The popular German magazine ran a comparative test of 32 all-season tire models.
List of models tested:
- Falken EuroAll Season AS210
- Bridgestone Weather Control A005 Evo
- Continental AllSeasonContact
- Dunlop Sport All Season
- Firestone Multiseason Gen 02
- Giti GitiAllSeason AS1
- Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3
- Hankook Kinergy 4S2 H750
- Kumho Solus 4S HA32
- Maxxis Premitra All Season AP3
- Michelin CrossClimate 2
- Nexen N’Blue 4Season
- Nokian Seasonproof
- Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF 2
- Viking FourTech
- Vredestein Quatrac Pro
The Auto Bild magazine has conducted its next test of all-season tires that included 32 models from well-known brands, ranging from premium to budget; the test was traditionally divided into two parts. In order to make it to the main test, the tires had to quickly stop the car that brakes from 100 km/h on wet and dry pavement — 16 competitors fulfilled the task, while 10 were rated as «unsatisfactory».
In the final standings, the victory was won by the Goodyear Vector 3Seasons Gen-3 model, which not only showed good results on all types of surfaces — snow, wet, and dry pavement — but also came third in the treadwear test (expected mileage 50,455 km), being inferior only to Kumho and Nokian models. The second place was scored by the Continental AllSeasonContact, which, among other things, demonstrated good fuel efficiency, while the bronze went to the Hankook Kinergy 4S2, which was good on snow and wet pavement, and was priced more democratically than the premium-class tires.
The next line of the tournament bracket was scored by the Vredestein Quatrac Pro, which quickly stopped the car on wet pavement, at the same time ensuring good riding comfort, and the fifth place was shared by the Falken EuroAll Season AS210 and Nokian Seasonproof — the former has an excellent straight grip on snow and wet pavement combined with high wear, and the latter was commended for good price/quality ratio.
The new Michelin CrossClimate 2 scored a place not as high as one could expect — it was prone to understeer on wet pavement. A line still lower was occupied by the significantly less expensive Maxxis Premitra All Season AP3, which also could not score a lot of points on a wet track. The ninth line was scored by the Bridgestone Weather Control A005 Evo and Dunlop Sport All Season, which were both equally prone to understeer on snow, followed by the inexpensive Viking FourTech (a brand owned by Continental), which lost it to the competition in the wet test.
Line 12 was occupied by the Kumho Solus 4S HA32 tire, which boasted a long expected mileage (54,524 km), but was, again, prone to understeer on wet pavement and snow; then came the Firestone Multiseason Gen 02, which also offered a long tread life but had a few issues, such as weak hydroplaning resistance.
The main surprise of the test was the low position in the tournament bracket scored by the recently presented Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF 2, which, as it turned out, demonstrated a less-than-perfect wet performance, and the last places were scored by the Nexen N’Blue Season, with a long tread life but only average performance on all types of surfaces, and the Giti GitiAllSeason AS1, which has the shortest expected mileage (30,674 km), and increased rolling resistance.
When rating the tire’s environmental performance, the experts evaluated not only rolling resistance, but also the expected mileage and the price/durability ratio. The best model by these criteria was the Kumho model, which won the status of Eco-Meister.
Test Results
1st place: Goodyear / Vector 4Seasons Gen-3
Quick Take
Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3
Positive: Good performance in all conditions. Short braking distances on wet roads. High resistance to aquaplaning. High mileage. Good price-performance ratio.
Verdict: Exemplary.
2nd place: Continental / AllSeasonContact
Quick Take
Continental AllSeasonContact
Positive: Good balance of performance. Good grip on snow. Precise steering response. Excellent resistance to aquaplaning. Good level of comfort. Low rolling resistance.
Verdict: Exemplary.
3rd place: Hankook / Kinergy 4S 2 H750
Quick Take
Hankook Kinergy 4S 2 H750
Positive: Good balance of performance. Short braking distances on snow and wet roads. High resistance to aquaplaning. Good price-performance ratio.
Negative: Limited mileage.
Verdict: Good.
4th place: Vredestein / Quatrac Pro
Quick Take
Vredestein Quatrac Pro
Positive: Good handling and short braking distances on wet roads. Precise steering response. Good level of comfort.
Negative: Limited mileage. Increased rolling resistance.
Verdict: Good.
5th place: Falken / EuroAll Season AS210
Quick Take
Falken EuroAll Season AS210
Positive: High traction and short braking distances on snow. Good handling on dry and wet surfaces. Short braking distances on wet roads. High mileage.
Negative: Tendency to understeer on snow. Increased rolling resistance.
Verdict: Satisfactory.
6th place: 🏁 Nokian / Seasonproof
Quick Take
Nokian Seasonproof
Positive: Good handling on snow. High mileage. Good price-performance ratio.
Negative: Tendency to understeer on dry and wet surfaces.
Verdict: Satisfactory.
7th place: Michelin / CrossClimate 2
Quick Take
Michelin CrossClimate 2
Positive: Good snow performance. High resistance to aquaplaning. Low rolling resistance.
Negative: Tendency to understeer on wet roads. High price.
Verdict: Satisfactory.
8th place: Maxxis / Premitra All Season AP3
Quick Take
Maxxis Premitra All Season AP3
Positive: Good lateral stability and good grip on snow. Short braking distances on dry surfaces. Low noise level. Good price.
Negative: Average wet performance. Average mileage.
Verdict: Satisfactory.
9th place: Bridgestone / Weather Control A005 Evo
Quick Take
Bridgestone Weather Control A005 Evo
Positive: Good handling on dry and wet surfaces. High traction and short braking distances on snow.
Negative: Tendency to understeer on snow. Limited mileage.
Verdict: Satisfactory.
10th place: Dunlop / Sport All Season
Quick Take
Dunlop Sport All Season
Positive: Good performance on dry and wet surfaces. High resistance to aquaplaning.
Negative: Strong tendency to understeer on snow. Limited mileage.
Verdict: Satisfactory.
11th place: Viking / FourTech
Quick Take
Viking FourTech
Positive: Short braking distances on snow and wet roads. Good aquaplaning resistance. Low rolling resistance.
Negative: Average traction on snow. Tendency to understeer and long braking distances on wet roads.
Verdict: Satisfactory.
12th place: Kumho / Solus 4S HA32
Quick Take
Kumho Solus 4S HA32
Positive: Good dry handling. Very high mileage.
Negative: Limited wet grip. Tendency to understeer on snow and wet roads.
Verdict: Satisfactory.
13th place: Firestone / MultiSeason Gen 02
Quick Take
Firestone MultiSeason Gen 02
Positive: High traction and short braking distances on snow. Good handling on snow and dry surfaces. High mileage.
Negative: Low resistance to aquaplaning. Low lateral stability on wet surfaces.
Verdict: Satisfactory.
14th place: Pirelli / Cinturato All Season SF 2
Quick Take
Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF 2
Positive: Good handling on snow and dry surfaces.
Negative: Low rolling resistance. Long braking distances and poor wet performance.
Verdict: Satisfactory.
15th place: Nexen / N Blue 4Season
Quick Take
Nexen N Blue 4Season
Positive: High mileage. Short braking distances on dry surfaces. Low price.
Negative: Average on snow. Strong tendency to understeer on dry and wet surfaces. Increased rolling resistance.
Verdict: Satisfactory.
16th place: Giti / GitiAllSeason AS1
Quick Take
Giti GitiAllSeason AS1
Positive: Short braking distances on snow and wet surfaces. Good level of comfort.
Negative: Limited mileage. Increased rolling resistance.
Verdict: Satisfactory.
