3 ‘very good’ tyres in ams winter test

German magazine auto motor und sport (ams) has tested ten brands of winter tyre in the popular small car size 195/55 R16 H, and none of them were dreadful – but none received top marks, either. This is mainly because ams has slightly modified the system of evaluation used in previous tests: Whereas a rating of ‘very good’ used to be the highest praise given to candidates that achieved an average score of between eight and the maximum possible ten points, the publication has subdivided this category into ‘outstanding’ for scores of nine to ten points and ‘very good’ for those between eight and 8.9 points.

In the current test, the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 narrow misses out on this highest honour, having achieved an overall score of 8.7 points. It shares the podium and the top rating – for this particular test – with the Continental WinterContact TS 870 and Vredestein Wintrac.

Rated ‘very good’

Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 – test winner
+ Safe braking & easy to control on snow, outstanding wet grip with very short braking distances & safe cornering behaviour on wet roads.
– Slightly lengthy braking distance on dry surfaces.

Continental WinterContact TS 870
+ Good winter performance that perfectly harmonised with the test vehicle’s ESP system, high cornering safety on snow, safe on wet & dry roads.
– Slightly weak when cornering in the wet & during dry braking.

Vredestein Wintrac
+ Good braking & traction on snow despite test car’s ESP issues, outstanding dynamics in the wet, short dry braking distances, precise cornering.
– Noisy when cornering.

Rated ‘good’

BFGoodrich g-Force Winter 2
+ Outstanding qualities on snow, orderly driving dynamics on dry roads (excepting somewhat lengthy braking distances).
– Delivered poor results on rain-covered roads.

Michelin Alpin 6
+ Spontaneous, agile and adhesive winter tyre on dry but cold asphalt, good grip when cornering in the wet.
– Somewhat lengthy braking distance on wet & snowy road surfaces, slightly compromised ride comfort.

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+
+ Good cornering grip & agile handling on snow, high safety when cornering even during heavy rainfall.
– Slight braking deficiency on all surfaces. Comparatively loud drive-by noise.

Pirelli Cinturato Winter
+ Short braking distances & good traction on snow & when cornering in dry conditions, easy to control despite reduced level of lateral control.
– Lateral control on snow too weak despite good traction & braking performance, long braking distances & weak cornering grip in the wet.

Falken Eurowinter HS01
+ Acceptable snow & wet performance, good traction on snow & particularly when traction control switched off, good ride comfort.
– Somewhat imprecise, spongey driving characteristics & reduced levels of grip when cornering in dry conditions.

GT Radial Champiro WinterPro2
+ Handles curves well & forgiving on dry roads, good cornering grip in the wet, comfortable.
– Weak performance on snow, sluggish turn-in, unbalanced behaviour in the wet with marked change of load response when cornering, noise issues.

Rated ‘satisfactory’

Toyo Observe S 944
+ Very strong grip & safe understeer when cornering in dry conditions, sluggish but forgiving driving behaviour.
– Long braking distances, particularly in snowy conditions, weak winter characteristics, mediocre wet performance.