The new models from Goodyear and Michelin finally came up against each other in one test.
List of models tested:
- Bridgestone Turanza T005
- Continental PremiumContact 6
- Giti GitiSport S2
- Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6
- Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 K127
- Michelin Pilot Sport 5
- Rotalla Setula S-Pace RU01
- Semperit Speed-Life 3
- Yokohama ADVAN Sport V105
The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 and Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — two of the main newcomers of the summer season 2022 — already participated independently in a few tests, each scoring their own wins, but so far they have not been confronted with each other within one test, and the Tyre Reviews portal decided to finally find out, which of the two will make a better impression on dry and wet pavement. In addition to the new Goodyear and Michelin models, the test also involved seven models from various price brackets, including the budget Rotalla tire produced by the Chinese company Shandong Yongsheng Rubber Group.
In the handling test, neither of the new models could score first place, the best one being the time-proven Continental PremiumContact 6, released a rather long time ago, and engineered with an emphasis on extra ride comfort. TR noted that the Conti model yet again demonstrated excellent dynamic steering with a nice weight, really quick sharp reactions, and great levels of grip across all the three laps. Thus, as Jonathan Benson, the founder of Tyre Reviews, said, «the PremiumContact 6 might be getting on in its years, but it’s still totally fabulous as a dry handling tire.»
Second-placed was the new Goodyear model, which showed the best lap time on the first lap (out of three), had a quick reaction to the driver’s actions, and had an excellent braking performance. «As always with Goodyear tires, it was a real pleasure to drive and I’m glad Goodyear has retained this for the new product» — Jonathan Benson noted.
Third-placed was Yokohama ADVAN Sport V105, which, in spite of the fact that the new-generation model with a V107 index has already been presented, is still great in the dry; next-placed was the new Michelin model. TR noted that, just like the Pilot Sport 4, the new tire from the French manufacturer ensures good handling response, is slightly prone to understeer, and ensures excellent grip, yet at the same time does not feel as sporty as some of the competitors. «To be fair to Michelin, even though the tire has the word sport in its name, they never claim to be a tire which should be used on track, they have the 4S line for that, but I am a little disappointed there isn’t a little more… sport from the pilot SPORT 5» — Benson noted.
The fifth place was scored by the Giti tire, which demonstrated excellent lateral grip but fell short of the competition in terms of braking performance. Still lower lines in the tournament bracket were occupied by the Hankook and Bridgestone models, which both were strongly prone to understeer, were slow to regain grip after they lost it, and demonstrated a significantly worse performance after the first lap. At the same time, the Hankook model demonstrated a stable braking performance, while the Bridgestone tire had issues in this area, its steering response being slow and fuzzy. But then again, as its name suggests, the Turanza T005 refers to the «touring» class, so these shortcomings must be forgivable in this case, and Benson added that «it was, of course, some of the most comfortable dry handling laps I’ve ever done.»
Dry Handling
- Continental
- Goodyear
- Yokohama
- Michelin
- Giti
- Hankook
- Bridgestone
- Rotalla
- Semperit
Info! Subjective, points.
Dry Braking
- Goodyear
- Hankook
- Michelin
- Continental
- Bridgestone
- Yokohama
- Semperit
- Giti
- Rottalla
Info! Dry braking in meters (100 - 1 km/h).
The last places were scored by the Semperit and Rotalla tires, both of which were slow to respond to the driver’s actions, were strongly prone to understeer, and fell short of the leaders in terms of steering feedback; in this last performance area, the Rotalla model turned out to be the worst on test.
On wet pavement, the best results were expectedly demonstrated by the new Goodyear and Michelin models, and, even though they showed a virtually identical lap time, their performance biases were completely different. Just like on dry pavement, the Goodyear model was more sporty, i.e. was quicker to respond to the driver’s actions and ensured better steering feedback, yet it felt short of Michelin in the hydroplaning tests, particularly the straight one. The Michelin tire felt more «relaxed», which made it easier to drive, and, although the grip it delivered was really reliable, the tire was slow to respond to the driver’s actions. At the same time, while the Goodyear model showed the best time in the first lap, the Michelin’s level of grip remained quite consistent even after four laps.
