195/65R15

Auto Bild 2018: All-Season Tire Test

The influential German publication Auto Bild made a tradition of conducting not only summer and winter tire tests but also, following the trend of the las few years, test all-season tires as well. In 2018, right after about 50 winter tire sets of 195/65 R15 size were tested, the expert group of this industry magazine got down to testing all-season models of the same size, even though their number was twice as small.

Anyway, the Auto Bild 2018 test of 195/65 R15 all-season tires involved 27 tires of various price brackets that hit the pavement of the European tire testing facilities. After the first round of the competition that was organized according to the same principle as the winter tire tests, only ten best models with the best braking performance on wet pavement and snow were shortlisted for the final.

Qualification: 27 all-season tires in the brake test
Place Model Speed/Load index Wet Braking Dry Braking Total
1 Bridgestone Weather Control A005 91H

45,2

39,4

84,6

2 Michelin CrossClimate + 91H

48,1

40,8

88,9

3 Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-2 91H

46,2

44,6

90,8 

4 Hankook Kinergy 4S 2 91H

47,8

43,1

90,9

5 Continental AllSeasonContact 91H

48,6

43,4

92,0

6 Vredestein Quatrac 5 91H

48,6

43,9

92,5

7 Falken EuroAll Season AS210 91H

49,5

43,6

93.1 

8 Nexen N’blue 4 Season 91H

49,9

43,6

93,5

9 Nokian Weatherproof 91H

50,7

44,2

94,9 

10 Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus 91H

50,7

45,8

96,5

11 Kleber Quadraxer 2 91H

52,0

45,1

97,1

12 Uniroyal AllSeasonExpert 2 91H

49,2

48,3

97,5

13 Fulda MultiControl 91H

52,3

453

97,6

14 BFGoodrich g-Grip All Season 2 91H

52,8

44,8

97,6

15 Viking FourTech 91H

50,8

47,4

98,2

16 Toyo Celsius 91H

52.7

45,9

98,6

17 Maxxis All Season AP2 91H

53,4

45,8

99,2

18 Goodride SW602 91H

56,9

44,4

101,3

19 Momo 4Run M4 91H

57,7

44,7

102,4

20 Linglong Green-Max 91H

59,0

43,8

102,8

21 Firestone Multiseason 91H

55,9

47.1

103,0

22 Hifly AlhTuri 221 91H

58,0

45,5

10З,5

23 Fortuna EcoPlus 4S 91H

60,5

43,2

103,7 

24 Torque TQ025  91H

58,6

45,4

104,0

25 Zeta Active 4S 91H

58,6

45,5

104,1

26 Atlas Green 4S 91H

61,9

43,5

105,4

27 Jinyu Gallopro Multiseason Eco 91H

61,4

44,8

106,2 

What is remarkable is the fact that all the products manufactured by the leading tire companies’ subsidiaries were left overboard: Fulda MultiControl (Goodyear), Firestone Multiseason (Bridgestone), Viking FourTech and Uniroyal AIISeasonExpert 2 (Continental), as well as Kleber Quadraxer 2, and, of course, its identical twin brother BFGoodrich g-Grip All Season 2 (Michelin).

All these models shared the fate of the under-promoted on the European market Momo 4Run M4 AllSeason, Toyo Celsius, and Maxxis All Season AP2. The tires with Asian roots that filled the bottom lines of the tournament bracket are beside the point of this article.

All-season tires tested in the finals:

Test Summary

Snow

Snow Handling

Nokian
58.2
Winter tires
58.0
Continental
57.9
Falken
57.9
Pirelli
57.6
Nexen
57.5
Vredestein
57.5
Goodyear
57.3
Hankook
56.6
Michelin
56.5
Bridgestone
55.1
Summer tires
31.8

Info! Average speed, km/h.

Snow Braking

Winter tires
25.2
Nokian
25.7
Continental
26.2
Goodyear
26.3
Nexen
26.6
Falken
26.9
Vredestein
27.2
Pirelli
27.4
Hankook
27.8
Michelin
28.3
Bridgestone
33.1
Summer tires
42.9

Info! Braking from 100 km/h.

