205/55R16

Auto Express 2022: Winter Tire Test R16

In 2022, the British magazine Auto Express chose for its next tire test the popular size of 205/55 R16. The last time the experts tested tires of this size was during the 2020 pandemic, and the test was won by the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005; another tire that showed excellent results was the Continental TS 870, but it was decided to remove it from the final ranking because the manufacturer rescheduled the market release of this model for the next year. This year, the Continental model also took part in the test; other tires that the test involved were the Michelin Alpin 6, and three newcomers — Hankook Winter i*cept RS3, Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2, and Vredestein Wintrac. This time around, the test missed a few other brands that regularly take part in the AE tests, which had to do with the logistics issues or with the fact that the companies were preparing to launch new models on the market. One of the contestants was to be the new Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3, but, again, the company put off its market release.

The tires were tested using Volkswagen Golf.
The tires were tested using Volkswagen Golf. Source: autoexpress.co.uk

For the first time in two years, the testers were able to conduct the test without the pandemic travel restrictions, and the tires’ snow performance was evaluated in Goodyear’s Arctic Center in Saariselka, not far away from Finland’s Ivalo. It was decided to conduct the wet tests at the Contidrom proving ground in Germany, and, although the experts hoped that the air temperature would be lower than +7 °C, it was actually warmer, i.e. it was impossible to achieve the perfect conditions for wet tests. Other things that were measured were the cabin noise and rolling resistance; the scores that had the most weight were the ones for snow and wet performance — 20 and 50% respectively.

Snow

The best snow braking performance was demonstrated by the Continental, which at the same time surprisingly scored the last-but-one place in the traction test. At the same time the Michelin model ensures excellent traction during acceleration and braking; the worst tire in this respect was the Vredestein model.

Snow Braking

Continental
100.0
Michelin
99.4
Bridgestone
98.6
Pirelli
98.0
Hankook
97.9
Vredestein
97.4

Snow Traction

Michelin
100.0
Pirelli
98.0
Bridgestone
97.0
Hankook
95.2
Continental
93.1
Vredestein
91.9

The test for lateral stability on snow was again won by the Continental tire, and, again, it ended up at the bottom of the tournament bracket in terms of handling response. The tire with the best handling response was the Hankook model; Pirelli came second. The Vredestein tire is again at the bottom of the chart, i.e. it was not seriously prepared for snow driving.

Snow Lateral Stability

Continental
100.0
Bridgestone
99.1
Michelin
98.9
Pirelli
98.0
Hankook
96.7
Vredestein
96.5

Snow Handling

Hankook
100.0
Pirelli
99.4
Michelin
99.1
Bridgestone
98.8
Continental
98.6
Vredestein
96.3

Wet

Both straight and lateral hydroplaning resistance was evaluated, and in both cases the first place was scored by the Continental, with Bridgestone and Pirelli also receiving very good scores. The worst tires in this respect were the Michelin and Vredestein.

Straight Hydroplaning

Continental
100.0
Pirelli
98.1
Bridgestone
97.4
Hankook
96.8
Vredestein
92.6
Michelin
91.3

Lateral Hydroplaning

Continental
100.0
Bridgestone
96.3
Pirelli
93.6
Hankook
89.5
Michelin
81.1
Vredestein
79.9

On the wet track, the lead was taken over by the Bridgestone tire, while the Continental model demonstrated a surprisingly poor braking performance, and the Michelin model had poor resistance to lateral skid.

Wet Braking

Bridgestone
100.0
Vredestein
98.0
Michelin
96.1
Pirelli
96.0
Hankook
95.8
Continental
95.6

Wet Lateral Stability

Continental
100.0
Bridgestone
99.7
Hankook
98.6
Vredestein
98.5
Pirelli
97.4
Michelin
97.2

Dry

On dry pavement, the best results were demonstrated by Continental, with Michelin coming last-but-one in both braking and handling tests.

Dry Braking

Vredestein
100.0
Continental
98.1
Pirelli
96.6
Bridgestone
95.3
Michelin
94.9
Hankook
93.2

Dry Handling

Continental
100.0
Bridgestone
99.3
Hankook
98.9
Vredestein
98.9
Michelin
98.2
Pirelli
98.0

Environment

The Continental tire also demonstrated the lowest rolling resistance on test, while the Pirelli model turned out to be a poor fuel saver.

Rolling Resistance

Continental
100.0
Vredestein
98.2
Bridgestone
95.0
Michelin
94.5
Hankook
91.3
Pirelli
86.3

The cabin noise was measured when driving by inertia from 80 km/h on three types of pavement, and Continental and Bridgestone were recognized as the best, and Vredestein and Michelin came last.

