| Test Summary | |
| Wet Braking |
Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue Continental Premium Contact 6 |
| Dry Braking |
Continental Premium Contact 6 |
| Rolling Resistance |
Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue |
| Noise |
Yokohama Advan Fleva V701 |
| Snow Braking |
Continental Premium Contact 6 |
| Snow Handling |
Sava Intensa UHP 2 Michelin Primacy 3 |
| Ice Braking |
Leao Nova Force |
As a change from the usual FWD hatchback used for testing, Auto Bild tested the 225/50 R17 size using a RWD BMW 3 Series.
As there are a lot of tires on test, we will keep the commentary to a minimum and just provide the key data and final results. It is worth keeping in mind, only the Kumho in twentieth place was classified as "not recommended" due to a weak wet performance, and the Yokohama in nineteenth place "conditionally recommended", again for a poor wet performance. All the other tires at least achieved a "recommended" rating.
One of the unique tests Auto Bild perform is a wear test. Continental, who have struggled in the past with average wear seem to have fixed their only problem, and now have a tire that has wet grip, dry grip and excellent wear properties.
The Results
The full results are below, with the data underneath the results. Please note, the "cost" field relates to the purchase price VS predicted miles.
Excellent results on dry and wet surfaces for braking and handling, precise steering response, good wear
Relatively low resistance to aquaplaning
Exemplary / Test Winner
Total: 56
Dry
9
Wet
9
Comfort
6
Rolling Resistance
9
Noise
6
Wear
10
Cost
7
Very good premium tire with no obvious weaknesses, good handling on wet and dry surfaces, precise steering response and good feedback, very high resistance to aquaplaning, good wear
Relatively high rolling resistance
Exemplary
Total: 49
Dry
8
Wet
7
Comfort
6
Rolling Resistance
6
Noise
6
Wear
9
Cost
7
Good controllability, high lateral stability and short braking distances on dry surfaces, well priced
Relatively high rolling resistance
Exemplary
Total: 44
Dry
7
Wet
8
Comfort
6
Rolling Resistance
4
Noise
6
Wear
6
Cost
7
Good handling on wet roads, fast and accurate steering response, lowest rolling resistance
Lowest resistance to aquaplaning
Exemplary
Total: 49
Dry
9
Wet
7
Comfort
7
Rolling Resistance
10
Noise
6
Wear
6
Cost
4
Good handling and short braking distances on dry and wet roads, attractive price, low noise
Low resistance to aquaplaning
Exemplary
Total: 48
Dry
8
Wet
7
Comfort
6
Rolling Resistance
6
Noise
8
Wear
6
Cost
7
Balanced performance and good handling in all conditions, short braking distances on dry and wet surfaces, good comfort, low rolling resistance, well priced
Average wear
Exemplary
Total: 46
Dry
7
Wet
6
Comfort
7
Rolling Resistance
7
Noise
7
Wear
6
Cost
6
Good handling on dry and wet roads, high resistance to aquaplaning
Poor value due to high purchase price and average wear
Good
Total: 42
Dry
6
Wet
8
Comfort
6
Rolling Resistance
7
Noise
6
Wear
6
Cost
3
Good handling on dry and wet roads, high resistance to aquaplaning, short braking distance on dry roads
Average value due to high purchase price and average wear
Good
Total: 43
Dry
7
Wet
7
Comfort
6
Rolling Resistance
6
Noise
7
Wear
6
Cost
4
Excellent wear, short braking distances on dry roads, low rolling resistance
Average wet grip, limited resistance to aquaplaning, highest price
Recommended
Total: 53
Dry
7
Wet
6
Comfort
8
Rolling Resistance
9
Noise
9
Wear
8
Cost
6
The highest resistance to aquaplaning, good handling and short braking distances on wet roads
Inaccurate response to steering and a tendency to understeer on dry surfaces, average travel comfort, increased rolling resistance
