This is the 2024/25 Tire Reviews All Season Tire Test! For this test, I have selected six of the best all season tires in the large 235/35 R19 tire size, and I'm using a MK8 VW Golf GTI to find out exactly which all season tire is best in the larger wheel size.
To give this test extra depth, I also have six ultra high performance winter tires in exactly the same size, and I've included a summer tire. With this relatively small test field I've managed to test everything as one test, which means a common control allowing us to cross reference the data. This has shown us how the very best all season tires compare to the very best summer and winter tires in the snow, ice, dry and wet. There's some really interesting insight into how the all season tires compare to the other categories below.
Snow
In snow handling, as usual, the Michelin CrossClimate 2 performed the best, feeling like a winter tire. Pirelli and Continental were very close, with Pirelli having an edge in fun factor, though it could improve its braking. The budget tire was surprisingly good in the snow, just a little slow to react but with good grip. Bridgestone and Vredestein were last among the premium tires, both lacking a little bite. The Vredestein had a particularly soft feel, making everything happen slowly.
All the all-season tires were significantly better than the summer tire in snow conditions. The summer tire performed so poorly that the car got stuck on a very slight hill during traction and braking tests.
Ice
This year I had the time to test ice traction. The Pirelli excelled in this area, closely followed by the Continental. Surprisingly, the budget tire (Grenlander) also performed well in ice traction. This further supports the theory that the budget tire might be using a winter compound molded into an all-season pattern.
The budget all season tire also performed well in ice braking. Among the premium tires, Continental and Pirelli showed the best performance, closely followed by Michelin.
Wet
The budget tire performed exceptionally poorly in wet conditions, being over 23 seconds slower than the group. This poor wet performance, combined with its good ice performance, suggests it might be using a single winter compound for various tire types..
The Michelin CrossClimate 2 placed 5th, about 5% off the best performers. The top 4 tires (Bridgestone, Pirelli, Vredestein, and Continental) were remarkably close in performance, within one-tenth of a second of each other. The Bridgestone stood out for its stability and predictability. Pirelli showed great turn-in and grip but was slightly slower to recover from slides. Vredestein was a bit vague on the front axle but still impressive. Continental was the fastest by a small margin, though not as sporty feeling as Bridgestone or Pirelli.
Wet braking tests revealed significant differences among the tires. The Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 clearly outperformed the competition with the shortest stopping distance of 25.14M. The Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 came in second at 26.6M, followed closely by the Continental AllSeasonContact 2 at 27.04M.
The Michelin CrossClimate 2, despite its overall strong performance in other areas, showed slightly longer stopping distances in wet conditions at 27.25M. The Vredestein Quatrac Pro Plus was the least effective among the premium tires with a distance of 27.47M.
The budget Grenlander GreenWing AS significantly underperformed in wet braking, with a stopping distance of 35.36M, much longer than the premium tires, raising serious safety concerns.
The difference in stopping distances between the best performer (Pirelli) and the worst (Grenlander) was substantial at over 10 meters, emphasizing the critical importance of tire choice for wet weather safety.
The Pirelli was also the best in the deeper water of the aquaplaning tests.
Dry
The dry performance tests revealed some interesting results. The budget tire performed poorly, showing instability during lane change exercises. Michelin and Vredestein were adequate but not recommended for performance driving. Vredestein was a bit imprecise but had good grip, while Michelin performed well below the limit but showed extra understeer at the limit.
Continental felt more relaxed due to a wider steering dead spot, but showing good grip, especially over bumps. Pirelli impressed with strong braking and front-end grip. Surprisingly, Bridgestone came closest to matching summer tire performance, showing amazing grip despite a slight deadspot in steering.
The summer tire still had an edge in braking and mid-corner performance, but the gap has narrowed significantly, especially with the Bridgestone and Pirelli in this 19" size.
The Pirelli was also the best in dry braking, followed by the Michelin and Bridgestone.
Comfort
Noise levels were relatively close across all tested tires, with only a small spread in decibel readings. The Michelin CrossClimate 2 and Vredestein Quatrac Pro Plus were the quietest, while the Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 was slightly louder than the group average.
