For 2024 ADAC have tested two sizes of winter tires. The below test covers the 16" version. There's nothing particularly shocking in the overall results, so enjoy the data, which includes wear, below!
The Falken EUROWINTER HS02 performed best in dry braking, stopping in 43.3 meters. The worst performer was the Winrun Winter max A1 WR22, taking 46.5 meters to stop - a difference of 3.2 meters. Most tires clustered between 44-46 meters, with the top 3 (Falken, Nokian, and Goodyear) showing noticeably shorter braking distances.
Dry Braking
Spread: 3.20 M (7.4%)|Avg: 45.09 M
Dry braking in meters (100 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
Falken EUROWINTER HS02
43.30 M
Nokian Snowproof 2
44.10 M
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
44.20 M
Vredestein Wintrac
44.50 M
Continental WinterContact TS 870
44.70 M
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2
45.20 M
Michelin Alpin 6
45.50 M
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
45.60 M
Hankook Winter I cept RS3
45.70 M
GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo
45.80 M
Zeetex WH 1000
46.00 M
Winrun Winter max A1 WR22
46.50 M
Wet
In wet braking, there was a tie for first place between the Continental WinterContact TS 870 and Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2, both stopping in 35.1 meters. The worst performer was the Winrun Winter max A1 WR22 at 40.7 meters - a significant 5.6 meter difference. The top 5 tires were closely grouped within 0.8 meters of each other, while there was a clear performance drop-off for the bottom 3 tires.
Wet Braking
Spread: 5.60 M (16%)|Avg: 36.76 M
Wet braking in meters (80 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
Continental WinterContact TS 870
35.10 M
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2
35.10 M
Michelin Alpin 6
35.40 M
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
35.50 M
Falken EUROWINTER HS02
35.90 M
Vredestein Wintrac
36.10 M
Nokian Snowproof 2
36.40 M
GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo
36.90 M
Hankook Winter I cept RS3
37.10 M
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
37.20 M
Zeetex WH 1000
39.70 M
Winrun Winter max A1 WR22
40.70 M
On concrete in wet conditions, the Continental WinterContact TS 870 performed best, stopping in 38.5 meters. The Winrun Winter max A1 WR22 again performed worst, taking 46.6 meters - a substantial 8.1 meter difference. There was a noticeable performance gap between the top 4 tires and the rest of the field.
Wet Braking - Concrete
Spread: 8.10 M (21%)|Avg: 41.19 M
Wet braking on Concrete in meters (80 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
Continental WinterContact TS 870
38.50 M
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2
39.00 M
Michelin Alpin 6
39.10 M
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
39.20 M
Falken EUROWINTER HS02
40.20 M
Vredestein Wintrac
40.30 M
Nokian Snowproof 2
41.00 M
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
41.70 M
Hankook Winter I cept RS3
42.10 M
GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo
42.30 M
Zeetex WH 1000
44.30 M
Winrun Winter max A1 WR22
46.60 M
The Hankook Winter I cept RS3 performed best in straight aquaplaning, maintaining control up to 84.4 km/h. The worst performer was the Zeetex WH 1000 at 68.9 km/h - a significant 15.5 km/h difference. There was a clear performance divide, with the top 7 tires maintaining control above 80 km/h, while the bottom 5 dropped below 77 km/h.
Straight Aqua
Spread: 15.50 Km/H (18.4%)|Avg: 78.49 Km/H
Float Speed in Km/H (Higher is better)
Hankook Winter I cept RS3
84.40 Km/H
Continental WinterContact TS 870
84.00 Km/H
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
83.10 Km/H
Vredestein Wintrac
81.00 Km/H
Nokian Snowproof 2
80.70 Km/H
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2
80.60 Km/H
Falken EUROWINTER HS02
80.40 Km/H
Michelin Alpin 6
77.20 Km/H
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
76.50 Km/H
GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo
76.10 Km/H
Winrun Winter max A1 WR22
69.00 Km/H
Zeetex WH 1000
68.90 Km/H
In curved aquaplaning, the Continental WinterContact TS 870 performed best with 3.7 m/sec2 of lateral acceleration. The Zeetex WH 1000 and Winrun Winter max A1 WR22 tied for worst at 2.4 m/sec2 - a difference of 1.3 m/sec2. There was a notable performance gap between the top 5 tires and the rest of the field.
