Auto Bild Sportscars tested eight summer tires in 255/35 R19 and 275/35 R19 - a staggered fitment used on cars like the BMW Z4, BMW Supra, and F series BMW M3/M4 models. Testing took place at the Wachauring circuit in Austria, covering wet and dry handling, braking, aquaplaning, skidpad grip, noise, and rolling resistance. The BMW Z4 served as the test car. The field includes Continental, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Vredestein, Kumho, Michelin, Hankook, and Goodyear.
Test Summary
Aquaplaning balance with staggered fitments
The aquaplaning results highlight a challenge specific to staggered tire setups. Wider rear tires act more like surfboards in standing water, so they tend to lose contact with the road before the narrower fronts. The Michelin is the most extreme example: its front tire holds grip up to 90.2 km/h - the best in the test - but the rear floats at just 83.4 km/h, the worst. That means there's a window where the front axle is still steering normally but the rear has already lost grip, which can cause sudden oversteer in heavy rain. The Hankook is the opposite case, with both axles floating at exactly 87.9 km/h. Auto Bild Sportscars' advice is simple: back off the throttle in heavy rain, regardless of which tire you're running.
The Goodyear result
The Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport's last-place finish is worth some context. It lost over 15 km/h to the Continental on the wet handling course and needed 51.5 m to stop from 100 km/h in the wet - over 9 m more than the best. The testers attribute this not to the tire being fundamentally poor, but to a mismatch with the BMW Z4 in this specific staggered size combination.
I tested it myself a number of years ago using a Supra, and found it was tricky; yet in a more recent test with a VW Golf the Supra Sport was excellent in the wet. Sometimes there are just difficult sizes.
Dry Braking
The Continental stops shortest at 34.2 m, with the Bridgestone just 20 cm behind. The midfield is tightly packed, but Michelin, Goodyear, and Pirelli all exceed 36 m - notably, these are three established premium brands occupying the bottom three positions.
Dry Braking
Spread: 2.10 M (6.1%)|Avg: 35.36 M
Dry braking in meters (100 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
Continental SportContact 7
34.20 M
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
34.40 M
Vredestein Ultrac Pro
35.00 M
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo Z K129
35.40 M
Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72
35.40 M
Pirelli P Zero PZ5
36.00 M
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
36.20 M
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
36.30 M
Residual Speed Calculator
Dry Braking: Safety Impact: Best vs Worst Tire
Dry Handling
The Continental leads again at 108.4 km/h average, with Michelin second - both work well as a mixed-size setup with the Z4's chassis, turning in sharply and staying controllable at the limit. Vredestein, Bridgestone, and Hankook form a tight group in the middle. The Goodyear is a clear outlier at 103.1 km/h, over 5 km/h off the pace and described as unbalanced in its driving feel.
Dry Handling
Spread: 5.30 Km/H (4.9%)|Avg: 106.56 Km/H
Dry Handling Average Speed (Higher is better)
Continental SportContact 7
108.40 Km/H
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
107.90 Km/H
Vredestein Ultrac Pro
107.10 Km/H
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
107.00 Km/H
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo Z K129
106.90 Km/H
Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72
106.10 Km/H
Pirelli P Zero PZ5
106.00 Km/H
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
103.10 Km/H
Wet
Wet Braking
The Continental leads the wet braking test as well, stopping from 100 km/h in 42.4 m. The Goodyear needs 51.5 m - at the point where the Continental has already stopped, a car on Goodyears would still be travelling at nearly 40 km/h. The gap between first and last is far larger here than in the dry test, where the field was much closer together.
Wet Braking
Spread: 9.10 M (21.5%)|Avg: 46.38 M
Wet braking in meters (100 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
Continental SportContact 7
42.40 M
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
43.90 M
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo Z K129
46.00 M
Vredestein Ultrac Pro
46.20 M
Pirelli P Zero PZ5
46.70 M
Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72
47.00 M
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
47.30 M
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
51.50 M
Residual Speed Calculator
Wet Braking: Safety Impact: Best vs Worst Tire
Wet Handling
The Continental dominates the wet handling course at nearly 79 km/h average, offering precise turn-in and sharp feedback. Pirelli and Bridgestone follow with a clear gap. The Goodyear loses over 15 km/h to the leader - a very large deficit that matches its poor wet braking result and confirms it struggles in all wet-grip tests on this car.
