The 2019 summer tire test marathon is started by the German motoring organization ADAC. As usual, the ADAC experts separately tested 185/65 R15 summer tires and 215/65 R16C summer tires that are mainly used by the drivers of vans and campers, which will be covered in more detail in our next article.

The ADAC 185/65 R15 Summer Tire Test 2019 involved 16 sets of tires designed to be fitted on compact passenger cars. We will note that although none of the tested models demonstrated a downright poor performance, only two of the contestants got a «Good» ranking from the ADAC experts. All the other 14 models, because of more or less prominent shortcomings, were rated as «Satisfactory».

Generally, one was pleased to see the absence of «unsatisfactory» and «mediocre» verdicts, which can be regarded as a sign of an increase in the safety level of summer tires of this type and size.

Among others, ADAC 185/65 R15 Summer Tire Test 2019 included an all-season model from one of the world’s leading tire makers, which is marketed as a summer tire with winter features.

List of models tested:

• Bridgestone Turanza T005
• Continental ContiPremiumContact 5
• Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun
• Firestone RoadHawk
• Giti GitiSynergy E1
• Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance
• Hankook Kinergy Eco 2 K435
• Kumho Ecowing ES01 KH27
• Linglong GREEN-Max HP010
• Maxxis Mecotra ME3
• Michelin CrossClimate+
• Petlas Imperium PT515
• Pirelli Cinturato P1 Verde
• Semperit Comfort-Life 2
• Toyo Proxes CF2
• Vredestein Sportrac 5

ADAC Test Results

What comes as the biggest surprise in the 2019 ADAC test is the victory of Bridgestone, which generally happens rarely to this brand, and even more rarely to Bridgestone summer models.

We can only congratulate the winner because the touring tire Bridgestone Turanza T005 (overall rating — 2.0) virtually accomplished the impossible. It scored top marks on dry and wet roads — and deserved a special mention for the great balance of its operational properties. Its predecessor, Turanza T001, of the similar size, was only able to score the 12th place in 2016.

says our technical expert

Bridgestone Turanza T005

The second place in the 2019 ADAC test was scored by the refreshed Vredestein Sportrac 5 (overall rating — 2.1), which also demonstrated a great balance, strong grip on wet roads and exceptional resistance to wear.

These are the two models that became worthy of a «Good» verdict. Below we are covering the tires that rated as «satisfactory».

The third place was scored by the «summer» all-season Michelin CrossClimate+ (overall rating — 2.6). In addition to demonstrating a dependable grip on wet asphalt they also scored top marks in wear.

Michelin CrossClimate+

The fourth line of the tournament bracket, in accordance with the ADAC experts’ decision, was occupied by Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance (overall rating — 2.7) that was among the best in terms of delivering good traction on dry roads and low fuel consumption but was a little weak in the wet compared to the best on test.

The fifth position with an overall rating of 2.8 was shared by four models at once. Firestone Roadhawk rated the best on dry roads. Maxxis Mecotra 3 got top marks for low fuel consumption. Toyo Proxes CF2 did not distinguish itself in any way, just as Kumho Ecowing ES01 KH27.

What all of these models have in common is a weaker traction on wet roads as compared to the tires that top the test list. The Kumho tires fell short even in the dry.

The ninth place was also shared by a few models. Their overall rating is 3.0. What is interesting is the fact that their rank includes Continental PremiumContact 5 because of its low resistance to wear. Only three years ago, this model occupied the honorable second place of the ADAC ranking.

Their «backup group» consists of models that are relatively weak in the wet: Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun and Semperit Comfort-Life 2. The former showed a great traction on dry asphalt and low wear, while the latter did not demonstrate any prominent strong points.

The twelfth place was scored by Giti Synergy E1 (overall rating — 3.2). The ADAC experts noted its low noise emission and its ability to optimize the fuel consumption, which proves the statements made by the manufacturer at the outset of the sales of this model.

The thirteenth place was scored by the tires of the Turkish brand Petlas Imperium (overall rating — 3.3). They delivered quite an ordinary performance, and, in addition, turned out to be relatively weak on dry and wet roads as compared to the leaders of the competition.

The tires Hankook Kinergy Eco 2 K435 and Pirelli Cinturato P1 Verde shared the fourteenth place. We least expected to see them at the bottom of the tournament bracket — because these two tires are far from inexpensive. What failed them was a relatively weak grip on wet asphalt.

Linglong GreenMax HP010

The budget-friendly tire Linglong GreenMax HP010 (overall rating — 3.5), which scored the last position in the «2019 ADAC Summer Tire Test — 185/65 R15», is 1.5–1.7 times less expensive than Pirelli and Hankook tires, while at the same time it demonstrates a slightly better traction on wet roads. And this yet again brings us to the conclusion: choose your tires based on your driving conditions. Make sure you take into account not only the brand’s reputation but also the features of the tires that you fit on your car.

Comparison of 2016 and 2019 ADAC tests

An impressive consistency of results was demonstrated by Vredestein, Goodyear and Kumho, whose models were tested in the same size three years ago.

A sharp drop in the ranking in comparison with 2016 was shown by Continental ContiPremiumContact 5 (2nd place → 9th place) and Hankook Kinergy Eco 2 K435 (5th place → 14th place).

Price

Conclusion

The 2019 ADAC Summer Tire Test demonstrated a wide scatter in different models’ wear. In terms of wear resistance, the poorest results were shown by Linglong Green-Max HP010 that only held out half of the mileage of Michelin CrossClimate+ (26000 vs 57000 kilometers). Unfortunately, ADAC did not publish the results of the appropriate test.

The most common reason for the drop in the test marks is the tires’ relatively weak traction in the wet. In this area, only four out of the 16 tested tires showed decent results: besides the two leaders — Bridgestone and Vredestein — these are Michelin CrossClimate + and Continental PremiumContact 5.