Curved Aquaplaning
Spread: 1.30 m/sec2 (35.1%)|Avg: 3.22 m/sec2
Remaining lateral acceleration (Higher is better)
Continental WinterContact TS 870
3.70 m/sec2
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
3.60 m/sec2
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
3.60 m/sec2
Nokian Snowproof 2
3.60 m/sec2
Hankook Winter I cept RS3
3.60 m/sec2
Falken EUROWINTER HS02
3.30 m/sec2
Vredestein Wintrac
3.30 m/sec2
Michelin Alpin 6
3.20 m/sec2
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2
3.00 m/sec2
GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo
2.90 m/sec2
Zeetex WH 1000
2.40 m/sec2
Winrun Winter max A1 WR22
2.40 m/sec2
Snow
The Continental WinterContact TS 870 and Dunlop Winter Sport 5 tied for best snow braking performance, stopping in 9.9 meters. The Zeetex WH 1000 and Falken EUROWINTER HS02 tied for worst at 11.0 meters - a difference of 1.1 meters. Most tires performed relatively closely, with only 1.1 meters separating the best from worst.
Snow Braking
Spread: 1.10 M (11.1%)|Avg: 10.29 M
Snow braking in meters (30 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
9.90 M
Continental WinterContact TS 870
9.90 M
Hankook Winter I cept RS3
10.00 M
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
10.10 M
Winrun Winter max A1 WR22
10.10 M
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2
10.20 M
Nokian Snowproof 2
10.20 M
Michelin Alpin 6
10.30 M
GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo
10.30 M
Vredestein Wintrac
10.50 M
Zeetex WH 1000
11.00 M
Falken EUROWINTER HS02
11.00 M
The Michelin Alpin 6 provided the best snow traction at 236 N. The Zeetex WH 1000 performed worst at 208 N - a difference of 28 N. There was a clear performance divide, with the top 9 tires providing over 229 N of traction, while the bottom 3 dropped below 222 N.
Snow Traction
Spread: 28.00 N (11.9%)|Avg: 228.25 N
Pulling Force in Newtons (Higher is better)
Michelin Alpin 6
236.00 N
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
235.00 N
Vredestein Wintrac
235.00 N
Hankook Winter I cept RS3
233.00 N
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2
233.00 N
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
231.00 N
Winrun Winter max A1 WR22
231.00 N
GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo
230.00 N
Continental WinterContact TS 870
229.00 N
Nokian Snowproof 2
222.00 N
Falken EUROWINTER HS02
216.00 N
Zeetex WH 1000
208.00 N
Ice
On ice, the Continental WinterContact TS 870 performed best, stopping in 18.3 meters. The Nokian Snowproof 2 performed worst at 21.6 meters - a difference of 3.3 meters. There was a notable performance gap between the top 6 tires and the rest of the field.
Ice Braking
Spread: 3.30 M (18%)|Avg: 19.94 M
Ice braking in meters (20 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
Continental WinterContact TS 870
18.30 M
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2
19.10 M
Winrun Winter max A1 WR22
19.40 M
Falken EUROWINTER HS02
19.40 M
Vredestein Wintrac
19.40 M
Hankook Winter I cept RS3
19.80 M
Zeetex WH 1000
20.00 M
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
20.00 M
GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo
20.30 M
Michelin Alpin 6
20.80 M
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
21.20 M
Nokian Snowproof 2
21.60 M
Comfort
The Vredestein Wintrac was the quietest tire at 70.4 dB. The Dunlop Winter Sport 5 was the noisiest at 73.0 dB - a difference of 2.6 dB. Most tires performed relatively closely, with only 2.6 dB separating the quietest from the noisiest.
