Test source Auto Motor Und Sport

2015 AMS Performance Tire Test

Overall test winnerContinental Sport Contact 5

Data analyzed and reviewed byJonathan Benson

April 7, 2015 5 min read Updated January 8, 2025

Tire shortlist Read the test

Tires tested: 9
Tested size: 225/50 R17

At a glance

Tire shortlist

9 Tires tested

Published finishing positions, with the strengths and considerations from this test. Owner reviews cover other sizes and driving conditions.

1^st

Continental Sport Contact 5

+High grip and short braking distances in all conditions, balanced behavior on wet roads, good handling on dry roads

−Slightly high rolling resistance, expensive

228 owner reviews Test Results

2^nd

Dunlop Sport BluResponse

+Good handling on wet surfaces, good handling and very short braking distances in the dry, very low rolling resistance

−Relatively weak resistance to aquaplaning, relatively long braking distances on wet surfaces

195 owner reviews Test Results

3^rd

Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance

+Good handling on wet surfaces, balanced behavior and short braking distances in the dry, very low rolling resistance

−relatively weak resistance to aquaplaning, somewhat slow steering response on dry roads

263 owner reviews Test Results

4^th

Hankook Ventus V12 evo2

+Good performance on wet roads, short braking distance in the dry

−Relatively weak resistance to aquaplaning, high rolling resistance

84 owner reviews Test Results

5^th

Uniroyal RainSport 3

+Excellent resistance to aquaplaning, good handling and predictable behavior at the limit of grip on dry surfaces

−Long braking distance on dry surface, relatively high noise level

288 owner reviews Test Results

6^th

Nokian zLine

+Good steering and handling on both dry and wet roads

−Poor resistance to aquaplaning, average comfort, noisy, relatively high rolling resistance

83 owner reviews Test Results

7^th

Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue

+Good handling on dry roads

−Long braking distances on wet roads, poor resistance to aquaplaning

35 owner reviews Test Results

8^th

Bridgestone Turanza T001

+Good resistance to aquaplaning, good handling and feel

−Long braking distances and slow steering response in the wet, high rolling resistance, high noise level

109 owner reviews Test Results

9^th

Kumho Ecsta LE Sport

+Short braking distance on dry roads

−Poor resistance to aquaplaning, poor dry handling, high rolling resistance

33 owner reviews Test Results

Tire shortlist

Compare selected tires

2015 AMS Performance Tire Test · 225/50 R17

Tire	Continental Sport Contact 5	Dunlop Sport BluResponse	Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance	Hankook Ventus V12 evo2	Uniroyal RainSport 3	Nokian zLine	Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue	Bridgestone Turanza T001	Kumho Ecsta LE Sport
Position	1^st	2^nd	3^rd	4^th	5^th	6^th	7^th	8^th	9^th
Keep researching	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results

The full test

The evidence behind the verdict

With over two hundred different tires available for the chosen 225/50 R17 tire size, Auto Motor Und Sport decided to pick the top nine best European label scoring tires to test on their Mercedes C Class, presuming they would be getting the top nine tires on the market.

Every tire on test was an A label under wet braking, which is the highest label score currently possible. With the difference in label scores A and B being 10 feet stopping distance, you'd have expected the wet braking test to have been fairly close. This wasn't the case.

The winning Continental stopped in 95 feet, with the second placed Uniroyal needing two meters more. Nothing surprising here, other than the lead Continental have under wet braking over their sister brand, Uniroyal. What was surprising was the Bridgestone and Kumho wet braking scores, 34.1 and 116 feet respectively which puts the Kumho 20 feet behind the winning Continental, yet still displaying the same A label score for wet braking.

There was a similar story for noise. The Hankook was the quietest tire on test at 66 dB, and the worst tires on test scored 70 dB. It might not sound a lot, until you realise the decibel is a logarithmic scale, and a 4 dB increase means twice the noise produced!

The Results

With a near flawless performance, the Continental Sport Contact 5 took top place with only a slightly high rolling resistance and the highest price as a negative points. The Dunlop Sport BlueResponse, Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance and Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 placed second to fourth respectively, all with a very similar balance of qualities, and despite the best aquaplaning score and second best wet braking result , the Uniroyal Rainsport 3 ended in fifth thanks to an average dry performance.

The overall weighting of the results is 35% dry, 45% wet, 15% comfort / noise and 5% based on price.

All discipline results (5)

Test	%
Dry	—
Wet	—
Comfort	—
Rolling Resistance	—
Noise	—

All discipline results (5)

Test	%
Dry	—
Wet	—
Comfort	—
Rolling Resistance	—
Noise	—

All discipline results (5)

Test	%
Dry	—
Wet	—
Comfort	—
Rolling Resistance	—
Noise	—

All discipline results (5)

Test	%
Dry	—
Wet	—
Comfort	—
Rolling Resistance	—
Noise	—

All discipline results (5)

Test	%
Dry	—
Wet	—
Comfort	—
Rolling Resistance	—
Noise	—

All discipline results (5)

Test	%
Dry	—
Wet	—
Comfort	—
Rolling Resistance	—
Noise	—

All discipline results (5)

Test	%
Dry	—
Wet	—
Comfort	—
Rolling Resistance	—
Noise	—

All discipline results (5)

Test	%
Dry	—
Wet	—
Comfort	—
Rolling Resistance	—
Noise	—

All discipline results (5)

Test	%
Dry	—
Wet	—
Comfort	—
Rolling Resistance	—
Noise	—

Discussion

5 comments

Haris K May 26, 2016 archived

The most useless test so far comparing tires from different categories. You see the premium touring Goodyear against the UHP Uniroyal and the max performance continental... What is the point? Like comparing a sports car to a pickup truck. And also, the Michelin seem to be absent from every test. I can't believe anymore that there never is a set available. Just order it online or something, it will be there in 3 to 5 days...
And another thing is that continental tires wear wayyyy to fast, compared to the other brands. That for most buyers is THE most important factor when buying new tires... Do we really need to continue complaining about all these things? As the biggest user based tire reviewing site, could you please at least transfer to them what I and a lot other users want to see in the reviews?

#2034
Mihai Apr 8, 2015 archived

And where is the Michelin Primacy 3? or Michelin PS3?

#1393
1. TireReviews Mihai Apr 8, 2015 archived
  
  A good question, one we don't have the answer to. The most likely reason is stock availability at the time of testing.
  
  #1394
  1. Stef TireReviews May 28, 2015 archived
    
    Whatever the reason for excluding the Michelins renders the whole test biased and therefore untrustworthy. Were they really so afraid of the Michelins and the results they would get? Phew
    
    #1428
    1. 4cvg Stef Jun 17, 2015 archived
      
      ?? It's hard to see either Michelin being anything but a mid-ranker in this field. Whatever the reason for their non-appearance (CIA plot or . . . .) I don't think the SC5 would have been troubled by Michelin's presence.
      
      #1457

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2015 AMS Performance Tire Test