When it comes to trying new things in tire tests, the German publication Auto Bild leads the way, and with their latest SUV 4x4 all season tire tire test they are once again pushing new ground.
Not only do they test six all season tires in the SUV / 4x4 size of 235/60 R18 and include reference summer and winter tires, but they also include two all terrain (AT) off-road tires. These AT tires aren't specifically designed to work in snow and ice like the all season tires have been, instead they have a more off-road bias to their performance bend. Even with this added off-road performance, they still qualify as legal all season tires thanks to them being marked with the "three peaks mountain and snowflake" symbol.
As a result, the AT tires have a very different performance blend to the all season tires on test, and while their snow performance was surprisingly OK, this test shows how badly they perform on-road, specifically in the wet.
Read on for the full details! For reference, the two AT tires are the Yokohama Geolander AT G015, and the General Grabber AT3.
Dry
In the dry the results are fairly close other than the reference summer tire and summer-bias all season Michelin having a significant advantage during the dry braking tests. The winter tire manages to beat two of the all season tires, and the AT tires struggle to make any impact.
Dry Braking
Dry braking in feet
Lower is better ↓| Position / Tire | Result | Gap to best |
|---|---|---|
RefReference Summer |
124 ft | -2 ft |
| 126 ft | Best | |
| 134 ft | +8 ft | |
| 137 ft | +11 ft | |
| 138 ft | +12 ft | |
| 139 ft | +13 ft | |
RefReference Winter |
140 ft | +14 ft |
| 140 ft | +14 ft | |
| 142 ft | +16 ft | |
| 142 ft | +16 ft |
The difference between best and worst was 14.5% (18 ft ≈ 1.2 Car Lengths).
During dry handling the Summer and Michelin CrossClimate again lead the pack, with the Vredestein Quatrac 5 SUV having another excellent result. Once more, the General Grabber AT3 struggles in the dry and finishes in last place, buy a significant margin.
Dry Handling
Dry Handling Average Speed
Higher is better ↑| Position / Tire | Result | Gap to best |
|---|---|---|
RefReference Summer |
51.6 mph | +0.2 mph |
| 51.4 mph | Best | |
| 51.4 mph | 0.0 mph | |
| 51.1 mph | -0.3 mph | |
| 51.0 mph | -0.4 mph | |
| 50.9 mph | -0.5 mph | |
| 50.7 mph | -0.7 mph | |
| 50.6 mph | -0.8 mph | |
RefReference Winter |
50.6 mph | -0.8 mph |
| 49.9 mph | -1.5 mph |
The difference between best and worst was 3.3% (1.7 mph).
Wet
While the AT tires were weak in the dry, the wet testing shows an even bigger issue for the off-road tires. During wet braking the Michelin CrossClimate SUV and Vredestein Quatrac 5 SUV once again provided to be the class of the pack, beating even the summer tire when stopping the SUV. Both AT tires finished in last places, with the General Grabber AT3 taking a huge 64 feet longer to stop the test vehicle than the best tire on test.
Wet Braking
Wet braking in feet
Lower is better ↓| Position / Tire | Result | Gap to best |
|---|---|---|
| 161 ft | Best | |
RefReference Summer |
163 ft | +2 ft |
| 163 ft | +2 ft | |
| 165 ft | +4 ft | |
| 165 ft | +4 ft | |
RefReference Winter |
172 ft | +11 ft |
| 173 ft | +12 ft | |
| 178 ft | +17 ft | |
| 191 ft | +30 ft | |
| 225 ft | +64 ft |
The difference between best and worst was 39.6% (64 ft ≈ 4.3 Car Lengths).
While the wet handling test slightly altered the result of the best tires on test, it made no difference to the worse, with both AT tires once again finishing last.
Wet Handling
Wet Handling Average Speed
Higher is better ↑| Position / Tire | Result | Gap to best |
|---|---|---|
| 45.4 mph | Best | |
| 45.3 mph | -0.1 mph | |
RefReference Summer |
44.9 mph | -0.5 mph |
| 44.0 mph | -1.4 mph | |
| 43.9 mph | -1.5 mph | |
RefReference Winter |
43.5 mph | -1.9 mph |
| 43.2 mph | -2.2 mph | |
| 43.2 mph | -2.2 mph | |
| 42.1 mph | -3.3 mph | |
| 38.5 mph | -6.9 mph |
The difference between best and worst was 15.2% (6.9 mph).
The straight aquaplaning tests also favored the all season tires.
Straight Aqua
Float Speed in mph
Higher is better ↑| Position / Tire | Result | Gap to best |
|---|---|---|
| 48.2 mph | Best | |
| 48.2 mph | Best | |
RefReference Summer |
47.0 mph | -1.2 mph |
| 46.4 mph | -1.8 mph | |
| 45.7 mph | -2.5 mph | |
| 44.0 mph | -4.2 mph | |
| 43.8 mph | -4.4 mph | |
RefReference Winter |
42.6 mph | -5.6 mph |
| 42.4 mph | -5.8 mph | |
| 40.3 mph | -7.9 mph |
The difference between best and worst was 16.4% (7.9 mph).
Snow
The snow handling tests were slightly better for the AT tires than the wet testing, with the more off-road bias tires vastly out performing the summer tires, and in the mix with the all seasons, albeit towards the back of the group in both snow handling and snow braking.
Snow Braking
Snow braking in feet
Lower is better ↓| Position / Tire | Result | Gap to best |
|---|---|---|
RefReference Winter |
78 ft | -2 ft |
| 80 ft | Best | |
| 82 ft | +2 ft | |
| 84 ft | +4 ft | |
| 86 ft | +6 ft | |
| 91 ft | +11 ft | |
| 91 ft | +11 ft | |
| 91 ft | +11 ft | |
| 95 ft | +15 ft | |
RefReference Summer |
234 ft | +154 ft |
The difference between best and worst was 201.3% (156 ft ≈ 10.6 Car Lengths).