Wet Handling
Spread: 15.40 Km/H (19.5%)|Avg: 72.61 Km/H
Wet Handling Average Speed (Higher is better)
Continental SportContact 7
78.90 Km/H
Pirelli P Zero PZ5
76.50 Km/H
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
75.10 Km/H
Vredestein Ultrac Pro
73.30 Km/H
Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72
72.00 Km/H
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
71.20 Km/H
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo Z K129
70.40 Km/H
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
63.50 Km/H
Wet Circle
Bridgestone and Continental build the highest lateral forces and keep the Z4 neutral longest. Pirelli is close behind. From Vredestein downwards the gaps grow, with Kumho and Hankook producing identical results. The Michelin - the most expensive tire in the test - lands second to last, while the Goodyear is again at the bottom.
Wet Circle
Spread: 2.40 s (19.2%)|Avg: 13.54 s
Wet Circle Lap Time in seconds (Lower is better)
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
12.50 s
Continental SportContact 7
12.60 s
Pirelli P Zero PZ5
12.70 s
Vredestein Ultrac Pro
13.30 s
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo Z K129
14.00 s
Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72
14.00 s
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
14.30 s
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
14.90 s
Straight Aquaplaning
The Michelin front tire resists aquaplaning longest, holding contact to 90.2 km/h - but the rear floats at just 83.4 km/h, giving it the largest front-to-rear imbalance in the field. The Hankook is the most balanced, with both axles floating at exactly 87.9 km/h. This test highlights how difficult mixed-size fitments are to get right: if the rear loses grip before the front, the car can oversteer without warning in heavy rain.
Straight Aqua
Spread: 2.80 Km/H (3.1%)|Avg: 88.38 Km/H
Float Speed in Km/H (Higher is better)
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
90.20 Km/H
Pirelli P Zero PZ5
88.90 Km/H
Vredestein Ultrac Pro
88.50 Km/H
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
88.30 Km/H
Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72
88.30 Km/H
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo Z K129
87.90 Km/H
Continental SportContact 7
87.50 Km/H
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
87.40 Km/H
Comfort
Subjective Comfort
Subj. Comfort
Spread: 1.40 Points (16.1%)|Avg: 7.91 Points
Subjective Comfort Score (Higher is better)
Continental SportContact 7
8.70 Points
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
8.70 Points
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo Z K129
8.00 Points
Vredestein Ultrac Pro
8.00 Points
Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72
8.00 Points
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
7.30 Points
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
7.30 Points
Pirelli P Zero PZ5
7.30 Points
Noise
The Vredestein is the quietest tire at 70.9 dB - worth noting in an open roadster where road noise is always present. Continental and Hankook share second place at 72.0 dB. The Goodyear and Bridgestone are the loudest at over 74 dB, more than 3 dB above the Vredestein, which is a clearly audible difference.
Noise
Spread: 3.30 dB (4.7%)|Avg: 72.71 dB
External noise in dB (Lower is better)
Vredestein Ultrac Pro
70.90 dB
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo Z K129
72.00 dB
Continental SportContact 7
72.00 dB
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
72.60 dB
Pirelli P Zero PZ5
72.60 dB
Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72
73.40 dB
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
74.00 dB
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
74.20 dB
Value
Rolling Resistance
Hankook and Vredestein achieve the best average rolling resistance across both axle sizes. All eight tires are relatively close in this test - there are no major outliers. Interestingly, the narrower front tires do not automatically roll more easily for every brand; the ranking changes between the 255 and 275 sizes depending on the manufacturer.
