Goodyear, Hankook joint winners of Auto Bild Allrad SUV tyre test

Its EfficientGrip SUV scored a victory in the recent ADAC summer tyre test, and now Goodyear has racked up another win with its Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3. The tyre, together with the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo² SUV, is joint winner of the test of ten tyres published in the most recent issue of German SUV magazine Auto Bild Allrad.

The size 235/50 R18 tyres were mounted on a VW Tiguan for the on-road tests and on a pick-up for the off-road disciplines. The abovementioned pair received the top rating of ‘exemplary’ along with two further tyres, the Dunlop SP Quatro Maxx and the Michelin Primacy 3.

While the new Continental PremiumContact 6 and the Maxxis Premitra HP5 missed out on this distinction, they nevertheless gained a ‘recommended’ rating. Auto Bild Allrad judged three further tyres, the Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport, Kumho Crugen HP91 and the Vredestein Ultrac Satin to be ‘satisfactory’, while the Star Performer SUV 1, a Delticom house brand tyre manufactured in China by Taiwan’s Nankang Rubber Tire, was rated ‘not recommended’.

The Star Performer tyre delivered reasonable performance in the dry and off-road (on grass, gravel and mud), however its qualities in the wet left much to be desired. Auto Bild Allrad reports: “This Chinese tyre didn’t brake as poorly as one from several years ago. In the past, a difference of 20 metres or more between these and the best tyres was common. Within this discipline in the current test ‘only’ 12 metres lay between it (the Star Performer) and the best wet braking tyre, the Ventus S1 Evo² SUV.”

The Hankook tyre wasn’t just praised for its short braking distance – Auto Bild Allrad lauded its “high level of aquaplaning safety” and good off-road performance – however ride comfort and rolling resistance weren’t its greatest strengths. The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 was considered a “very well-balanced road tyre” that was “very good on wet and dry road surfaces,” and it did well in the aquaplaning test, however it lost points for its performance off the road and high price. This last criticism also applied to the SP Quattro Maxx from sister brand Dunlop, and this tyre was also marked down for its rolling resistance performance. The otherwise strong performance delivered by the Michelin tyre was tainted slightly by a high purchase price and performance in the aquaplaning test that was only “average”.

The PremiumContact 6 missed out on a rating of ‘exemplary’ as Auto Bild Allrad found its aquaplaning performance wanting, tyre noise on the high side and purchase price high. On the other side of the balance sheet, the Continental tyre delivered very good adhesion in the wet and dry, low rolling resistance and good performance in the mud. The Maxxis tyre’s strengths were “good wet grip, low rolling resistance” as well as being affordable and “surprisingly good on sand and mud.” On the other hand, the Auto Bild Allrad testers found its steering precision to be mediocre and also criticised its noise characteristics and performance on both wet grass and gravel.

The compromises were even greater when it came to the three ‘satisfactory’ tyres. The Bridgestone rubber was marked down for its wet grip, including in curves, as well as for rolling resistance. The Kumho tyre only gave average performance in the wet and dry, with long braking distances. The Vredestein Ultrac Satin displayed “extended braking distances, mediocre steering precision” and poor performance on gravel and sand. Their positive qualities included (Dueler H/P) aquaplaning safety and good performance on gravel and grass, (Crugen HP91) good comfort, low rolling noise, good characteristics on grass and mud, and affordable purchase price, and (Ultrac Satin) low rolling resistance, good aquaplaning safety and “surprisingly good” performance on sand.