While a comprehensive comfort analysis wasn't possible due to weather, subjective assessments suggest that the Pirelli and Continental offered the best overall comfort, both in terms of minor and big impacts. They are all 19" tires with low sidewalls, so the differences were smaller than usual.
Value
Rolling resistance tests provided interesting insights into the energy efficiency of these tires. The Michelin CrossClimate 2 demonstrated the lowest rolling resistance, which translates to better fuel efficiency and potentially lower CO2 emissions. It was closely followed by the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3.
The Bridgestone showed moderate rolling resistance, while the Vredestein Quatrac Pro Plus had the highest rolling resistance among the tested tires. The budget Grenlander tire performed surprisingly well in this test, showing lower rolling resistance than some premium brands.
Results
Below are the overall results from this all season test, be sure to keep an eye on Tire Reviews for the winter test, then the in depth comparison of the all season, winter and summer tires.
1st: Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Joint highest dry performance rating, top-rated wet performance, second-highest snow performance, above-average ice traction, high comfort rating, second-lowest rolling resistance. None. It's a strong win for the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3. Pirelli have been rapidly evolving their aftermarket line of tires recently, and the SF series has been through multiple iterations to get to this point, and it's been worth it. The tire was joint best in the dry, the best in the wet, second best overall in the snow, good on ice, comfortable and had the second best rolling resistance. It's a hugely impressive tire. . Read Reviews Buy from £174.36 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2nd: Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Highest dry performance rating, wet performance within 1% of top-rated, handling characteristics most similar to summer tires. Median snow performance, highest ride firmness, among the highest rolling resistance values. The Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 is the tire you'd fit of the second places if you live in a mild climate, it was the best in the dry, a whisker off the best in the wet and of all the tires, it felt the closest to a summer tire. It's drawbacks, well, it was very average in the snow, had a firmer ride than the other tires and a high rolling resistance.. Read Reviews Buy from £191.22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2nd: Continental AllSeasonContact 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Consistent performance across all metrics, predominantly ranking 2nd or 3rd in 18 distinct tests. No standout performance in any specific category. The Continental AllSeasonContact 2 is the tire that tried to do everything well, which means while it didn't jump out in any one area, it doesn't have any major drawbacks either, finishing either 2nd or 3rd overall in nearly every single test which is mighty impressive. I think all season tires should be balanced, and the Continental does that better than nearly any other tire.. Read Reviews Buy from £184.51 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2nd: Michelin CrossClimate 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Highest overall snow performance rating, lowest noise emission, lowest rolling resistance, dry braking performance in top percentile. Wet grip performance below average for test group. The Michelin CrossClimate 2 is the tire you'd fit if you're in climate that gets a lot of snow, as it was the best overall in the snow, had the lowest noise and the lowest rolling resistance. While its dry braking was also very good, its grip in the wet is still lacking compared to the best. I look forward to the next version improving this.. Read Reviews Buy from £190.85 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5th: Vredestein Quatrac Pro+ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Strong wet performance, above-average dry performance, snow traction significantly exceeding summer tire benchmark. Below-average snow performance compared to other all-season tires, dry braking distance longer than top performers. The Vredestein Quatrac Pro Plus excelled in the wet and was pretty good in the dry. Its snow performance wasn't the best, but it was still a lot better than the summer tire which is what we want from an all season tire, especially if you're in a mild climate. I'd like to see a bit more dry braking but otherwise a good tire from the dutch company. Remember, this is a mid range tire in a test dominated by the biggest manufacturers in the world.. Read Reviews Buy from £173.46 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6th: Grenlander GreenWing AS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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High performance in snow conditions, top-rated for ice traction, lowest noise levels in the test group. Lowest dry grip performance, wet grip 45% below top performer, lowest aquaplaning resistance, below-average refinement, highest rolling resistance in test group. The Grenlander Greenwing AS was good on snow, the best on ice and very quiet, but that's where the positives end. It had awful grip in the dry, really awful grip in the wet - 45% worse than the best, awful aquaplaning resistance, poor refinement and a high rolling resistance. It's an all season tire that only works in the most extreme parts of winter, which I'm pretty sure indicates it's a cheap soft winter compound from a budget manufacturer that they just put an all season sidewall plate on to try and sell some tires. Don't do it. Read Reviews |