Rolling Resistance
Spread: 2.02 kg / t (24.4%)|Avg: 9.25 kg / t
Rolling resistance in kg t (Lower is better)
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo Z K129
8.29 kg / t
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
8.50 kg / t
Vredestein Ultrac Pro
8.69 kg / t
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
9.21 kg / t
Continental SportContact 7
9.59 kg / t
Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72
9.65 kg / t
Pirelli P Zero PZ5
9.73 kg / t
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
10.31 kg / t
Fuel & Energy Cost Calculator
19,000 km
£1.45/L
8.0 L/100km
--
Annual Difference
--
Lifetime Savings
--
Extra Fuel/Energy
--
Extra CO2
Estimates based on typical driving conditions. Rolling resistance accounts for approximately 20% of IC vehicle fuel consumption and 25% of EV energy consumption. Actual savings vary based on driving style, vehicle weight, road conditions, and tire age. For comparative purposes only. Lifetime savings based on a 40,000km / 25,000 mile tread life.
Results
The Continental SportContact 7 wins the test with strong leads in braking and handling on both wet and dry surfaces. The Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo is a close second. Seven of eight tires score "good" or better, which is a strong overall field. Budget options from Vredestein, Kumho, and Hankook perform well for the money.
The Continental SportContact 7 is the clear test winner and dominates across nearly every category. On the wet handling course it sets the benchmark with precise turn-in and sharp feedback from the steering. Dry handling is equally strong - the tire works well as a mixed-size setup with the Z4's chassis, turning in crisply and remaining controllable at the limit. Braking performance leads the field in both wet and dry conditions. The only downside is a slightly higher rolling resistance.
The Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo takes second place overall and is a strong performer in the wet, building high lateral forces on the skidpad and keeping the Z4 neutral on course. Steering feel is precise and the dry handling character is sporty, sitting in a tight midfield group. Dry braking is excellent, just 20 cm behind the Continental. On the negative side, pass-by noise and rolling resistance are both slightly elevated.
The Pirelli P Zero PZ5 is a wet-weather specialist with good aquaplaning resistance on both axles. Wet handling is dynamic and it generates strong lateral grip on the skidpad. However, braking distances are somewhat longer in both wet and dry conditions, and dry handling is a weaker area - it sits toward the back of the pack on the dry circuit. Overall a solid safety-oriented choice but not the sharpest tool on a dry road.
The Vredestein Ultrac Pro is a dry-road expert with a balanced, predictable driving character. It sits in the tight midfield group for dry handling and posts a short dry braking distance. It is the quietest tire in the test at 70.9 dB and also delivers good fuel-saving potential through low rolling resistance. The trade-off is that it doesn't stand out in any single area - a consistent all-rounder rather than a class leader. At around 740 euros per set it also offers good value.
The Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 is the cheapest tire in the test and delivers decent overall performance without any serious weaknesses. Wet skidpad grip matches the Hankook exactly, and dry braking is solid at 35.4 m. Dry handling is a step behind the leaders, and wet braking distances are slightly longer. For the price, it represents a sensible budget option that doesn't compromise safety in a meaningful way.
The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is strong on dry roads, posting the second-fastest dry handling lap with good turn-in and controllability at the limit. It also leads the aquaplaning test on the front axle at 90.2 km/h, but the rear floats much earlier at 83.4 km/h - the largest front-to-rear imbalance in the test. Wet handling and wet braking are below average for this field. At roughly 1020 euros per set it is by far the most expensive tire tested, and the price-to-performance ratio doesn't add up.
The Hankook Ventus S1 Evo Z has the most balanced aquaplaning behaviour, with both axles floating at exactly 87.9 km/h. Dry braking is short and rolling resistance is among the lowest in the test. Wet handling is where it loses ground - it has noticeably less reserve on the wet circuit. It sits mid-pack in most other areas. At around 730 euros per set, it's a reasonably priced option with good efficiency credentials.
The Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport finishes last and is clearly out of its depth in this mixed-size fitment on the Z4. It loses over 15 km/h to the Continental on the wet handling course and is also slowest in the dry, where the driving feel is described as unbalanced. Wet braking from 100 km/h takes 51.5 m - meaning it is still travelling at nearly 40 km/h when the Continental has already stopped. Aquaplaning resistance is its only relative strength. The poor results appear to be a fitment mismatch rather than a fundamental tire deficiency.