Noise
Spread: 2.60 dB (3.7%)|Avg: 71.55 dB
External noise in dB (Lower is better)
Vredestein Wintrac
70.40 dB
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2
70.90 dB
Falken EUROWINTER HS02
71.00 dB
Continental WinterContact TS 870
71.10 dB
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
71.20 dB
GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo
71.30 dB
Zeetex WH 1000
71.60 dB
Hankook Winter I cept RS3
71.70 dB
Michelin Alpin 6
71.90 dB
Winrun Winter max A1 WR22
72.00 dB
Nokian Snowproof 2
72.50 dB
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
73.00 dB
Value
The Michelin Alpin 6 showed the best projected tread life at 53,200 km. The Vredestein Wintrac had the shortest projected life at 33,400 km - a significant difference of 19,800 km. There was a wide range of performance, with clear tiers of durability among the tested tires.
Wear
Spread: 19800.00 KM (37.2%)|Avg: 43666.67 KM
Predicted tread life in KM (Higher is better)
Michelin Alpin 6
53200.00 KM
Hankook Winter I cept RS3
52800.00 KM
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
49100.00 KM
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
48700.00 KM
Winrun Winter max A1 WR22
47000.00 KM
Zeetex WH 1000
44100.00 KM
Continental WinterContact TS 870
43800.00 KM
Falken EUROWINTER HS02
42300.00 KM
Nokian Snowproof 2
38500.00 KM
GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo
37100.00 KM
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2
34000.00 KM
Vredestein Wintrac
33400.00 KM
Several tires tied for best fuel consumption at 5.1 l/100km. The worst performers (including Zeetex WH 1000 and Winrun Winter max A1 WR22) consumed 5.2 l/100km - a minor 0.1 l/100km difference. Overall, fuel consumption was very similar across all tested tires.
Fuel Consumption
Spread: 0.10 l/100km (2%)|Avg: 5.15 l/100km
Fuel consumption in Litres per 100 km (Lower is better)
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
5.10 l/100km
GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo
5.10 l/100km
Continental WinterContact TS 870
5.10 l/100km
Vredestein Wintrac
5.10 l/100km
Nokian Snowproof 2
5.10 l/100km
Hankook Winter I cept RS3
5.10 l/100km
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
5.20 l/100km
Falken EUROWINTER HS02
5.20 l/100km
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2
5.20 l/100km
Zeetex WH 1000
5.20 l/100km
Michelin Alpin 6
5.20 l/100km
Winrun Winter max A1 WR22
5.20 l/100km
The Hankook Winter I cept RS3 and Michelin Alpin 6 tied for best (lowest) abrasion at 48 mg/km/t. The Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 had the highest abrasion at 79 mg/km/t - a significant difference of 31 mg/km/t. There was a wide range of performance, with clear groupings of tires at different abrasion levels.
Abrasion
Spread: 31.00 mg/km/t (64.6%)|Avg: 63.17 mg/km/t
Weight of Tire Wear Particles Lost (mg/km/t) (Lower is better)
The Continental WinterContact TS 870 tire performs excellently in safety tests across all road surfaces. It scores particularly well in wet and winter conditions, offering good handling, short braking distances, and high safety reserves. The tire also has a good environmental rating due to its durability, low wear, light weight, and fuel efficiency.
The Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 tire demonstrates varied capabilities across different road conditions. While it performs adequately on dry surfaces with good steering feel but some weaknesses in borderline situations, it excels on wet roads with above-average braking, aquaplaning resistance, and handling. In winter conditions, it shows strong handling performance and slightly above-average braking, but struggles on ice. The tire's environmental impact is positive, with good projected mileage, wear ratings, and fuel efficiency. Overall, the UltraGrip Performance 3 is most impressive on wet and general winter roads, with room for improvement on dry surfaces and icy conditions, making it a well-rounded option with particular strengths in challenging weather.
