2021 Auto Bild Sports Car Winter Tire Test

Dry BrakingMichelin Pilot Alpin 5: 41.4 MContinental WinterContact TS 850 P: 44.6 M
Dry HandlingMichelin Pilot Alpin 5: 102.9 Km/HGoodyear UltraGrip Performance Plus: 099.0 Km/H
Wet BrakingBridgestone Blizzak LM005: 49.0 MNankang SV2: 65.4 M
Wet HandlingBridgestone Blizzak LM005: 72.9 Km/HNankang SV2: 62.7 Km/H
Wet CircleBridgestone Blizzak LM005: 12.41 sNankang SV2: 13.53 s
Straight AquaBFGoodrich gForce Winter 2: 097.5 Km/HDunlop Winter Sport 5: 090.4 Km/H
Curved AquaplaningHankook Winter i cept evo3: 4.22 m/sec2Vredestein Quatrac Pro: 3.13 m/sec2
Snow BrakingBFGoodrich gForce Winter 2: 30.7 MNankang SV2: 36.9 M
Snow TractionBFGoodrich gForce Winter 2: 2975 NToyo Snowprox S954: 2353 N
Snow HandlingBFGoodrich gForce Winter 2: 44.7 Km/HToyo Snowprox S954: 39.3 Km/H
Snow SlalomMichelin Pilot Alpin 5: 3.89 m/sec2Vredestein Quatrac Pro: 3.26 m/sec2
NoiseBFGoodrich gForce Winter 2: 72.4 dBDunlop Winter Sport 5: 75.4 dB
PriceNexen WinGuard Sport 2: 430 Continental WinterContact TS 850 P: 700
Rolling ResistanceBridgestone Blizzak LM005: 07.91 kg / tFalken Eurowinter HS01: 10.22 kg / t
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

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
  • 245/40 R18 97V
  • EU Label: C/B/72
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking8th+2.5 M94.31%
Dry Handling6th-1.9 Km/H98.15%
Wet Braking2nd+0.7 M98.59%
Wet Handling3rd-1 Km/H98.63%
Wet Circle5th+0.24 s98.1%
Straight Aqua4th+4.9 Km/H94.97%
Curved Aquaplaning1st100%
Snow Braking2nd+1 M96.85%
Snow Traction3rd-175 N94.12%
Snow Handling2nd-0.1 Km/H99.78%
Snow Slalom5th-0.16 m/sec295.89%
Noise11th+2.3 dB96.92%
Price4th+65 86.87%
Rolling Resistance7th+0.83 kg / t90.5%
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.

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1st: Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
  • 245/40 R18 97V
  • EU Label: D/B/70
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking1st100%
Dry Handling1st100%
Wet Braking3rd+0.8 M98.39%
Wet Handling2nd-0.9 Km/H98.77%
Wet Circle4th+0.16 s98.73%
Straight Aqua2nd+5 Km/H94.87%
Curved Aquaplaning5th-0.4 m/sec290.52%
Snow Braking5th+1.3 M95.94%
Snow Traction8th-288 N90.32%
Snow Handling3rd-0.4 Km/H99.11%
Snow Slalom1st100%
Noise3rd+0.4 dB99.45%
Price12th+270 61.43%
Rolling Resistance2nd+0.52 kg / t93.83%
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

Vredestein Wintrac Pro
  • 245/40 R18 97V
  • EU Label: D/B/72
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking5th+1.8 M95.83%
Dry Handling8th-2.1 Km/H97.96%
Wet Braking6th+2 M96.08%
Wet Handling5th-1.2 Km/H98.35%
Wet Circle6th+0.26 s97.95%
Straight Aqua5th+4.7 Km/H95.16%
Curved Aquaplaning2nd-0.18 m/sec295.73%
Snow Braking8th+1.6 M95.05%
Snow Traction6th-270 N90.92%
Snow Handling5th-0.7 Km/H98.43%
Snow Slalom3rd-0.08 m/sec297.94%
Noise10th+2.2 dB97.05%
Price6th+105 80.37%
Rolling Resistance12th+1.47 kg / t84.33%
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

Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
  • 245/40 R18 97V
  • EU Label: C/A/72
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking4th+1.7 M96.06%
Dry Handling4th-1.3 Km/H98.74%
Wet Braking1st100%
Wet Handling1st100%
Wet Circle1st100%
Straight Aqua13th-1.7 Km/H98.16%
Curved Aquaplaning8th-0.49 m/sec288.39%
Snow Braking7th+1.5 M95.34%
Snow Traction7th-287 N90.35%
Snow Handling8th-1.7 Km/H96.2%
Snow Slalom6th-0.17 m/sec295.63%
Noise6th+1 dB98.64%
Price11th+185 69.92%
Rolling Resistance1st100%
Snow professional with convincing performance on wet and dry surfaces, short wet braking distances, precise wet and dry handling.
Moderate aquaplaning properties.

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5th: Dunlop Winter Sport 5

Dunlop Winter Sport 5
  • 245/40 R18 97V
  • EU Label: C/B/72
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking7th+2.2 M94.95%
Dry Handling12th-3.6 Km/H96.5%
Wet Braking9th+3.4 M93.51%
Wet Handling7th-2.6 Km/H96.43%
Wet Circle8th+0.32 s97.49%
Straight Aqua14th-2.1 Km/H97.73%
Curved Aquaplaning4th-0.38 m/sec291%
Snow Braking3rd+1.1 M96.54%
Snow Traction2nd-151 N94.92%
Snow Handling4th-0.6 Km/H98.66%
Snow Slalom7th-0.18 m/sec295.37%
Noise13th+3 dB96.02%
Price9th+160 72.88%
Rolling Resistance4th+0.6 kg / t92.95%
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+

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Plus
  • 245/40 R18 97V
  • EU Label: D/C/72
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking6th+2.1 M95.17%
Dry Handling13th-3.9 Km/H96.21%
Wet Braking8th+3.1 M94.05%
Wet Handling10th-3 Km/H95.88%
Wet Circle7th+0.29 s97.72%
Straight Aqua10th+1.6 Km/H98.3%
Curved Aquaplaning3rd-0.3 m/sec292.89%
Snow Braking6th+1.4 M95.64%
Snow Traction4th-186 N93.75%
Snow Handling5th-0.7 Km/H98.43%
Snow Slalom8th-0.23 m/sec294.09%
Noise12th+2.7 dB96.4%
Price9th+160 72.88%
Rolling Resistance3rd+0.55 kg / t93.5%
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

Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
  • 245/40 R18 97V
  • EU Label: C/A/72
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking13th+3.2 M92.83%
Dry Handling7th-2 Km/H98.06%
Wet Braking4th+1.2 M97.61%
Wet Handling3rd-1 Km/H98.63%
Wet Circle2nd+0.03 s99.76%
Straight Aqua11th+1.1 Km/H98.82%
Curved Aquaplaning11th-0.6 m/sec285.78%
Snow Braking9th+2 M93.88%
Snow Traction5th-248 N91.66%
Snow Handling9th-2 Km/H95.53%
Snow Slalom9th-0.43 m/sec288.95%
Noise8th+1.5 dB97.97%
Price12th+270 61.43%
Rolling Resistance9th+1 kg / t88.78%
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

BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
  • 245/40 R18 97V
  • EU Label: C/B/69
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking10th+2.6 M94.09%
Dry Handling11th-3.2 Km/H96.89%
Wet Braking11th+6.5 M88.29%
Wet Handling11th-3.7 Km/H94.92%
Wet Circle11th+0.64 s95.1%
Straight Aqua2nd+5 Km/H94.87%
Curved Aquaplaning9th-0.54 m/sec287.2%
Snow Braking1st100%
Snow Traction1st100%
Snow Handling1st100%
Snow Slalom2nd-0.04 m/sec298.97%
Noise1st100%
Price8th+130 76.79%
Rolling Resistance5th+0.67 kg / t92.19%
Winter king with the best driving properties on snow, quiet pass-by noise.
Average wet grip, long wet braking.

