Test source AutoView

2026 AutoView Sport Tire Test

Overall test winnerContinental MaxContact MC7

AutoView have put seven summer tires from the upper middle of the market head to head in 225/45 R18.

Data analyzed and reviewed byJonathan Benson

August 31, 2026 10 min read

Tire shortlist Read the test Watch on YouTube

225/45 R18 / 2026 View full image

Tires tested: 7
Tested size: 225/45 R18
Test vehicle: BMW 120 MSP (BMW 220 MSP for on-road subjective work)
Disciplines: 6

At a glance

Tire shortlist

7 Tires tested

Published finishing positions, with the strengths and considerations from this test. Owner reviews cover other sizes and driving conditions.

1^st

Continental MaxContact MC7

+The Continental MaxContact MC7 was the most complete tire in this test. It stopped shortest in the dry by a clear margin, held the highest speed around the constant radius circle and took the top subjective handling score. The steering builds effort naturally away from the straight ahead, yaw grows in proportion to the input, and the front and rear axles stay in step through fast direction changes, so the limit arrives slowly and stays readable. It was also the most comfortable tire here and one of the quietest, with no frequency band that drew attention, and it was the lightest tire in the group.

−The MaxContact MC7's weak areas are efficiency and cost. It rolled close to the bottom of the field in the coasting test, so it gives away some range or fuel economy against the more efficient tires here, and it sits near the top of the price list. Body roll was the largest of the seven, although that follows from the cornering load it generates rather than from a soft casing.

17 owner reviews Test Results

2^nd

Michelin Pilot Sport 5

+The Michelin Pilot Sport 5 stopped shortest in the wet and was second only to the Continental in the dry, so its core safety performance is the strongest here alongside the winner. On the handling course it does nothing dramatically and nothing badly, with natural steering response, good balance and a gentle progression past the limit that is easy to correct. It rode well too, second only to the MaxContact, rounding off small surface texture more softly than anything else in the test.

−The Pilot Sport 5 rolled the shortest distance of any tire in the coasting test, so efficiency is the price of its grip, and it is the most expensive tire in the comparison by a wide margin. Cabin noise was only mid pack, with some low and low-mid frequency content left in. The testers also found abnormal shoulder wear after repeated limit running, with parts of the outer blocks cracking and breaking away, which they had not seen on this pattern before.

135 owner reviews Test Results

3^rd

Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005

+The Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005 is the driver's tire of this group. It was second quickest around the circle and took the second highest subjective handling score, with strong lateral support and front and rear axles that move together through quick direction changes. Its real strength is what happens at and beyond the limit, where grip falls away gradually and the car stays steerable, so it is easy to lean on. It also rolled further than any other tire in the coasting test, which is unusual for a tire with this much cornering ability, and the four tires in the set were the most consistent in weight of any brand here.

−Braking is where the RE005 gives ground. It was mid pack in the dry and near the back in the wet, and with both braking tests sitting in AutoView's top weighting tier, that is the main reason it could not challenge for the win. Its tread is the shallowest of the seven, a poor sign for wear life, and the steering is a little light around the straight ahead at higher speeds compared with the best tires here.

3 owner reviews Test Results

4^th

Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72

+The Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72 was the quietest tire in this test and won that measurement by a clear margin. It shared the honours with the Nexen on coarse asphalt and was quietest outright on smooth, with no frequency band that drew attention. It was also third in dry braking and mid pack in the wet, one of the lightest tires here and among the cheapest, so the things an owner notices every day all fall in its favor.

−Handling is the PS72's weak area. The steering lacks weight and takes too long to respond, so the car does not turn in as keenly as the available grip suggests it should, and understeer arrives early on corner entry. Under quick load transfer the rear builds more yaw than the leading tires do. It also finished at the bottom of the ride comfort scoring alongside two others, passing sharper edges through more directly than the tires above it.