Snow Handling
Snow handling average speed
Higher is better ↑| Position / Tire | Result | Gap to best |
|---|---|---|
RefReference Winter |
31.8 mph | +0.5 mph |
| 31.3 mph | Best | |
| 30.9 mph | -0.4 mph | |
| 30.9 mph | -0.4 mph | |
| 30.8 mph | -0.5 mph | |
| 30.8 mph | -0.5 mph | |
| 30.3 mph | -1.0 mph | |
| 30.1 mph | -1.2 mph | |
| 29.3 mph | -2.0 mph | |
RefReference Summer |
21.3 mph | -10.0 mph |
The difference between best and worst was 33.2% (10.5 mph).
Environment
Unsurprisingly, the AT tires had the highest rolling resistance on test, but surprisingly were both the quietest tires, not something we expected to see.
Rolling Resistance
Rolling resistance in kg t
Lower is better ↓| Position / Tire | Result | Gap to best | Extra fuel / year |
|---|---|---|---|
RefReference Summer |
6.45 kg/t | -0.67 kg/t | $0 |
| 7.12 kg/t | Best | $0 | |
| 8.01 kg/t | +0.89 kg/t | $37 | |
| 8.03 kg/t | +0.91 kg/t | $38 | |
RefReference Winter |
8.16 kg/t | +1.04 kg/t | $43 |
| 8.18 kg/t | +1.06 kg/t | $44 | |
| 8.18 kg/t | +1.06 kg/t | $44 | |
| 8.84 kg/t | +1.72 kg/t | $71 | |
| 9.48 kg/t | +2.36 kg/t | $97 | |
| 9.87 kg/t | +2.75 kg/t | $113 |
The difference between best and worst was 53% (3.42 kg / t). Over 12,000 miles a year at $3.60/gal, the General Grabber AT3 uses about 32 gal ($113) more fuel than the Michelin CrossClimate SUV.
Adjust the assumptions
Calculated estimates, not additional measurements. Use the controls to explore the assumptions.
Noise
External noise in dB
Lower is better ↓| Position / Tire | Result | Gap to best |
|---|---|---|
| 72.2 dB | Best | |
| 72.2 dB | Best | |
| 72.6 dB | +0.40 dB | |
| 73 dB | +0.80 dB | |
RefReference Summer |
73.4 dB | +1.20 dB |
| 73.9 dB | +1.70 dB | |
| 74.1 dB | +1.90 dB | |
RefReference Winter |
74.2 dB | +2.00 dB |
| 74.6 dB | +2.40 dB | |
| 74.9 dB | +2.70 dB |
The difference between best and worst was 3.7% (2.7 dB).
Results
The full results and testers comments can be found below. It's worth remembering that while the AT tires performed poorly in the wet compared to summer and all season tires, they're also designed to work off-road, in mud, sand, over rocks and on grass. In these conditions they would vastly outperform the summer tire, and would likely have an advantage over the all season tires too. That said, the wet performance of both the AT tires are significantly worse than normal summer and all season tires, so if your vehicle spends the majority of its life on-road, it's worth keeping this performance penalty in mind.
Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 SUV
235/60 R18
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 5 |
| Wet | 8 |
| Snow | 6 |
| Comfort | 7 |
| Rolling Resistance | 6 |
| Noise | 7 |
Total: 39
- Price
- 720.00
Michelin CrossClimate SUV
235/60 R18
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 8 |
| Wet | 7 |
| Snow | 5 |
| Comfort | 6 |
| Rolling Resistance | 9 |
| Noise | 6 |
Total: 41
- Price
- 720.00
Nokian WeatherProof SUV
235/60 R18
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 5 |
| Wet | 7 |
| Snow | 6 |
| Comfort | 5 |
| Rolling Resistance | 6 |
| Noise | 6 |
Total: 35
- Price
- 640.00
Vredestein Quatrac 5 SUV
235/60 R18
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 7 |
| Wet | 7 |
| Snow | 5 |
| Comfort | 7 |
| Rolling Resistance | 6 |
| Noise | 5 |
Total: 37
- Price
- 600.00
Hankook Kinergy 4S
235/60 R18
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 5 |
| Wet | 6 |
| Snow | 5 |
| Comfort | 7 |
| Rolling Resistance | 6 |
| Noise | 5 |
Total: 34
- Price
- 580.00
Mastersteel ALL WEATHER M
235/60 R18
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 4 |
| Wet | 4 |
| Snow | 5 |
| Comfort | 5 |
| Rolling Resistance | 5 |
| Noise | 7 |
Total: 30
- Price
- 430.00
Yokohama Geolandar AT G015
235/60 R18
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 5 |
| Wet | 3 |
| Snow | 3 |
| Comfort | 3 |
| Rolling Resistance | 3 |
| Noise | 7 |
Total: 24
- Price
- 580.00
General Grabber AT3
235/60 R18
All discipline results (6)
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Dry | 3 |
| Wet | 5 |
| Snow | 2 |
| Comfort | 4 |
| Rolling Resistance | 2 |
| Noise | 7 |
Total: 23
- Price
- 630.00
In the graphs, the text is missing for the Goodyear tires - on the left of the bars. But am loving the reviews.
I just updated the site to help with that as some of the tire names are too long, this one is even longer! I'll try and make another update, thank you again for the notice :)
Sounds like a similar result to the ordinary car AS tires - CrossClimates are best for the Midlands and Southern half of the UK where we only get a maximum of 1 week of snow a year on average; the Goodyears for Northern and less sheltered parts that regularly get snow in winter months.