Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 heads list of 7 ‘very recommendable’ winter tyres

Autozeitung’s latest test gives Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6 final place in recommended list, despite finishing below two tyres that didn’t make the grade

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.

Propping up the table, the King Meiler Winter Tact WT81 was a weak performer in all three categories but was particularly let down by its abilities in the wet. While Fulda’s Kristall Control HP2, Nexen’s Winguard Snow’G3, Toyo’s Snowprox S954 and the SW608 of the Trazano brand produced by the Chinese manufacturer ZC Rubber were also said to have shown “too many weaknesses”, especially in the wet, the King Meiler tyre was awarded only a 17 percent rating in this category. It was therefore worlds away from the tyres ranked between 10 and 13, which still registered values ​​of around 50 per cent in the corresponding category. “The completely overhauled King Meiler is by far the cheapest product in the test, but whoever pulls it up saves money at the wrong end,” is the conclusion of Autozeitung testers Paul Englert and Martin Urbanke.

In contrast, Bridgestone’s Blizzak LM005 dominated the wet discipline as the test winner. Continental’s WinterContact TS 860 – a tyre that was to be replaced this year before the TS 870 market launch was delayed due to the pandemic – was second overall, also showing “a strong performance” and convincing with “the highest level of driving safety”. The Goodyear UltraGrip 9+, Hankook Winter I*Cept RS², and Alpin 6 from Michelin also presented themselves well on wet roads.

On the other hand, testers found “disappointing wet braking distances” with Pirelli’s Cinturato Winter and Falken’s Eurowinter HS01, which are ranked seventh and eighth in the overall ranking. This ultimately led Autozeitung denying them its “very recommendable” rating, unlike the Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6. Cheng Shin Rubber’s flagship brand finished joint-eighth with the Falken tyre on mean score – beneath Pirelli’s winter tyre – but was deemed “very recommendable” by Auto Zeitung, joining the global premium brands.

Dunlop Winter Sport 5: efficient driving ‘without major compromises’

The final tyre tested was the sixth-placed Dunlop’s Winter Sport 5, which was also rewarded with Autozeitung’s “very recommendable” rating. Testers said the tyre is suitable “for those who want to drive energy-efficiently without making major compromises.” In the test protocol, Fulda’s Kristall Control HP2, with 8.06 kg/t had slightly lower rolling resistance than the Dunlop profile (8.17 kg/t), but the latter won the testers’ “fuel-saving recommendation” due to the combination of this characteristic and wet performance. The test’s “price-performance recommendation”, on the other hand, was given to the Hankook tyre. The Winter I*Cept RS², at 300 euros for the set, was the best-priced “very recommendable” product.

Wet performance takes precedence

In summary, the latest Autozeitung product comparison primarily considered the performance shown by the tyres on wet roads in its ranking. “The snow properties are naturally the headline discipline of a winter tyre,” said Autozeitung’s testers, “but in our latitudes the roads are more often wet than white in winter. Therefore, when choosing a new tyre, you should definitely pay attention to its wet performance.” Testers added that even the weakest performers in the dry – the models from Fulda, Pirelli, Trazano, and even the otherwise maligned King Meiler profile – did not give them any “nasty surprises” in this discipline.