41 owner reviews Test Results

5^th

Nexen N Fera Sport SU2

+The Nexen N'Fera Sport SU2 is the cheapest tire in this comparison and does not drive like it. It was the best of the Korean tires for subjective handling, holding basic steering stability at speed with reasonable front to rear cohesion through direction changes, and it placed mid pack around the circle. It was also among the quieter tires, rode better than a budget sports tire normally does, and carries one of the deeper tread patterns in the group.

−Braking is the SU2's clear weakness, sitting near the back of the field on both dry and wet surfaces, and both braking tests fall in the top weighting tier of AutoView's scoring. There is a small delay before the steering responds off center, oversteer appears a little early at the limit, and the weight variation between the four tires in the set was the largest of any brand in the test, which points to less consistent manufacturing.

18 owner reviews Test Results

6^th

Hankook Ventus Evo

+The Hankook Ventus Evo braked well in the wet, placing third and beating both Korean rivals and the Bridgestone in that test. It also has the deepest tread of the seven tires, which should help wear life.

−Almost everything else here went against the Ventus Evo. It was the slowest tire around the circle, mid pack in dry braking and second from last on subjective handling. The steering feels loose around the straight ahead and yaw does not build linearly under load transfer. In the quick direction change test the rear axle slides into oversteer on the second input and needs corrective lock at higher speeds. It was also one of the noisier tires, with a heavy low frequency road roar rather than pattern whine, and it finished at the bottom of the ride comfort scoring.

24 owner reviews Test Results

7^th

Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601

+The Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601 is convincing when it is not being pushed. Up to around three quarters of its grip the steering responds cleanly and the car tracks the road with a solid, planted feel that some drivers will rate highly. It also rolled a long way in the coasting test, second only to the Bridgestone, so efficiency is a genuine strength.

−The V601 had the longest braking distances in the test on both dry and wet surfaces, and with both braking tests in the top weighting tier, that alone cost it heavily. It was also near the back around the circle and last on subjective handling. The problem is the transition: as load builds, body roll grows non-linearly and lateral support drops away quickly, so the tire changes character abruptly instead of warning the driver. In the quick direction change test that shows as strong understeer on turn in followed by a fast switch to oversteer when the load is thrown the other way. It was the loudest tire here, with pattern noise in a band people are sensitive to, and the heaviest.

24 owner reviews Test Results

Tire shortlist

Compare selected tires

2026 AutoView Sport Tire Test · 225/45 R18

Tire	Continental MaxContact MC7	Michelin Pilot Sport 5	Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005	Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72	Nexen N Fera Sport SU2	Hankook Ventus Evo	Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601
Position	1^st	2^nd	3^rd	4^th	5^th	6^th	7^th
Category scores (% of best)
Dry	100%	97.6%	94.9%	93.1%	91.8%	90.6%	87.6%
Wet	96.7%	100%	91.2%	93.2%	92.4%	94.8%	87.8%
Comfort	99.1%	97.7%	97.5%	96.5%	96.3%	94.8%	94.4%
Keep researching	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results

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The full test

The evidence behind the verdict

AutoView have put seven summer tires from the upper middle of the market head to head in 225/45 R18. This is the class Michelin created with the Pilot Sport 4 and that everyone has since piled into: tires pitched below the flagship ultra high performance patterns but well above the old budget sport tires, and in Korea it is now where most performance buyers actually shop. Bridgestone, Nexen and Yokohama all entered the segment during 2026, joining the established Continental, Michelin, Kumho and Hankook offerings.

The BMW 120 test car with the seven summer sports tyres on test

The Continental MaxContact MC7 won, and it won comfortably. It took dry braking, the cornering circle, subjective handling and ride comfort, was second in the wet and second quietest, and it did all of that on a set where three of the four tires had been made in early 2025. The Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was second on the strength of the shortest wet braking distance in the test, and the newly launched Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005 took third with the lowest rolling resistance and the second best handling score. The results that stand out are at the other end: the Hankook Ventus Evo, a tire that has won European tests this year, finished sixth, and the Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601 was last by a wide margin.

