The UK weather has proven itself to be unpredictable, and with the 2014 winter approaching quickly we don't yet know whether we're in for another 2011 level of snow induced chaos, or a repeat of last years mild and wet winter.
With this in mind, here at TireReviews we've come to the conclusion the best winter tire for the UK climate, is actually an all season tire.
What is an all season tire?
Ten years ago, there was no such thing as a true all season tire. Tires which were branded "all season" were simply summer tires with slightly wider tread blocks to to gain the M+S marking, and were generally useless in snow.
Modern tire technology allows tire companies to blend dry, wet and snow abilities in a much smarter way, which gives modern all season tires the ability to work year round, in all conditions.
So, true all season tires exist?
In short, no. If you a looking for the optimum grip year round, you're still better off with a dedicated summer and winter tire, and changing once the temperatures get near freezing. However, modern all season tires DO work in all conditions, and can now offer 90% of the grip of a full winter tire on ice and snow, while keeping 90% of a summer tires performance in the dry and wet.
Why is this important for the UK?
UK winters are generally categorised by long periods of cold and wet weather, with occasional snow.
This means during the average UK winter, a tire with snow performance as its best quality can only really shine for a few days a year. While a winter tire will work better than a summer tire in cold, wet conditions, an all season tire will work better than the winter tire in cold, wet conditions, and still retain excellent snow performance to and the ability to be run through the summer if you need.
The below chart compares the third place Vredestein All Season tire tire with the summer and winter tire included in the AutoBild test detailed below
Which all season tire should I buy?
To answer this question we turn to the 2014 Auto Bild All Season Tire Test. This year Auto Bild have tested ten all season tires in 185/60 R15, and include a summer and a winter tire for the braking and handling tests.
Being a German publication, they naturally focus on the snow performance as the highest scored category which means the winning tire might not be the best all season tire for the UK climate. The full results are below, but we suggest paying particular attention to the third place Vredestein Quatrac Lite, which has an excellent blend of dry and wet performance, while retaining excellent snow qualities.
Also worth considering is the Bridgestone A001. Although not tested by Auto Bild this year, it is a very capable all season tire for the UK climate, combining strong wet and dry handling, good wear and a high snow performance.
Results
Pirelli Cinturato AllSeason
185/60 R15
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 5 |
| Wet | 7 |
| Snow | 5 |
| Comfort | 5 |
| Rolling Resistance | 6 |
| Noise | 6 |
Total: 34
Goodyear Vector 4Seasons
185/60 R15
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 5 |
| Wet | 5 |
| Snow | 6 |
| Comfort | 5 |
| Rolling Resistance | 5 |
| Noise | 6 |
Total: 32
Vredestein Quatrac Lite
185/60 R15
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 7 |
| Wet | 5 |
| Snow | 6 |
| Comfort | 7 |
| Rolling Resistance | 9 |
| Noise | 7 |
Total: 41
Uniroyal AllSeasonExpert
185/60 R15
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 5 |
| Wet | 7 |
| Snow | 8 |
| Comfort | 7 |
| Rolling Resistance | 7 |
| Noise | 5 |
Total: 39
Dunlop SP Sport 01 AS
185/60 R15
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 5 |
| Wet | 4 |
| Snow | 7 |
| Comfort | 4 |
| Rolling Resistance | 6 |
| Noise | 6 |
Total: 32
Falken EUROALL SEASON AS200
185/60 R15
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 5 |
| Wet | 6 |
| Snow | 4 |
| Comfort | 6 |
| Rolling Resistance | 4 |
| Noise | 6 |
Total: 31
Hankook Optimo 4S
185/60 R15
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 5 |
| Wet | 4 |
| Snow | 6 |
| Comfort | 6 |
| Rolling Resistance | 4 |
| Noise | 6 |
Total: 31
Kumho Solus HA31
185/60 R15
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 4 |
| Wet | 3 |
| Snow | 8 |
| Comfort | 5 |
| Rolling Resistance | 6 |
| Noise | 6 |
Total: 32
Nexen N Priz 4S
185/60 R15
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 4 |
| Wet | 3 |
| Snow | 8 |
| Comfort | 6 |
| Rolling Resistance | 6 |
| Noise | 5 |
Total: 32
Maloya Quadris
185/60 R15
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 5 |
| Wet | 3 |
| Snow | 1 |
| Comfort | 3 |
| Rolling Resistance | 6 |
| Noise | 5 |
Total: 23
I bought a Panda Rock 29 July 2014 with all season tires - the 2 front tires are worn and need changing. Is this normal? My Km is about 13,000.
