The Auto Bild tyre test team has been busy, and in addition to evaluating 35 all-season tyres they’ve put 54 winter tyres through their paces. After a preliminary round of testing – braking from 80km/h in the wet and from 50km/h on snow – 20 tyres continue on as finalists.
The first hurdle for the size 225/45 R18 tyres was wet braking, with Auto Bild selecting 38 metres as its cutoff point. In this ‘sudden death’ test, only those tyres that brought the test team’s BMW 3-Series to a complete stop from 80km/h before travelling this distance would be in with a chance. From the 54 tyres, 31 stopped in less than 38 metres. Auto Bild then tested these 31 tyres on a snowy surface and added the stopping distances they achieved to their wet stopping distances. The 20 tyres with the shortest combined stopping distances progress to the second, expanded round of testing.
