Each year, the German automotive publication Autobild trump all the other European magazines by putting out a huge winter tire test, and this year is no different.
Starting out with fifty tire patterns, Autobild tested all the tires wet braking performance. Once the wet braking order was set, Autobild took the twenty seven patterns which stopped the car within 20% of the best through to snow braking, then the top twenty wet and snow braking results combined to this, the full tire test.
The top twenty tires 205/55 R16 tires were tested over a number of days using a VW Golf, and went through the usual dry, wet, snow, comfort, noise and fuel economy tests. Autobild also tested wear, which means this winter tire test is one of the few yearly tests to give you the complete picture of a winter tires performance.
The Top Three
If you followed the dominance of the TS850, it will come as no surprise that the new Continental WinterContact TS860 aces the test. It's amongst the best, or the best in the dry, wet and snow testing, has a low rolling resistance and a good level of comfort. The real surprise of the test was wear, with the TS860 proving to be the best wearing tire on test, something Continental have historically struggled with. As a premium winter tire, there's no beating the TS860.
The run of good performances for the updated Michelin Alpin A5 continues, with the French manufacturer taking second place overall. The A5 is the strongest tire on snow and ice, has an excellent wet handling and braking performance, and is strong in the dry. The only the initial purchase price drew criticism, Michelins are often the most expensive tires on the market.
Rounding out the top three is the Goodyear UltraGrip 9. It matched the Michelin in the dry and wet, only losing out in a little snow performance when compared to the best on test.
The Full Results
The full results, with comments are below. Autobild weight the overall scores as follow.