Recommended
Total: 41
Dry
5
Wet
8
Comfort
4
Rolling Resistance
4
Noise
8
Wear
6
Cost
6
Good handling on wet surfaces, high braking performance, low rolling resistance
Average levels of grip and a tendency to understeer on dry surfaces
Recommended
Total: 45
Dry
5
Wet
6
Comfort
6
Rolling Resistance
9
Noise
7
Wear
6
Cost
6
Short braking distances on dry and wet roads, good value for money
Poor steering response and a tendency to understeer on wet surfaces
Recommended
Total: 47
Dry
7
Wet
6
Comfort
6
Rolling Resistance
6
Noise
9
Wear
6
Cost
7
Good controllability on dry and wet surfaces, low noise level
Poor value
Recommended
Total: 39
Dry
6
Wet
6
Comfort
6
Rolling Resistance
6
Noise
8
Wear
4
Cost
3
Good handling in the dry, excellent wear
Average resistance to aquaplaning, limited wet grip
Recommended
Total: 44
Dry
7
Wet
4
Comfort
6
Rolling Resistance
6
Noise
6
Wear
7
Cost
8
Short braking distances on dry roads
Slow steering response in the dry and wet, long wet braking distances
Recommended
Total: 41
Dry
5
Wet
6
Comfort
7
Rolling Resistance
4
Noise
6
Wear
6
Cost
7
Good handling on dry roads
Tendency to understeer and a relatively long braking distance on wet surfaces, poor wear, high rolling resistance
Recommended
Total: 33
Dry
7
Wet
6
Comfort
3
Rolling Resistance
4
Noise
6
Wear
4
Cost
3
Good value
Unbalanced behavior in the dry, average comfort, high rolling resistance
Recommended
Total: 36
Dry
5
Wet
6
Comfort
4
Rolling Resistance
3
Noise
6
Wear
6
Cost
6
Low noise level, cheap to buy
Slow response to steering and reduced grip on dry and wet surfaces, poor wear
Recommended
Total: 41
Dry
5
Wet
6
Comfort
4
Rolling Resistance
6
Noise
7
Wear
3
Cost
10
Short braking distances in the dry
Very poor aquaplaning resistance, slow steering response and low grip in the wet and dry
Conditionally recommended
Total: 46
Dry
7
Wet
4
Comfort
9
Rolling Resistance
9
Noise
7
Wear
6
Cost
4
Good resistance to aquaplaning
Slow response to steering and reduced grip on dry and wet roads, worst wear on test
Total: 35
Dry
5
Wet
4
Comfort
4
Rolling Resistance
6
Noise
7
Wear
3
Cost
6
Hi my friend, I would like to be informed about the noise level of falken FK510. I saw some reviews that says falken as a very noisy tire. I m interested about 215/45/17 to installed in my 2004 mazda 6. If is that true, I m going to choose the falken 310 or SAVA intense UH2.
Thanks in advance.!
The best place to research is to check all the test it's featured in on this site and check the noise scoring.
Hi, I'd like to change my BMW X1's Pirelli Cinturato P7 RFT. My first choice is Conti Premium 6 non RFT. I want more comfort and lower noise. Will it be a wise choice?
You will definitely get that from any non-runflat, and the PC6 is an excellent tire so a good choice.
Thank you.
What about Michelin Primacy 4 ? Because it seems that Conti PC6 has a stock problem here in my size.
Also a tire you won't go wrong with :) Should have better mileage than the Conti too.
Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue ar they good for comfort?
Their comfort score in this test is above average
PS4 (non S) or Premiumcontact 6?
Asking the hard questions!!! I feel like both tires will be incredible, if I had to pick one it would probably be the PS4 as that's had more test wins than the Conti, but they're both so close it doesn't really matter.
How many degrees was it during testing?
Auto Bild didn't publish temperatures
Thank you for your reply.
I am surprised about Yokohama Advan Fleva v701, because its produced for better grip in wet conditions, and extremely low noise. Official stats are 67db (grade 7 here) and Michelin Primacy 3 official stats are 69db (grade 9 here). 2 db is approx 70% more noisy.
