Ten premium and mid-range brands of tyre show us what they can – and can’t – do in Autozeitung’s 2021 summer tyre test. This year the German motoring publication looks at size 225/40 R18, which is a dimension suited to around 60 vehicle models – including the new Seat Leon, which served as test vehicle.
The Autozeitung winter tyre test has revealed “extreme differences” between the best and worst winter tyres, according to its testing panel. The first and last-placed tyres in the product comparison were ultimately no less than 43 percentage points apart in the overall rating. This is, in part, because Autozeitung has changed its evaluation scheme compared to previous years. A percentage value is now given for the performance shown in the three performance categories of snow, wet, and dry – previously points were awarded – with a mean average percentage calculated to define final placements. 14 tyres in size 205/55 R16 were mounted on a VW Golf 1.5 TSI for the test.
Tyre tests published in the run-up to summer show that the majority of mainstream tyres available in the UK are of a high or very high standard. Europe’s major car magazines and motoring associations recommended most products during the recent spate of testing. Of the 134 individual tyres put through their paces, only a handful weren’t recommended or were found to have serious issues. A further 13 were deemed merely ‘adequate’ or were conditionally recommended.
When evaluating the latest crop of tyres for the coming summer season, Germany’s Autozeitung opted to look at ten brands of size 235/45 R18 rubber. We weren’t especially surprised to see the Continental PremiumContact 6, last year’s runner-up, in first place and the Michelin Primacy 4 in second, but it was nice to see the Maxxis Premitra HP5 acquaint itself with the victors’ podium.
Another German car magazine’s summer tyre test has thrown in a handful of all-season tyres for good measure. Autozeitung evaluated a total of nine size 225/45 R17 tyres (W/Y speed rated and 91/94 load indices), six summer and three all-season products. Fitted to a Seat Leon, the tyres were tested in both wet and dry disciplines, with a maximum 150 points up for grabs in each of these.
It’s summer tyre test season, or at least the time of year when the results are published. German car magazine Autozeitung has evaluated ten size 215/55 R17 W/Y products. Its decision to only test tyres available for retail purchase at the time means that two newcomers, the Bridgestone Turanza T001 Evo and the Continental PremiumContact 6, aren’t included amongst the ten. Instead, the two brands were represented by each tyre’s respective predecessor.
It isn’t every day that a leading premium brand is handed the wooden spoon in a comparative tyre test, however Michelin is currently coming to terms with this tree-based utensil. The test in question appears in the current issue (12/16) of German magazine Autozeitung, and the tyre is the Michelin Latitude Sport 3. While the Michelin Rubber wasn’t found significantly lacking in any particular area and finished very close behind several other products, it was nevertheless trumped fair and square when results of the various performance, environmental and cost-related tests were tallied up.
Giti reports it has completed an independent test with Dekra to evaluate the wet braking performance of its GT Radial SportActive tyre against several leading products as used in the original Autozeitung article. The firm also called for all “manufacturers, key associations and informed publications” to standardise testing in order to avoid grey areas.
Falken has announced the launch of its latest ultra-high performance tyre for high-end vehicles, the Azenis FK510. The tyre is the company’s response to the continuously growing demand for UHP tyres. The new flagship Falken tyre has already received a ‘Highly Recommended’ rating from testers at German auto magazine, Autozeitung (Issue 6/2016). The German association of technical inspectors, GTÜ, also gave the tyre ‘Highly Recommended’ status.
Even during its third year on the market, Continental’s WinterContact TS 850 is a frontrunner in many winter tyre tests. Following its recent victory in this year’s GTÜ size 225/50 R17 test and the 205/55 R16 comparative test conducted by Germany’s ADAC, Austria’s ÖAMTC and Switzerland’s TCS, the WinterContact TS 850 has secured a second consecutive victory in the size 185/65 R15 winter test performed by German motoring magazine Autozeiting. The publication describes the tyre as “invariably safe, fast and balanced.
The third summer tyre test of the season is now in circulation, and like the previous two it comes to us from Germany. Motoring magazine Autozeitung compared 14 size 225/40 R18 92W/Y tyres. The rubber from European and Asian manufacturers was fitted to a 1.8 litre Audi A3 and evaluated for performance in wet and dry disciplines. With a score of 269 out of a possible 300 points, Goodyear’s Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 was rated the test winner.
Pirelli’s Scorpion Winter tyre, a premium winter tyre for SUVs, has won a test against all its biggest rivals conducted by Germany’s prestigious ‘Autozeitung’ magazine. The Scorpion Winter tyre was originally launched in St Petersburg, Russia, in 2012 by American extreme sports star Ken Block.
Another comparative tyre test from a German magazine – this time Autozeitung Allrad (issue 2/2104) has put half a dozen 4×4 tyres through their paces. A Mercedes-Benz ML350 was used to test the 255/50 R19 W/Y tyres. Autozeitung Allroad rated four of the six tyres highly.
Stephen Goodchild