ADAC tyre test: Premium brands make way for mid-range in smaller size

When one German publication releases a tyre test, you can be sure that more will follow. Within the past week we’ve reported test results from Auto Bild, Gute Fahrt and Autozeitung, and now it’s our pleasure to summarise the findings of the summer tyre test presented by motoring organisation ADAC.

The ADAC has kept things small this year, at least when it comes to tyre sizes. The two dimensions selected for its 2018 summer test are 175/65 R14 T, a popular compact car dimension, as well as the mid-size dimension 205/55 R16 V. A Ford Fiesta was used as test vehicle for the first of these sizes and a VW Golf for the 16-inch tyre.

Mid-range segment brands faired best in the test of 14 size 175/65 R14 T tyres – top spot went to the Falken Sincera SN832 Ecorun and the Semperit Comfort-Life 2 finished close behind. The ADAC testers gave the tyres a ‘good’ rating and commented that both were “highly balanced and free from weaknesses.” As runner-up, the Semperit tyre was ranked way ahead of its flagship sibling; the Continental PremiumContact 5 finished the size 175/65 R14 T test in ninth place.

The leading pair were followed by 11 tyres that gained a ‘satisfactory’ rating. These are the Dunlop Street Response 2, Kleber Dynaxer HP3, Vredestein T-Trac 2, Apollo Amazer 4G Eco, Pirelli Cinturato P1 Verde, Pneumant (a Goodyear Dunlop brand sold in the German market) Summer ST 2, Continental PremiumContact 5, Goodyear EfficientGrip Compact, Fulda EcoControl, Firestone Multihawk 2 and Maxxis Mecotra 3. With the exception of the Continental tyre, all abovementioned products were marked down for displaying “more or less strongly pronounced weaknesses on wet road surfaces.” The PremiumContact 5 achieved the best result in the wet as well as good dry performance, however it was let down by displaying the highest rate of wear of any tyre in the test.

The wooden spoon in the 14-inch size test belongs to the Sava Perfecta, which was rated ‘adequate’ and, although good on dry road surfaces, was found to be “weak in the wet” and was last-placed in this discipline.

In its footnotes to the test results, ADAC writes that Maxxis has reported making modifications to its Mecotra 3 after testing was carried out; these changes took effect from DOT 3417.

Size 205/55 R16 V

Unlike the 175/65 R14 T test, the comparative evaluation of 205/55 R16 V tyres resulted in premium brands occupying the top rungs of the points ladder. The winner of this test of 16 tyres was the Michelin Primacy 3, which the testers said was “well balanced with the best result for wear, particularly good on dry road surfaces and still good in the wet.” The Michelin tyre gained a ‘good’ rating, as did the following five tyres. These are the Bridgestone Turanza T001 Evo (best in the wet), Continental PremiumContact 5 – the 16-inch Continental tyre faired much better in the wear test than its smaller counterpart – Firestone Roadhawk, Hankook Ventus Prime³ and Semperit Speed-Life 2.

A further eight tyres were given a ‘satisfactory’ rating – the Esca+Tecar Spirit 5HP, Kumho Ecsta HS51, Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue, Fulda EcoControl HP, Giti Premium H1, Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance, Nexen N’blue HD Plus and Cooper Zeon CS8. While the EfficientGrip Performance and N’blue HD Plus lost points for their wear characteristics, the Zeon CS8 was penalised for its “deficiencies on dry and wet roads.”

Trailing the field were two tyres that were rated ‘adequate’ and received the same score. These were the Infinity Ecosis and Vredestein Sportrac 5. Both tyres were marked down for not passing the rigorous ADAC high-speed test. The testers commented, however, that they “would have passed the harmless ECE test cycle.” This downgrading is particularly a shame for the Vredestein tyre, as this received the best score in the fuel consumption test as well as a very good result for wear.