ACE and GTU Winter Tire Testing – Premium Class Segment
Winter tires are gradually becoming a must for more and more European countries since the Old World faced two severe winters in succession. The tire-makers, in turn, do their best to satisfy growing demand and launch numerous new models. But the main thing is to define how these new tires behave in the wet, on snow and slush.
In this post you’ll find the results of winter tire tests conducted by Automotive Club Europe (ACE) and German Technical Control Society (GTU). They compared eight premium-class tires on a special testing field in the Alps.
The first price was taken by Goodyear Ultra Grip 8 that a bit outperformed the Semperit Speed Grip2 tire. The “Highly Recommended” marking was given to Continental Winter Contact TS 830, Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D and Pirelli Snow Control Series 3 tires while Nokian WR D3 and MichelinAlpin A4 were granted the “Recommended” sign. The poorest performer was Fulda Kristall Control HP.
Goodyear and Dunlop showed the best snow traction while the others also did well except for a Fulda. In terms on braking on snow it was Continental that outperformed Goodyear while the safest handling was delivered by Goodyear, Dunlop и Pirelli. The real disappointment became the Fulda tire.
When braking distance in the wet was counted, the best tire became the Semperit while the worst one was again Fulda. On a dry road it was Goodyear that won the first price.
In conclusion it should be said that the difference among premium-class tires tends to be smaller than earlier. At the same time one should congratulate Goodyear on the success of their UltraGrip 8 tire.
Dunlop Gets the Winter Tire of the Year Award
Dunlop SP WinterSport 3D tire was chosen the “Winter Tire of the Year” by the British TyreReviews internet portal. Such a decision was taken on the base of visitor opinion as well as various tests the tire has undergone. Dunlop thinks that this fact can improve the situation with the use of season tires in the UK.
The SP WinterSport 3D has already taken several top places in winter tire tests and is considered the best one among medium-class winter tires. Last year (2010) it showed its excellence in the tests conducted by the leading German and Austrian automotive journals and got a “Recommended” mark at ADAC Motorwelt/OAMTC and Stiftung Warentest tests.
The ADAC, the leading German automotive association, described the tire as a balanced one, with safe and reliable performance on various types of surfaces including wet roads. The OAMTC also recommended this the tire thanks to its superb performance on dry asphalt roads as well on snow.
The experts of the largest European automotive journal, the Auto Bild, have tested different 195/65R15 tires mounted on the Volkswagen Golf VI vehicle; and Dunlop SP WinterSport 3D was the winner. In the Sportscars tests carried out on the base of the Audi TT among the 245/40R18 V tires the first prize was taken again by the WinterSport 3D.
The British tire legislation, unlike that of the majority of European countries, doesn’t include special rules concerning the use of winter tires, though 94 per cent of people that took part in the public opinion poll at TyreReviews think that the government must issue a law about winter tires.
Auto Bild Tests 225/40 R 18 Summer Tires
On the threshold of the new season the Auto Bild magazine conducted their regular summer tire performance tests. This time they compared 225/40 R 18 tires, the size being standard for numerous sports cars and tuned vehicles. The tires were mounted on Mazda MPS.
The Auto Bild tested as many as 10 tires during these tests, namely Hankook Ventus S1 evo K107, Pirelli PZero, Continental ContiSportContact 3, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric, Uniroyal Rainsport 2, Bridgestone Potenza S001, Dunlop SP Sport Maxx T, Michelin Pilot Sport 3, Falken Ziex ZE 912 and LingLong L688.
The best wet performance is shown by Hankook Ventus S1 evo and Goodyear F1 Asymmetric as their steering response is perfectly precise while their braking distance is exceptionally short. At the same time, the cheap Chinese LingLong tire disappointed the testers by its poor handling and rather a long braking distance. The affordable Falken tires also proved the fact that it’s better to decide in favor of a higher price tag than to compromise on safety.
The best dry handling is to be found with Pirelli PZero and Continental ContiSportContact 3. Uniroyal Rainsport 2 is not very good in this respect, but it is made designed specially for wet roads. Pirelli and Bridgestone deliver the shortest braking distance in the dry.
Uniroyal and Bridgestone provide for the best hydroplaning resistance in this group while LingLong shows the poorest wet performance despite its V-shaped tread pattern. Pirelli and Hankook deliver the shortest braking distance in the wet. Hankook and Goodyear show the safest maneuvering in the wet while Michelin and Falken would be slower in this respect.
You shouldn’t wait extra smooth ride from you sport utility vehicle, yet Bridgestone and Uniroyal tires absorb road irregularities comparatively well. The stiffest tires are LingLong and Falken. As to noise build-up, all the tires don’t differ much unless you have a sensitive ear.
To colclude with, it should be said that it is Hankook S1 evo and Pirelli PZero that were called the best tires as a result of the Auto Bild summer tire tests.
Avon Tyres Equip Catherham Seven Supersport Car
It’s common knowledge that an old friend is better than two new ones. So, to continue a long-term collaboration, the British Catherham Car company and Avon Tyres decided to equip the latest Catherham Seven Supersport model with 13-inch Avon CR500 tires.
The new sports car is based on a racing Caterham Supersport vehicle and sticks to the concept of miniature cars with excellent overall handling and performance.
The Avon CR500 is designed to match the needs of lightweight yet powerful Caterham sports cars. At firth, the tire was created specially for an exclusive Superlight R500 vehicles, but later they became used as Original Equipment for the entire Superlight car line-up.
The CR500 highway tire benefits from all the advanced Avon technologies and ensures optimal wet traction thanks to excellent water removal from under the contact patch area while retaining reliable traction as load increases.
The Supersport measures just 520 kg in weight. Its 1.6-liter Ford Sigma engine provides the car with the ability to speed up to 62 mph for 4.8 sec while the maximum speed equals to 125 mph. When equipped with CR500 tire the car can be used on both public roads and racing tracks.
AvonTyres maintains that they are proud to collaborate with Catherham Cars. The cars from the Seven line-up are getting better and better, so Avon is pleased that Catherham as well as extreme driving lovers confine in their tires.