Wet Handling
- Goodyear
- Michelin
- Semperit
- Bridgestone
- Hankook
- Yokohama
- Continental
- Giti
- Rotalla
Info! Wet handling time in seconds.
Wet Braking
- Hankook
- Continental
- Michelin
- Goodyear
- Semperit
- Bridgestone
- Yokohama
- Giti
- Rotalla
Info! Wet braking in meters. (80 - 1 km/h)
The Semperit tire did not show itself to the best advantage this time, but it did show excellent wet performance. The Speed-Life 3 demonstrated excellent hydroplaning resistance, and TR noted that its performance was similar to that of the Uniroyal Rainsport, also produced by Continental.
Straight Aquaplaning
- Michelin
- Giti
- Semperit
- Rotalla
- Continental
- Hankook
- Yokohama
- Goodyear
- Bridgestone
Info! Float speed in km/h.
The fourth and fifth lines of the tournament bracket were occupied by Bridgestone and Hankook, which again ended up together, both being prone to understeer and falling short of the leaders in terms of steering feedback; these were followed by Yokohama and Continental, which also had certain issues on wet pavement. The Continental tire very quickly stops the car but it has low resistance to lateral hydroplaning, while the Yokohama tire is better in this respect but it is very heat-sensitive, i.e. on the second lap, when the front tires were heated more, oversteer popped up.
Noise
- Goodyear
- Rotalla
- Giti
- Hankook
- Semperit
- Michelin
- Continental
- Yokohama
- Bridgestone
Info! External noise in db.
The worst tire in terms of handling performance was again the budget-friendly Rotalla, but it also had its strong points, such as good hydroplaning resistance. At the same time, after it breaks into a skid, Rotalla is slow to regain grip, and it also has the longest braking distance on test.
Comfort
- Bridgestone
- Michelin
- Rotalla
- Semperit
- Giti
- Goodyear
- Continental
- Hankook
- Yokohama
Info! Subjective comfort score.
In the external noise test, the best results were shown by the new Goodyear tire, while Rotalla and Giti also demonstrated quite decent results. A little surprising was the fact that the noisiest tire on test was Bridgestone, both at 50 and 80 km/h.
Rolling Resistance
- Bridgestone
- Goodyear
- Semperit
- Michelin
- Giti
- Continental
- Hankook
- Rotalla
- Yokohama
Info! Rolling resistance in kg/t.
The touring bias of the Bridgestone tire became obvious during the ride comfort test, where it was the most effective at absorbing shocks from road inequalities. In addition, good ride comfort was ensured by Michelin, Semperit, and Rotalla; the Continental and Yokohama models delivered a relatively rough ride.
In terms of fuel efficiency, the best results were again shown by Bridgestone, the lead being so significant that already the second-placed tire demonstrated a performance 18% worse. The last line was occupied by the «almost retiring» Yokohama ADVAN Sport V105 — hopefully, the V107 version will be a better fuel saver.
Verdict
The Tyre Reviews test still did not answer the question which of the newcomers — Goodyear or Michelin — was the best because these two shared the first place (due to this, Goodyear is already winning a third consecutive test here). Speaking of the new Goodyear model, TR noted that it inherited all the strong points of the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5, at the same time improving on its dry braking performance, and especially fuel efficiency and ride smoothness. Regretfully, in order to achieve that, the tire technologists sacrificed hydroplaning resistance, but even so the Goodyear model remains one of the very few tires that successfully combine high rolling resistance on wet and dry pavement with low rolling resistance, and, therefore, the American brand keeps its leadership in the Ultra-High Performance segment.
The Michelin Pilot Sport 5, on the other hand, in keeping with the best traditions of its predecessor, demonstrates an all-but-perfectly balanced performance. Its only weak point is increased external noise, but at the same time the Michelin tire ensures excellent handling and braking performance in any conditions, having the best hydroplaning resistance on test. At the same time, compared to some other tires, the Michelin model did not provide as accurate steering response, and was significantly prone to understeer.
The Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 tire again proved that it is capable of ensuring the optimum level of safety because it quickly stopped the car in any conditions, while the Continental PremiumContact 6 again demonstrated excellent handling response on wet pavement. On wet pavement, the PC6 also quickly stops the car but its handling performance falls short of that of the leaders; in addition, this tire was far from delivering a smooth and noiseless ride.