Traction

Winter tires
2743
Nokian
2721
Vredestein
2685
Goodyear
2681
Continental
2633
Pirelli
2627
Falken
2584
Michelin
2516
Nexen
2504
Hankook
2476
Bridgestone
2230
Summer tires
708

Info! Average pulling force, N.

Lateral Grip

Nexen
4.59
Falken
4.49
Continental
4.47
Nokian
4.47
Winter tires
4.44
Vredestein
4.40
Goodyear
4.39
Pirelli
4.34
Michelin
4.21
Hankook
4.18
Bridgestone
3.79
Summer tires
1.93

Info! Lateral acceleration, m/s.

Wet surface

Wet Handling

Summer tires
73.1
Goodyear
72.9
Bridgestone
72.5
Continental
72.4
Vredetein
71.9
Michelin
71.6
Hankook
71.5
Pirelli
71.3
Nokian
70.6
Winter  tires
70.2
Nexen
69.9
Falken
69.7

Info! Average speed, km/h.

Lateral Hydroplaning

Nokian
4.03
Hankook
3.71
Continental
3.63
Falken
3.62
Goodyear
3.44
Bridgestone
3.28
Winter tires
3.13
Nexen
2.86
Summer tires
2.85
Pirelli
2.76
Michelin
2.66
Vredestein
2.64

Info! Average lateral acceleration, m/s².

Braking

Summer tires
41.5
Bridgestone
45.2
Goodyear
46.2
Hankook
47.8
Michelin
48.1
Continental
48.6
Vredestein
48.6
Falken
49.5
Nexen
49.9
Nokian
50.7
Pirelli
50.7
Winter tires
53.4

Info! Braking from 100 km/h, m.

Lateral Stability

Summer tires
12.05
Goodyear
12.30
Bridgestone
12.34
Continental
12.43
Vredestein
12.52
Michelin
12.53
Hankook
12.58
Nokian
12.58
Pirelli
12.65
Winter tires
12.72
Falken
12.74
Nexen
12.74

Info! Lap time, sec.

Straight Hydroplaning

Continental
85.2
Falken
83.9
Hankook
81.5
Nokian
81.2
Goodyear
80.8
Bridgestone
80.7
Michelin
78.5
Winter tires
78.1
Summer tires
75.7
Nexen
75.2
Pirelli
74.3
Vredestein
72.7

Info! Rate of grip loss, km/h.

Dry surface

Braking

Summer tires
39.0
Bridgestone
39.4
Michelin
40.8
Hankook
43.1
Continental
43.4
Falken
43.6
Nexen
43.6
Vredestein
43.9
Nokian
44.2
Goodyear
44.6
Pirelli
45.8
Winter tires
47.0

Info! Braking from 100 km/h, m.

Handling

Summer tires
110.6
Bridgestone
108.6
Michelin
107.9
Pirelli
107.9
Hankook
107.7
Vredestein
107.3
Falken
107.1
Nokian
107.1
Continental
107.0
Goodyear
107.0
Winter tires
106.7
Nexen
106.6

Info! Average speed, km/h.

Noise

Nexen
70.4
Hankook
70.6
Vredestein
71.1
Michelin
71.9
Pirelli
72.0
Winter tires
72.4
Summer tires
72.6
Goodyear
72.7
Nokian
73.0
Continental
73.4
Falken
74.0
Bridgestone
74.6

Info! The noise level at a speed 80 km/h, db(A).

Efficiency

Nokian
7.41
Continental
8.15
Bridgestone
8.48
Goodyear
8..55
Hankook
8.90
Michelin
8.91
Vredestein
8.92
Falken
9.05
Pirelli
9.45
Summer tires
9.60
Winter tires
9.96
Nexen
10.04

Info! Rolling Resistance, kg/t.

Price/Mileage

Falken
4.84
Nexen
5.01
Michelin
5.27
Goodyear
5.58
Vredestein
5.79
Continental
6.24
Bridgestone
6.63
Hankook
7.06
Nokian
7.46
Pirelli
8.07

Info! The cost of 1000 km, euro.

