2021 AMS Winter Tire Test - Tire reviews and ratings

Tire	Bridgestone Blizzak LM005	Continental WinterContact TS 870	Vredestein Wintrac	BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	Michelin Alpin 6	Goodyear UltraGrip 9+	Pirelli Cinturato Winter	Falken Eurowinter HS01	GT Radial WinterPro2	Toyo Observe S 944
Position	1^st	2^nd	3^rd	4^th	5^th	Joint 6^th	Joint 6^th	8^th	9^th	10^th
Category scores (% of best)
Dry	97.7%	97.2%	99%	97.2%	99.6%	95.1%	96.3%	96.3%	98%	97.9%
Wet	99.2%	95.1%	94.1%	92.6%	93.7%	93.5%	92.1%	95.2%	92.3%	93.1%
Snow	98.1%	98.5%	97%	99.9%	96.5%	98.4%	98.5%	96.7%	95.4%	92.9%
Comfort	98.5%	99.7%	99.6%	99.4%	99.6%	96.7%	99.4%	100%	99.3%	99.4%
Rolling Resistance	94.1%	100%	90.9%	82.5%	87.9%	96.4%	89.9%	76.2%	90.9%	88.9%
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The 2021 Auto Motor und Sport winter tire test tested ten popular central European winter tires in 195/55 R16. This size is used for vehicles such as the Audi A1, Dacia Sandero, Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2, Peugeot 208 and many more.

The Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 took another convincing test win, proving to be excellent in the wet and dry while still having reasonable snow performance.

The new Continental WinterContact TS870 also performed well with the lowest rolling resistance on test, excellent snow handling and low noise, it was however a little weaker in dry braking than the best on test.

The new Vredestein Wintrac rounded out the top three places, and like the new Vredestein Quatrac this tire excelled in wet handling, it was excellent in all braking tests and regarded as one of the sportiest feeling tires on test.

The other interesting result was BFGoodrich beating Michelin with a very strong snow performance, which is unusual for a second brand to beat the primary brand. The magazine recommended the BFGoodrich for climates which see a lot of snow.

Dry

The Michelin Alpin 6 had the shortest dry braking distances, narrowly beating the Vredestein Wintrac. Both these tires had a significant lead to the third place GT Radial. The Goodyear UltraGrip 9+ unusually struggled in the dry braking test.

Dry Braking
Position / Tire	Result
1Michelin Alpin 6	100 %
2Vredestein Wintrac	100 %
3GT Radial WinterPro2	96 %
4Bridgestone Blizzak LM005	96 %
4Toyo Observe S 944	96 %
6Pirelli Cinturato Winter	96 %
7BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	95 %
8Continental WinterContact TS 870	95 %
9Falken Eurowinter HS01	94 %
10Goodyear UltraGrip 9+	92 %

The difference between best and worst was 8%.

Dry handling mixed up the order with the Toyo Observe S944 leading the pack and the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 placing second. GT Radial retained its third position.

Dry Handling
Position / Tire	Result
1Toyo Observe S 944	100 %
2GT Radial WinterPro2	100 %
2Bridgestone Blizzak LM005	100 %
4Continental WinterContact TS 870	99 %
5BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	99 %
6Michelin Alpin 6	99 %
7Falken Eurowinter HS01	98 %
7Vredestein Wintrac	98 %
9Goodyear UltraGrip 9+	98 %
10Pirelli Cinturato Winter	97 %

All the tires in the Dry Handling test finished less than 3% apart.

Wet

The Bridgestone LM005 is known as a wet braking specialist, and once again it dominated the test stopping the test Seat Ibiza nearly 7 feet shorter than the second placed Falken Eurowinter HS01 with the Wintrac in third.

Wet Braking
Position / Tire	Result
1Bridgestone Blizzak LM005	100 %
2Falken Eurowinter HS01	94 %
3Vredestein Wintrac	92 %
4GT Radial WinterPro2	91 %
4Continental WinterContact TS 870	91 %
6Michelin Alpin 6	91 %
7BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	90 %
8Toyo Observe S 944	89 %
9Goodyear UltraGrip 9+	87 %
10Pirelli Cinturato Winter	84 %

The difference between best and worst was 16%.