The Bridgestone Turanza T005, although a touring model in a UHP tire test (TR noted that this was the tire maker’s decision), could still demonstrate good results in the wet handling test and the dry braking test. In addition, the Bridgestone model had a very low rolling resistance, and was expectedly the most comfortable tire on test. Of course, its steering response is not as crisp as that of the UHP tires, but the differences were smaller than one might expect (incidentally, on the official photos of the BMW 7-Series one can spot Bridgestone Turanza 6 tires, so it is quite possible that the T005 model is about to be replaced).
The Semperit Speed-Life 3 tire impressed the testers with excellent wet performance combined with good ride comfort. At the same time, there were complaints about the Semperit model dry performance, specifically its weak grip, and on the whole the Speed-Life 3 was described as «not the sportiest tire on test». The Yokohama Advan Sport V105, in turn, in spite of being «advanced in years», could demonstrate very good handling performance on wet and dry pavement alike. At the same time, the Yokohama model had a relatively long stopping distance in any conditions, as well as increased noise and increased rolling resistance.
The Giti GitiSport S2 came only eighth because, as Benson noted, it was «an enjoyable tire to drive, with a good blend of comfort and handling, but it needed to improve its grip in the wet, especially wet braking to move up the order." The last line of the tournament bracket was occupied by the Rotalla S Race SU02, which was comfortable enough but still was rated as «not recommended» due to longish wet and dry braking distances as well as fuzzy steering response.
1st place: Goodyear / Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6
Quick Take
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6
- Very good handling response and a short stopping distance on wet and dry pavement alike
- Extremely low noise emission
- Very low rolling resistance (for a UHP tire)
- Low hydroplaning resistance
- Average riding comfort
- Highly recommended
1st place: Michelin / Pilot Sport 5
Quick Take
Michelin Pilot Sport 5
- Short braking distance and excellent grip on wet and dry pavement
- Very high hydroplaning resistance
- Low rolling resistance
- Good ride comfort
- Flashy sidewall design
- Increased noise emission
- Prone to understeer
- Highly recommended
3rd place: Hankook / Ventus S1 evo3 K127
Quick Take
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 K127
- Very short wet braking distance
- Short braking distance on dry pavement
- Low noise emission
- Prone to understeer and poor steering feedback on dry and wet pavement
- Increased rolling resistance
- Recommended
4th place: Continental / PremiumContact 6
Quick Take
Continental PremiumContact 6
- Good handling response and a short stopping distance on dry pavement
- Very short wet braking distance
- Reduced grip during maneuvering on wet pavement
- Average rolling resistance
- Low riding comfort
- Recommended
5th place: Bridgestone / Turanza T005
Quick Take
Bridgestone Turanza T005
- Very low rolling resistance
- Stable handling response on wet pavement
- Great riding comfort
- Fuzzy steering response and strongly prone to understeer on dry pavement
- Less-than-perfect braking performance on wet pavement
- Very low hydroplaning resistance
- Very loud external noise
6th place: Semperit / Speed-Life 3
Quick Take
Semperit Speed-Life 3
- Excellent wet grip with easy to drive wet handling
- Excellent hydroplaning resistance
- Great riding comfort
- Low rolling resistance
- Dull dry handling with high levels of understeer, poor grip in dry handling and dry braking.
7th place: Yokohama / ADVAN Sport V105
Quick Take
Yokohama ADVAN Sport V105
- Dynamic sporty handling with good feel and direct steering response, excellent grip in dry handling
- Relatively long braking distance on dry and wet pavement
- Insufficient handling response in the wet
- High noise emission
- Low riding comfort
- Very high rolling resistance
8th place: Giti / GitiSport S2
Quick Take
Giti GitiSport S2
- Good handling response in the dry
- Very high hydroplaning resistance
- Low noise emission
- High rolling resistance
- Long braking distance on wet and dry pavements
- Long wet and dry braking distances, lower levels of grip during wet handling.
9th place: Rotalla / S-Pace RU01
Quick Take
Rotalla S-Pace RU01
- Good hydroplaning resistance
- Low noise emission
- Good riding comfort
- Insufficient handling response on wet and dry pavement
- Long braking distance on dry pavement
- A very long braking distance on wet pavement
- High rolling resistance
- Not recommended