The Michelin Alpin 6 tire demonstrates good overall performance across various driving conditions. On dry roads, it offers good steering feedback and precise handling with adequate safety reserves, though its braking distance is slightly below average. In wet conditions, it excels in braking tests and performs well in aquaplaning resistance and handling. The tire's best performance is on winter roads, with average to above-average results in braking and traction, and very good handling due to its safety reserves and precise control. Ice braking is rated as satisfactory. Environmentally, the Alpin 6 stands out with the highest mileage and lowest wear in the test, as well as good efficiency due to its low weight and fuel consumption. However, it's slightly noisier than average. Overall, the Michelin Alpin 6 is a well-rounded tire with particular strengths in winter conditions and environmental performance.
The Hankook Winter icept RS3 tire shows mixed performance across different driving conditions. On dry roads, it offers good steering feedback, precise handling, and good safety reserves during sudden evasive maneuvers, though its braking distance is slightly longer than average. Its performance on wet roads is less impressive, barely missing a good rating. While it handles aquaplaning well, it struggles with wet braking and handling, showing weak grip and a tendency to oversteer. The tire performs well on winter roads, with above-average braking and acceleration on snow, and safe, precise handling on snowy courses. Ice braking performance is average. Environmentally, the tire scores well with above-average mileage, very low wear, light weight, and low fuel consumption. However, it's noted that production residues on new tires unnecessarily end up in nature during the first few kilometers of use. Overall, the Hankook Winter icept RS3 excels in dry and winter conditions but has room for improvement on wet surfaces.
The Dunlop Winter Sport 5 tire shows mixed performance across different driving conditions. On dry roads, it struggles with precision and steering feedback, requiring frequent corrections to maintain the desired path. It also shows weaknesses in sudden evasive maneuvers and has below-average dry braking distances. Performance on wet roads is marginally good, with satisfactory results in braking and longitudinal aquaplaning, but excelling in lateral aquaplaning resistance and handling. The tire's strongest performance is on winter roads, where it achieves clearly good ratings. It offers some of the shortest braking distances on snow, above-average traction, and excellent handling with good combination of longitudinal and lateral forces. Ice braking narrowly misses a good rating. Environmentally, the Winter Sport 5 scores well, offering above-average mileage, low wear, and good efficiency due to its low weight and fuel consumption. Overall, the Dunlop Winter Sport 5 excels in winter conditions and environmental performance but has notable room for improvement on dry surfaces.
The Nokian Tires Snowproof 2 demonstrates mixed performance across different driving conditions. On dry roads, it shows slight weaknesses in precision and steering feedback, requiring minor corrections to maintain the desired path. Its performance in sudden evasive maneuvers is not entirely convincing, with a tendency to oversteer. However, it achieves good dry braking distances. On wet surfaces, the tire performs well overall, with good results in aquaplaning resistance and handling, though narrowly missing a good rating in wet braking. Its weakest performance is on winter roads, where it achieves good snow braking but only satisfactory results in traction and handling due to average grip levels and suboptimal force combination. Ice braking is below average. Environmentally, the tire's performance is mixed, with below-average projected mileage but good wear resistance and efficiency due to low weight and fuel consumption. Overall, the Nokian Tires Snowproof 2 excels on wet roads but has room for improvement on dry and winter surfaces, as well as in terms of longevity.
The Falken Eurowinter HS02 tire shows varied performance across different driving conditions. On dry roads, it excels with the best rating in the test, offering precise steering, good safety reserves, and the shortest braking distance. Wet performance is marginally good, with above-average results in braking and aquaplaning resistance, though it narrowly misses a good rating in handling due to slightly lower precision. The tire's weakest performance is on winter roads, where it achieves only satisfactory results in braking, traction, and handling, with early tendencies to under- and oversteer. Ice braking is average. Environmentally, the tire narrowly misses a good rating despite good projected mileage, wear resistance, and efficiency. Average noise levels and only adequate sustainability in its Turkish production prevent a higher environmental score. Overall, the Falken Eurowinter HS02 performs best on dry and wet roads but struggles in winter conditions, with room for improvement in environmental aspects.