Test setup & methodology

The test setting, the conditions recorded and how the results contribute to the score.

Recorded test conditions

Dry Braking: 62.1 → 0.0 mph
Wet Braking: 49.7 → 0.0 mph

Everything was measured on a BMW 120 MSP, with a BMW 220 MSP used to cross check ride and steering impressions on public roads. All seven sets were new, inflated to the car maker's recommended pressures and run in identically. AutoView matched ambient temperature, surface temperature and humidity as closely as they could between sets, and held the change in fuel load to under 8 kg so the car's weight stayed effectively constant across the programme.

Dry Braking

Dry braking is one of the four categories AutoView weight most heavily, level with wet braking, handling and price, and the Continental was the only tire in the test to stop from 62 mph in under 115 feet. The Michelin followed, and those two are a clear step ahead of the rest. The Kumho and Bridgestone were effectively tied in the middle of the field, the Hankook and Nexen a little further back, and the Yokohama needed more than 13 feet of extra road over the Continental, which on a motorway is the difference between an incident and a near miss.

Dry Braking
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best	Residual speed
1Continental MaxContact MC7	113 ft	Best	0 mph
2Michelin Pilot Sport 5	115 ft	+2 ft	12 mph
3Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72	119 ft	+6 ft	19 mph
4Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005	119 ft	+6 ft	19 mph
5Hankook Ventus Evo	123 ft	+10 ft	23 mph
6Nexen N Fera Sport SU2	123 ft	+10 ft	23 mph
7Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601	126 ft	+13 ft	26 mph

The difference between best and worst was 12% (13 ft ≈ 0.9 Car Lengths). From 80 mph, the Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601 would still be travelling at 26 mph when the Continental MaxContact MC7 had stopped.

Residual speed is calculated from the measured braking distances, assuming constant deceleration; it is not a separate measurement.

Dry Cornering and Handling

Cornering grip was measured as the highest speed the car could sustain on a fixed radius circle before running wide, averaged across repeated runs with the fastest and slowest discarded, and recorded here as Dry Circle Speed. The spread across all seven tires was under 1 mph, so this is a close-run test, but the Continental was quickest again and the Bridgestone a surprising second. The Hankook was slowest, and it also gave up rear axle support when the driver lifted off mid corner.

Dry Circle Speed
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Continental MaxContact MC7	45.4 mph	Best
2Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005	45.1 mph	-0.3 mph
3Michelin Pilot Sport 5	44.9 mph	-0.5 mph
4Nexen N Fera Sport SU2	44.9 mph	-0.5 mph
5Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72	44.8 mph	-0.6 mph
6Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601	44.5 mph	-0.9 mph
7Hankook Ventus Evo	44.2 mph	-1.2 mph

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

The subjective handling score covers what the circle cannot: how the car responds to steering input, whether yaw builds in proportion to it, whether the two axles work together in fast transitions, and whether the driver can read the limit coming. AutoView lean on a ninety degree successive steering test for this, which loads and unloads a tire far more sharply than ordinary cornering does. The Continental topped it, with steering that weights up naturally and a limit that arrives gradually. The Bridgestone was second and is arguably the more entertaining tire at the limit, sliding progressively and staying easy to catch. The Yokohama was last, because its step from grip to slide is abrupt: strong understeer on turn in, then a fast switch to oversteer once the load is thrown the other way.

Subj. Dry Handling
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Continental MaxContact MC7	7.5 Points	Best
2Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005	7.3 Points	-0.20 Points
3Michelin Pilot Sport 5	7.2 Points	-0.30 Points
4Nexen N Fera Sport SU2	6.8 Points	-0.70 Points
5Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72	6.4 Points	-1.10 Points
6Hankook Ventus Evo	6.25 Points	-1.25 Points
7Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601	5.9 Points	-1.60 Points

The difference between best and worst was 21.3% (1.6 Points).

One observation from the limit running is worth recording. The Michelin's outer shoulder blocks cracked in layers and in places broke away, a form of chunking AutoView had not seen on previous Pilot Sport 5 samples. They are careful not to generalise from a single set, but it is unusual enough to note.

