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2018 Auto Bild Winter Tire Test

Jonathan Benson
Data analyzed and reviewed by Jonathan Benson
11 min read Updated
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Discussion

29 comments
  1. Dave archived

    I don't get it. How snow tires can be 27 meters in snow braking meanwhile all-season tires in snow braking is 16.9 meters. So... with these tests all-season tires are better then winter tires? Can someone explain it to me?

    #7635
    1. Dave Dave archived

      Just trying to figure out the distance of snow braking by Gislaved Euro Frost 6 vs Michelin CrossClimate2 and how worse all-season tires are. But i'm confused now. It can't be that All-season tires have better snow braking.

      #7636
      1. TireReviews Dave archived

        The all season tire was better than ONE winter tire in this test (from 2018) so I'm not sure what's confusing. There's bad winter tires and good all season tires

        #7637
        1. Deividas Štrimaitis TireReviews archived

          How so? Take for example the worst all-season tire Vredestein (18.08 meters) and compare to the best winter tire GoodYear Ultragrip (27 meters). So.. even the worst all-season tire outperformed the best winter tire by 9 meters shorter distance? Maybe i'm not understanding something.

          #7638
          1. Deividas Štrimaitis Deividas Štrimaitis archived

            Okey i think i got it. Numbers are just wrong in 2018 winter braking, cuz in your youtube video results seem fine and 2021 winter tire results are also fine.

            #7639
              1. Deividas Štrimaitis TireReviews archived

                I'm looking at this page above. 2018 winter tire snow braking. Best tire is 27 meters. And then i'm looking at 2021 all-season tires. Best tire at snow braking is 16.91 meters. And for example 2021 best winter tire is 15.67 meters. You sure it's correct numbers in 2018? 27 meters was the best? Just scroll up and check snow braking. If it's correct then it means over 3 years tires have improved alot. Hopefully now you understood ?

                #7641
                  1. Deividas Štrimaitis TireReviews archived

                    Yeah i didn't understand at first sorry. I thought both tests are yours. Cheers ? still would be interesting to see gislaved euro frost 6 vs. michelin crossclimate 2 but i'm sure difference wouldn't be big anyways.

                    #7646
              2. Deividas Štrimaitis TireReviews archived

                It could be that i'm comparing auto bild results to your results. Auto bild results seem very different than yours. Maybe that's the issue.

                #7642
  2. Alison Munn archived

    Looking for advice on 225/55 19 winter tire for SUV Xtrail. In Yorkshire but drive to Germany and Switzerland in winter.

    #5186
    1. TireReviews Alison Munn archived

      All the usual suspects work well in the SUV sizes :)

      #5187
  3. Andy Holmes archived

    Can't believe I missed the Kleber! Just fallen for the tread pattern, looking at tests and reviews to try and put myself off has conversely resulted in me wishing to advertise a kidney on ebay..... No winter suitable tires this year leaves me feeling vulnerable. Anybody want a kidney? :-)
    I know, Im sad, I should covet X-boxes or something, but im afraid tires are much more desirable.... :-/

    #4051
  4. Peter Mellor archived

    Hi All, From the data on the winter tires it seems that they could be used all season - would you say that this would be OK? - certainly from a cost basis - it would save money!

    #4014
    1. TireReviews Peter Mellor archived

      I'll answer with a question - if you want an all season tire, why not fit an all season tire?

      #4015
      1. Peter Mellor TireReviews archived

        I suppose its more to do with the latter part of my comment - they cost 3x as much!

        #4016
        1. TireReviews Peter Mellor archived

          A good all season and a good winter tire are pretty much priced the same!

          #4017
          1. Peter Mellor TireReviews archived

            I appreciate that - as the results of the Auto Bild test had the 20 tires cost from £64.70 to £41.60 - the older test of all season I understood to be £138 plus on those tested! If you can point me to the All season tire at the £40 to £60 mark I'd be pleased. BUT I wonder if you could say that the winter tire CAN be used all year safely or NOT?

            #4018
            1. TireReviews Peter Mellor archived

              I would guess those two tests tested different sizes hence the different prices shown...

              #4019
              1. Peter Mellor TireReviews archived

                Yes I see - was just checking the comparison and my size at 17" are significantly more than the 13" which matches the quoted price on this article. Will continue to check through and make a decision on balance between the All season and Winter as I go!

                #4020
  5. Jonathan Sweet archived

    Hi there - I have been enjoying your videos on Youtube and have now subscribed. This is the first year that I am planning on running a dedicated winter tire on a mk7 Golf R. The challenge I am finding is that a lot of the tires don't come in 235/35/19 - which is a fairly common performance size. The new Conti 860p does not come in that size, but I am thinking of plumping for the older Conti 850p (quite expensive for an older tire though). I have yet to find any winter tryre test reviews for this size, but thought I would see if you have any views or thoughts.

    Cheers

    Jon

    #3976
    1. TireReviews Jonathan Sweet archived

      Thanks for the kind words. In that size my money would go to Conti, Goodyear or Michelin, can't really go wrong with any of the big three!

      #3977
  6. Igor Voćanec archived

    Hi John, I have a question and you're probably the only one that can get an answer.
    As you know, manufacturers sell brand new "old" model tire. For example Conti WinterContact TS830P is still sold today in some dimensions, DOT XX18, even if the model is very old.
    How does this tire compound compare to original compound from years ago when this model was introduced? I'm sure it was updated... What do you think? Is this comparable to say TS850P? Thanks!

    #3935
    1. TireReviews Igor Voćanec archived

      The compounds do get updated, but there's no guarantee that it has been updated. Usually the newer tire is the better option as they have more advanced tread patterns and constructions.

      #3939
      1. Igor Voćanec TireReviews archived

        Thanks! I know that newer tire is better, it's just that some tires are only available as older models in certain dimensions

        #3941
    2. Kolemjdouci Igor Voćanec archived

      The logical reply is: The current compound is the same or potentially improved, as this is usually not explicitly commented and you would need to ask the producer directly.

      What is known more general is the models comparison, e.g. here: http://www.tirereviews.co.u...
      or here: https://www.continental-tyr...

      Would be useful if you can mention what kind of rare dimension you have that you can't find newer model than TS 830P...curious!

      Plus don't forget that newest successor for the UHP category from the given producer is http://www.tirereviews.co.u...

      Hope this helps.

      #3947
  7. Andy Holmes archived

    Seems to me they've placed too much emphasis on rolling resistance, looking at the graphs the Hankook is a bloody exceptional tire, yet it ended up quite low down. I can only see the rolling resistance weighting causing this, yet, the economy difference is very slight in real terms, and surely the significant safety benefits offered are of more importance in the winter...

    #3904
    1. TireReviews Andy Holmes archived

      I agree, but 5th overall is still an excellent result for Hankook!

      #3913