Gute Fahrt test – one ‘excellent’ tyre

Motoring magazine Gute Fahrt has published this season’s first summer tyre test, and it brings good news for Continental and Pirelli. For these manufacturers’ products respectively occupy first and second place in this evaluation of 235/35 R19 tyres, a size worn by cars such as the VW Golf GTI and Cupra Leon TSI that were used for testing. Last-placed contender Falken is likely less thrilled with its wooden spoon, but on balance, it has nothing to be ashamed of.

Summing up the results, Gute Fahrt tester Dirk Vincken tells us that in regions where summer sunshine is sometimes interrupted by rain, the ‘excellent’ Continental SportContact 7 dominates its rivals “almost at will.” As for the Pirelli P Zero, Vincken notes that well-balanced characteristics work to the tyre’s advantage. Bridgestone’s Potenza Sport took third place on the winners’ podium. This trio of tyres gained Gute Fahrt’s recommendation.

Maxxis Victra Sport 5, Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2, Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport and Falken Azenis FK520 delivered good midfield results, comments Gute Fahrt, adding that the Maxxis tyre was just narrowly beaten by its rival from Bridgestone, but is the “clear price winner.”

Gute Fahrt also tested a second Pirelli product, the “wet-shy” Trofeo R. This particular tyre was “ahead by a nose” whenever tested in dry conditions – more about this later.

Rated excellent

Dirk Vincken comments that “there are not many tyres that can enthuse an experienced tyre tester” but the Continental SportContact 7 is one such tyre – “at least in this size and in combination with the GTI.” In particular, the Continental tyre’s wet performance set the standard and “opens new dimensions.” And although grippy tyres often struggle with rolling resistance, SportContact 7 maintains this at a good level. When handing the Continental tyre its report card, Gute Fahrt only saw room for improvement in sideways aquaplaning.

Rated very good-

For Gute Fahrt, second place for Pirell’s P Zero is a case of “whoever laughs last…” With unremarkable results in prior tyre tests on the ledger, the Pirelli tyre has worked its way to the front and now demonstrates how a well-balanced product can achieve desired aims. The P Zero was the only tyre from the eight tested not to display any weaknesses at all, being good in most disciplines and very good when evaluated for dry handling and braking, ride comfort and rolling resistance. “A worry-free sports tyre without troubles,” concludes Vincken.

Rated good+

Bridgestone’s Potenza Sport fought for and earned its podium place, comments Gute Fahrt. Its performance was good to very good in the important driving safety disciplines. Sideways aquaplaning, rolling resistance and noise/comfort testing revealed room for improvement, but Vincken notes that these are qualities that sport-oriented drivers can “most easily live with.”

Rated good

Fourth place went to the Victra Sport 5 and Gute Fahrt observes that Maxxis, today a major name in the mountain biking world, is also battling to the front within the automotive sector. “Anyone who can boldly play in the same team as Goodyear and Bridgestone has done something right,” comments Dirk Vincken. The Victra Sport 5 brakes well on dry roads and Vincken also reports good-natured, sporty dry handling. Performance was good overall, even though ride comfort wasn’t the best. Furthermore, the Maxxis tyre was easily the cheapest product in the test and thus became Gute Fahrt’s ‘price tip’.

Despite having been around for years now, Dunlop has continued to develop the Sport Maxx RT2 and it can still stand up against the competition. When measuring wet handling and aquaplaning resistance when cornering the tyre “plays in the premier league,” but Gute Fahrt opines that Sport Maxx RT2 “isn’t sufficiently balanced for a top position” in the current test. The publication singles out wet braking as a particular weakness. Vincken nevertheless sums up the Dunlop tyre in a positive light: “Although not an absolute top tyre, sports drivers nevertheless receive an all-round good one.”

We were surprised to find the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport so far down the table, and so was Gute Fahrt it seems. “SuperSport from the House of Goodyear? That sounds promising! And in recent times the Eagle F1 twice stood on the top step of our podium.” Even in this latest test, the Goodyear tyre behaved precisely in the dry handling course and delivered a good dose of driving pleasure. Its final score wasn’t helped by performance that was “respectable but not stunning” in the other eight disciplines, and Gute Fahrt criticises the Eagle F1 SuperSport for levels of rolling resistance that are “no longer contemporary.”

“For years Falken has knocked (at the door) of the premium level. And sometimes the door is opened,” comments Gute Fahrt when introducing the last-placed Azenis FK 520. In the 19-inch dimension fitted to the test team’s Golf GTI, the Falken tyre delivered good dry handling and was astonishingly quiet. Another highlight was convincing performance during the aquaplaning test. “The rest is good, just not very good,” comments Gute Fahrt, listing weakness in the wet handling and sideways aquaplaning tests as specific Azenis FK 520 shortcomings.

A semi-slick for specialists

Gute Fahrt and Dirk Vincken tested the Pirelli Trofeo R alongside these seven tyres but didn’t give it a final score or rank it with the others. This is because the Trofeo R has something in common with all road-legal semi-slicks – it cannot utilise its “particular potential” in a conventional tyre test. Vincken elaborates: “It is simply not designed for wet roads.” The Trofeo R nevertheless impressively showed what a sports tyre can offer in dry conditions, even if it is “not for beginners and everyday use.”