For the 2021 ADAC summer tire tests, the German organisation selected the popular 205/55 R16 and
225/50 R17 summer tire sizes.
As usual with ADAC tests there is little raw data provided, instead the testers grading each tire with a score, but this year we do get wear data (below) and even some of the testers subjective thoughts on the tires, which is an excellent addition.
As with the 2020 18” ADAC, Continental have taken first place with the PremiumContact 6. As we’ve found, this tire is excellent in the dry and wet and offers sharp handling and predictable behaviour in all conditions. Wear, which the tire came second in 2020, has dropped off a little, with the tire only placing mid pack.
The new Semperit Speed-Life 3 finishes a strong second place. The overall scores and testers notes put the new tire almost on par with the test winning Continental, which is an interesting result considering Continental own and manufacturer the Semperit brand.
Third and fourth places awarded to the Bridgestone Turanza T005 and Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2. The Bridgestone performed well in all categories, other than mid pack wear and slightly loud external noise, while the Goodyear was good in the wet, had low rolling resistance, by far the best wear on test, but was de-ranked due to poor dry handling.
Other notable results were good performances by Pirelli and Nokian, but both being hugely de-ranked because of very poor wear, the Uniroyal RainSport 5 struggled again in the dry and in wear.
As always with tire testing, the two cheapest tires had by far the worst results, with the re-treaded King Miller performing poorly.
Wear
The difference between the best and worst tires on the wear test was over 100%! The Nokian Wetproof was predicted to last just 24,800 km (15,410 miles), while the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 should be good for a huge 55,300 km (33,120 miles). It’s a shame there was no Michelin in this test, as it would have been interesting to see who would win between the two wear masters, Goodyear and Michelin.
- Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance
- Fulda EcoControl HP2
- Petlas Imperium PT515
- Kumho Ecsta HS51
- BFGoodrich Advantage
- Apollo Alnac 4g
- Continental Premium Contact 6
- Semperit Speed Life 3
- Bridgestone Turanza T005
- Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
- King Meiler Sport 1 KM
- Maxxis Premitra HP5
- Uniroyal RainSport 5
- Pirelli Cinturato P7 C2
- Nokian WetProof
Results
ADAC applied the following score weighting to the overall results - Dry 20% / Wet 40% / Noise 10% / Fuel 10% / Wear 20%
Well-balanced summer tires with top marks in the wet, very good on dry roads.
Slightly high fuel consumption.
The Continental PremiumContact 6 is amongst the best on dry roads, with precise steering and good control. In the wet, the PremiumContact 6 was the best tire on test and has low fuel consumption.
Total: 43.8
Dry
8
Wet
8.4
Rolling Resistance
7
Noise
5.8
Wear
7
Overall
7.6
Very balanced, especially good in the wet, good on dry roads.
Mid pack wear results.
The Semperit Speed-Life 3 is a very balanced midrange tire. It was impressive in the dry with good steering and short braking distances and excellent in the wet, leading wet braking.
Total: 45.2
Dry
8
Wet
8.2
Rolling Resistance
8
Noise
6.4
Wear
7
Overall
7.6
Very balanced, good on dry and wet surfaces, low fuel consumption.
Slightly loud external noise.
The Bridgestone Turanza T005 delivers good grip in the dry, with particularly short braking distances. In the wet, it again excels in braking, but could only manage an average curved aquaplaning result.
Total: 44.2
Dry
8
Wet
7.8
Rolling Resistance
8.4
Noise
5.6
Wear
7
Overall
7.4
Lowest wear, good in the wet, low fuel consumption.
Slightly weaker on dry roads.
The Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 has average steering and can feel imprecise during dry handling, though the dry braking result was good. The tire performs well in the wet, has a low fuel consumption and a big margin in wear, doubling the worst tire on test.
Total: 46.4
Dry
6.8
Wet
7.4
Rolling Resistance
8.2
Noise
6.4
Wear
10.8
Overall
6.8
Top marks for fuel consumption, good in the wet, relatively low wear.
Slightly weaker on dry roads.
The Kumho Ecsta HS51 feels less precise in the dry compared to its peers, and only has an average dry braking result. It's better in the wet, with high aquaplaning resistance, and has reasonable levels of noise.
Total: 44.4
Dry
6.8
Wet
7.6
Rolling Resistance
8.8
Noise
6.4
Wear
8
Overall
6.8
Relatively little wear, relatively low fuel consumption.
