Continental ContiWinterContact TS 850 P, which did not give the test experts a single chance to find any issues with it, for the sole exception of poor lateral hydroplaning resistance, became the winner of the Sport Auto winter tire test 2019. This was also ensured by the well-balanced and stable performance of ContiWinterContact TS 850 P on snow, its great handling response on wet pavement, as well as efficient braking and crisp steering response in the dry.

Vredestein Wintrac Pro scored the excellent second place, once again standing up to the reputable name of Apollo Tires, which in 2019 literally took the tire industry by storm, getting all sorts of accolades. The silver medal was awarded to Wintrac Pro thanks to its great traction and precise handling response on wet and dry pavement alike. It was also great on snow, falling only a little short of the leader’s performance. However, one obvious downside of this tire is its high rolling resistance.

The third line of the tournament bracket was scored by Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Plus, which only recently debuted in the winter season 2019/2020. The experts slightly criticized its relatively long braking distance in the wet and its slightly increased rolling resistance, which, nonetheless, could not cross out the broad range of the «useful skills» demonstrated by this model, such as high durability, great handling response on snow and wet pavement, and good resistance to straight and lateral hydroplaning.

The fourth place was landed by Hankook Winter i*Cept evo2 W320. Its performance on snow was virtually as good as that of the leaders’ but on asphalt it fell definitely short. This tire lost a lot of points because of the longest braking distance on test in the dry, as well as weak hydroplaning resistance. Nevertheless, the sum total of its points entitled the Hankook product to getting a «good» verdict from the Sport Auto experts.

The fifth result was demonstrated by Toyo Snowprox S954 which was obviously engineered for dry pavement alone. And, although the test group described its performance on wet pavement and snow as «acceptable», one look at the scores brings up a lot of doubts — this tire is definitely the worst one on test, and even falls short of the standard expected performance of an all-season tire.

In spite of its great braking performance and safe handling on snow, Falken Eurowinter HS01 was placed by the test experts at the last (sixth) place of the tournament bracket. There were lots of reasons for that: poor lateral stability and understeer on wet pavement, which led to the devaluation of its overall score, as well as increased rolling resistance and road noise. Ultimately, only a «satisfactory» result.