Multiple tyre tests in recent years have shown all-season tyres to be a good choice for people wanting safe, year-round motoring, but Auto Bild points out that testing has mostly focused on tyres for small and compact cars. To shift the spotlight onto tyres for sporty mid-sized saloons, the German motoring publication has evaluated 32 brands in size 225/50 R17. In Auto Bild tradition, its testers carried out wet and dry braking tests to cut down this field of candidates to a shortlist of the 16 top performers. They then subjected these finalists to various tests in dry, wet and snowy conditions and also evaluated characteristics such as rolling resistance, mileage potential and price-performance ratio.
Auto Bild gave just four of the 16 finalists gained an ‘exemplary’ or ‘good’ rating and labelled the remainder ‘satisfactory’. Yet the test team was generally positive about the tyres, summing up that although all-season products “don’t offer the top performance of a summer or winter tyre (in summer or winter, respectively),” they nonetheless deliver safe and dynamic motoring, even for drivers of sporty mid-sized cars. Furthermore, they offer a measure of certainty when caught out by changeable weather conditions.
Rated Exemplary
Test winner: Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen3
+ Convincing performance in all conditions, dynamic handling behaviour, short stopping distances in the wet, very good aquaplaning safety reserves, high mileage potential, good price-performance ratio.
Continental AllSeasonContact
+ Convincing all-round talent with good winter characteristics, precise steering behaviour, top aquaplaning safety reserves, good ride comfort and rolling resistance.
– High purchase price.
Rated Good
Hankook Kinergy 4S2
+ Balanced driving characteristics, stable wet & dry handling, short wet & snow stopping distances, good aquaplaning characteristics, affordably priced.
– Limited mileage potential.
Vredestein Quatrac Pro
+ Wet specialist with dynamic handling and short stopping distances on wet surfaces, precise turn-in, good comfort.
– Limited mileage potential, raised rolling resistance.
Rated Satisfactory
Falken EuroAll Season AS 210
+ Good traction & short stopping distances on snow, dynamic wet & dry handling, short stopping distances in the wet, good mileage potential.
– Understeer on snow, raised rolling resistance.
Nokian Seasonproof
+ ice-cold winter expert with convincing driving qualities on snow, high mileage potential, good price-performance ratio.
– Understeer on wet & dry roads.
Michelin CrossClimate 2
+ Strong performer in dry conditions with safe snow qualities, dynamic handling qualities, gut aquaplaning characteristics, low rolling resistance.
– Understeer in the wet, high purchase price.
Maxxis Premitra All Season AP3
+ Good lateral control & high traction on snow, short stopping distances in the dry & on snow, quiet, affordably priced.
– Mediocre wet characteristics, mileage potential just satisfactory.
Bridgestone Weather Control A005 Evo
+ Sporty-dynamic dry handling, good traction & short stopping distances on ice & snow, stable driving behaviour on wet surfaces.
– Understeer on snow, limited mileage potential.
Dunlop Sport AllSeason
+ New all-season tyre with gut performance & driving dynamics on wet & dry surfaces, good aquaplaning safety reserves.
– Strong understeer on snow, mediocre mileage potential.
Viking Four Tech
+ Short stopping distances in the wet & on snow, good aquaplaning characteristics, low rolling resistance.
– Mediocre traction on snow, understeer in the wet, extended stopping distance on dry surfaces.
Kumho Solus 4S HA32
+ Dynamic handling qualities on dry surfaces, best mileage potential in test.
– Restricted grip levels in the wet, understeer on snow & in the wet.
Firestone Multiseason Gen02
+ Good traction & short stopping distances on snow, stable dry & snow handling, good mileage potential.
– Very limited aquaplaning reserves, mediocre lateral control on wet roads.
Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF 2
+ Dynamic handling & short stopping distances on snow & in the dry, low rolling resistance.
– Driving performance just satisfactory, extended stopping distances on wet surfaces.
Nexen N’blue 4Season
+ Good mileage potential, short dry stopping distances, affordably priced.
– Winter qualities just satisfactory, strong understeer on wet & dry surfaces, raised rolling resistance.
Giti Allseason AS1
+ Short stopping distances in the wet & on snow, good comfort, low noise.
– Weak lateral control on dry & snowy surfaces, limited mileage potential, slightly raised rolling resistance.
Eliminated in the preliminary round
Uniroyal AllSeasonExpert 2; BF Goodrich G-Grip All Season; Barum Quartaris 5; Kleber Quadraxer 2; Laufenn G Fit 4S; Semperit AllSeason-Grip; Avon AS7; Kenda Kenetica 4S (KR202); Cooper Discoverer All Season; Apollo Alnac 4G All Season; CST Medallion All Season ACP1; General Tire Altimax A/S 365; GT Radial 4Seasons; Fulda Multicontrol; Berlin Tires All Season 1Tomket Allyear 3
