2021 Auto Bild Sports Car Winter Tire Test

The 2021 Auto Bild Sportscars winter tire test has tested twelve of the best winter tires in 245/40 R18 size using a Mercedes C Class, AND have included a summer and all season tire as reference.

This is exceptionally useful for those of us wondering whether to fit winter or all season tires for the bigger while size, and for a change Auto Bild named the all season tire used, it's the Vredestein Quatrac Pro. 

There are however some drawbacks to the single reference tire. The Quatrac Pro is an older patter now, and certainly not the best all season tire on the market anymore. This means while it was good in the dry, it didn't beat all the winter tires as you'd expect (the Michelin CrossClimate 2 certainly would have), it struggled in the wet, and if you'd expected it to come last in a group of winter tires in the snow tests, you're also in for a surprise.

Sadly Auto Bild didn't name the summer reference tire, but this was unusually good in aquaplaning, and one of the best in the dry and wet.

There were also some nice synergies between this test and the Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test, with the Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 and Hankook Winter Icept Evo 3 performing amongst the best in both tests, and the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 being the wet specialist of the group.

Dry

As in the Tire Reviews test, the Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 was the best in both dry tests, beating even the all season tire, but still significantly weaker than the summer reference which was nearly four meters ahead.

The order of results was also the same in dry handling, with the reference summer tire leading Michelin and the all season Vredestein Quatrac Pro, with the Toyo SnowProx S954 in fourth.

Wet

Wet braking retained the summer tires advantage, but this time the gap was closer at two meters shorter stopping distance. The difference between the best and worst winter tire was fifteen meters from 100kph (62mph) which is a vast difference.

The Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 managed to edge out the summer tire around the wet handling lap.

The summer tire regained its lead to be the best in straight aquaplaning, leading the best winter tire by quite a margin.

Snow

Snow braking once again had the BF Goodrich gForce Winter being the best winter tire on snow, leading the consistent Hankook Winter Icept evo 3 and Dunlop WinterSport 5.

BFGoodrich continued its advantage during the snow traction test.

Snow handling rounded out the trio of wins for BFGoodrich, while the Nankang SV2 and Toyo Snowprox S954 continued to perform poorly in all snow tests.

Environment

The BFGoodrich was also the quietest tire on test, with the Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 following closely. In this test, every winter and all season tire were quieter than the summer tire.

The Bridgestone had the lowest rolling resistance on test, beating the summer tire. The all season tire finished midpack.

There was a difference of 270 euros between the cheapest and most expensive tires, and as always, the cheapest were amongst the worst performing on test.

