2022 Auto Express Summer Tire Test

Test Summary
Wet BrakingBridgestone Potenza Sport
Dry BrakingGoodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6
WearBridgestone Potenza Sport
Snow HandlingHankook Ventus S1 evo 3
The 2022 Auto Express summer tire test is here! For 2022 Auto Express tested seven ultra high performance summer tires in the popular 225/40 R18 tire size!

As always, we will steer you towards the Auto Express website to see the full details of the test, but we do have a few comments to make.

  • At time of testing there were stock issues for some of the usual brands, meaning no Michelin and Continental are included in this test.
  • The Asymmetric 6 placed a very close second to the Potenza Sport, just 0.5% off overall. The Bridgestone was the sharper handling tire in the dry and wet by a small margin, but the Goodyear was the best of the rest by a clear margin.
  • The Pirelli Cinturato P7 seems out of place in this test as the only touring tire in the group, in this group we'd have prefered to see the P Zero PZ4.
  • The budget Austone tire took 18 meters longer than the best on test to stop in wet braking, which is a huge difference. 
  • Maxxis seems to continue its recent form with the Victra Sport 5 finishing impressively well with a rounded performance!

The overall results are below, and once again you can find the full details on www.autoexpress.com. The scores are weighed as 50% wet, 40% dry and fuel economy 10% with the emphasis on handling and braking in the dry and wet.

Results

1st: Bridgestone Potenza Sport

Bridgestone Potenza Sport
  • 225/40 R18
  • Weight: D/A/72kgs
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 790.8
  2. Dry: 200
  3. Wet: 392.1
  4. Noise: 98.7
  5. Overall: 100
The Potenza Sport lead in the dry and wet with the sharpest handling and shortest braking distances.

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2nd: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6
  • 225/40 R18
  • Weight: C/A/70kgs
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 788.1
  2. Dry: 196.4
  3. Wet: 395
  4. Noise: 97.2
  5. Overall: 99.5
The Asymmetric 6 was only slightly behind the Potenza Sport in the dry and wet, but had a better rolling resistance and the best aquaplaning resistance on test.

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3rd: Maxxis Victra Sport 5

Maxxis Victra Sport 5
  • 225/40 R18
  • Weight: C/A/72kgs
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 768
  2. Dry: 193.5
  3. Wet: 378.7
  4. Noise: 98.3
  5. Overall: 97.5
The VS5 had good handling and levels of grip in the dry and wet.

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4th: Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3

Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3
  • 225/40 R18
  • Weight: C/A/72kgs
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 749.7
  2. Dry: 191.2
  3. Wet: 361.1
  4. Noise: 100
  5. Overall: 97.4
The S1 Evo3 excelled in wet braking and had a good subjective handling result, but struggled a little in the deep water aquaplaning testing.

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5th: Falken Azenis FK520

Falken Azenis FK520
  • 225/40 R18
  • Weight: C/A/70kgs
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 750.3
  2. Dry: 194.9
  3. Wet: 360.7
  4. Noise: 98.2
  5. Overall: 96.5
The new Falken Azenis FK520 performed well in the dry and in the aquaplaning testing, but couldn't match the best in the wet grip tests of wet handling and braking.

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6th: Pirelli Cinturato P7 C2

Pirelli Cinturato P7 C2
  • 225/40 R18
  • Weight: B/A/70kgs
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 722.2
  2. Dry: 187
  3. Wet: 340.6
  4. Noise: 99.4
  5. Overall: 95.2
The Cinturato P7 C2 was the only touring tire in a group of UHP tires, and performed as you would expect. It couldn't match the outright grip of the performance tires but had the best rolling resistance on test.

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7th: Austone Athena SP 7

Austone Athena SP 7
  • 225/40 R18
  • Weight: C/A/72kgs
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 675.5
  2. Dry: 181.5
  3. Wet: 304.9
  4. Noise: 99.4
  5. Overall: 89.7
The Austone SP7 finished last in every grip test, and took 18 meters longer to stop the test car than the winner, which is a huge margin. As always, cheap tires are cheap for a reason.

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