The surprise this year is Pirelli have finally produced a strong winter tire, with the updated Sottozero 3 winning the test thanks to a strong snow and wet performance. The excellent Continental WinterContact TS850 has been relegated to an unusual second, with the new Goodyear Ultragrip Performance rounding out the top three.
As proven countless times, budget tires just don't work in the wet, with the Rockstone S210 Ice+ being regarded as dangerous, despite a good snow performance. With wet braking from 62mph over 66 feet longer than the best in test, this is one to avoid for the wet UK winters...
Results
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
225/50 R17
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 6 |
| Wet | 7 |
| Snow | 9 |
| Comfort | 6 |
| Rolling Resistance | 7 |
| Noise | 6 |
Total: 41
Continental WinterContact TS 850
225/50 R17
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 7 |
| Wet | 7 |
| Snow | 8 |
| Comfort | 7 |
| Rolling Resistance | 7 |
| Noise | 5 |
Total: 41
Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Performance
225/50 R17
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 6 |
| Wet | 6 |
| Snow | 7 |
| Comfort | 6 |
| Rolling Resistance | 6 |
| Noise | 9 |
Total: 40
Michelin Alpin A4
225/50 R17
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 6 |
| Wet | 5 |
| Snow | 8 |
| Comfort | 7 |
| Rolling Resistance | 7 |
| Noise | 7 |
Total: 40
Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D
225/50 R17
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 5 |
| Wet | 6 |
| Snow | 9 |
| Comfort | 7 |
| Rolling Resistance | 6 |
| Noise | 9 |
Total: 42
Nokian WR D3
225/50 R17
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 8 |
| Wet | 6 |
| Snow | 6 |
| Comfort | 5 |
| Rolling Resistance | 7 |
| Noise | 6 |
Total: 38
Toyo Snowprox S953
225/50 R17
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 6 |
| Wet | 6 |
| Snow | 5 |
| Comfort | 7 |
| Rolling Resistance | 5 |
| Noise | 5 |
Total: 34
Hankook Winter i cept evo
225/50 R17
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 6 |
| Wet | 4 |
| Snow | 6 |
| Comfort | 7 |
| Rolling Resistance | 6 |
| Noise | 7 |
Total: 36
Rockstone Ice plus s210
225/50 R17
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 5 |
| Wet | 1 |
| Snow | 6 |
| Comfort | 3 |
| Rolling Resistance | 9 |
| Noise | 9 |
Total: 33
So who do we trust?
AMS gives the win to Continental for wet, snow and noise (with comfort a draw)
Auto Bild gives the win to Pirelli for snow, comfort and noise (with wet a draw)
They also differ hugely on rolling resistance?
My personal focus is on wet and noise which is almost a draw according to Auto Bild but a significant victory to Continental according to AMS so it seems the TS 850 is still the best bet?
The reason we try and combine real-world reviews with as many group tests as possible is to give everyone the best overview possible, as tire testing isn't an exact science.
On balance we believe the Continental is still the tire to go for.
And if it's of any help, here's another Auto Bild test with the Conti 3rd: http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
Funny how what seems to be the same tire test in the Auto Bild's UK counterpart i.e. Auto Express appears to have led to completely opposite results: http://www.autoexpress.co.u... ???
The TS850; Alpin 4 and WRD3 aren't sports tires. So it's not really a "sport" tires test.
It's a mix of "sports" and touring, but given the large size (for winter rubber) we felt this fell more in the sports category, hence the subject.
The really big stuff rarely gets tested, but when it does that would fall under the UHP winter category.
Why didnt you include Michelin PA4 instead ??
It wasn't our test. Michelin will have been told the tire size and asked to submit a tire, so it's likely they'd have chosen to submit the A4 instead of the PA4.
Doesn't exist in this size, sadly.