2016 GTU Performance Summer Tire Test

14 Max Performance Summer tires tested in 225/45 R17 |   Published February 25th, 2016 by Jonathan Benson

Test Summary
ArrayContinental Sport Contact 5
Michelin Primacy 3
ArrayContinental Sport Contact 5
ArrayMichelin Primacy 3
ArrayYokohama Advan Sport V105
Toyo Proxes T1 Sport plus
ArrayContinental Sport Contact 5
Westlake Sport SA37
Linglong Green Max
Toyo Proxes T1 Sport plus
Hankook Ventus S1 evo2
Yokohama Advan Sport V105
Falken Azenis FK510
Pirelli P Zero
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3
Testing in 225/45 R17, the GTU test is the first test to include the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3, Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2, Falken Azenis FK510, Toyo Proxes T1 Sport+ and GT Radial SportActive amongst the fourteen tires tested! Sadly, the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 was absent from the test, but we can't have everything at once.

How did the new tires perform?

There will be some disappointed faces at Goodyear Dunlop, as the aging Continental Sport Contact 5 once again won the test. It beat the second placed Goodyear in the wet largely thanks to exceptional wet braking, it proved to be slightly stronger in the dry, and matched the comfort and noise results. The only area the new Goodyear beat the Continental was rolling resistance, where both the new Goodyear and Dunlop provided extremely impressive rolling resistance scores. The Dunlop almost matched the Goodyear test for test, and the Pirelli P Zero exactly matched the Dunlop to finish joint third.

As disappointed as Goodyear and Dunlop might feel, the results across the top four tests were extremely close and could easily change order in a different test size, or using a different vehicle, there's hope yet that someone will take the challenge to Continental!

Falken will be happy in fourth, with the new Azenis FK510 finishing "best of the rest", beating the well respected Nokian zLine to fifth place, and finishing well ahead of its direct new rival, the Toyo T1 Sport+ which could only manage tenth overall. The Falken looks to be a bit of a performance bargin, as at 300 euros per set, they're one of the cheapest tires on test.

Amongst the established tires there was little to report. Bridgestone narrowly beat Michelin, but both companies submitted premium touring tires which compared to the ultra high performance tires submitted by the top four brands seems a little curious.

GT Radial was the best of the Chinese brands, but with a set of the new Sport Active now costing 315 euros compared to the Linglong at 220 euros, the extra cost of the tire struggles to justify the small improvement in performance.

Price vs Performance

The other point GTU felt it needed to make was the price / performance trade still present when tire shopping. The test winning Continental were priced at 390 euros per set, and while the Westlake tires were nearly half the price at 210 euros, they also scored zero points in wet braking and were deemed too dangerous to use on the road.

Results

1st: Continental Sport Contact 5

Continental Sport Contact 5
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 264
  2. Dry: 86
  3. Wet: 146
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 14
  6. Noise: 10
Cost:390 euros
Highly Recommended
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2nd: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 254
  2. Dry: 83
  3. Wet: 134
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 19
  6. Noise: 10
Cost:410 euros
Highly Recommended
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3rd: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2

Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 249
  2. Dry: 80
  3. Wet: 133
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 19
  6. Noise: 9
Cost:390 euros
Highly Recommended
Read Reviews    Buy from £222.99

4th: Pirelli P Zero

Pirelli P Zero
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 252
  2. Dry: 85
  3. Wet: 133
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 16
  6. Noise: 10
Cost:370 euros
Highly Recommended
Read Reviews    Buy from £194.48

5th: Falken Azenis FK510

Falken Azenis FK510
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 230
  2. Dry: 82
  3. Wet: 114
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 16
  6. Noise: 10
Cost:300 euros
Highly Recommended
Read Reviews    Buy from £161.00

6th: Nokian zLine

Nokian zLine
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 227
  2. Dry: 70
  3. Wet: 119
  4. Comfort: 7
  5. Rolling Resistance: 22
  6. Noise: 9
Cost:360 euros
Highly Recommended
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7th: Bridgestone Turanza T001

Bridgestone Turanza T001
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 221
  2. Dry: 78
  3. Wet: 109
  4. Comfort: 7
  5. Rolling Resistance: 19
  6. Noise: 8
Cost:370 euros
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8th: Michelin Primacy 3

Michelin Primacy 3
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 212
  2. Dry: 86
  3. Wet: 84
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 25
  6. Noise: 9
Cost:430 euros
Read Reviews    Buy from £281.99

9th: Hankook Ventus S1 evo2

Hankook Ventus S1 evo2
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 212
  2. Dry: 75
  3. Wet: 102
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 17
  6. Noise: 10
Cost:320 euros
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10th: Toyo Proxes T1 Sport plus

Toyo Proxes T1 Sport plus
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 205
  2. Dry: 68
  3. Wet: 105
  4. Comfort: 9
  5. Rolling Resistance: 13
  6. Noise: 10
Cost:390 euros
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11th: Yokohama Advan Sport V105

Yokohama Advan Sport V105
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 208
  2. Dry: 83
  3. Wet: 93
  4. Comfort: 9
  5. Rolling Resistance: 13
  6. Noise: 10
Cost:350 euros
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12th: GT Radial SportActive

GT Radial SportActive
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 172
  2. Dry: 59
  3. Wet: 78
  4. Comfort: 7
  5. Rolling Resistance: 19
  6. Noise: 9
Cost:315 euros
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13th: Linglong Green Max

Linglong Green Max
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 170
  2. Dry: 59
  3. Wet: 73
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 20
  6. Noise: 10
Cost:220 euros
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14th: Westlake Sport SA37

Westlake Sport SA37
  • 225/45 R17
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 159
  2. Dry: 58
  3. Wet: 70
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 13
  6. Noise: 10
Cost:210 euros
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