Wet Braking

Wet braking was run from 50 mph, and the order changes here. The Michelin was clearly the best, the only tire to stop in under 85 feet, with the Continental second. The genuine surprise is third: the Hankook, slowest of all around the dry circle, out-braked every Korean and Japanese rival in the wet. The Bridgestone slipped to sixth, its weakest result of the test, and the Yokohama was last again.

Wet Braking
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best	Residual speed
1Michelin Pilot Sport 5	83 ft	Best	0 mph
2Continental MaxContact MC7	86 ft	+3 ft	14 mph
3Hankook Ventus Evo	88 ft	+5 ft	18 mph
4Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72	90 ft	+7 ft	21 mph
5Nexen N Fera Sport SU2	90 ft	+7 ft	22 mph
6Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005	92 ft	+9 ft	24 mph
7Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601	95 ft	+12 ft	28 mph

The difference between best and worst was 13.9% (12 ft ≈ 0.8 Car Lengths). From 80 mph, the Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601 would still be travelling at 28 mph when the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 had stopped.

Residual speed is calculated from the measured braking distances, assuming constant deceleration; it is not a separate measurement.

Ride Comfort and Noise

Ride was scored subjectively over a high speed bowl and a set of speed humps, with vertical acceleration data from an IMU used as a reference rather than as the answer. The traces from all seven tires overlapped enough that they could not explain the finishing order on their own; what separates these tires is how an impact is delivered and how quickly the body settles afterwards. The Continental was best, firm in the way a sports tire should be but never harsh, and the Michelin was a close second with a softer touch over small surface texture. The Kumho, Yokohama and Hankook shared last place.

Subj. Comfort
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Continental MaxContact MC7	7.1 Points	Best
2Michelin Pilot Sport 5	7 Points	-0.10 Points
3Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005	6.9 Points	-0.20 Points
4Nexen N Fera Sport SU2	6.75 Points	-0.35 Points
5Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601	6.6 Points	-0.50 Points
5Hankook Ventus Evo	6.6 Points	-0.50 Points
5Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72	6.6 Points	-0.50 Points

The difference between best and worst was 7% (0.5 Points).

Cabin noise is the one test the Kumho wins. It shared the honours with the Nexen on coarse asphalt and was quietest outright on smooth, which is the surface AutoView weight most heavily in this assessment. Beyond the measured level, AutoView note that the Continental and Kumho had no frequency band that grated, while the Yokohama had noticeable pattern noise around 1 to 2 kHz and the Hankook a heavy 100 to 250 Hz road roar that is more wearing on a long drive than a higher pitched hum.

Noise
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72	47.8 dB	Best
2Continental MaxContact MC7	48.69 dB	+0.89 dB
3Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005	48.9 dB	+1.10 dB
4Nexen N Fera Sport SU2	49.04 dB	+1.24 dB
5Michelin Pilot Sport 5	49.38 dB	+1.58 dB
6Hankook Ventus Evo	49.44 dB	+1.64 dB
7Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601	49.84 dB	+2.04 dB

The difference between best and worst was 4.3% (2.04 dB).

Rolling Resistance, Weight and Tread Depth

Rolling resistance was assessed by coasting the car under identical conditions and measuring how far it travelled. That is a sound comparative method, but it does not convert into the kg/t figure our charts use, so we have not reproduced it as a chart here. The result deserves reading anyway: the Bridgestone rolled furthest by a wide margin, around 40 meters clear of the second placed Yokohama and nearly 95 meters beyond the Michelin, which finished last. That is a real efficiency advantage for the Bridgestone and a real cost for the Michelin, and it looks like the trade Michelin has made for its wet grip.

The Continental was the lightest tire in the test and the Yokohama the heaviest. Bridgestone stood out for consistency, with only 35 g between the heaviest and lightest of its four tires against 280 g for the Nexen, which says something about manufacturing control. On tread depth the Hankook, Nexen and Michelin were deepest and the Bridgestone shallowest, which is a rough guide to wear life rather than a measurement of it.

