The results of this year’s Auto Bild winter tyre test are now out, and although the usual suspects have topped the table, the final scores offered a surprise or two. One tyre maker – Apollo Vredestein – has particular reason to be happy with this year’s results: Two of its products achieved the publication’s top ‘exemplary’ rating.
This week’s tabloid headlines warn us that the Beast from the East will soon return to the UK. Best pay attention to this season’s winter tyre tests then. Auto Bild has got in early and published the results of its winter 2019 preliminary round.
As we reported in July, progress is being made at European and international levels towards deciding on a wet grip test for worn tyres. Michelin actively supports this development and claims that driving on tyres to the legal tread depth of 1.6mm can be completely safe. The tyre maker is therefore critical of a magazine test that suggests this isn’t the case at all.
The latest tyre test from Auto Bild Klassik sets out to determine whether “classic tyres with today’s technology can make the driving behaviour of yesterday’s sports cars even more dynamic and, most importantly, safer.” To do this, the German magazine’s test team fitted eight 185 R15 (today’s 185/80 R15) classic car tyre brands to a 1960s Austin Healy 3000.
Although tyre tests cover everything from handling to comfort and fuel consumption, the value of a tyre’s role in bringing a vehicle to a safe stop can’t be underestimated. Auto Bild agrees – it’s the criterion the motoring magazine uses to determine which tyres to further examine in its tyre tests, and which it should eliminate.
As expected, this year’s Auto Bild size 225/45 R17 summer tyre test delivered no nasty surprises. With more than half of the original field of 53 already eliminated in a preliminary round of wet and dry braking tests, the remaining 20 candidates all gave a good account of themselves. Six of their number were even declared ‘exemplary’ tyres.
Shortlisting has taken place for the Auto Bild 2019 summer tyre test, with a starting field of 53 candidates reduced to 20 finalists in the initial round. The size 225/45 R17 91/94 W/Y tyres selected for further testing mainly come from the premium and mid-range segments, while the budget segment was well-represented in the group of 33 tyres eliminated from proceedings. Disappointingly, the group also included two tyre brands belonging to leading manufacturers – both delivered ‘bottom ten’ results.
Those who know their tyres are increasingly warming to all-season solutions. Although dismissed as a compromise on numerous occasions, most recently in this month’s GTÜ 2018 winter tyre test, an experienced and respected tester recently commented off the record that “the future belongs” to the segment. This is an impression that may also be gained from perusing the freshly minted all-season tyre test from Auto Bild.
After narrowing the starting grid of 51 protagonists down to 20 in a preliminary knockout round, the team at Auto Bild got busy subjecting the survivors to a battery of tests in various conditions. The results of this second, decisive round of winter tyre tests have been announced, and it is a win for Dunlop. Sharing the podium were joint runners-up from Continental and – having delivered a more convincing result than its flagship-brand sibling – Kleber.
Whereas most publications and organisations typically include no more than ten contenders in their tyre tests, Germany’s Auto Bild prefers to line up dozens of products and then eliminate all but the most promising in a knockout round. The latest Auto Bild winter tyre test is no exception – no less than 51 tyres were subject to wet and snow braking tests to determine which would stay in the running to be evaluated in greater detail. The results of this initial round have now been published.
With 400 metres of exhibition space at The Tire Cologne, the team at Hankook Tire has plenty of room to stretch out. Or to present a broad range of products, including its new all-weather car tyre. The world première of this tyre – Hankook is keeping mum about its name – will take place at Stand A050, in Hall 6.1.
A total of 7.2 million readers in Germany have been asked to name the best oil brand, with Auto Bild, Auto Motor und Sport, Auto Zeitung and Motor Klassik all receiving Liqui Moly as the answer. “This clear vote is an award and an obligation at the same time,” says Ernst Prost, CEO of the company.
It may be early in the year, but thanks to Auto Bild the first summer tyre test results from Europe are already with us. The German car magazine has stuck with its jumbo-sized format and evaluated a wide field of contenders for its 2018 summer test, with lower-performing tyres eliminated in a qualification round. Results from this initial round have now been released.
For its 2017 all-season tyre test, Auto Bild decided to do something different. Throwing out the standard format of pitting a number of factory-fresh tyres against each other, the German car magazine decided to additionally evaluate how the tyres performed when half and almost completely worn. Test results were published in issue 47/2017 of Auto Bild, and were very good news for Michelin.
With the introduction of the CrossClimate + earlier this year, Michelin made the claim that the snow traction its tyre delivered with a tread depth of only 1.6mm was equivalent to that provided by competitor tyres with tread depths of 4mm. Furthermore, Michelin stressed that its tyres are made to be used down to the legal tread depth limit of 1.6mm. And why not? Changing earlier is simply throwing away good tread rubber.
