2026 ADAC Winter Tire Test - 225/50 R17

+The Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was the strongest tire in the wet: it shared the shortest wet braking on asphalt, was among the best three on wet concrete, resisted straight aquaplaning better than any other tire and tied for the best curved aquaplaning result. Testers praised its precise, communicative steering on dry roads and on the wet handling course, and it stopped third-shortest in the dry. It is also light, with low fuel consumption and one of the quietest pass-by noise readings.

−The Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was only mid-field for snow braking and traction, and in the lower half for ice braking. Its projected tread life and abrasion both sat in the lower half of the field, and testers noted intrusive rolling noise inside the car.

+The Continental WinterContact TS 870 matched the Pirelli for the shortest wet braking on asphalt and stopped shortest of all on wet concrete. It tied for the best curved aquaplaning result, was second only to the Pirelli in straight aquaplaning, and also stopped well in the dry. It had the fourth-shortest ice braking and one of the lowest pass-by noise readings, with good wet handling and low fuel consumption.

−The Continental WinterContact TS 870 felt slightly soft at the rear on dry roads, costing it steering precision. On snow it narrowly missed a good grade for traction and handling, with traction in the lower half of the field, and it is slightly heavier than most tires in the test. Its projected tread life was in the lower half of the field.

+The Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 had the second-longest projected tread life and the third-lowest abrasion in the test, and it is light and efficient. On the road it braked well in the dry and on wet concrete, resisted straight aquaplaning well, and testers found it safe and precise on dry and wet handling, with quick, accurate recovery after an avoidance maneuver.

−The Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 was weaker on winter surfaces: snow braking and traction were mid-field, ice braking was among the longest in the test, and grip and precision on the snow handling course were only average. Curved aquaplaning resistance was also only satisfactory.

+The Michelin Alpin 7 was one of the best tires on winter surfaces: it had the second-shortest ice braking and second-highest snow traction, braked well on snow, and testers rated its snow handling as exceptionally precise with very large safety reserves. It is the lightest tire in the test, with long projected tread life, low abrasion and good fuel efficiency.

−The Michelin Alpin 7 was mid-field for dry braking and for braking on both wet surfaces, and testers wanted sharper, more precise steering response on dry roads. Curved aquaplaning resistance was only satisfactory, and it narrowly missed a good grade on the wet handling course.

+The Bridgestone Blizzak 6 stopped third-shortest on wet asphalt and second-shortest on wet concrete. Testers praised its precise, responsive steering with good feedback on dry roads, and it was safe and precise on the wet handling course. On winter surfaces its snow and ice braking and snow traction were solid, and it is light with low fuel consumption.

−The Bridgestone Blizzak 6 was one of the longer tires to stop in the dry, and its snow handling lacked the balance and precision of the best tires. Curved aquaplaning resistance was only satisfactory, abrasion was among the highest in the test and its pass-by noise was above average.

+The ESA Tecar Supergrip Pro 2 stopped fifth-shortest on wet asphalt and handled precisely with good grip on the wet handling course. On snow and ice its braking and traction were solid, and it shared the second-lowest fuel consumption in the test, with good tread life, low abrasion and light weight.

−The ESA Tecar Supergrip Pro 2 was imprecise and slow to settle on dry roads, and its dry braking was among the longest of the tires that passed. On the snow handling course it struggled to combine braking and cornering forces, so the car tended to understeer or oversteer early. Curved aquaplaning resistance was only satisfactory. ADAC notes that it is sold only in Switzerland.

+The Hankook Winter i*cept RS3 steered precisely and responsively on dry roads and stayed composed in sudden avoidance maneuvers. In the wet it stopped fourth-shortest on asphalt, tied for third in curved aquaplaning and was good in straight aquaplaning. It had low abrasion and good fuel efficiency, and was one of the cheaper tires in the upper half of the field.

−The Hankook Winter i*cept RS3 was among the weaker tires for ice braking and snow traction, and testers wanted more lateral grip and better blending of braking and cornering forces on the snow handling course. Its projected tread life was among the shortest in the test, and it is slightly heavier than average.

+The Dunlop Winter had the longest projected tread life in the test and the second-lowest abrasion, which earned it the best environmental score of all sixteen tires. On winter surfaces it was very capable: third-shortest snow braking, strong snow traction, good ice braking and safe, precise snow handling. It is also light and efficient.

