Potenza Sport
  • 225/45 R18
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking1st36 M100%
Dry Handling7th102.2 Km/H104.1 Km/H-1.9 Km/H98.17%
Wet Braking1st45.7 M100%
Wet Handling2nd88.8 Km/H88.9 Km/H-0.1 Km/H99.89%
Wet Circle1st11.47 s100%
Straight Aqua8th95.7 Km/H99.4 Km/H-3.7 Km/H96.28%
Curved Aquaplaning8th3.06 m/sec23.69 m/sec2-0.63 m/sec282.93%
Noise10th74.1 dB70.8 dB+3.3 dB95.55%
Price8th560 335 +225 59.82%
Rolling Resistance9th9.7 kg / t8.18 kg / t+1.52 kg / t84.33%
Impressive grip with sporty handling in the wet, direct steering response and stable handling in the dry, short wet and dry braking, good comfort.
High rolling resistance, high noise.

Read Reviews    Buy from £126.58

7th: Continental Premium Contact 6

Continental Premium Contact 6
  • 225/45 R18
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking4th36.7 M36 M+0.7 M98.09%
Dry Handling6th102.7 Km/H104.1 Km/H-1.4 Km/H98.66%
Wet Braking9th52.5 M45.7 M+6.8 M87.05%
Wet Handling7th85.8 Km/H88.9 Km/H-3.1 Km/H96.51%
Wet Circle9th12.2 s11.47 s+0.73 s94.02%
Straight Aqua10th95 Km/H99.4 Km/H-4.4 Km/H95.57%
Curved Aquaplaning9th2.91 m/sec23.69 m/sec2-0.78 m/sec278.86%
Noise10th74.1 dB70.8 dB+3.3 dB95.55%
Price10th590 335 +255 56.78%
Rolling Resistance4th8.71 kg / t8.18 kg / t+0.53 kg / t93.92%
Premium comfort tires with stable driving on dry roads, short dry braking, fuel saving rolling resistance, good comfort.
Low aquaplaning resistance, longer wet braking.

Read Reviews    Buy from £139.16

8th: Fulda SportControl 2

Fulda SportControl 2
  • 225/45 R18
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking11th37.8 M36 M+1.8 M95.24%
Dry Handling8th102.1 Km/H104.1 Km/H-2 Km/H98.08%
Wet Braking8th52.4 M45.7 M+6.7 M87.21%
Wet Handling8th85.1 Km/H88.9 Km/H-3.8 Km/H95.73%
Wet Circle5th11.9 s11.47 s+0.43 s96.39%
Straight Aqua6th97 Km/H99.4 Km/H-2.4 Km/H97.59%
Curved Aquaplaning2nd3.6 m/sec23.69 m/sec2-0.09 m/sec297.56%
Noise4th72.8 dB70.8 dB+2 dB97.25%
Price5th495 335 +160 67.68%
Rolling Resistance6th8.77 kg / t8.18 kg / t+0.59 kg / t93.27%
Safe driving characteristics in the wet and dry, good aquaplaning resistance, short dry braking, low rolling resistance, good comfort.
Long wet braking, limited dry cornering grip.

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9th: Nexen N Fera Sport SU2

Nexen N Fera Sport SU2
  • 225/45 R18
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking7th37.4 M36 M+1.4 M96.26%
Dry Handling9th101 Km/H104.1 Km/H-3.1 Km/H97.02%
Wet Braking7th50.6 M45.7 M+4.9 M90.32%
Wet Handling9th82.9 Km/H88.9 Km/H-6 Km/H93.25%
Wet Circle8th12.02 s11.47 s+0.55 s95.42%
Straight Aqua7th96.4 Km/H99.4 Km/H-3 Km/H96.98%
Curved Aquaplaning7th3.18 m/sec23.69 m/sec2-0.51 m/sec286.18%
Noise6th72.9 dB70.8 dB+2.1 dB97.12%
Price2nd410 335 +75 81.71%
Rolling Resistance10th9.85 kg / t8.18 kg / t+1.67 kg / t83.05%
Good aquaplaning resistance, short dry braking, low price.
Limited handling in the dry and wet, weak cornering, slow steering, high rolling resistance.

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10th: GT Radial SportActive 2

GT-Radial SportActive 2
  • 225/45 R18
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking9th37.7 M36 M+1.7 M95.49%
Dry Handling10th99.2 Km/H104.1 Km/H-4.9 Km/H95.29%
Wet Braking10th57 M45.7 M+11.3 M80.18%
Wet Handling10th78.2 Km/H88.9 Km/H-10.7 Km/H87.96%
Wet Circle10th12.34 s11.47 s+0.87 s92.95%
Straight Aqua2nd98.8 Km/H99.4 Km/H-0.6 Km/H99.4%
Curved Aquaplaning1st3.69 m/sec2100%
Noise3rd72.3 dB70.8 dB+1.5 dB97.93%
Price4th490 335 +155 68.37%
Rolling Resistance3rd8.62 kg / t8.18 kg / t+0.44 kg / t94.9%
Good aquaplaning resistance, short dry braking, low rolling resistance.
Low levels of grip in the wet with understeer balance, significantly longer wet braking distances, average ride comfort.

Read Reviews    Buy from £127.24

11th: Tomket Sport 3 Series 3

Tomket Sport 3 Series 3
  • 225/45 R18
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking9th37.7 M36 M+1.7 M95.49%
Dry Handling11th99 Km/H104.1 Km/H-5.1 Km/H95.1%
Wet Braking11th65.6 M45.7 M+19.9 M69.66%
Wet Handling11th75.2 Km/H88.9 Km/H-13.7 Km/H84.59%
Wet Circle11th12.78 s11.47 s+1.31 s89.75%
Straight Aqua11th94.6 Km/H99.4 Km/H-4.8 Km/H95.17%
Curved Aquaplaning11th2.82 m/sec23.69 m/sec2-0.87 m/sec276.42%
Noise1st70.8 dB100%
Price1st335 100%
Rolling Resistance1st8.18 kg / t100%
Short dry braking, low rolling resistance.
Very poor grip in the wet with severe understeer, dangerously long wet braking distances, poor aquaplaning resistance.

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