Results

The Continental MaxContact MC7 is the most complete tire here and finished on 105 points, comfortably clear of the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 on 93.5. The Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005 arrives as a genuinely interesting third, pairing composure at the limit with the best efficiency in the test at a price well under the two European tires above it, and the Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72 was the strongest of the Korean tires in fourth. The Nexen N'Fera Sport SU2 is the value pick, cheapest by a clear margin, with a set of four costing around 352,000 won less than the same set of Michelins.

The Hankook Ventus Evo's sixth place deserves a caveat. This is the tire that won Auto Bild's 2026 summer test outright and placed third in our own 2026 summer group test, so its showing here is out of character. AutoView offer the likely reason themselves, observing that Hankook's results swing more than most from one size to the next. The Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601 has no such excuse: it was last in both braking tests and last on handling, and the abruptness with which it lets go is the bigger problem of the two.

2026 AutoView Sport Tire TestWatch the full video of this test on YouTube Watch on YouTube

AutoView Test Winner

The Continental MaxContact MC7 won this test outright, and it did so without a genuine weak area. It brakes, corners and rides better than anything else in the group while staying easy to drive quickly, which is what separates a good sports tire from a merely grippy one. The set used was not fresh stock either, which makes the result more convincing. Buyers chasing efficiency or a lower price have better options here, but nothing in this test is more capable.

Dry100%

Wet96.7%

Comfort99.1%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (6)

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	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	1^st / 7	113 ft	Best in this discipline
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	1^st / 7	7.5 Points	Best in this discipline
Dry Circle SpeedHigher is better	1^st / 7	45.4 mph	Best in this discipline
Wet BrakingLower is better	2^nd / 7	86 ft	+2 ft
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	1^st / 7	7.1 Points	Best in this discipline
NoiseLower is better	2^nd / 7	48.69 dB	+0.89 dB

Production: 1325 (x3) / 1326 (x1)
UTQG: 380 AA A
Shore: 67
Weight: 9.865 kgs
Tread: 7.14 mm

The Michelin Pilot Sport 5 finished second and remains the reference this class is measured against. It is the most rounded tire in the test, strong in the wet, close to the best in the dry and comfortable with it. What holds it back is the combination of the highest price, the worst rolling resistance of the seven, and the shoulder damage found on this particular set, which the testers were careful not to generalise from a single sample.

Dry97.6%

Wet100%

Comfort97.7%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (6)

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	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	2^nd / 7	115 ft	+2 ft
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	3^rd / 7	7.2 Points	-0.30 Points
Dry Circle SpeedHigher is better	3^rd / 7	44.9 mph	-0.5 mph
Wet BrakingLower is better	1^st / 7	84 ft	Best in this discipline
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	2^nd / 7	7 Points	-0.10 Points
NoiseLower is better	5^th / 7	49.38 dB	+1.58 dB

Production: 0826 (x2) / 0926 (x2)
UTQG: 340 A A
Shore: 72
Weight: 10.078 kgs
Tread: 7.43 mm

The Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005 finished third and is the most interesting tire in the test. It pairs genuine limit composure with the lowest rolling resistance of the group, a combination that usually involves a trade off, and it does it at a price well below the two European tires above it. If its braking matched its cornering it would have threatened the win. As things stand it is the tire to pick when how a car feels at the limit matters more than the braking figures.

Dry94.9%

Wet91.2%

Comfort97.5%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (6)

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	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	4^th / 7	119 ft	+6 ft
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	2^nd / 7	7.3 Points	-0.20 Points
Dry Circle SpeedHigher is better	2^nd / 7	45.1 mph	-0.3 mph
Wet BrakingLower is better	6^th / 7	92 ft	+8 ft
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	3^rd / 7	6.9 Points	-0.20 Points
NoiseLower is better	3^rd / 7	48.9 dB	+1.10 dB

Production: 1226
Shore: 60
Weight: 10.530 kgs
Tread: 6.56 mm

The Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72 was the highest placed Korean tire here, fourth overall, and it earns that on the everyday measures rather than the sporting ones. Quietness, low weight, price and respectable braking make it easy to live with. What it does not yet do is let a driver use the grip it has, and that precision is the gap between it and the European tires at the top of this test.

