| Test Summary | |
| Wet Braking |
Continental Premium Contact 5 |
| Dry Braking |
Continental Premium Contact 5 Nokian Hakka Blue |
| Wear |
Continental Premium Contact 5 |
| Rolling Resistance |
Michelin X Ice Xi3 Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance Dunlop Sport BluResponse Nokian Hakka Blue |
| Noise |
Michelin X Ice Xi3 |
| Snow Handling |
Michelin X Ice Xi3 |
Interestingly, in 2014 Test world have included both a European winter tire, and a full nordic studless extreme winter tire to give the reader an idea of what performance you can expect if you choose to run winters year round.
While the European winter tire (the best of the category, the Continental Winter Contact TS850) was usable in the warm wet and dry conditions, it still unsurprisingly lagged behind the best of the summer tires, beating only the worst summer tire in wet braking and none of the summer tires in dry braking. The nordic winter tire worse again, proving that extreme winter tires are dangerous to run year round.
Results
Excellent handling on dry and wet roads, good stability
High fuel consumption
The Continental Premium Contact 5 provides excellent grip and optimal handling in bad weather. They are very accurate tires with good steering response and good stability at the limit. They are also very quiet and comfortable. The Continental is almost the ideal tire for all conditions, with only a high rolling resistance letting them down
Total: 93.5
Dry
20
Wet
38
Comfort
9
Rolling Resistance
8
Noise
9
Overall
9.5
Short braking distances on wet roads, a high level of comfort
None listed
Apollo present a real surprise and become one of the best on test in wet braking. These tires have no problem coping with emergency maneuvers, with no unexpected loss of grip. With no obvious weaknesses, Apollo have never never demonstrated such consistencies in all areas
Total: 91.2
Dry
18
Wet
37
Comfort
9
Rolling Resistance
9
Noise
9
Overall
9.2
Good handling on wet roads, low noise, low rolling resistance
Relatively long braking distances in the dry
The Nokian is well suited for driving on wet roads, which showcases the successful combination of high grip, precise steering response and, if required, predictable behavior during abrupt maneuvers. In the dry the tire isn't as strong, with longer dry braking distances. Low noise and low rolling resistance give the Nokian a solid third
Total: 92.2
Dry
17
Wet
38
Comfort
9
Rolling Resistance
10
Noise
9
Overall
9.2
Good handling on dry roads, high resistance to aquaplaning
High rolling resistance
The Pirelli has good results on dry and wet roads, and a high resistance to aquaplaning. The tire reacts quickly and accurately, but their behavior in an emergency situation may be too nervous. One of the disadvantages - high rolling resistance
Total: 90.2
Dry
19
Wet
37
Comfort
9
Rolling Resistance
7
Noise
9
Overall
9.2
Excellent balance of all characteristics, good handling and predictable behavior in all conditions
Relatively high rolling resistance
The Michelin provides good handling in all conditions and is difficult to get to lose grip in a sharp turn. Braking efficiency is also high, but not quite with the leaders. The only drawback - a relatively high rolling resistance
Total: 88
Dry
18
Wet
36
Comfort
9
Rolling Resistance
7
Noise
9
Overall
9
Short braking distances on dry and wet roads, low rolling resistance
Nervous dynamic behaviour at the limit of grip
The Dunlop has excellent grip in all conditions, and in accordance with the name, a quick and precise steering response. Be that as it may, their behavior may be too nervous, and during sharp maneuvers the car has a tendency to oversteer. Acceptable noise levels and a very low rolling resistance
Total: 88.9
Dry
18
Wet
35
Comfort
8
Rolling Resistance
10
Noise
9
Overall
8.9
Low rolling resistance, good handling on dry and wet roads
Relatively weak resistance to aquaplaning
The Goodyear has the lowest rolling resistance of tires tested. Combine fuel efficiency with high traction on wet surfaces - a very difficult task, and Goodyear perfectly coped with it. Grip on the wet track was optimal and manageable. The Goodyears only weakness was aquaplaning, which caused it to lose a number of positions in the overall results
Total: 89.9
Dry
18
Wet
35
Comfort
9
Rolling Resistance
10
Noise
9
Overall
8.9