Results

View Results as a single table and adjust the score weighting

1st: Hankook Winter i cept evo3
245/40 R18 97V EU Label: C/B/72	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 8th +2.5 M 94.31% Dry Handling 6th -1.9 Km/H 98.15% Wet Braking 2nd +0.7 M 98.59% Wet Handling 3rd -1 Km/H 98.63% Wet Circle 5th +0.24 s 98.1% Straight Aqua 4th +4.9 Km/H 94.97% Curved Aquaplaning 1st 100% Snow Braking 2nd +1 M 96.85% Snow Traction 3rd -175 N 94.12% Snow Handling 2nd -0.1 Km/H 99.78% Snow Slalom 5th -0.16 m/sec2 95.89% Noise 11th +2.3 dB 96.92% Price 4th +65 86.87% Rolling Resistance 7th +0.83 kg / t 90.5% Excellent performance in the snow and rain, good aquaplaning resistance, dynamic handling and short braking distances on snowy and wet roads, very good value for money. None mentioned. Read Reviews
1st: Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
245/40 R18 97V EU Label: D/B/70	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 1st 100% Dry Handling 1st 100% Wet Braking 3rd +0.8 M 98.39% Wet Handling 2nd -0.9 Km/H 98.77% Wet Circle 4th +0.16 s 98.73% Straight Aqua 2nd +5 Km/H 94.87% Curved Aquaplaning 5th -0.4 m/sec2 90.52% Snow Braking 5th +1.3 M 95.94% Snow Traction 8th -288 N 90.32% Snow Handling 3rd -0.4 Km/H 99.11% Snow Slalom 1st 100% Noise 3rd +0.4 dB 99.45% Price 12th +270 61.43% Rolling Resistance 2nd +0.52 kg / t 93.83% An excellent winter tire with exemplary driving properties in all weather conditions, precise steering behavior, short braking distances. Expensive. Read Reviews    Buy from £158.29
3rd: Vredestein Wintrac Pro
245/40 R18 97V EU Label: D/B/72	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 5th +1.8 M 95.83% Dry Handling 8th -2.1 Km/H 97.96% Wet Braking 6th +2 M 96.08% Wet Handling 5th -1.2 Km/H 98.35% Wet Circle 6th +0.26 s 97.95% Straight Aqua 5th +4.7 Km/H 95.16% Curved Aquaplaning 2nd -0.18 m/sec2 95.73% Snow Braking 8th +1.6 M 95.05% Snow Traction 6th -270 N 90.92% Snow Handling 5th -0.7 Km/H 98.43% Snow Slalom 3rd -0.08 m/sec2 97.94% Noise 10th +2.2 dB 97.05% Price 6th +105 80.37% Rolling Resistance 12th +1.47 kg / t 84.33% Convincing all-round talent with very good winter and wet qualities, stable wet and dry handling, low price level. Average ride comfort. Read Reviews    Buy from £134.89
4th: Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
245/40 R18 97V EU Label: C/A/72	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 4th +1.7 M 96.06% Dry Handling 4th -1.3 Km/H 98.74% Wet Braking 1st 100% Wet Handling 1st 100% Wet Circle 1st 100% Straight Aqua 13th -1.7 Km/H 98.16% Curved Aquaplaning 8th -0.49 m/sec2 88.39% Snow Braking 7th +1.5 M 95.34% Snow Traction 7th -287 N 90.35% Snow Handling 8th -1.7 Km/H 96.2% Snow Slalom 6th -0.17 m/sec2 95.63% Noise 6th +1 dB 98.64% Price 11th +185 69.92% Rolling Resistance 1st 100% Snow professional with convincing performance on wet and dry surfaces, short wet braking distances, precise wet and dry handling. Moderate aquaplaning properties. Read Reviews
5th: Dunlop Winter Sport 5
245/40 R18 97V EU Label: C/B/72	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 7th +2.2 M 94.95% Dry Handling 12th -3.6 Km/H 96.5% Wet Braking 9th +3.4 M 93.51% Wet Handling 7th -2.6 Km/H 96.43% Wet Circle 8th +0.32 s 97.49% Straight Aqua 14th -2.1 Km/H 97.73% Curved Aquaplaning 4th -0.38 m/sec2 91% Snow Braking 3rd +1.1 M 96.54% Snow Traction 2nd -151 N 94.92% Snow Handling 4th -0.6 Km/H 98.66% Snow Slalom 7th -0.18 m/sec2 95.37% Noise 13th +3 dB 96.02% Price 9th +160 72.88% Rolling Resistance 4th +0.6 kg / t 92.95% Excellent performance in the snow, short wet and dry braking distances, pleasant comfort, low rolling resistance. Understeer in the dry. Read Reviews    Buy from £142.29
5th: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+
245/40 R18 97V EU Label: D/C/72	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 6th +2.1 M 95.17% Dry Handling 13th -3.9 Km/H 96.21% Wet Braking 8th +3.1 M 94.05% Wet Handling 10th -3 Km/H 95.88% Wet Circle 7th +0.29 s 97.72% Straight Aqua 10th +1.6 Km/H 98.3% Curved Aquaplaning 3rd -0.3 m/sec2 92.89% Snow Braking 6th +1.4 M 95.64% Snow Traction 4th -186 N 93.75% Snow Handling 5th -0.7 Km/H 98.43% Snow Slalom 8th -0.23 m/sec2 94.09% Noise 12th +2.7 dB 96.4% Price 9th +160 72.88% Rolling Resistance 3rd +0.55 kg / t 93.5% Winter specialist with sporty driving qualities on snow, good aquaplaning qualities, low rolling resistance. Understeer in the dry. Read Reviews    Buy from £130.29
7th: Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
