ADAC: Winter Tire Test R17 2021

How the tires will behave on wet and dry pavement, as well as on snow and ice, you can find out only by subjecting them to extensive testing. The experts of the German motoring association ADAC in partnership with other European consumer rights organizations, and in full accordance with precisely defined methodology, tested 18 winter tire sets, purchasing them in small quantities from six different tire dealerships.

The purpose of the test was to determine the safest tire models of 2021 to be used in mild winter conditions inherent to Central Europe.

While in the first winter tire test 2021 the ADAC experts tested the popular passenger-car tire size of 195/65 R15, in the second test they opted for 225/50 R17 with speed index V (up to 240 km/h), which may be used, for example, on such cars as Audi A4 or BMW 3 series.

Dunlop Winter Sport 5 - Winner Recommended

82 57

· Winter · 2015 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Good balance of performance. Good performance on dry and wet surfaces. Excellent snow performance. Low fuel consumption.
Straight Aquaplaning Wet Braking Wet Handling Fuel Consumption Treadwear Ice Braking Dry Handling Lateral Aquaplaning Driving Safety Snow Braking Dry Braking Snow Handling Snow Traction

Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

2.3
Michelin Alpin 6 Recommended

85 53

· Winter · 2018 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Good balance of performance. Good performance on snow, dry and wet surfaces. Very low wear.
Straight Aquaplaning Wet Braking Wet Handling Fuel Consumption Treadwear Lateral Stability on Ice Ice Braking Dry Handling Driving Safety Snow Braking Dry Braking Snow Handling Snow Traction

USA+ · Canada · Europe · Russia+ · Japan

Test Score:

2.3
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+ Recommended

88 53

· Winter · 2019 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Short braking distances on dry surfaces. Good handling on wet roads, snow and ice.
Fuel Consumption Lateral Aquaplaning Treadwear Ice Braking Driving Safety Snow Braking Snow Traction Lateral Stability on Ice Snow Handling Straight Aquaplaning Dry Braking Wet Handling

Europe · Russia+ · China

Test Score:

2.5
Kleber Krisalp HP3

80 52

· Winter · 2016 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Good performance on dry asphalt, snow and ice. Low noise level. Poor wet handling.
Straight Aquaplaning Fuel Consumption Dry Handling Ice Braking Treadwear Driving Safety Snow Braking Dry Braking Snow Handling Lateral Stability on Ice Snow Traction

Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

2.7
Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

87 54

· Winter · 2019 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Good handling on dry surface. Excellent results on wet surface. Poor handling on snow. Increased wear.
Wet Circle Wet Braking Fuel Consumption Lateral Aquaplaning Dry Handling Ice Braking Dry Braking Driving Safety Snow Braking Straight Aquaplaning Lateral Stability on Ice Snow Traction Wet Handling

Canada · Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

3
Continental WinterContact TS 860

87 57

· Winter · 2016 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Good performance on wet surface, snow and ice. Poor dry performance.
Wet Braking Straight Aquaplaning Wet Handling Fuel Consumption Treadwear Lateral Stability on Ice Ice Braking Wet Circle Snow Braking Dry Braking Snow Handling Snow Traction

Europe · Russia+ · South Korea

Test Score:

3
Nexen WinGuard Sport 2

72 38

· Winter · 2016 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Short braking distances on dry surfaces. Good ice performance. Insufficient dry handling. Poor wet performance. Relatively poor snow performance. Increased wear.
Wet Braking Fuel Consumption External Noise Ice Braking Snow Braking Snow Traction Lateral Stability on Ice Dry Braking Wet Handling Lateral Aquaplaning

USA+ · Canada · Europe · Russia+ · East Asia

Test Score:

3
Vredestein Wintrac Pro

82 46

· Winter · 2018 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Good performance on snow, dry and wet surfaces. Increased wear.
Wet Circle Wet Braking Fuel Consumption Lateral Aquaplaning Dry Handling Ice Braking Driving Safety Snow Braking Snow Traction Snow Handling Straight Aquaplaning Dry Braking Wet Handling External Noise