Average dry and wet grip.
The Apollo Alnac 4G has imprecise steering in the dry with an oversteer balance, but a short dry braking distance.
Total: 42.6
Dry
6.8
Wet
6.6
Rolling Resistance
8.2
Noise
6.4
Wear
8
Overall
6.6
Very good in the dry, relatively low fuel consumption.
Average wet performance.
The Hankook Ventus Prime3 is a dry specialist, up there with the best in dry braking and good levels of control and grip in dry handling. In contrast, the Hankook is average in the wet, finishing midpack. Low noise and low fuel consumption.
Total: 43.6
Dry
9
Wet
6.6
Rolling Resistance
8.2
Noise
6.2
Wear
7
Overall
6.6
Relatively low wear and good fuel consumption.
Weakness in the wet.
The Fulda EcoControl HP2 has an average dry performance with an oversteer balance, and struggled in the wet, losing grip early. Good aquaplaning resistance, low noise, low fuel consumption.
Total: 43.6
Dry
7
Wet
6.4
Rolling Resistance
8.2
Noise
6.6
Wear
9
Overall
6.4
Lowest fuel use, good in the dry, low wear.
Weak in the wet.
The BF Goodrich Advantage is balanced on dry roads. In the wet, it still received a good rating when braking, but on the wet handling course,it had poor grip and a significant loss of cornering forces when accelerating and braking. Low noise, very low fuel use and good wear.
Total: 43.2
Dry
7.6
Wet
6.2
Rolling Resistance
8.8
Noise
6.4
Wear
8
Overall
6.2
Very good in the dry, good in the wet.
Relatively high fuel consumption, high wear.
The Maxxis Premitra 5 is a specialist on dry roads, with excellent grip and precise handling. It also performs well in the wet, with good handling and short braking distances. The negatives, it has high internal noise, high fuel consumption and poor wear.
Total: 41.2
Dry
9.2
Wet
7.6
Rolling Resistance
6.6
Noise
5.8
Wear
6
Overall
6
Good in the dry and wet.
Relatively high fuel consumption, high wear.
The Nokian Wetproof impresses in the wet with short braking distances and precise handling. It's also good in the dry. It has an average noise and fuel consumption, but most importantly, the highest wear on test.
Total: 41.2
Dry
7.8
Wet
7.4
Rolling Resistance
7.4
Noise
6.6
Wear
6
Overall
6
Good in the dry and wet.
Relatively high fuel consumption, high wear.
The Pirelli Cinturato P7 C2 is very good in the dry and wet, with very short dry braking distances and strong handling, and has a low level of cabin noise. Sadly, it scored very poorly on the wear test, deranking its overall result.
Total: 42
Dry
8
Wet
8
Rolling Resistance
7.4
Noise
6.6
Wear
6
Overall
6
Good in the wet, relatively low fuel use.
Weak in the dry, high wear.
The Uniroyal Rainsport 5 has significant weaknesses in the dry with imprecise steering, low grip, and long dry braking distances. The RainSport 5 is still good in the wet, with short wet braking and high aquaplaning resistance. The tire also has low noise, low rolling resistance, but high levels of wear.
Total: 40.8
Dry
6.2
Wet
7.8
Rolling Resistance
8.2
Noise
6.6
Wear
6
Overall
6
Relatively low wear.
Weak in the dry and wet.
The Petlas Imperium PT515 is particularly during dry braking, stopping the car a full 4.5 meters after the best on test. The tire also has poor handling. The trend continues in the wet, with long wet braking and weak handling results. The PT515 also has high levels of noise and high rolling resistance.
Total: 38.6
Dry
5.4
Wet
5.4
Rolling Resistance
7.6
Noise
5.8
Wear
9
Overall
5.4
Retreaded tire (raw material recycling.)
Weak in the dry, very weak in the wet, noisy.
The King Meiler Sport 1 is the only retreaded tire in the group, and could not keep up with the competition. Low levels of grip in the dry, with imprecise steering, and very low levels of grip in the wet. The Sport 1 is also the noisiest tire on test, and has an average fuel consumption.
Total: 34.8
Dry
5.6
Wet
4.8
Rolling Resistance
8
Noise
4.6
Wear
7
Overall
4.8
