Goodyear, Nokian take honours in French tyre test

A test of five size 205/55 R16all-season tyres by French publication L’Argus has resulted in a joint victory for Nokian and Goodyear. The Nokian Weatherproof and Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen2 both gained 78 out of a possible 100 points in the evaluation of braking, handling, aquaplaning and traction characteristics. L’Argus reports that the Nokian tyre was top performer in the traction test and comes into its own in the snow, while the Vector 4 Seasons showed particular strengths in the wet, including during the wet braking test.

Third place was taken by the Michelin CrossClimate, which scored 76 points. L’Argus comments that Michelin placed a clear focus on wet and dry surfaces when developing the tyre, and the CrossClimate performed well in both areas thanks in part to the tyre’s sipeless tread. Yet this lack of sipes held back the CrossClimate’s performance in the snow, with the tyre finishing in last place for snow handling and traction, and second last for braking in the snow.

Pirelli’s Cinturato All Season finished fourth with a score of 49 out of 100. According to L’Argus the tyre has no notable weaknesses, but doesn’t shine in any area either. The publication notes that Pirelli’s approach was to focus on all surfaces, the result being broadly average performance. High purchase price was also seen as a disadvantage for the Cinturato All Season.

Last place was occupied by the Uniroyal All Season Expert, which scored 42 out of 100 and finished the wet, dry and snow braking tests in last place. The tyre faired well in the aquaplaning test, however, taking first place in this particular discipline.

All-season tyres are a niche product in France – according to L’Argus, they only hold a one per cent market share – and the publication doesn’t appear to champion their cause. In its conclusion, the team at L’Argus wrote that the all-season tyres tested have more to do with winter tyres than their summer equivalents, and conceded that these products represent something of a compromise. The publication considers all-season tyres best suited to low mileage drivers.

Results for the L’Argus test and many other comparative tyre tests can be found in the Tyrepress.com tyre test database.