Mileage

Michelin
58000
Falken
51700
Goodyear
50200
Continental
45700
Vredestein
43200
Nexen
42900
Bridgestone
40000
Nokian
35500
Hankook
34700
Pirelli
32200

Info! Potential mileage, km.

Result summary of the all-season tire test

Result summary of the all-season tire test Auto Bild 2018: 195/65 R15

Expert opinion

  • 10th place — Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    Pros: Dynamic handling response on wet and dry pavement, the shortest wet braking distance on test. Cons: Prominent lack of traction on snow combined with a long braking distance and poor lateral stability. Noisy.

 

  • 9th place — Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    Pros: Good traction and lateral stability on snow. Well-balanced performance and great handling response in the dry. Cons: Limited safety margin of hydroplaning, long braking distances both on wet and dry pavements, high rolling resistance, prominently short running life.

 

  • 8th place — Nexen N’Blue 4Season
    Nexen N’Blue 4Season
    • Nexen N’Blue 4Season
    Pros: Short braking distance and a good lateral stability on snow. Low noise emission. Good price/quality ratio. Cons: Relatively weak grip on wet pavement, weak handling response in the dry, weak hydroplaning resistance, increased rolling resistance.

 

  • 7th place — Vredestein Quatrac 5
    Vredestein Quatrac 5
    Vredestein Quatrac 5
    Pros: Well-balanced performance on all kinds of pavements. Crisp steering response on wet pavement. Low noise emission. Cons: Limited hydroplaning resistance, slow handling response in the dry.

 

  • 6th place — Falken EuroAII Season AS210
    Falken EuroAII Season AS210
    Falken EuroAII Season AS210
    Pros: Great traction and dynamic handling on snow of a race car quality, very high hydroplaning resistance. Riding comfort. Long running life. Cons: Delayed steering response and prominently inadequate handling on wet pavement, increased noise.

 

  • 5th place — Hankook Kinergy 4S2 (H750)
    Hankook Kinergy 4S2 (H750)
    Hankook Kinergy 4S2 (H750)
    Pros: Handling stability both in the wet and in the dry, crisp steering response. Adequate hydroplaning resistance. Riding comfort. Cons: Average lateral grip on snow, limited running life.

 

  • 4th place — Michelin CrossClimate+
    Michelin CrossClimate+
    Michelin CrossClimate+
    Pros: Low rolling resistance, safe behavior on dry and wet pavements alike. Long running life. Good price/quality ratio. Cons: Poor resistance to lateral hydroplaning Weak lateral stability on snow.

 

  • 3rd place — Nokian Weatherproof
    Nokian Weatherproof
    Nokian Weatherproof
    Pros: Outstanding traction on snow, a very large hydroplaning safety margin, low rolling resistance. Cons: Average grip on wet pavement. Limited resistance to wear.

 

  • 2nd place — Continental AllSeasonContact
    Continental AllSeasonContact
    Continental AllSeasonContact
    Pros: Dependable grip on snow and wet pavement. Dynamic wet handling and high safety margin in terms of hydroplaning. Running life: average. Cons: Average grip on dry pavement.

 

  • 1st place — Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-2
    Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-2
     Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-2
    Pros: Confident handling response in any weather conditions. High steering precision on snow and wet pavement, high hydroplaning resistance, riding comfort, long running life. Good price/quality ratio. Cons: High price.

    Price

     

Conclusion

In the cold time of the year, drivers are always bound to be confronted with various vagaries of the weather. Anyone who is up against nature on summer tires is in for a whole number of problems. At least, when starting or braking, and, probably, the police will be involved as well.

For sure in Germany, where if you get caught driving on the wrong tires, they’ll fine you 60 euros at least. notes the technical expert (Shina.Guide)

And they would be doing the right thing, too, because such drivers put at risk not only their own safety but also the safety of other travelers.

At the end of the day, in winter conditions it is much safer to drive on specialized winter tires. However, the Auto Bild all-season tire test 2018 showed that there are replacements for them out there. According to the test experts, the «modern all-season tires are a safe and affordable alternative for passenger cars».

At the same time, we would like to remind you from our side that all-season tires are recommended for usage solely in countries with mild climate and on such cars that are rarely used in winter. Only in this case opting for all-season tires can be considered a sensible decision.