Cabin Noise

Pirelli
100.0
Continental
98.6
Hankook
98.4
Bridgestone
97.6
Vredestein
97.6
Michelin
96.8

After seven victories in 13 disciplines it was obvious that the first place in the final standings would be scored by the Continental WinterContact TS 870, but the AE experts noted that in some of the tests the differences in the tires’ performance often came down to tenth fraction of percent. The Continental model also allowed itself a few weaknesses in some of the disciplines — for example, its 50 km/h wet braking distance was 1.4 meters longer than that of the leader’s.

When tested on snow, Continental performed better than Bridgestone thanks to excellent handling response and lateral stability, but on the wet track it lost its lead to a certain extent due to a less-than-perfect grip of the rear wheels. In any event, on dry pavement the Continental model redeemed itself, including because it can handle higher loads in corners, and this — together with the low rolling resistance -allowed it to score the ultimate victory.

The second line was scored by the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005, and, while the snow performance of this model was essentially on a level with Continental, on dry pavement the prevalence of the TS 870 was obvious. It is worth mentioning that the braking distance demonstrated by the LM005 model was 1 meter longer (during 100 km/h braking), and the lap time 0.4 seconds worse. At the same time, this Bridgestone model can still be considered a very good tire, because it was rated as the best in the wet handling and braking tests. In the first test, the differences between the two leaders were insignificant, but the Bridgestone model made it possible to speed up faster when exiting a corner, at the same time sticking to the desired trajectory. In the previous tests, the LM005 model also became the best fuel saver, but in 2022 it only came third in this discipline, letting ahead not only Continental but also Vredestein.

Even though the test involved tires from such established brands as Michelin and Pirelli, third place was scored by a tire from Korea’s Hankook. The Hankook Winter I*cept RS3 model has become the newcomer of the season on the European market, and its debut in British tests turned out to be very promising. The Hankook model was able to surpass the two other newcomers, but at the same time the gap between Hankook and the two best tires was significant enough, and the RS3 demonstrated its weakest side in the snow tests, where the only tire that was even less effective was the Vredestein model. At the same time, the performance demonstrated by the Hankook tire was pretty strange because it showed the best time on a snow-covered track, and was not really effective in all the other disciplines.

On snow, the Hankook tire held the chosen trajectory well, despite the very high grip on the front axle, and helped to accelerate quickly at the exit of the corner, while on wet tarmac, the tire behaved in about the same way, which allowed it to show a good lap time. At the same time, it turned out that the Hankook tire is relatively poor at combating lateral hydroplaning, and its wet braking distance was one meter longer than that of the other tires. In the dry tests, the Hankook model came fourth, and, although the braking distance was again long enough, the AE experts added that they expected less rolling resistance from the newcomer.

Yet another debutant was the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 tire, which showed itself to the best advantage on snow, where it performed on a level with the leaders of the test, and came second in the tests for grip and handling performance. According to the experts, on a snow-covered track, the Pirelli tire had a very reliable grip on the rear axle, and it also surpassed some of the competitors in road-holding ability.

On the wet track, the gap between the Pirelli model and the leaders increased, but the tire was nonetheless able to surpass Michelin and Vredestein, including due to its high hydroplaning resistance; on the dry track the Pirelli tire unexpectedly came last in the handling test because it had a somewhat fuzzy response to the driver inputs. The Pirelli tire was also the worst in terms of fuel-saving capabilities, yet at the same time it was the quietest model on test.

The Vredestein Wintrac model, presented in 2020, also did not participate in the AE tests until this time, and changing the name from Snowtrac to Wintrac was obviously meant to better reflect its well-balanced performance. During the test, the manufacturer’s claims were confirmed but only in the wet and dry parts of the test, where the Wintrac model was indeed the most effective. Vredestein’s hydroplaning resistance was very poor — in this discipline it dropped to the bottom of the chart together with the Michelin model — and it also demonstrated the worst lap time on a circular track, including due to limited traction on the front axle, yet, despite all of this, the Wintrac tire almost won the braking test, being second only to Bridgestone.

On dry pavement, the Vredestein tire lacked the crispness of response to driver inputs, but it was not exactly the worst by this criterion. It was good at handling the loads caused by pressing the gas pedal in corners, but the tire revealed its main weaknesses on snow, where it came last in all the disciplines due to its poor grip.

The premium tire Michelin Alpin 6 came last in the final standings this time around, but you need to keep in mind that it lost ever so little even to the tire that came third, and in real life the differences in performance will be all but negligible, which is quite a result for a tire which debuted in the AE tests in 2019.

The Michelin tire showed itself to the best advantage in the snow tests where it surpassed all of the competitors, and the experts noted that the company must have worked on improving this performance area because the previous versions of this tire did not demonstrate such results. The Michelin tire was the best in terms of acceleration and braking performance, and the AE experts noted that, while the pilot had to make a certain effort to prevent skidding in corners, on a straight line the tire was just perfect.