Dry93.1%

Wet93.2%

Comfort96.5%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (6)

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	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	3^rd / 7	119 ft	+6 ft
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	5^th / 7	6.4 Points	-1.10 Points
Dry Circle SpeedHigher is better	5^th / 7	44.8 mph	-0.6 mph
Wet BrakingLower is better	4^th / 7	90 ft	+6 ft
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	5^th / 7	6.6 Points	-0.50 Points
NoiseLower is better	1^st / 7	47.8 dB	Best in this discipline

Production: 1425
UTQG: 320 AA A
Shore: 64
Weight: 9.985 kgs
Tread: 7.05 mm

The Nexen N'Fera Sport SU2 finished fifth and is the value entry to this class. It does not match the leaders for precision or for braking, but nothing it does is unpredictable or alarming, and the price gap to the tires above it is real. It suits a driver moving up to a sports tire for the first time who does not want to pay premium money to do it.

Dry91.8%

Wet92.4%

Comfort96.3%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (6)

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	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	6^th / 7	123 ft	+10 ft
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	4^th / 7	6.8 Points	-0.70 Points
Dry Circle SpeedHigher is better	4^th / 7	44.9 mph	-0.5 mph
Wet BrakingLower is better	5^th / 7	90 ft	+6 ft
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	4^th / 7	6.75 Points	-0.35 Points
NoiseLower is better	4^th / 7	49.04 dB	+1.24 dB

Production: 0226
UTQG: 280 AA A
Shore: 68
Weight: 10.478 kgs
Tread: 7.48 mm

The Hankook Ventus Evo finished sixth here, which is out of step with how this tire has performed elsewhere. It won Auto Bild's 2026 summer test outright and placed third in our own 2026 summer group test, so this is not the pattern's usual form. The testers raise the likely explanation themselves, noting that Hankook's results vary more than most from one size to another. On this size and this car the wet braking is the one clear strength, and the behavior at the limit is what needs the work.

Dry90.6%

Wet94.8%

Comfort94.8%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (6)

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	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	5^th / 7	123 ft	+10 ft
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	6^th / 7	6.25 Points	-1.25 Points
Dry Circle SpeedHigher is better	7^th / 7	44.2 mph	-1.2 mph
Wet BrakingLower is better	3^rd / 7	88 ft	+4 ft
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	5^th / 7	6.6 Points	-0.50 Points
NoiseLower is better	6^th / 7	49.44 dB	+1.64 dB

Production: 0626
UTQG: 340 AA A
Shore: 66
Weight: 10.423 kgs
Tread: 7.51 mm

The Yokohama ADVAN APEX V601 finished last in this test. The name carries weight with anyone who followed performance cars in the 2000s, but this pattern does not live up to it here. Normal driving is fine, and that is where most owners spend their time, but a sports tire is judged on what happens when the driver asks for more, and the V601's step from grip to slide is too sudden to be comfortable with.

Dry87.6%

Wet87.8%

Comfort94.4%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (6)

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	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	7^th / 7	126 ft	+13 ft
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	7^th / 7	5.9 Points	-1.60 Points
Dry Circle SpeedHigher is better	6^th / 7	44.5 mph	-0.9 mph
Wet BrakingLower is better	7^th / 7	95 ft	+11 ft
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	5^th / 7	6.6 Points	-0.50 Points
NoiseLower is better	7^th / 7	49.84 dB	+2.04 dB

Production: 1226
UTQG: 280 AA A
Shore: 64
Weight: 10.755 kgs
Tread: 6.79 mm

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2026 AutoView Sport Tire Test