Only five out of 53 tires could score an «Exemplary» verdict from Auto Bild, the test being won by a brand that hardly anyone expected to.

List of models tested:

Following the elimination round involving 53 summer tire models, the main stage of the test conducted by the German magazine Auto Bild included only 20 finalists, which were evaluated in several standard disciplines, such as wet and dry handling, hydroplaning resistance, etc.

*The braking distance demonstrated by these fourteen models is dangerously long! The Double Coin DC99 tires scored the last 53th place — the retreaded ones.*
Place	Brand and Model	Wet Braking (from 80 km/h),m	Dry Braking (from 100 km/h),m	Braking (total),m
40	Austone SP-6 Athena	37.4	38.7	76.1
41	Fortune FSR 602	36.7	39.6	76.3
42	Firemax FM601	37.9	38.5	76.4
43	Alliance 030EX	40.3	36.6	76.9
44	Seiberling Touring 2	38.2	38.7	76.9
45	A-plus A606	39.6	37.4	77.0
46	Riken Road Performance	39.7	37.8	77.5
47	Powertrac City Tour	39.6	38.5	78.1
48	Atlas Green HP	39.4	38.8	78.2
49	Tomket Sport	39.2	39.0	78.2
50	Antares Ingens A1	39.5	39.8	79.3
51	Achilles ATR-Sport 2	41.0	38.4	79.4
52	Maxtrek Maximus M1	45.9	38.9	84.8
53	Double Coin DC99	51.0	40.5	91.5

The qualification round, where solely braking performance in various conditions was evaluated, was won by a tire from the Korean brand of Hankook, which also scored a rather high position in the main test, yet fell short of getting an «Exemplary» verdict due to a relatively short tread life. Auto Bild is one of the few publications that assess the tire’s expected mileage, and this time around it was not just Hankook that devalued its ranking due to low wear, but also, for example, the Pirelli model, which otherwise demonstrated quite good performance on dry and wet pavement alike.

*The nineteen models classified as «average» and falling short of the results delivered by the tires of the top-division club.*
Place	Brand and Model	Wet Braking (from 80 km/h),m	Dry Braking (from 100 km/h),m	Braking (total),m
21	Apollo Alnac 4G	33.2	36.8	70.0
22	Sava Intensa HP2	33.7	36.4	70.1
23	Radar RPX-800	32.5	38.4	70.9
24	Goodride Z-107 ZuperEco	34.3	37.1	71.4
25	Avon ZV7	34.3	37.9	72.2
26	Cooper Zeon CS8	34.5	38.0	72.5
27	Event Futurum HP	34.4	38.1	72.5
28	Zeetex ZT1000	33.9	38.6	72.5
29	Barum Bravuris 5HM	33.6	39.0	72.6
30	General Altimax One S	34.6	38.5	73.1
31	Hifly HF 201	35.3	38.1	73.4
32	Imperial Ecodriver 5	36.1	37.3	73.4
33	Wanli SA302 Sport Macro	36.2	37.4	73.6
34	Leao Nova Force HP	36.5	37.4	73.9
35	Petla's Empire PT515	35.9	38.3	74.2
36	Viking ProTech NewGen	36.1	38.1	74.2
37	GT Radial Champiro FE1	36.5	38.0	74.5
38	Sailun Atrezzo Elite	37.1	38.2	75.3
39	Nankang Eco-2 + Green Sport	37.9	37.7	75.6

The victory in the final standings was scored by a tire that combined high resistance to wear and good handling response in any weather conditions, and, although the test did involve models from such major market players as Continental and Michelin, they were all outperformed by the Kumho Ecsta HS51, whose only weak side was its relatively strong rolling resistance. It is also noteworthy that third place was scored by the relatively inexpensive Semperit tire, which performed well in the key disciplines and could have scored even more points, had it not been for its average ride comfort, while the fourth line was occupied by the Debica model (also scoring an «Exemplary» verdict), which did not have any prominent issues at all.

Test discipline: dry braking

«Modern tires ensure the level of driving safety that the first motorists could not even dream about 120 years ago; yet we were nonetheless amazed at the considerable differences between the modern state-of-the-art tires in terms of handling response, fuel saving capacity, and other performance areas» — the Auto Bild experts noted.

Regretfully, the test was missed by the new Vredestein Ultrac, which is coming to replace the Sportrac 5 model, and, according to the manufacturer, is characterized by lower rolling resistance and enhanced wet grip. In addition, AB noted that the main stage of the test could have potentially included the Laufenn S Fit EQ+ from the brand owned by Hankook. According to the experts, they could already appreciate the new Laufenn model, which demonstrated great braking performance and excellent wet grip.

Summer tire test summary Auto Bild R16, 2021. Places 1–9. Click to enlarge.

Summer tire test summary Auto Bild R16, 2021. Places 11–20. Click to enlarge.

When scoring in the «Cost Savings» column, the price of tires, rolling resistance and tread life were taken into account.

1st place: Kumho / Ecsta HS51

Quick Take

Auto Bild 2021: Summer Tire Test R16

Kumho Ecsta HS51

Continental PremiumContact 6

Semperit Speed-Life 3

Debica Presto HP2

Bridgestone Turanza T005

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125

Pirelli Cinturato P7 (P7C2)

Michelin Primacy 4

Firestone RoadHawk

Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2

BFGoodrich Advantage

Maxxis Premitra 5 HP5

Toyo Proxes Comfort

Uniroyal RainSport 5

Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun

Fulda EcoControl HP2

Kleber Dynaxer HP4

Nokian Wetproof

Dunlop Sport BluResponse

Nexen N Blue HD Plus

Price

Tags:

Source links:

Related Tires

Search

Categories