High resistance to aquaplaning
High rolling resistance, nervous dynamic behaviour at the limit of grip
The Hankook resist aquaplaning and have excellent grip on wet surfaces - albeit somewhat worse than the leaders of the test. At the limit the tire does not behave as predictably as we would like, and the rear wheels can go into a skid. The same pattern is repeated on dry roads. The noise level is low, but the rolling resistance is too high
Total: 85.8
Dry
17
Wet
36
Comfort
8
Rolling Resistance
7
Noise
9
Overall
8.8
Short braking distances on wet roads, a high level of comfort
Relatively high rolling resistance
The Vredestein has a very high braking performance on wet roads. Lateral grip is also good, but weaker than the longitudinal. The tire can show a good lap time, but the rear grip sometimes falls away at the limit. On dry roads the tires behave predictably and logically, as well as quiet. In general, it is well balanced tire without serious drawbacks
Total: 85.8
Dry
18
Wet
35
Comfort
8
Rolling Resistance
7
Noise
9
Overall
8.8
Good handling on wet roads, predictable in all conditions
Low level of comfort
A balanced tire. The wet grip is slightly lower than the best tires, but the Barum has good accountability in all situations without any major handling surprises. On dry roads the tires react too slowly, and while they're stable the grip isn't great. Disadvantage - it's a hard tire that becomes immediately apparent on uneven surfaces
Total: 85.8
Dry
17
Wet
34
Comfort
8
Rolling Resistance
9
Noise
9
Overall
8.8
Short braking distances on wet roads, low noise, low rolling resistance
Nervous dynamic behaviour
The Landsail tires become the main surprise of this test. On a wet surface, the tire has a very short braking distances and good lateral grip. During emergency maneuvers the grip is high, but it can disappear abruptly, especially on wet surfaces. The tires are also good in tests for noise and efficiency. Overall, Landsail become the Chinese tire tested by Test World
Total: 85.6
Dry
16
Wet
34
Comfort
9
Rolling Resistance
9
Noise
9
Overall
8.6
Low noise, good comfort
Poor wet handling
The Toyo has acceptable braking on wet roads, but wet handling is clearly a big problem with the tire posting a very slow laptime. Fortunately, the tires behave predictably enough, without unpleasant surprises. The situation is somewhat better on dry roads, than in the wet.
Total: 84.4
Dry
18
Wet
32
Comfort
9
Rolling Resistance
8
Noise
9
Overall
8.4
Balanced Characteristics
Weak grip on wet and dry roads, high rolling resistance
The BFGoodrich has very balanced characteristics, but, unfortunately, they are still quite low in this test. The tires easily start to slip on the wet surface and slow to respond during emergency maneuvers. Fortunately, the behavior is quite predictable. High noise and rolling resistance
Total: 82.2
Dry
16
Wet
33
Comfort
9
Rolling Resistance
8
Noise
8
Overall
8.2
None listed
Poor grip and bad handling in all conditions, noisy
The Hercules could not deal with any test. Wet grip is very weak, and these tires make driving especially difficult. In the dry the tires make the back of the car snap sharply during high-speed maneuvers. The Hercules is also very noisy and hard, and they high rolling resistance. Hercules - is a Chinese-made tires at its worst
Total: 69.7
Dry
15
Wet
24
Comfort
8
Rolling Resistance
8
Noise
8
Overall
6.7
The Continental TS850 P is a european winter tire included for comparison purposes. While it wasn't last in wet braking (the Hercules was the worst summer tire) it did stop 5.6 meters later than the best summer tire (Apollo) from 50mph. While not the best tire on test, it shows a high quality mid european winter tire can be used year round, and you'll still have more grip than using a cheap chinese summer tire
Total: 79.7
Dry
14
Wet
31
Comfort
9
Rolling Resistance
9
Noise
9
Overall
7.7
The Michelin X Ice Xi3 is a full nordic winter tire. While this tire scores extremely well in extreme winter tests, it is no match for the summer tires in the warmer conditions, stopping nearly 15 meters later than the best summer tire, and 6.7 meters after the worst summer tire. This shows northern Europe winter tires should not be used year round, despite their noise and comfort advantages!
Total: 65.7
Dry
12
Wet
18
Comfort
10
Rolling Resistance
10
Noise
10
Overall
5.7