I suspect it has been tested in ‘cold’ conditions SEA standard.
I will re-consider what tire I will choose for a more quiet car :)
There are so many variables in testing these days, it's difficult to get two tests to exactly match, especially when everything is so close :)
3 dB isn't twice the noise, it's twice the sound pressure. 10 dB is approximately twice the loudness :)
Hello,
I'd like some grippy tires for my mx5 NB.
I can't decide between Pirelli P zero nero GT, Hankook Ventus Prime 3 and Uniroyal Rainsport 3
It'd be lovely if you could help me out!
Thanks,
Gregory
Of the three, I'd probably look at the Prime 3!
Hallo there. My almost new Opel Insignia has Hankook Ventus S1 Av 2 mounted as original-size 245 / 45 Sr 18, W 96. They are terribly noisy ! The EU dn labelling says they should be quite silent - BUT in reality they suck-in other aspects too.Although I have accoustic-package on the car that efficiently prevents noise from the outside world , low motornoicelevel - they really are disturbing. Its of course often difficult to establish where low frequency sound comes from - but i think most of the noise comes from the rear wheel-hoses. --Please advice me ! My first priority is the noise-but other aspects are not totally uninteresting- i want quality-tires - the price is not so important. I would like the tires which IN REALITY are the best concerning road-noise.Please advice me!
In this test in 19" the Continental Sport Contact 6 has the lowest external noise:
http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
Thank You !
Hello, I'm replacing 205/55/16 Continental Premium Contact 5 and want something like this if possible: better wear, cheaper, about the same dry and wet performance, and want to try with harder side wall and/or rim protection. Continental 6 is not available, so I was wondering about Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125. The only thing that concerns me is in some tests poor aquaplaning and I'm not sure how much will this affect handling on wet roads. The price difference here between Continental 5 and Hankook is 15 euro per tire for 91V. Others I have considered that are closer to the price of Continental 5 - Nokian Line, Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance, Bridgestone T005. Only Hankook and Goodyear have rim protection.
Can you recommend anything? Thank you.
I'd take the Hankook, it seems to have a good combination of everything, and while it's not the best in aquaplaning testing, it's equally not the worst. Aquaplaning accounts for less than 1% of all accidents in Europe
Thank you. Can you tell me if it's worth getting 94 V/W? I searched for any advantages and disatvantages of higher load index, the only thing I read everywhere is not to get a lower index, which is understandable but not helpful.
In theory the higher load rating will give you slightly better handling but slightly reduced comfort. In practice the differences can be so small, or literally nothing, it's not worth worrying too much unless you need the higher rating.
Thank you very much :)
Hi, I'd like to buy new tires for 08' Opel Corsa D GSI (FWD, 150PS hatch), 215/45 R17. I want mostly sporty handling/controllability and good steering feel, but also decent other properties for daily driving. I went through various test and my favourites are Dunlop SP Sport Maxx RT 2, Falken FK510 (these are for very good price where I live) and Continental PremiumContact 6 (little bit more expensive than Dunlop). Any advices about which one of the bunch I should pick? Thanks a lot
If you want sporty handling I'd be picking from the Dunlop or Falken, the PC seems to be soft in certain sizes!
Thanks for reply, I'd pick one of those according to the final price difference..
Hello,I want to buy a set of new tires for a golf 5 205 / 55 R16 and I was wondering what tire would you recommend for good handling in wet and dry,also good braking and cornering,a tire to rely on.What do you think about the new michelin primacy 4 because I was considering buying the michelin primacy 4 or the pilot sport 4.Are the tires I mentioned good enough to fit my specifications or would you recommend something better at the same price?
The two tires you mention, alone with the Continental Premium Contact 6, are some of the best on the market.
If sporty handling is a priority, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 is the one I'd pick. It is however a very expensive tire.
Alright,thank you for your response.
Hi,
Do you know when Continental Premium Contact 6 will be available for R16 tires? I am considering buying a new set for my '12 Jetta and i will choose between CPC6, CPC5, Michelin primacy 3 or Dunlop Sport BlueResponse. Besides CPC6 which would you recommend please? Thank you in advance!