Vredestein and Bridgestone also performed well during wet handling.

Wet Handling
Position / Tire	Result
1Vredestein Wintrac	100 %
2Bridgestone Blizzak LM005	100 %
3Goodyear UltraGrip 9+	99 %
4Toyo Observe S 944	99 %
5Michelin Alpin 6	98 %
6Falken Eurowinter HS01	98 %
7Continental WinterContact TS 870	98 %
8Pirelli Cinturato Winter	96 %
8BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	96 %
8GT Radial WinterPro2	96 %

The difference between best and worst was 4%.

Pirelli had a significant advantage during straight aquaplaning. Curved aquaplaning results can be found at the bottom of the page.

Straight Aqua
Position / Tire	Result
1Pirelli Cinturato Winter	100 %
2Falken Eurowinter HS01	96 %
2Continental WinterContact TS 870	96 %
4Bridgestone Blizzak LM005	95 %
5BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	95 %
6Goodyear UltraGrip 9+	94 %
7Michelin Alpin 6	94 %
8Toyo Observe S 944	92 %
9Vredestein Wintrac	90 %
10GT Radial WinterPro2	88 %

The difference between best and worst was 12%.

Snow

The important snow braking test was led by Vredestein, with BFGoodrich and Bridgestone close behind.

Snow Braking
Position / Tire	Result
1Vredestein Wintrac	100 %
2BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	100 %
2Bridgestone Blizzak LM005	100 %
4Pirelli Cinturato Winter	99 %
5Falken Eurowinter HS01	99 %
6GT Radial WinterPro2	98 %
6Goodyear UltraGrip 9+	98 %
6Continental WinterContact TS 870	98 %
9Michelin Alpin 6	98 %
10Toyo Observe S 944	96 %

The difference between best and worst was 4%.

BFGoodrich again performed well in snow traction.

Snow Traction
Position / Tire	Result
1Pirelli Cinturato Winter	100 %
1BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	100 %
1Goodyear UltraGrip 9+	100 %
4Bridgestone Blizzak LM005	99 %
4Continental WinterContact TS 870	99 %
6Vredestein Wintrac	98 %
7Michelin Alpin 6	97 %
8GT Radial WinterPro2	95 %
9Falken Eurowinter HS01	94 %
10Toyo Observe S 944	92 %

The difference between best and worst was 8%.

Confirming the BFGoodrich is the best overall in snow, it was also fastest around the snow handling lap.

Snow Handling
Position / Tire	Result
1BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	100 %
2Continental WinterContact TS 870	98 %
3Falken Eurowinter HS01	97 %
4Goodyear UltraGrip 9+	97 %
5Pirelli Cinturato Winter	96 %
6Bridgestone Blizzak LM005	96 %
7Michelin Alpin 6	95 %
8Vredestein Wintrac	94 %
9GT Radial WinterPro2	93 %
10Toyo Observe S 944	91 %

The difference between best and worst was 9%.

Environment

The Falken and Continental tires had the lowest external noise.

Noise
Position / Tire	Result
1Falken Eurowinter HS01	100 %
2Continental WinterContact TS 870	100 %
3Michelin Alpin 6	100 %
3Vredestein Wintrac	100 %
5Pirelli Cinturato Winter	99 %
5BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	99 %
5Toyo Observe S 944	99 %
8GT Radial WinterPro2	99 %
9Bridgestone Blizzak LM005	98 %
10Goodyear UltraGrip 9+	97 %

All the tires in the Noise test finished less than 3% apart.

Continental also had the lowest fuel use on test.

Rolling Resistance
Position / Tire	Result
1Continental WinterContact TS 870	100 %
2Goodyear UltraGrip 9+	96 %
3Bridgestone Blizzak LM005	94 %
4GT Radial WinterPro2	91 %
4Vredestein Wintrac	91 %
6Pirelli Cinturato Winter	90 %
7Toyo Observe S 944	89 %
8Michelin Alpin 6	88 %
9BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2	82 %
10Falken Eurowinter HS01	76 %

The difference between best and worst was 24%.