−The Dunlop Winter was weak on dry roads, with vague steering that needed frequent corrections and a tendency to oversteer when countersteering in avoidance maneuvers. In the wet its braking was the longest of the tires that passed, aquaplaning resistance was below average and wet handling lacked grip and precision.

+The Vredestein Wintrac Pro+ performed well on snow, with the fourth-highest snow traction and fifth-shortest snow braking. Wet braking and straight aquaplaning resistance were rated good, and it has low fuel consumption.

−The Vredestein Wintrac Pro+ had one of the longest dry braking distances in the test and imprecise dry steering that needed occasional corrections. Ice braking was among the longest, and curved aquaplaning and wet handling missed good grades. Its projected tread life was the second-shortest in the test and abrasion was among the highest.

+The Yokohama BluEarth Winter V906 braked well in the dry and on wet concrete, and its projected tread life was in the top half of the field, with better than average abrasion.

−The Yokohama BluEarth Winter V906 was below the leaders on every surface. Dry steering was imprecise and needed corrections, wet handling and aquaplaning resistance were only satisfactory, and on winter surfaces it was among the weakest tires that passed, with low snow traction, long ice braking and poor snow handling. It is one of the heaviest tires in the test, had the highest fuel consumption, and ADAC noted production residue on the new tires.

+The Falken Eurowinter HS02 Pro is light, with low fuel consumption, and its wet braking on asphalt was mid-field.

−The Falken Eurowinter HS02 Pro was very poor on the snow handling course, barely combining braking and cornering forces so that the car understeered or oversteered very early with little precision. Snow braking and traction were in the bottom four, dry steering and handling at the limit were only satisfactory, and it had the shortest projected tread life in the test.

+The Toyo Observe EWS1 was strong on dry and wet roads: it had the second-shortest dry braking, precise and responsive dry steering, good wet braking, and the third-best straight aquaplaning resistance with a joint-third curved aquaplaning result. Ice braking was good, it is light, and its projected tread life was the fourth-longest in the test.

−The Toyo Observe EWS1 was one of the weakest tires on snow. Its snow braking and traction were second-worst in the test, and on the snow handling course it could not build enough lateral grip, so the car understeered or oversteered very early. It also had one of the higher pass-by noise readings.

+The Aptany RW211 was very good on snow, with the second-shortest snow braking, third-highest traction and snow handling that ADAC rated very good, with precise, secure behavior and high limits. It also has low fuel consumption.

−The Aptany RW211 had the longest dry braking in the test and vague dry steering that needed constant correction, with a tendency to oversteer in lane changes. In the wet it was rated poor: braking on both surfaces and aquaplaning resistance were near the bottom of the field, and it understeered or oversteered very early on the handling course. Its tread life projection was among the shortest and abrasion among the highest.

+The Tracmax Ice-Plus S210 recorded the shortest dry braking distance in the test. Its tread life projection and abrasion were rated good, and it has low fuel consumption.

−The Tracmax Ice-Plus S210 was among the four worst tires for braking on both wet surfaces and for straight and curved aquaplaning resistance, and its wet handling was rated poor, with very early understeer or oversteer. On winter surfaces it had the longest snow braking, lowest snow traction and longest ice braking of the whole field, with poor snow handling. It is also the heaviest tire in the test.

+The Royal Black Royalwinter UHP had the third-longest projected tread life, the lowest abrasion and the lowest fuel consumption in the test. It had the third-shortest ice braking and mid-field dry braking.

−The Royal Black Royalwinter UHP was rated poor on both dry and wet roads. Its dry steering was very vague and it oversteered in lane changes; in the wet it had the lowest straight aquaplaning speed of any tire, was near the bottom for braking and curved aquaplaning, and understeered or oversteered very early on the handling course. It had the loudest pass-by noise, is heavier than average, and ADAC noted production residue on the new tires.

+The Sunwide Snowide was the best tire in the test on snow and ice: it had the shortest snow braking, the highest snow traction and the shortest ice braking, and ADAC rated its snow handling very good, with excellent precision and high limits. It also had the lowest pass-by noise reading and low fuel consumption.

−The Sunwide Snowide had the longest wet braking of the field on both asphalt and concrete, the weakest curved aquaplaning resistance and near-bottom straight aquaplaning. Its dry braking was second-longest and its dry steering very vague, with oversteer in lane changes and early understeer or oversteer on the wet handling course. It also had the highest abrasion in the test.