Hi,
That seems quite low, but if the car is been driven hard, or had an alignment issue it's entirely possible to wear through tires that quickly!
Ordinary city driving - but an accident 4 weeks ago which did affect the front left tire's alignment but the garage let me drive it until the repairs could be done this week. Thanks.
Hi, I'm looking for some new tires for my Skoda Yeti 4x4 225/50/17, can you recommend a good All Season tire, reading the reviews my short list is the Pirelli Cinturato, Goodyear Vector 4seasons, or any other suggestions please, prefer low noise and decent fuel rating. Thanks
Hi Paul,
Sizes will probably be quite limited in your size. We know the Goodyear Vector 4Season is still rated very well, and available in the size. One other tire worth checking not featured in this test is the Michelin CrossClimate.
http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
Need to go to Germany in November or February and understand it's a legal requirement to Have winter or a tire suitable for road Conditions. I have 3008 with 225x50x17
As per Paul's question in the same size above, most of these tires will carry the mountain and snowflake symbol which will enable them to be used as a winter tire in Germany.
I keep looking at this test and I just cannot understand how the Uniroyal AllSeasons Expert does not end up first? The only Tire with a higher score is the Vredestein, which I can imagine gets penalized for it's weak wet performance, but I cannot figure out any weighting that would put the Uniroyal in fourth place?
This is sadly a question for Auto Bild :(
I am about to get a new pair of front tires for my 2012 Renault Megane Sports Tourer.
My daily driving is mainly on motorways and A-roads, however I do occasionally venture down b-roads, which in area, have tarmac akin to a lunar landscape! Which tire do you suggest fits my requirements best?
What size are you looking for? We presume, as you're posting in the comments for an all season article, you won't be looking to change tires twice a year between summer and winters, which likely means any of the well rated premium all season tires in this test will be suitable.
Hi TireReviews,
I´m looking for new "intermediate" tires for my car. I change three sets of tires during the year (summer 205/50/16, all season 195/60/15, winter 185/65/15). I use all season tires on wet or dry road, when the summer tires lose function due to lower temperatures and for winter tires is still too "warm" to function as they should (and wear down more quickly, than in freezy weather and on a snow). This season takes approx. 3 months past few years here (in Czech Rep.). Formerly it were weeks.
I´m looking at Bridgestone A001 (my favorite). But I have no information about Goodyear Eagle Vector EV-2+, which I´m looking at too. And currently at Pirelli Cinturato of course. I prefer direction tread, wet/aquaplaning performance and dry performance. Rolling resistance, comfort/noise, wear are unimportant for me and snow/ice performance too.
Which of these tires do you recommended?
Many thanks and best regards
Jan
Hi Jan,
3 sets of tires, that's impressive dedication! :)
We've just tried the Pirelli Cinturato All Season and was very impressed, very good for wet and dry weather: http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
One other option is maybe consider a European winter tire before you fit the full winter. Something like the Nokian WRA3 has excellent reviews in dry and wet performance.
Afternoon All. My "Old Girl" needs a new set of boots and am in a pickle as to whether I choose Winter/All Season tires. I have a MB E320 CDI Estate and she has been a wonderful car. She has a significant amount of torque and I live in Cumbria hence my quandary? I would appreciate any advice/opinions/thoughts from you all as to what to choose. Many thanks, Gareth :-)
It largely depends on tire size, driving style, whether you have to commute in extreme conditions.
Answer some of these and we can help more :)
Good Morning All. Apologies for the lack of information, numpty! The "old girl's" tires are 225/55 X 16, I do not have to commute in extreme conditions but on our shambolic Cumbrian roads. Currently it is -4 Degrees, I will not be commuting on snow but will be on icy/flooded very rain sodden roads. Hope that helps and thanks for the prompt response, Gareth :-)
If you're happy to change wheels / tires twice a year, the winter / summer combination is hard to beat.
If you don't want to change tires twice a year, there is a number of reasonable options in proper all season tires in your size.
http://lovetires.com/search...
The Goodyear Vector 4Seasons is a very well regarded all season tire, but it's worth noting they still have some of the issues winter tires suffer in the summer, which means them overall less efficient than the summer / winter combination. That said, for town driving and short commutes, they're more than up to the job.
Hello again. Thanks for the fast response, appreciated. I have checked out the Goodyear and note it is rated as you have kindly mentioned. I have a "short list" in my size, 225/55 X 16 and wondered if they are available from yourselves? Goodyear Vector 4Seasons, Vredestein Quatrac Lite, Continental Wintercontact TS 850 and lastly Pirelli Allseason?
Sadly we don't sell tires, but some of our advertisers do.