The magazine provided pricing had Pirelli even more expensive than the Michelin, with the Vredestein looking great value considering its overall result.

Results

Dry97.7%

Wet99.2%

Snow98.1%

Comfort98.5%

Rolling Resistance94.1%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (11)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	%
Dry Braking	4^th / 10	95.75%
Dry Handling	2^nd / 10	99.56%
Wet Braking	1^st / 10	100%
Wet Handling	2^nd / 10	99.86%
Straight Aqua	4^th / 10	95.1%
Curved Aquaplaning	3^rd / 10	97.26%
Snow Braking	2^nd / 10	99.69%
Snow Traction	4^th / 10	98.94%
Snow Handling	6^th / 10	95.77%
Noise	9^th / 10	98.47%
Rolling Resistance	3^rd / 10	94.12%

EU Label: C/A/71
Weight: 7.97 kgs
Tread: 8.2 mm
Price: 103.00

Dry97.2%

Wet95.1%

Snow98.5%

Comfort99.7%

Rolling Resistance100%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (11)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	%
Dry Braking	8^th / 10	94.9%
Dry Handling	4^th / 10	99.48%
Wet Braking	4^th / 10	91.28%
Wet Handling	7^th / 10	97.5%
Straight Aqua	2^nd / 10	95.67%
Curved Aquaplaning	1^st / 10	100%
Snow Braking	6^th / 10	98.49%
Snow Traction	4^th / 10	98.94%
Snow Handling	2^nd / 10	98.16%
Noise	2^nd / 10	99.72%
Rolling Resistance	1^st / 10	100%

EU Label: C/B/70
Weight: 7.58 kgs
Tread: 8.6 mm
Price: 103.00

Dry99%

Wet94.1%

Snow97%

Comfort99.6%

Rolling Resistance90.9%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (11)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	%
Dry Braking	2^nd / 10	99.53%
Dry Handling	7^th / 10	98.43%
Wet Braking	3^rd / 10	92.43%
Wet Handling	1^st / 10	100%
Straight Aqua	9^th / 10	90.31%
Curved Aquaplaning	10^th / 10	81.16%
Snow Braking	1^st / 10	100%
Snow Traction	6^th / 10	97.88%
Snow Handling	8^th / 10	93.57%
Noise	3^rd / 10	99.58%
Rolling Resistance	4^th / 10	90.91%

EU Label: C/B/70
Weight: 7.61 kgs
Tread: 8.15 mm
Price: 92.00

Dry97.2%

Wet92.6%

Snow99.9%

Comfort99.4%

Rolling Resistance82.5%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (11)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	%
Dry Braking	7^th / 10	95.11%
Dry Handling	5^th / 10	99.3%
Wet Braking	7^th / 10	89.88%
Wet Handling	8^th / 10	96.25%
Straight Aqua	5^th / 10	94.75%
Curved Aquaplaning	6^th / 10	86.32%
Snow Braking	2^nd / 10	99.69%
Snow Traction	1^st / 10	100%
Snow Handling	1^st / 10	100%
Noise	5^th / 10	99.44%
Rolling Resistance	9^th / 10	82.47%

EU Label: D/B/69
Weight: 8.36 kgs
Tread: 7.9 mm
Price: 98.00

Dry99.6%

Wet93.7%

Snow96.5%

Comfort99.6%

Rolling Resistance87.9%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (11)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	%
Dry Braking	1^st / 10	100%
Dry Handling	6^th / 10	99.21%
Wet Braking	6^th / 10	90.99%
Wet Handling	5^th / 10	98.33%
Straight Aqua	7^th / 10	93.5%
Curved Aquaplaning	6^th / 10	86.32%
Snow Braking	9^th / 10	98.19%
Snow Traction	7^th / 10	96.83%
Snow Handling	7^th / 10	94.85%
Noise	3^rd / 10	99.58%
Rolling Resistance	8^th / 10	87.91%

