Lotto players have a 1 in 45 million chance of cracking the jackpot, but the odds of choosing the right six appear much shorter for tyre testers. Motoring publication Sportauto has evaluated half a dozen winter tyres and is happy with each and every product. Even the all-season tyre they looked at alongside the winter tyres left a good impression.
Testing the size 275/35 R19 100V/W XL tyres on a BMW M4 in dry wet and snowy conditions, the team at Sportauto found them to be ‘good’, ‘very good’ or even ‘phenomenal’. This means drivers can expect solid performance across the board, even if each model exhibits its own particular strengths and weaknesses – as reflected in the range of scores.
An all-season tyre also took part in the test. Unofficially, of course, but performing well enough for a hypothetical ‘very good’ rating had it not been excluded from the official results. That tyre was the Vredestein Quatrac Pro+. While it trailed the pure winter designs on snow, it excelled on wet roads – outperforming all the dedicated winter tyres – and was second-best on dry asphalt. The only model ahead of it in overall balance was the Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, which secured the test victory as the sole tyre to achieve an ‘outstanding’ overall rating. Had it officially gained a ‘very good’ rating, the Quatrac Pro+ would have finished the winter tyre test ahead of the Vredestein winter tyre.
Outstanding
According to Sportauto, the Michelin tyre delivered “the best snow performance with only minimal wet-weather weaknesses,” outperforming all competitors. Its minor drawbacks included “a slightly nervous rear axle during evasive manoeuvres or rapid lane changes on asphalt” and “minor damping deficiencies when crossing joints and edges.”
The very good group
Three tyres followed closely behind, gaining Sportauto’s ‘very good’ overall rating: The Bridgestone Blizzak 6, Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3, and Hankook Winter iCept Evo³*.
The Bridgestone tyre impressed particularly in wet conditions. The testers Sportauto noted that it had “cold, wet conditions well under control,” but they marked it down for “longer braking distances and slightly reduced cornering stability with pronounced understeer, especially in dry bends.”
The Goodyear entry was consistent but fell short of top marks due to “somewhat longer braking distances on snow, sensitivity to load changes in wet and dry corners, and modest damping comfort.”
The Hankook tyre exhibited “limitations in wet cornering grip, slow steering response, limited reserves and slightly longer dry braking distances,” together with “comfort and rolling-noise weaknesses.” Nevertheless, it remained among the most convincing performers overall, underlining the strong standard of the ‘very good’ group.
Two good tyres
One tier below, the Continental WinterContact 8 S and Vredestein Wintrac Pro+ both gained Sportauto’s ‘good’ overall rating.
The Continental tyre offered high levels of ride comfort and notably low rolling resistance, alongside “precise, predictable and safely neutral-understeering handling on all test surfaces.” However, the testers penalised the WinterContact 8 S for “weaker braking on wet roads, a slightly higher aquaplaning risk, and comparatively low wet grip.”
Vredestein’s Wintrac Pro+ stood out for its confident wet handling, strong traction, and solid braking on snow, as well as good aquaplaning resistance. On the downside, Sportauto noted “insufficient cornering grip on snow despite good longitudinal dynamics,” and “slightly reduced stability at high cornering speeds and during evasive manoeuvres” – both typical of winter tyres. It also recorded the highest rolling resistance in the test.