245/40 R18 97V EU Label: C/A/72	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 13th +3.2 M 92.83% Dry Handling 7th -2 Km/H 98.06% Wet Braking 4th +1.2 M 97.61% Wet Handling 3rd -1 Km/H 98.63% Wet Circle 2nd +0.03 s 99.76% Straight Aqua 11th +1.1 Km/H 98.82% Curved Aquaplaning 11th -0.6 m/sec2 85.78% Snow Braking 9th +2 M 93.88% Snow Traction 5th -248 N 91.66% Snow Handling 9th -2 Km/H 95.53% Snow Slalom 9th -0.43 m/sec2 88.95% Noise 8th +1.5 dB 97.97% Price 12th +270 61.43% Rolling Resistance 9th +1 kg / t 88.78% Balanced winter tires with safe driving characteristics in all weather conditions, dynamic wet handling, short wet braking distances. Long dry and snow braking. Read Reviews    Buy from £162.59
8th: BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
245/40 R18 97V EU Label: C/B/69	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 10th +2.6 M 94.09% Dry Handling 11th -3.2 Km/H 96.89% Wet Braking 11th +6.5 M 88.29% Wet Handling 11th -3.7 Km/H 94.92% Wet Circle 11th +0.64 s 95.1% Straight Aqua 2nd +5 Km/H 94.87% Curved Aquaplaning 9th -0.54 m/sec2 87.2% Snow Braking 1st 100% Snow Traction 1st 100% Snow Handling 1st 100% Snow Slalom 2nd -0.04 m/sec2 98.97% Noise 1st 100% Price 8th +130 76.79% Rolling Resistance 5th +0.67 kg / t 92.19% Winter king with the best driving properties on snow, quiet pass-by noise. Average wet grip, long wet braking. Read Reviews
9th: Falken Eurowinter HS01
245/40 R18 97V EU Label: E/B/72	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 8th +2.5 M 94.31% Dry Handling 9th -2.8 Km/H 97.28% Wet Braking 7th +2.4 M 95.33% Wet Handling 12th -4.7 Km/H 93.55% Wet Circle 12th +0.82 s 93.8% Straight Aqua 7th +4.1 Km/H 95.76% Curved Aquaplaning 10th -0.59 m/sec2 86.02% Snow Braking 4th +1.2 M 96.24% Snow Traction 9th -291 N 90.22% Snow Handling 7th -1 Km/H 97.76% Snow Slalom 4th -0.1 m/sec2 97.43% Noise 9th +1.9 dB 97.44% Price 3rd +45 90.53% Rolling Resistance 13th +2.31 kg / t 77.4% Convincing driving characteristics on ice and snow, good aquaplaning resistance. Understeering handling and slow steering response in the wet. Read Reviews    Buy from £125.69
10th: Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
245/40 R18 97V EU Label: D/B/71	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 12th +2.8 M 93.67% Dry Handling 5th -1.5 Km/H 98.54% Wet Braking 12th +7.7 M 86.42% Wet Handling 6th -2.4 Km/H 96.71% Wet Circle 10th +0.46 s 96.43% Straight Aqua 9th +2.2 Km/H 97.68% Curved Aquaplaning 12th -0.79 m/sec2 81.28% Snow Braking 10th +2.8 M 91.64% Snow Traction 10th -400 N 86.55% Snow Handling 10th -3.4 Km/H 92.39% Snow Slalom 11th -0.62 m/sec2 84.06% Noise 2nd +0.1 dB 99.86% Price 1st 100% Rolling Resistance 8th +0.93 kg / t 89.48% Stable dry handling, low noise, low price. Long wet braking, poor snow grip. Read Reviews    Buy from £102.39
11th: Toyo Snowprox S954
245/40 R18 97V EU Label: D/B/71	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 3rd +1.6 M 96.28% Dry Handling 3rd -1.2 Km/H 98.83% Wet Braking 5th +1.5 M 97.03% Wet Handling 9th -2.8 Km/H 96.16% Wet Circle 9th +0.4 s 96.88% Straight Aqua 8th +3.6 Km/H 96.25% Curved Aquaplaning 7th -0.48 m/sec2 88.63% Snow Braking 12th +4.7 M 86.72% Snow Traction 13th -622 N 79.09% Snow Handling 13th -5.4 Km/H 87.92% Snow Slalom 10th -0.6 m/sec2 84.58% Noise 6th +1 dB 98.64% Price 5th +95 81.9% Rolling Resistance 11th +1.27 kg / t 86.17% Good aquaplaning resistance, dynamic dry handling. Poor snow grip, understeer in the wet. Read Reviews    Buy from £165.20
12th: Nankang SV2
245/40 R18 97V EU Label: E/C/71	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 10th +2.6 M 94.09% Dry Handling 9th -2.8 Km/H 97.28% Wet Braking 13th +16.4 M 74.92% Wet Handling 13th -10.2 Km/H 86.01% Wet Circle 13th +1.12 s 91.72% Straight Aqua 6th +4.3 Km/H 95.56% Curved Aquaplaning 6th -0.43 m/sec2 89.81% Snow Braking 13th +6.2 M 83.2% Snow Traction 12th -611 N 79.46% Snow Handling 12th -4.8 Km/H 89.26% Snow Slalom 11th -0.62 m/sec2 84.06% Noise 4th +0.5 dB 99.31% Price 2nd +20 95.56% Rolling Resistance 9th +1 kg / t 88.78% Good aquaplaning resistance. Limited grip on ice and snow, dangerously long wet braking distances, severe understeer in the wet. Read Reviews
13th: Vredestein Quatrac Pro
245/40 R18 97Y EU Label: D/B/71	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 2nd +0.5 M 98.81% Dry Handling 2nd -0.4 Km/H 99.61% Wet Braking 10th +3.6 M 93.16% Wet Handling 7th -2.6 Km/H 96.43% Wet Circle 3rd +0.1 s 99.2% Straight Aqua 12th 0 Km/H 100% Curved Aquaplaning 13th -1.09 m/sec2 74.17% Snow Braking 11th +4 M 88.47% Snow Traction 11th -556 N 81.31% Snow Handling 11th -4 Km/H 91.05% Snow Slalom 13th -0.63 m/sec2 83.8% Noise 5th +0.9 dB 98.77% Price 6th +105 80.37% Rolling Resistance 6th +0.82 kg / t 90.61% Dynamic handling and short braking distances on dry slopes, precise steering. Limited snow performance, low aquaplaning resistance. Read Reviews    Buy from £125.69