EU Label: D/B/69
Weight: 8.31 kgs
Tread: 7.45 mm
Price: 123.00

Dry95.1%

Wet93.5%

Snow98.4%

Comfort96.7%

Rolling Resistance96.4%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (11)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	%
Dry Braking	10^th / 10	91.85%
Dry Handling	9^th / 10	98.34%
Wet Braking	9^th / 10	86.94%
Wet Handling	3^rd / 10	99.31%
Straight Aqua	6^th / 10	94.3%
Curved Aquaplaning	4^th / 10	95.74%
Snow Braking	6^th / 10	98.49%
Snow Traction	1^st / 10	100%
Snow Handling	4^th / 10	96.69%
Noise	10^th / 10	96.71%
Rolling Resistance	2^nd / 10	96.39%

EU Label: C/B/72
Weight: 8.2 kgs
Tread: 8.6 mm
Price: 97.00

Dry96.3%

Wet92.1%

Snow98.5%

Comfort99.4%

Rolling Resistance89.9%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (11)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	%
Dry Braking	6^th / 10	95.54%
Dry Handling	10^th / 10	97.03%
Wet Braking	10^th / 10	84.2%
Wet Handling	8^th / 10	96.25%
Straight Aqua	1^st / 10	100%
Curved Aquaplaning	2^nd / 10	98.78%
Snow Braking	4^th / 10	99.39%
Snow Traction	1^st / 10	100%
Snow Handling	5^th / 10	96.32%
Noise	5^th / 10	99.44%
Rolling Resistance	6^th / 10	89.89%

EU Label: C/B/67
Weight: 7.39 kgs
Tread: 8.9 mm
Price: 127.00

Dry96.3%

Wet95.2%

Snow96.7%

Comfort100%

Rolling Resistance76.2%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (11)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	%
Dry Braking	9^th / 10	94.07%
Dry Handling	7^th / 10	98.43%
Wet Braking	2^nd / 10	94.21%
Wet Handling	6^th / 10	98.19%
Straight Aqua	2^nd / 10	95.67%
Curved Aquaplaning	5^th / 10	86.63%
Snow Braking	5^th / 10	99.09%
Snow Traction	9^th / 10	94.18%
Snow Handling	3^rd / 10	97.06%
Noise	1^st / 10	100%
Rolling Resistance	10^th / 10	76.19%

EU Label: D/B/70
Weight: 8.91 kgs
Tread: 8.7 mm
Price: 75.00

Dry98%

Wet92.3%

Snow95.4%

Comfort99.3%

Rolling Resistance90.9%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (11)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	%
Dry Braking	3^rd / 10	96.4%
Dry Handling	2^nd / 10	99.56%
Wet Braking	4^th / 10	91.28%
Wet Handling	8^th / 10	96.25%
Straight Aqua	10^th / 10	88.03%
Curved Aquaplaning	8^th / 10	85.11%
Snow Braking	6^th / 10	98.49%
Snow Traction	8^th / 10	95.24%
Snow Handling	9^th / 10	92.83%
Noise	8^th / 10	99.3%
Rolling Resistance	4^th / 10	90.91%

EU Label: D/B/70
Weight: 7.98 kgs
Tread: 8.4 mm
Price: 91.00

Dry97.9%

Wet93.1%

Snow92.9%

Comfort99.4%

Rolling Resistance88.9%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (11)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	%
Dry Braking	4^th / 10	95.75%
Dry Handling	1^st / 10	100%
Wet Braking	8^th / 10	89.33%
Wet Handling	4^th / 10	99.03%
Straight Aqua	8^th / 10	92.36%
Curved Aquaplaning	8^th / 10	85.11%
Snow Braking	10^th / 10	96.45%
Snow Traction	10^th / 10	92.06%
Snow Handling	10^th / 10	90.81%
Noise	5^th / 10	99.44%
Rolling Resistance	7^th / 10	88.89%

EU Label: D/B/71
Weight: 8.2 kgs
Tread: 8.8 mm
Price: 98.00

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The evidence behind the verdict

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Environment

Results