What 16" sizes of the 16" premium contact 6 are you interested in?
Hi. Sorry I didn't know some sizes were already available. I'm interested in 205x55x16 ones. Between the other tire types what woult you choose? Thanks
The Continental Premium Contact 6 will be available in 205/55 R16 91H and V starting Q4 this year :)
A little too late for me unfortunately. I was considering the CPC5 but the high wear user reviews found here made me evaluate other options. Maybe Michelin primacy 3/4 or Dunlop blueresponse. Thanks for the info. Any suggestion on those is very appreciated.
Prim 3 won the first test this year in your size:
http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
Thanks for help
Hi, i would be pleased, if you could inform me of the best choise between PIRELLI Cinturato P7 and Bridgestone Turanza T001 EVO, 215/55/R16 for Opel Vectra C. The car wears the Bridgestone tires from the factory, i'm really contentd with these tires, but it's the first time looking for something else, too.
And PIRELLI Cinturato P7 Blue
What would you recommend between GoodYear Eagle F1 AS3 vs GoodYear Efficient Grip Performance vs Hankook Ventus V12 K117 on 225/50/R17 as the best tires for road comfort, low noise on a 1.9 ton Volvo? We also have pretty mediocre roads in my location. I can't seem to decide between the F1s and Efficent Grip Performance, they are at the same price here.
For comfort and noice, the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance should have the edge.
Hi,
I have a Passat CC 235/45 R17 that I drive like 7000 km per year, my Continentals are 8 years old now and I guess they started to show the age even if they got some good mm left.
The wear is clearly not a concern, my priority is the comfort and the noise. As I surfed the net I found out that Fulda SportControl 2 are very good on this department and also good all around in this test.
Is there something better or I should take them?
Thanks :)
And very good job with the test !!!
The top 6 from the test are all good tires, but for your low milage I'd be tempted to go for the test winning Continental Premium Contact 6
What to put on on Subaru Impreza in the spring,.. Falken Azensis FK 510 OR Hankook Ventus V12 Evo 2. Looks pretty close...
Very close! Personally I'd lean towards the Falken as it's the slightly newer pattern.
Yes, they are so close but I will take your advice and go for the Falkens. Such good reviews across the board. Thanks for your input.
Let me know how you get on with them :)
Hi,
I am looking to buy tires for a Toyota MR2 roadster and i am in between Hankook Ventus Prime 3 and Uniroyal Rainsport 3. The Hankook scores better overal but is a Premium Touring tire while Uniroyal is a UHP, should i be conerned with that?
No you shouldn't. The Rainsport 3 is also known for having very soft sidewalls, which sometimes upsets the balance of mid engined cars.
ive just changed dunlop sp sportmaxx 225 55 17 XL on my bmw 520d. after 2000km i was not happy with the shoulder wear on rear so increased pressure from manuf recom 36psi to 39psi to even out the wear over the tire. At 50000km rear is down to wear bumps and have had to change. thia was UNREAL. i normally het 20000kms.
I have just bought uniroyal rainsport XL rear (still dunlop on front) and the ride is bad - car is twitchy and unstable like i have too much grip in front and not enough support in the rear tires. previous tires to the dunlops were michy winters and they ran better than the uniroyals. previous to that i ran goodyear excellence runflats but i wasnt happy with the loss of grip at 5V in the wet.
What I really want from a tire test is which tires run best at 3 to 5C in the wet. Im in Ireland. why dont the testers quote the ambient conditions?
I bought michy 4 seasons for the wifes civic. My next set will be goodyear or michy 4 seasons summer/winters.
I hope this helps someone.
typo. the dunlops lasted 5000kms. not 50000.