While the tire’s snow performance dramatically improved, for all intents and purposes, this was achieved at the cost of sacrificing its wet performance, and in this area of the test the Michelin model was the worst of the tested tires, but then again, the differences in the tires’ performance were minimal, and the Alpin 6 has a very short braking distance and ensures a high level of driving safety thanks to excellent grip of the rear wheels. In addition, the good braking performance is also felt during cornering. On the dry track, the Michelin tire also demonstrated a reliable traction on the rear axle, but was criticized for fuzzy steering response.

Result summary. Auto Express Winter Tire Test — 205/55R16 Places 1–6.
Result summary. Auto Express Winter Tire Test — 205/55R16 Places 1–6. (click to enlarge)

Although this Michelin model was introduced quite a long time ago, it is still great on snow, and, speaking of the newcomers to the AE tests, the Vredestein model was good in the dry, the Pirelli earned high scores on wet pavement and snow (but it will increase fuel consumption!), and the debut by Hankook was the most impressive of all. The best tires, however, were the Continental and Bridgestone, and, while the TS 870 was more effective on dry pavement and snow, LM005 had the advantage on wet pavement.


1st place: Continental / WinterContact TS 870

Quick Take
90 60

Continental WinterContact TS 870

Price/Quality Wet Performance Comfort Dry Performance Snow/Ice Performance Treadwear Handling
  • This tire replaced Continental / WinterContact TS 860
  • Available Sizes in Line: 19
  • Original Equipment (OE) tires for:
    • • Ford Explorer VI (U625) Facelift [2022 .. 2024]
    • • Ford Fiesta VII Facelift [2022 .. 2024]
    • • Ford Focus IV (C519) Facelift [2022 .. 2024]
    • • Ford Mustang VI (S550) Facelift [2018 .. 2024]
    • • Ford Puma II (J2K) [2019 .. 2024]
  • Recommended Tire by Tests
  • Year Released: 2020
  • Regions for sale: Europe, Russia+
Continental WinterContact TS 870

An excellent tire with a very well balanced performance. No obvious issues found.


2nd place: Bridgestone / Blizzak LM005

Quick Take
88 56

Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

Price/Quality Wet Performance Dry Performance Comfort Handling Snow/Ice Performance Treadwear
  • This tire replaced Bridgestone / Blizzak LM001 Evo
  • Available Sizes in Line: 224
  • Original Equipment (OE) tires for:
    • • Audi e-tron [2019 .. 2023]
    • • Volkswagen T-Cross I (C11) [2018 .. 2023]
    • • Audi A3 8Y [2020 .. 2023]
    • • Mercedes-Benz C-Class Br205 [2015 .. 2021]
    • • Volkswagen Caddy V [2020 .. 2023]
    • • Lamborghini Reventon [2007 .. 2009]
    • • Audi Q4 e-tron FZ [2022 .. 2024]
    • • BMW X7 G07 [2018 .. 2022]
    • • Lamborghini Revuelto [2023 .. 2024]
  • Recommended Tire by Tests
  • Year Released: 2019
  • Regions for sale: Canada, Europe, Russia+
Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

A very good tire that performs equally well in any weather conditions (in regions with mild winters), and ensures excellent handling and braking performance on wet pavement.


3rd place: Hankook / Winter i*cept RS3 W462

Quick Take
87 33

Hankook Winter i*cept RS3 W462

  • Year Released: 2021
  • Regions for sale: Europe, South Korea
Hankook Winter i*cept RS3 W462

The tire ensures excellent handling response on snow but the longitudinal traction could be better. In addition, the RS3 has issues with hydroplaning resistance, wet braking, rolling resistance, and generally you could say that, although in recent years Hankook has been doing a lot to improve the performance of its tires, there is obviously still a long way to go.


4th place: Pirelli / Cinturato Winter 2

Quick Take
86 45

Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

Price/Quality Dry Performance Wet Performance Snow/Ice Performance
  • Year Released: 2021
  • Regions for sale: Europe, Russia+
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

Pirelli performs well on snow and ensures good acoustic comfort, but on dry pavement the tire lacks the accuracy of steering precision, and it also has increased rolling resistance.


4th place: Vredestein / Wintrac

Quick Take
82 40
Price/Quality Wet Performance Snow/Ice Performance
  • Year Released: 2020
  • Regions for sale: USA+, Canada, Europe
Vredestein Wintrac

This tire is suitable for drivers who rarely drive on snow-covered roads in winter, but more versatile options can be found on the market.


6th place: Michelin / Alpin 6

Quick Take
85 55
Price/Quality Wet Performance Comfort Dry Performance Handling Snow/Ice Performance Treadwear
  • This tire replaced Michelin / Alpin 5
  • Available Sizes in Line: 73
  • Original Equipment (OE) tires for:
    • • Ford Puma II (J2K) [2019 .. 2023]
  • Recommended Tire by Tests
  • Year Released: 2018
  • Regions for sale: USA+, Canada, Europe, Russia+, Japan
Michelin Alpin 6

This Michelin tire is totally great for snow-covered roads, but is much less effective on tarmac — wet, and, particularly, dry.

Price