Is it really all that necessary to know how your tire will behave when pushed to the limit? Come on, nobody drives like that in everyday life! And the AUTO Straßenverkehr magazine agrees with that. However, situations do occur when you need to urgently brake or accelerate, quickly avert from an obstacle, or when you hit a deep puddle, and your car loses grip and literally floats.

This is exactly the reason why it makes a lot of sense to test tires in extreme conditions so as to find out what level of driving safety they ensure and where their grip limits lie.

Of course, any tire may roll down the highway with this or that level of ride comfort, but it is the tire’s fuel efficiency and its wet and dry grip that make a good tire different from a bad tire. And this is the reason why tire tests are conducted at specialized car proving grounds so as to compare all the tires performing on the limit of their capabilities in identical conditions.

This particular test involved eleven recently released summer tires in one of the currently most popular sizes, 225/40R18 92Y:

• Bridgestone Potenza Sport;
• Continental SportContact 7;
• Falken Azenis FK520;
• Firestone Firehawk Sport;
• Giti Sport S2;
• Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6;
• Kumho Ecsta PS91;
• Maxxis Victra Sport 5 VS5;
• Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S;
• Nexen N’Fera Sport;
• Pirelli P Zero PZ4.

Insise And Outside

In addition to characteristics that are indicated on the tire’s sidewall, the tire’s behavior is to a large extent conditioned by the material it is made of. A modern tire is composed of over twenty different components. The structure of the carcass (steel, polyester, artificial silk, aramid, nylon) and more than a dozen different layers of rubber, tucked underneath the tread, affect such parameters as steering precision, road-holding ability, ride comfort, and expected mileage. Tread design and rubber compound (for example, natural or synthetic rubber, as well as percentage of silica, resin, and rapeseed oil) ultimately determine the tire’s characteristics, especially when it comes to wet performance.

Back To The Top

The winner of last year’s and this year’s tests, the Continental SportContact 7, showed itself to the best advantage on dry pavement — it had the shortest braking distance (33.7 meters) and the fastest lap time (101.8 seconds). This Ultra High Performance tire, designed and tested in Germany, also ensures good wet traction, has strong hydroplaning resistance (straight and lateral), and scores high objective and subjective points. The only performance area, in which this Continental model is beaten by its rivals is noise emission (measured with the engine off at 80 km/h on drive pavement) that is over 73 db.

The Operating Temperature

The Bridgestone Potenza Sport, which scored the fifth line in the final standings, has an even better wet grip than Continental, but it was not as successful in the main test — 80 km/h wet braking — falling behind the leader by 1.6 meters. The main reason for this is the high temperature, at which the tread compound starts working to its full potential, which, of course, cannot be reached under the conditions of this particular test. This was further proved by the racetrack drive and the lateral grip test performed on a circular track, when following a short warm-up phase the Bridgestone model clicks into gear and performs at its finest. However, when you do find yourself in an emergency situation, you will not have the luxury of warming up, and you will need good traction here and now!

The sixth line in the final standings was occupied by an even more warm-up-sensitive Pirelli P Zero PZ4 with a good wet time and good lateral grip, but the longest braking distance on test, which is almost three meters longer than that of Goodyear’s. Make no mistake: a three meters’ difference in braking distance effectively means that where the Audi test car fitted with Goodyear tires has already stopped, fitted with Pirelli, it will still be moving at a speed of 26 km/h.

Firehawk Sport from Firestone, a subsidiary of Bridgestone, is less temperature-dependent. Its wet performance is consistently good, barring a few minor hydroplaning lapses in corners. An interesting fact: this tire is not only more effective in braking than its more expensive «brother», but it also turned out to be a better fuel saver in the rolling resistance test, showing a result of 7.1 kg/t versus Bridgestone showing 10.2 kg/t.

The Rain Tire

The last-but-one line in the final standings was occupied by the Giti Sport S2, whose only strength was its hydroplaning resistance. The key to success in this test was a 7.93 mm tread depth and three wide longitudinal grooves, further strengthened by traversal drainage grooves that helped quickly evacuate water from the contact patch.

Places from seventh to ninth were occupied by a trip headed by the Falken Azenis FK520, followed by the Victra Sport 5 от Maxxis and Kumho Ecsta PS91. The three tires had very close combined scores, yet at the same time their performance in individual disciplines varied considerably. For example, on dry pavement, the Falken tire is characterized by excellent traction and handling performance, but at 100 km/h braking it is not as good as its rivals from Maxxis and Kumho.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S is currently the most expensive tire on test, yet it only came forth by the combined score. The French tire does produce quite an impression in terms of driving safety, steering precision, and dry braking. However, on wet pavement this Michelin tire lacks in road holding ability and overall balance.

Good Does Not Mean Expensive

The new Goodyear model, Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 (came second), offers the best price/quality ratio among the tires that scored the «Exemplary» verdict. Virtually in all of the tests the tire demonstrated excellently balanced performance. Its highlights were braking (both dry and wet), as well as dry steering response. However, this alone was not enough to catch up with the winner of the test, the Continental SportContact 7, which had outstanding performance on wet pavement and the best dry handling response. At the same time, despite their good dynamic performance, both Goodyear and Continental models have rather low rolling resistance.

The Final Standings

Result summary. AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test— 225/40R18 Places 1–11. (click to enlarge)

No Compromise

This time, the test did not involve downright bad tires, and even Nexen’s last place and some shortcomings are well compensated by the fact that it was the most inexpensive tire on test. The choice for this or that tire model for the next summer must be based on the characteristics that best suit your driving habits and the climate zone, in which you are likely to drive. In any case, it does not pay to choose your next set of tires based solely on the price — because a few extra bucks that you will spend may save thousands of bucks in an emergency situation.

Price