These are the first all season tires I've used as I didn't want to be switching between summer/winter tires anymore so I can't directly compare these with other all season tires.
I've only been using these this spring/summer so might return to update the review when I've seen how they cope with snow/ice and generally cold conditions.
The first thing I noticed about these tires was how quiet, smooth and comfortable they are compared with any other tire I've used. They replaced Conti Premium Contact 2 on all four wheels and the difference is night and day. I've also used a lot of tires in my time from Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone, Toyo, Falken & Kumho and I've never seen this level of comfort or lack of noise. Very impressive!
In the dry the handling is quite sharp for a tire with soft-ish sidewalls and grip is excellent. Not quite as good at handling in the dry as a dedicated summer tire but you would never notice unless pushing hard. Bizarrely, dry braking is actually improved over the previous tires though!
In the wet it's a different story, the tire's noticeably lacking a bit in all out grip. They're not unsafe, and I've driven on worse summer tires in the wet, but I wouldn't say they were great in the wet; only above average. Wet braking is a bit better than wet handling and acceleration which is reassuring for safety but they just can't match a dedicated a premium summer tire in this area.
I can't really comment on wear as I've not done enough mileage in them. They don't appear to have worn at all and there's no reason to assume that they won't last well.
To conclude, I'd say you're sacrificing some all round performance for a tire which will still work in the cold and snow/ice. I intend to update the review once I've tried these in winter but for the time being I'm quite happy with them.
I've only been using these this spring/summer so might return to update the review when I've seen how they cope with snow/ice and generally cold conditions.
The first thing I noticed about these tires was how quiet, smooth and comfortable they are compared with any other tire I've used. They replaced Conti Premium Contact 2 on all four wheels and the difference is night and day. I've also used a lot of tires in my time from Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone, Toyo, Falken & Kumho and I've never seen this level of comfort or lack of noise. Very impressive!
In the dry the handling is quite sharp for a tire with soft-ish sidewalls and grip is excellent. Not quite as good at handling in the dry as a dedicated summer tire but you would never notice unless pushing hard. Bizarrely, dry braking is actually improved over the previous tires though!
In the wet it's a different story, the tire's noticeably lacking a bit in all out grip. They're not unsafe, and I've driven on worse summer tires in the wet, but I wouldn't say they were great in the wet; only above average. Wet braking is a bit better than wet handling and acceleration which is reassuring for safety but they just can't match a dedicated a premium summer tire in this area.
I can't really comment on wear as I've not done enough mileage in them. They don't appear to have worn at all and there's no reason to assume that they won't last well.
To conclude, I'd say you're sacrificing some all round performance for a tire which will still work in the cold and snow/ice. I intend to update the review once I've tried these in winter but for the time being I'm quite happy with them.