Tire Reviews Tire Tests

The German publication ProMobil have tested eight summer tires in the popular 235/55 R17 size using a VW T 6.1 Camper!

This test is slightly more relevant than usual tests to Camper Van / SUV overs, as the magazine tested the "regular" 235/55 R17 tire option instead of the 215/65 R16 C commercial size with is often fitted to the VW Transporter the VW is based on.

This tire size isn't just limited to camper vans though, it's also on many large saloons and midsize crossover SUVs such as the BMW 7 Series, BMW X3, Audi Q3, Ford S-Max, Honda CRV, VW Tiguan, VW, California, VW Caravelle and many others!

As usual the eight sets of summer tires were put through the usual array of dry, wet, noise and rolling resistance tests to find out exactly what tire is best in each key area.

For the 2021 Tire Reviews 200 treadwear Track Tire Test we have selected eight of the the most popular 200tw track focused performance tires and have access to Michelin's Laurens proving ground in South Carolina, which has a very fast, high grip, dry handling test track.

You can either watch the full test video for all the glorious shots of the beautiful E36 M3 test car, or click through to read the full results.

It's the first Tire Reviews SUV tire test, and as usual, we're trying to do this as properly as possible!

We have 8 of the most popular SUV tires in 235/55 R18, including the Michelin Primacy 4, the brand new Goodyear EfficientGrip 2 SUV, the extremely popular Uniroyal RainSport 5, the new Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 SUV, the Nokian WetProof SUV, the Vredestein Ultrac Satin, the Avon ZX7, the BFGoodrich Advantage SUV, and a budget tire.

Michelin and BMW spent over 2.5 years making the perfect tire for the new G80 BMW M3 and G82 BMW M4. Here's all the work and changes that went into the project!

Published a later than usual due to covid travel restrictions, the Polish magazine "Motor" have tested ten 225/55 R17 summer tires in the usual array of wet and dry testing.

The 17 inch size tested can be found on a wide range of vehicles, such as the Audi A6, BMW 5-Series, and Mercedes E-Class, smaller vehicles like the BMW 3-Series and Mini Countryman, crossovers like the Honda CR-V, Nissan X-Trail and Skoda Karoq, and even minivans / people carriers like the Chrysler Voyager, Fiat Scudo and Opel Vivaro. 

We've taken 14 of the best ultra high performance summer tires in the very popular 225/40 R18 tire size, and we've tested the dry and wet handling, the dry and wet braking ability, aquaplaning resistance, the noise levels and the rolling resistance of these tires, to work out exactly what tire is best at what!

In an unexpected release, Auto Bild have just published their second ultra high performance tire test of 2021, this time testing the popular 235/35 R19 tire size and again putting the new Bridgestone Potenza Sport up against the best from Continental and Michelin. Strangely, Auto Bild have included the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 instead of the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport which would have been a more natural selection for this group, but it's still a really interesting test.

As always, things are close at the top, with Michelin taking a narrow victory, just ahead of Bridgestone and Continental in joint second place.

It seems like every year there's a tire test that doesn't follow the norm, and this year it's the ACE / ARBÖ / GTÜ summer tire test. 

The test starts out as a regular summer tire test, there's nine tire patterns in the popular 225/45 R17 size, and they tested using a VW Golf which is the standard test car. However, once you get into the results, things get a little confusing.

Firstly, no data is provided by the testers, just a points system which makes an accurate analysis of the results difficult. Secondly, the test gives weighting to the price of the tires, but doesn't test wear, which means a tire which is cheap to purchase scores well, even if it has a lower overall value due to high wear.

But strangest of all are the overall results. 

Good news, 2021 is shaping up to be a really a exciting year for tires. We have a brand new UUHP contender taking the fight to Michelin, Goodyear and Continental, some extreme updates of existing patterns, and the promise of new tires on the horizon later this year! 

Watch on for the full exciting details!

For 2021, the testing experts at ViBilagare have tested eight of the latest 225/45 R17 tires, with a surprising result!

The Maxxis Premitra HP5 aced the tire test to finish in first spot overall, ahead of the new Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 in second place and Continental PremiumContact 6 in third. This is a really impressive result for the Maxxis brand, especially when you consider price was NOT taken into account for the final results!

The only caveat worth remembering is wear was not tested in this test. In previous tests where wear results were included, the second placed Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 had a significant advantage over other tires on test, and the Maxxis didn't score too well..

It's the second time in history the new Bridgestone Potenza Sport has been tested in a tire test, and it's super exciting to see whether it can it match the first place from the Auto Bild Sportscars test!

