2016 AZ Winter Tire Test - 205/55 R16

Once again in 2016, the German Magazine Auto Zeitung have provided one of the most exciting winter tire tests we've covered. Testing thirteen of the latest winter tires in 205/55 R16, including the Continental WinterContact TS860, Dunlop Winter Sport 5, Goodyear UltraGrip 9 and Nokian WR D4, Auto Zeitung have also included the Michelin CrossClimate summer-bias all season tire as a comparison.

The new tires dominate

The Continental WinterContact TS850 was largely unbeaten in its four year life, so it is no surprise the new TS860 once again dominates the test, winning on snow, in the wet, lowest fuel use, best comfort, and scoring extremely well in the dry.

The new Nokian WR D4 also continues where the WR D3 left off, scoring extremely well on snow and in the dry. Compared to the best winter tires on test, the WR D4 lacks a little in the wet, but it's still one of the best winter tires on test.

The top three is rounded out by the Pirelli Cinturato Winter. It scores well in the snow and wet tests, but gives up some points due to long braking distances in the dry and a higher rolling resistance than the best tested.

It's no surprise fourth, fifth and sixth places are taken by Goodyear, Michelin and Dunlop. All three tires offer a strong balanced performance, and with the top six places so closely contested this year, any of these tires would be excellent choices for winter motoring.

The Michelin CrossClimate

The inclusion of the CrossClimate in a full winter tire test is extremely interesting, as the main reservation most people have for the CrossClimate is the snow and ice performance.

Unsurprisingly the Michelin dominates under dry braking, stopping the car from 62 mph in 132 feet whereas the winning Continental could only manage 146 feet. The dry handing lap was closer, but the CrossClimate still wins, completing the 2 miles lap in 107.9 seconds, compared to 109.3 seconds for the Continental.

In the wet, the Michelin stopped the car from 62 mph in 189 feet, with the Continental much closer at 190 feet. The Continental wins the wet handling course, completing the 1 miles lap in 87.5 seconds compared to 89 seconds for the Michelin, which places it fourth overall.

The snow performance is where the Michelin CrossClimate is often questioned. Under snow braking from 31 mph, the Continental stopped the car in 79 feet and the Michelin 82 feet, less than a meter shorter than the test winner, and beating one of the winter tires on test. During snow handling the Continental finishes the 1 miles lap in 74 seconds, and the Michelin 77.1 seconds. While this is a gap to the Continental, the Michelin CrossClimate was faster than three of the full winter tires, including the winter experts Vredestein.

If you're living in a climate like England where snow is a rare occurrence, this test indicates you're better off running the Michelin CrossClimate as your winter option due to the dry and wet braking advantages the tire offers.

The Results

1^st

Continental WinterContact TS 860

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	84
Wet	142
Snow	143
Comfort	9
Rolling Resistance	25
Noise	9

Total: 412

2^nd

Nokian WR D4

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	83
Wet	124
Snow	142
Comfort	9
Rolling Resistance	21
Noise	8

Total: 387

3^rd

Pirelli Cinturato Winter

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	70
Wet	138
Snow	139
Comfort	7
Rolling Resistance	15
Noise	9

Total: 378

Joint 4^th

Michelin CrossClimate

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	105
Wet	122
Snow	113
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	21
Noise	9

Total: 376

Joint 4^th

Goodyear UltraGrip 9

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	78
Wet	127
Snow	132
Comfort	8
Rolling Resistance	22
Noise	9

Total: 376

Joint 4^th

Michelin Alpin 5

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	74
Wet	128
Snow	140
Comfort	8
Rolling Resistance	18
Noise	8

Total: 376

7^th

Dunlop Winter Sport 5

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	80
Wet	112
Snow	136
Comfort	9
Rolling Resistance	22
Noise	8

Total: 367

8^th

Hankook Winter i cept RS2

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	85
Wet	104
Snow	141
Comfort	7
Rolling Resistance	16
Noise	10

Total: 363

9^th

Bridgestone Blizzak LM001

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	80
Wet	100
Snow	127
Comfort	7
Rolling Resistance	19
Noise	8

Total: 341

10^th

Nexen Winguard Snow G WH2

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	84
Wet	86
Snow	136
Comfort	7
Rolling Resistance	20
Noise	8

Total: 341

11^th

Kumho WinterCraft WP71

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	76
Wet	76
Snow	125
Comfort	7
Rolling Resistance	16
Noise	9

Total: 309

12^th

Vredestein Wintrac xtreme S

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	84
Wet	73
Snow	114
Comfort	9
Rolling Resistance	18
Noise	9

Total: 307

13^th

GT Radial Champiro WinterPro HP

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	78
Wet	95
Snow	102
Comfort	6
Rolling Resistance	14
Noise	10

Total: 305

14^th

Westlake SW618

205/55 R16

All discipline results (6)

Test	Result
Dry	74
Wet	52
Snow	98
Comfort	7
Rolling Resistance	10
Noise	8

Total: 249