Hi,
Can you recommend a summer tire for Ford Focus 1,6 TDCI Trend? I use 205/55/R16. Need: Very good handling in wet, excellent in a dry (very hot sometimes >35 degrees Celsius) conditions, relatively low noise and good steering response, bumpy roads also. Thank you! Right now i have Michelin tires (didn't check the type) but they are worn out (need to replace for the next season 2018). Dunlop, Pirelli, Goodyear, Nexen or Falken perhaps? Conti is too expensive in Croatia.
The Dunlop Sport BluResponse usually gets great marks for comfort and wet grip in tests.
If I don't find Dunlop which tire could be a good alternative?
It would be best to see what tires you can get in your price bracket and ask between 2 or 3 patterns.
Bought Michelin Primacy 4, what do you think about them?
Hi
Can you reccoment a tire for a 2008 Honda Civic sedan. I run 225/45R17 at the moment and just ordered a set of new 7x17 alloy wheels and would like also new tires because one of current Sava on my car makes a lot of rolling noise
What properties from the tire are you looking for? All the top tires from this test are available in your size.
Solid handling in the wet, better in the dry, low noise and good steering response. I was planning to buy Rainsports untill I read your review.
Conti is an option but they are just 2 expensive in Croatia at the moment
The Falken or Fulda in this test are worth a look as slightly more affordable tires
I need to replace my Mitchelin Primacy HP 215/50 R17 95W tires on my 64 Focus Zetec.
I am looking for an equally good premium tire reasonably priced. What can you recommend please.
The Primacy HP was replaced by the Primacy 3 and soon to be announced Primacy 4.
Depending on tire size, Hankook, Fulda, Falken and Nokian are currently making tires with a good price to performance ratio.
I have an audi a6 quattro 255/35/19, I use the ContiSportContact 5P but very low wear and high noise. Which model I can chose now to improve this points? The best Quality Price. not the tire to run all time up pt 200km/h but I want a tire with reability.
Have a look at the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S or Continental Sport Contact 6.
German tire prices must be different than ours in the UK as both the Bridgestone Turanza Evo (marginally cheaper) and Goodyear Eagle F1 are BOTH cheaper than the Conti Prem 6 in that size (tireleader UK). Since a seperate mark is given above for the wear and cost (original test had projected mileage and a cost/mileage ratio) its at least misleading to mark down both these tires for cost alone against the Conti. This being a UK site where UK tire prices are applicable.
Checked tire prices with reifenleader.de...and yip......both the Bridgestone and Goodyear are cheaper than the Conti .....Conti gets a 7 for cost and Bridgetsone a 3?? ..is this a joke?
We used the cost/mileage ratio in our cost column field. While the Bridgestone is slightly cheaper, it also performed extremely poorly in the wear test.
Then the word 'value' would have been a better choice.
Fair point, I'll add a note to the article and get our database back end updated so that we can use both cost and value in the future.
What would you recommend ?ContiPremiumContact5 vs Pirelli Cinturato P7 blue vs GoodYear Efficiency Grip Performance vs Primacy 3 vs Hankook Ventus Prime 3 vs Bridgestone T001 EVO, size 205.55.r16. Priority is safety...wet and dry braking and also handling wet and dry.
The Auto Express test should answer your question :)
http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
Thanks for your reply..... Soon am i going to buy new set of tires probably CPC5 or Cinturato p7 blue.Will write a review.
Currently my MK 4 GOLF is on Pilot Sport 3, 5th year 50.000km and still has tread more than 3mm, steering feedback is also great ...... First 2 years they were excellent.... but now the rubber has turned into plastic ....PS3 are very good tires but too sporty for my car
Would you recommend a comfort and low noise, summer tire for 205/45 R16?
Looking at the range there doesn't seem to be much choice from the latest tire technology.
http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
The new Bridgestone T001 Evo is scoring really well and is the newest tire in that list.
As for the test results, about the Pirelli cinturato p7 blue, could i please ask, how can the Negative be "lowest resistance to aquaplaning", and the Positive be "Good handling on wet roads". Doesn't low resistance to aquaplaning mean that the handling on wet roads is Not that good?
Aquaplaning tests are tested in "deep" water, somewhere around 8-10mm of standing water, and represent a very deep puddle. This requires the tire to evacuate the water via the tread, and means the tread pattern is the most important thing.