There are some small differences between the two tests. Firstly, Auto Bild tested 20" tires using a Ford Mustang, where for this test Sport Auto have used the Toyota Supra / BMW Z4 platform which wears 255/35 R19 front and 275/35 R19 rear tires.

Sport Auto have also added a little depth to the test by including both UUHP (or Maximum Performance) and UHP tires, which means we get the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 up against the best from Michelin and Bridgestone, not the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport.

Following on from the massive 53 tire braking test, Auto Bild have taken the best twenty 205/55 R16 tires through to further testing, which includes wet and dry handling, aquaplaning, rolling resistance, noise, and a rarity in tire testing, wear!

As the 2021 Tire Reviews summer test is covering UHP and SUV sizes, this will be the most complete reference we have this year for the 16" summer tire market, however if you'd like to watch a 16" summer tire test, you can check out ours from last year here.

It's the test we've all been waiting for, it's the first test of the brand new Bridgestone Potenza Sport, the only new tire in 2021 that has the chance of taking the fight to the established ultra high performance tires such as the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, Continental SportContact 6 and Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport.

Naturally, it's the best testers in the business doing it first, the German publication Auto Bild. They've tested nine 265/35 R20 UUHP tires in the dry and wet using a very un-european Ford Mustang.

For the 2021 Sport Auto summer tire test, the German publication have tested eleven tires in the relatively small 195/55 R16 tire size. As this tire size is intended for smaller vehicles such as the Audi A1, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 208 and other similar sized cars, Sport Auto used a Seat Ibiza for testing, and placed all eleven sets of tires through the usual dry, wet and environment based tests.

The 2021 Auto Bild All Rad SUV test has tested ten SUV tires in the popular 215/60 R17 size. While the German publication used a Jeep Renegade for testing, this size is also fitted to vehicles like the Nissan Qashqai, VW Transporter, Renault Kadjar, Toyota C HR and many other popular crossover SUVs.

As always Auto Bild have done a great job testing, as not only have they tested in the dry and wet, they've also conducted FIVE off-road tests. Given these sort of vehicles rarely see any activity outside of the school run, the tests have a low weighting in the overall results, but it's certainly excellent data if you ever plan to take your crossover SUV on grass, gravel, sand or mud!

After already publishing the ADAC 16" tire test in 2021, ADAC have also released their slightly more sporty, 225/50 R17 summer tire test.

While the 16" test received wear data, for this test we have wet braking data, and the range between best and worst is larger than ever!

For the 2021 ADAC summer tire tests, the German organisation selected the popular 205/55 R16 and 225/50 R17 summer tire sizes.

As usual with ADAC tests there is little raw data provided, instead the testers grading each tire with a score, but this year we do get wear data (below) and even some of the testers subjective thoughts on the tires, which is an excellent addition.

Without fail, each year German publication Auto Bild provides the most comprehensive overview of the summer tire market by testing a huge amount of tires ability in the dry and wet, in order to work out which twenty tires deserve to be tested in their full summer tire test.

For 2021, Auto Bild have tested 53 tires in the most popular tire size in Europe, 205/55 R16.

All 53 sets of tires have their wet and dry braking results below, with the shortest 20 combined braking distances progressing to the full test, which will be on the website shortly.

The 2021 summer tire test season is kicking off early, with the excellent team at Auto Zeitung publishing their 10 set 225/40 R18 summer tire test during February!

As this test is out so early in the season, it means the testing would have been completed in late 2020, which means it's missing the new Bridgestone Potenza Sport, but it's still an excellent start to the year as AZ always dig into the subjectiveness of the tires, covering dry handling, wet handling and comfort!

All testing was carried out using a Seat Leon FR, and the popular 225/40 R18 UHP tire size should cover many mid-sized sporty cars, including the ever popular VW Golf, the front of a BMW 1 Series, the Audi TT and many other vehicles.

All season VS winter tires is a hotly discussed topic, and while we've done our own test at various temperatures, it sadly didn't include any ice testing, or things like wet handling and rolling resistance testing.

Fortunately, our friends at Vi Bilagare once again have us covered. During their Nordic winter testing in 2020, the magazine included an all season and "european" winter tire alongside their usual selection of Nordic friction and studded winter tires.

As the all-season and European winter tire were being tested from a Nordic perspective, they had a significant testing on ice, which is a rarity for an all-season tire.

The results... well, I’m sure you can guess how each of the four tire types performed on each surface, but it's really cool to see all this data from one source.