2010 EVO FWD Tire Test
For the second time in 2010 EVO have published an excellent summer tire test. The first test, published in July concentrated on a RWD MX5 running 205/45 17 tires and was won by Continental with the ContiSportContact 3. In this tire test EVO have used a Renaultsport Megane 250 Cup wearing massive 235/35 r19 tires to test 9 ultra high performance / max performance tires.Unlike a number of the German tire tests, EVO score by how the tire feel almost as much as the actual data results, with 40% of the scoring based on the subjective feel scoring. The most important of these subjective tests is steering feel, and this punishes tires like the new Bridgestone S001 which offered an excellent raw performance, but provided a somewhat numb driving experience.
The difference between the best and the worst tire was just 1.1 seconds in the dry, showing just how close the competition is. In the wet this gap extended to 8.5 seconds with the Continental winning (81.3 seconds) and the Kumho posting the slowest time (89.8).
The Results
Continental haven taken another win proving they're the brand to beat in 2010. The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric had a surprisingly strong 2nd place thanks to its excellent wet grip and positive feedback while the Pirelli P Zero K1 rounded out the top 3 thanks to an excellent performance, just let down by a poor aquaplaning score.1st: Continental ContiSportContact 5 P | |
| A strong all round performance, setting the standard in many tests. Strongest tire in the dry and performed very well in the wet. Excellent subjective steering feel. Slightly noisy ride Read Reviews Buy from £181.99 |
2nd: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric | |
| An impressive all rounder scoring extremely well in the wet grip and subjective handling tests High rolling resistance Read Reviews |
3rd: Pirelli P Zero | |
| Shadowing the 2nd place Goodyear in most of the test, the Pirelli has excellent handling in both the dry and wet and gives a surprisingly quiet and comfortable ride Poor result in the aquaplaning test Read Reviews Buy from £191.97 |
4th: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 | |
| Giving the fastest time in the dry handling test the Michelin is the sportiest tire of the group. Excellent steering feel makes this a tire for drivers Slightly weak aquaplaning results and the sporty nature of the tire gives a slightly harsh ride Read Reviews Buy from £355.99 |
5th: Toyo Proxes T1 Sport | |
| The Toyo proved to be a strong tire in the dry Worst curved aquaplaning results and poor scores in the wet handling tests. Read Reviews Buy from £178.43 |
6th: Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT | |
| A great tire in the dry and pretty decent in the wet too. Scored well on the road and the dry track for feel High road noise and choppy ride Read Reviews |
7th: Bridgestone Potenza S001 | |
| A good performer in both the wet and dry A lack of steering feel leaves the tire feeling average Read Reviews |
8th: Hankook Ventus S1 evo | |
| Lowest rolling resistance and competitve results in the objective dry tests Woolly feeling in the wet. Safe rather than fun. Read Reviews |
9th: Kumho Ecsta KU31 | |
| Good dry pace Poor wet performance, lowest subjective score. Read Reviews |
Pick up a copy of EVO issue 150 for the full results.