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9th: Falken Eurowinter HS01

Falken Eurowinter HS01
  • 245/40 R18 97V
  • EU Label: E/B/72
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking8th+2.5 M94.31%
Dry Handling9th-2.8 Km/H97.28%
Wet Braking7th+2.4 M95.33%
Wet Handling12th-4.7 Km/H93.55%
Wet Circle12th+0.82 s93.8%
Straight Aqua7th+4.1 Km/H95.76%
Curved Aquaplaning10th-0.59 m/sec286.02%
Snow Braking4th+1.2 M96.24%
Snow Traction9th-291 N90.22%
Snow Handling7th-1 Km/H97.76%
Snow Slalom4th-0.1 m/sec297.43%
Noise9th+1.9 dB97.44%
Price3rd+45 90.53%
Rolling Resistance13th+2.31 kg / t77.4%
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

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
  • 245/40 R18 97V
  • EU Label: D/B/71
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking12th+2.8 M93.67%
Dry Handling5th-1.5 Km/H98.54%
Wet Braking12th+7.7 M86.42%
Wet Handling6th-2.4 Km/H96.71%
Wet Circle10th+0.46 s96.43%
Straight Aqua9th+2.2 Km/H97.68%
Curved Aquaplaning12th-0.79 m/sec281.28%
Snow Braking10th+2.8 M91.64%
Snow Traction10th-400 N86.55%
Snow Handling10th-3.4 Km/H92.39%
Snow Slalom11th-0.62 m/sec284.06%
Noise2nd+0.1 dB99.86%
Price1st100%
Rolling Resistance8th+0.93 kg / t89.48%
Stable dry handling, low noise, low price.
Long wet braking, poor snow grip.

Read Reviews    Buy from £102.39

11th: Toyo Snowprox S954

Toyo Snowprox S954
  • 245/40 R18 97V
  • EU Label: D/B/71
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking3rd+1.6 M96.28%
Dry Handling3rd-1.2 Km/H98.83%
Wet Braking5th+1.5 M97.03%
Wet Handling9th-2.8 Km/H96.16%
Wet Circle9th+0.4 s96.88%
Straight Aqua8th+3.6 Km/H96.25%
Curved Aquaplaning7th-0.48 m/sec288.63%
Snow Braking12th+4.7 M86.72%
Snow Traction13th-622 N79.09%
Snow Handling13th-5.4 Km/H87.92%
Snow Slalom10th-0.6 m/sec284.58%
Noise6th+1 dB98.64%
Price5th+95 81.9%
Rolling Resistance11th+1.27 kg / t86.17%
Good aquaplaning resistance, dynamic dry handling.
Poor snow grip, understeer in the wet.

Read Reviews    Buy from £165.20

12th: Nankang SV2

Nankang SV2
  • 245/40 R18 97V
  • EU Label: E/C/71
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking10th+2.6 M94.09%
Dry Handling9th-2.8 Km/H97.28%
Wet Braking13th+16.4 M74.92%
Wet Handling13th-10.2 Km/H86.01%
Wet Circle13th+1.12 s91.72%
Straight Aqua6th+4.3 Km/H95.56%
Curved Aquaplaning6th-0.43 m/sec289.81%
Snow Braking13th+6.2 M83.2%
Snow Traction12th-611 N79.46%
Snow Handling12th-4.8 Km/H89.26%
Snow Slalom11th-0.62 m/sec284.06%
Noise4th+0.5 dB99.31%
Price2nd+20 95.56%
Rolling Resistance9th+1 kg / t88.78%
Good aquaplaning resistance.
Limited grip on ice and snow, dangerously long wet braking distances, severe understeer in the wet.

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13th: Vredestein Quatrac Pro

Vredestein Quatrac Pro
  • 245/40 R18 97Y
  • EU Label: D/B/71
Test#Difference%
Dry Braking2nd+0.5 M98.81%
Dry Handling2nd-0.4 Km/H99.61%
Wet Braking10th+3.6 M93.16%
Wet Handling7th-2.6 Km/H96.43%
Wet Circle3rd+0.1 s99.2%
Straight Aqua12th0 Km/H100%
Curved Aquaplaning13th-1.09 m/sec274.17%
Snow Braking11th+4 M88.47%
Snow Traction11th-556 N81.31%
Snow Handling11th-4 Km/H91.05%
Snow Slalom13th-0.63 m/sec283.8%
Noise5th+0.9 dB98.77%
Price6th+105 80.37%
Rolling Resistance6th+0.82 kg / t90.61%
Dynamic handling and short braking distances on dry slopes, precise steering.
Limited snow performance, low aquaplaning resistance.

Read Reviews    Buy from £125.69

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