The Zeetex WH 1000 tire demonstrates below-average performance across most driving conditions. On dry roads, it offers only adequate steering feedback and precision, requiring frequent corrections. It tends to oversteer during dynamic maneuvers, and its braking distance is longer than average. Wet performance is also rated as merely adequate, with satisfactory results in braking and aquaplaning tests but weak handling due to low grip and poor combination of longitudinal and lateral forces. Winter performance is slightly better, rated as satisfactory overall. Snow and ice braking narrowly miss good ratings, but snow traction is clearly satisfactory, and handling is again rated as just adequate due to early under- and oversteering tendencies and lack of precision. Environmentally, the tire achieves a satisfactory rating. It scores well in projected mileage and wear resistance but misses a good efficiency rating due to its weight. Sustainability is impacted by rubber protrusions on new tires. Overall, the Zeetex WH 1000, produced in China, shows significant room for improvement across all performance aspects, particularly in dry and wet conditions.
The GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo tire demonstrates mixed performance across different driving conditions, with notable weaknesses on dry roads. It struggles with steering precision and feedback on dry surfaces, requiring frequent corrections and showing a tendency to oversteer in dynamic maneuvers. Wet performance is slightly better, rated as clearly satisfactory overall, though handling remains a weak point due to low grip and imprecise control. The tire's best performance is in winter conditions, where it nearly achieves a good rating with strong snow braking and traction, but still shows room for improvement in handling precision and combining longitudinal and lateral forces. Environmentally, the tire receives a satisfactory rating, with good wear resistance and efficiency but only satisfactory projected mileage. Produced in China, its sustainability rating is adequate. Overall, while the GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo shows some strengths in winter conditions, it requires significant improvements across all performance aspects, particularly in dry conditions and environmental factors.
The Vredestein Wintrac tire receives mixed ratings for driving safety. It performs adequately on dry roads, narrowly misses a good rating on wet surfaces, and earns a clear "good" rating on winter roads. On dry surfaces, it lacks precision and requires frequent steering corrections. In wet conditions, it excels in braking and aquaplaning resistance but falls short in handling. The tire performs well on winter roads, offering good traction, excellent handling, and strong performance in icy conditions. However, its environmental assessment is only satisfactory, with a mediocre predicted lifespan. The tire's efficiency is praised for its low fuel consumption and light weight.
The Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 tire receives mixed ratings for driving safety. It performs adequately on dry roads, earning only a satisfactory rating due to insufficient steering precision and a tendency to oversteer during dynamic maneuvers. However, it achieves good ratings on both wet and winter roads. On wet surfaces, it excels in braking and longitudinal aquaplaning resistance, narrowly missing good ratings in lateral aquaplaning and handling. The tire performs well on winter roads, with good braking on snow and ice, excellent snow traction, and very good handling characteristics. Its environmental assessment falls short of a good rating, with satisfactory wear resistance and only average predicted lifespan. However, the tire scores well in efficiency, particularly due to its low weight.
The Winrun Winter-max A1 WR22 tire receives a poor overall safety rating, primarily due to significant weaknesses on wet surfaces. On dry roads, it offers good steering feedback and borderline behavior, though with longer than average braking distances. Its performance on wet roads is inadequate, with early understeer and oversteer tendencies, poor grip, and barely satisfactory aquaplaning resistance. However, the tire performs well on winter roads, demonstrating good braking and traction on snow and ice, as well as precise handling on snowy surfaces. In terms of environmental impact, the Chinese-made tire narrowly misses a good rating. It scores well in predicted mileage and wear resistance but only achieves a satisfactory efficiency rating due to its high weight.