One of the advertisers is lovetires.com linked above and you can find other advertisers in the pricing pages of tires.
That's an excellent short list!
What's suitable for an '06 Subaru Outback 3 liter (215/55/R17V)? The standard Geolander G900As are OK but a bit old tech now, I need a fresh set of something newer. An all season tire? A good allround winter tire? What would you recommend? Must be good in the wet, and snow (and the dry, and be quiet and comfortable and last forever....!)
If you don't want to be changing tires twice a year, any of the top tested all season tires will be the best blend of performance.
Larger sizes are quite limited, so it might come down to what you can find in your size.
Hi there, I've been trying to order these today for my mini clubman. Are any of these run flats? If not, is there a recommendation for a good all season run flat tire? I think mine are 155/95 R16.
You might want to double check that tire size :)
Pirelli just released the first run flat all season, the Pirelli Cinturato All Season which wins this test. More information on the site in the next few days
Help looking for all season tires to fit my ford smax 235/45/18....
Thanks
The closest you'll get to an all season tire in that size is the Nokian WR A3, which is technically a winter tire but very strong in the dry / wet, much like an all season tire.
http://lovetires.com/tire/N...
It's also worth keeping an eye on tirereviews over the next few months, as there's a couple of new all season products coming :)
Many Thanks
Andy
Are any of these tires available as 225x55R 19 99V? I can't find any 4 seasons tires in this size for a Mazda CX5 SUV.
Not that we know of, sorry. That's an unusual size, even for summer tires!
Just found this site which looks very useful. Two questions on the all season tires:
Noise ratings all seem to be 5 - 7. Is this on the same scale as the summer tires, which are generally 9? Is that a significant difference?
There doesn't seem to be any rating for durability - is that not considered?
I've recently fitted Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons AO tires to replace the original Dunlop SPs fitted to my Honda Accord. They are quieter than the originals and I can notice no increase in fuel consumption. They are rated C-C-C-68db. Some variants of this tire are not rated so highly, so check what you are offered at mytires.co.uk
I don't understand why the Maloya, which is really the old vredestein quatrac 2 , did so poorly. Have the others got better?
Tires are constantly improving, even within the same model names. The tire labelling introduction has pushed tires to be updated to get better label scores, plus the Quatrac 2 is quite an old pattern now. It was replaced with the 3, and then the Lite.
with regret they don't do my tire sie in the UK
By any chance, is the Pirelli Cinturato AllSeason the P7 version? Thanks
As far as we understand it's a new all season tire from Pirelli.
We did contact Pirelli for further information, but as it hasn't yet been released in the UK they couldn't provide anything.
Thanks for the information. I can see this tire is available on Pirelli Germany but only in 15" & 16".
The larger sizes will be covered by the P7 version
Uniroyal AllSeason Expert gets good rating BUT not listed on their UK site?
Try mytires.co.uk, they're based in Germany so will probably be able to ship them in if Uniroyal aren't bringing them to the UK.
Puzzled why total score doesn't seem to relate to final ranking??
The magazine applies score weighting, which means the snow points are worth more than the wet and dry points. This is why the totals sometimes look a little funny.
I'm surprised Hankook Optimo 4S ended up so low. People in Germany and Canada seem to be raving about them and preferring them to Vreds and Goodyears
The test indicated they were weak in the wet, but good on snow, so if people are using them primarily in snowy conditions they might rate well.
The test was very close, with only the Maloya performing "badly"
Can the tires covered in this review be used on a VW California camper van?
Assuming you can find the tires in your size and load rating, then yes.
My wife just ordered a top of the range Renault Captur only to find the no one makes the 205/55R17 all weather tire that she would like to fit! In the UK that probably will not make much difference to sales of the car but in Europe? It beggars belief but I understand that there is often difficulty if finding all weathers to fit a small SUV. Ironic or what?
We know it's not much help right now, but there will be a 16 inch size, or even a 15 inch for winter tires in the handbook which will have far greater availability than the obscure 17 inch size you have!
Thanks for sharing this test and the commenary for UK use.
It would be great to be able to filter these by tire size to. I keep reading reviews and thinking, 'yep, they are the ones I need'. Only to subsequently find out they don't make them in the size I need.
It can be a bit frustrating!
We're working on a size database to improve this, it should be launched in the next few months!
Has the Vredestein Quatrac 5 already been tested ?
Seems like a promising new Tire if it's better than the Quatrac Lite
The Quatrac Lite is designed for smaller vehicles than the Quatrac 5.
We do agree though, the Quatrac 5 should be an awesome all season tire. We can't wait to see it in tests!