Wet testing is done in shallow water, around 1mm which represents a normal wet road. This means the compound of the tire is far more important.
This is why a tire can have very contrasting results in the two tests.
Hi, my name is Panos. Which tire you recommend for punto t-jet in 205/45/17? I'm devided between three tires. Hankook ventus prime 3, kumho ecsta le sport ku39 and fulda sportcontrol 2. (Greek roads aren't good)...
Hi Panos,
Difficult choice! The Fulda and Hankook would be both excellent choices, with perhaps the Fulda being the choice for a more sporty car, and the Hankook for a more comfort bias option.
Thank you very much for your answer! Probably i'll choose fulda..!
Does anybody know when will the be available in 17" ?
When what will be?
Sorry i meant to say: When will PS4S be available in 17"?
There's no current plans for 17 or 18 inch PS4S in Europe, sadly certainly not in 2017.
Why does the Michelin Primacy 3 get 9th? A total score of 53, shouldn't it make it the runner up?
The overall result is weighted in favour of wet performance, where the Michelin scored badly.
Would you recommend the Sava Intensa UHP 2 for a 250HP Golf 5 Gti (225/40/18) ? Im divided between these and the Nexen N'Fera SU4 ....
The new Sava looks to be a good tire, but then so does the new Falken and Fulda which should be in a similar price bracket!
Hello,
Which Hankook tires were tested in this test, Prime 2 or Prime 3?.. In tire shootout there are Prime 3 and in this article Prime 2. But as I understand twenty best tires had been taken from shootout to test further.
Prime 3, this is a database error we still haven't fixed! Will update now, sorry for the confusion.
Hello, a quick question, what summer tire would you recommend in 155 70 R13 size? I'd like an overall good tire but one that produces the least noise. Thanks in advance.
While we don't have much experience of tires in that size, the Uniroyal RainExpert is reviewed really well
http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
Thanks for the advice!
It's hard to know how to reply sensibly given the vagueness of the criterion 'overall good tire' although we do get told that within the set satisfying it (whatever it is) you would then choose least noisy. All tires trade off performance across conflicting parameters' demands & a clearer understanding of your priorities would have helped.
That said, what puzzles me about this advice is why the RE, not its successor the RE3, is recommended. I don't know of a parameter of performance upon which the earlier type would beat the later one.
Hi just curious, was the wear test on a track or normal road and driving conditions? Also what speed was the braking tests carried out at?
Sorry, we was 80km/h and dry 100km/h.
Regarding wear, we're not entirely sure, but we're almost certain it wasn't a full road test as for that many sets of tires it would have cost a lot of money.
In my opinion wear tests should be on normal roads and driving conditions
We agree, unfortunately they are very expensive and time consuming to do, which is why a lot of tests don't include wear.
It would be interesting to test some, or all if possible, of these tires in a fwd car, to see how they will behave. A fwd bmw could be such a car.
Most of the other tire tests on this site are on FWD cars, check out the "similar tire tests" section above.
I don't know why my post was deleted.
What tire has been tested, the new Ventus Prime 3 (present in the full shootout) or the old Ventus Prime 2?
George, I didn't delete any posts, might be a disqus error.
Top spot on the tire issue, I'll get it updated ASAP. Thank you.
To George: that is an excessively vague comment/question.
To Jonathan: so, where is "the data"?
Ok, perhaps it is vague, let me explain.
In the first part of the test (see the link above http://www.tirereviews.co.u... they tested the new Ventus Prime 3.
In this test, they talk about the old Ventus Prime 2.
So I want to know where is the mistake.
In the shoot-out, or in this test.
It's in the page. If you're seeing white gaps on the page you might need to enable JS / try a different browser. It's rendered using javascript and google's chart API, it should be fairly cross browser compatible but YMMV!
Ventus Prime 2??? In the full 52 tire shootout the tire tested was Ventus Prime 3.
http://www.tirereviews.co.u...