USA+ · Canada · Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

3
ESA-Tecar Supergrip Pro

N/A 29

· Winter · 2019 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Very low fuel consumption. Good performance on snow and ice. Lack of good handling on dry and wet surfaces.
Wet Braking Fuel Consumption Ice Braking Treadwear Snow Braking Snow Traction Snow Handling Lateral Stability on Ice Dry Braking

Europe

Test Score:

3.1
Sava Eskimo HP2

68 32

· Winter · 2016 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Good performance on snow and ice. Low fuel consumption. Insufficient dry handling. Poor wet performance. Very loud tires.
Fuel Consumption Ice Braking Treadwear Snow Braking Snow Traction Snow Handling Lateral Stability on Ice Dry Braking External Noise

Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

3.1
Fulda Kristall Control HP2

69 37

· Winter · 2016 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Short braking distances and high traction on snow. Low fuel consumption. Very long braking distances and generally poor dry performance. Poor wet performance.
Straight Aquaplaning Fuel Consumption Treadwear Lateral Stability on Ice Ice Braking Lateral Aquaplaning Snow Braking Dry Braking Snow Traction External Noise

Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

3.2
Firestone Winterhawk 4

69 42

· Winter · 2020 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Good performance on wet surface, snow and ice. Poor dry performance.
Straight Aquaplaning Wet Braking Wet Handling Fuel Consumption Treadwear Lateral Stability on Ice Ice Braking Snow Braking Dry Braking Snow Handling Snow Traction Dry Handling

Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

3.3
Nokian WR Snowproof P

67 36

· Winter · 2020 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Short braking distances and good dry handling. High lateral stability on ice. Poor performance on snow and wet surfaces.
Wet Circle Fuel Consumption External Noise Dry Handling Ice Braking Treadwear Driving Safety Snow Braking Dry Braking Lateral Stability on Ice Snow Traction Lateral Aquaplaning

Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

3.3
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3

81 59

· Winter · 2014 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Short braking distances on dry surfaces. Excellent handling on snow. Insufficient dry handling. Poor performance on ice and wet surfaces.
Fuel Consumption Treadwear Snow Braking Snow Traction Snow Handling Straight Aquaplaning Dry Braking External Noise Dry Handling

USA+ · Canada · Europe · Russia+ · East Asia

Test Score:

3.3
Toyo Observe S944

68 40

· Winter · 2019 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Good results on dry surfaces and on ice. Poor performance on snow and wet surfaces. High wear.
Fuel Consumption Ice Braking Driving Safety Snow Braking Snow Traction Lateral Stability on Ice Dry Braking Snow Handling Wet Handling

Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

3.3
Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6

70 41

· Winter · 2019 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Good results on dry and damp surfaces. Poor performance on ice and snow.
Wet Circle Wet Braking Fuel Consumption Lateral Aquaplaning Dry Handling Ice Braking Driving Safety Snow Braking Straight Aquaplaning Dry Braking Wet Handling Snow Handling

Canada · Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

3.4
Westlake ZuperSnow Z-507

N/A 26

· Winter · 2019 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Short braking distances on dry surfaces. Insufficient dry handling. Poor performance on wet roads and snow. Very high wear. Not recommended to buy.
Dry Braking Wet Braking Fuel Consumption Lateral Aquaplaning External Noise Dry Handling Driving Safety Snow Handling Straight Aquaplaning Snow Traction

Europe

Test Score:

5.5
Linglong GREEN-Max Winter UHP

N/A 16

· Winter · 2014 · Passenger - Performance Winter / Snow

Verdict:
Good handling on snow. Good ice performance. Poor results on dry and wet surfaces. Not recommended to buy.
Fuel Consumption Ice Braking Treadwear Dry Braking Snow Braking Snow Handling Lateral Stability on Ice Snow Traction Wet Circle Wet Braking Lateral Aquaplaning Dry Handling Driving Safety Straight Aquaplaning Wet Handling

Europe · Russia+

Test Score:

5.5