Continental dominates 2024 tyre tests

Who likes tyre tests? Continental does, and with good reason. Continental products have won seven of the nine European passenger vehicle tyre tests that we’ve encountered in recent weeks and achieved a none too shabby second place in the eighth. As for the ninth test, no Continental tyre took part, giving other brands a chance to get acquainted with the podium.

Were its tyre test silverware literal objects, Continental would need a larger cabinet to house this year’s haul. Tyrepress.com summarises some test highlights, current as of 22 March 2024.

Tyre Reviews

Independent comparison site Tyre Reviews set out to find the best all-season tyre for 2024. The Michelin CrossClimate 2 has dominated this category of late, snatching victory in the previous three Tyre Reviews all-season tyre tests. But with three newcomers looking to “dethrone the CrossClimate 2” from its category top spot, tester Jonnathan Benson looked at seven brands of all-season tyre in the popular size 205/55 R16, including the recently launched Continental AllSeasonContact 2.

Tyre Reviews’ conclusion is that of the seven tyres, the Continental AllSeasonContact 2 the tyre that “does everything well.” During wet handling testing it was “a really well-rounded tyre around the lap” and it finished a close second in the wet braking test. The only negative point to arise from wet testing is that the AllSeasonContact 2 “wasn’t that great in curved aquaplaning.”

Benson describes the Continental tyre as a “joy to drive” during its dry handling lap, even though it only achieved fourth place when braking from 100 km/h on a dry surface. Furthermore, the AllSeasonContact 2 provided “excellent snow grip,” was “best overall on ice” and also delivered low rolling resistance.

“It had the lowest wear which made it the cheapest tyre per 1,000 km. And it had low rolling resistance. And excellent snow grip and was the best in the wet. And the best overall on ice. You get the idea. Outstanding product from Continental.”

Auto Bild

All other comparative tests examined summer tyres, including that from Auto Bild. The German publication’s tyre tests have gained a following throughout Europe as nobody evaluates such a broad portfolio of tyres as Auto Bild. It looked at no less than 55 brands of size 205/55 R16 for its summer 2024 test, eliminating all but 20 of these in a preliminary wet and dry braking round. Upon more comprehensively testing the finalists, Auto Bild testers Dierk Möller and Henning Klipp declared Michelin and its Primacy 4+ the winner and, just a whisker behind, the Continental PremiumContact 7 runner-up. Both tyres, along with the Bridgestone Turanza 6, gained Auto Bild’s top ‘exemplary’ rating.

The testers praised the PremiumContact 7 as a “top tyre with balanced high performance potential, dynamic-sporty dry handling, precise and responsive turn-in, very good aquaplaning safety reserves, short wet and dry braking distances, and fuel-saving (low) rolling resistance.”

Auto Bild Sportscars

Not content with testing in the bread-and-butter 16-inch size worn by so many compact cars, the Auto Bild group tasked its test team with looking at tyres for more performance-oriented cars. Auto Bild Sportscars selected the mixed fitment 265/35R19 (front) and 295/30R19 (rear), evaluating seven brands of tyre.

Continental fought off strong (and not so strong) competition to secure first place with its SportContact 7. Möller and Klipp, who also worked on the 16-inch Auto Bild test, described the Continental SportContact 7 as a “convincing super-athlete that shows hardly any weaknesses.” A combination of precise steering behaviour, dynamic handling on wet and dry roads, excellent balance and short braking distances worked together to secure Auto Bild Sportscars’ top ‘exemplary’ rating. Furthermore, the publication declared Continental its ‘Best Sport Tyre Manufacturer of the Year’ on the basis of the SportContact 7’s performance.

Auto motor und sport

This year, Germany’s auto motor und sport (AMS) examines products from the “eight most popular tyre brands” in its local market in 235/55 R18, a tyre size suitable for compact SUVs such as the VW Tiguan and Vauxhall Grandland as well as saloons such as the Audi A6. The AMS test program focused primarily on a tyre’s ability to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance, especially on wet asphalt. Although the AMS test team awarded every tyre at least a ‘good’ rating, their levels of goodness vary.

AMS crowned the Continental PremiumContact 7 its test winner, lauding the tyre’s outstanding grip in the wet, including safety when aquaplaning, as well as “strong grip, precision and reliability” when cornering in the dry. AMS also praises the Continental tyre’s ride comfort, with its only minor criticism being slightly high external noise and rolling resistance. It rates the PremiumContact 7 as ‘outstanding’.

Autozeitung

This year, German motoring publication Autozeitung focused on size 225/45R17. It selected nine brands of tyre, mounted them on a BMW 1-Series and subjecting all to a range of tests in wet and dry conditions. Competition was fierce: With a total of 300 points up for grabs, just 40 points separate the runner-up and last-placed tyre. Only the test winner is in a league of its own, earning 14 more points than the second-placed tyre.

This winner is the Continental PremiumContact 7, whose 280 points came closest to the maximum possible score of 300. We can primarily attribute this strong result to the tyre’s wet grip properties, as in this sub-discipline it was only five points shy of the potential top score of 150. Autozeitung writes that the PremiumContact 7 “demonstrates how much grip a tyre can offer on wet roads,” with “very good aquaplaning reserves and top performance in all other disciplines” making it the “top of the class in wet weather.” Tester Martin Urbanke’s only grumble is that the tyre lacks “a pinch of liveliness” on wet roads.

In dry conditions, the PremiumContact 7 delivered a score just 15 points short of the potential maximum 150 points, with more than half of these points deducted for rolling resistance performance. Autozeitung commented that the Continental tyre is “not overly energy-efficient” but compensates for this with a focus upon performance. “The shortest braking distance, fastest lap time and smoothest handling make it the test winner.”

Magazines & clubs tested tyres in a range of conditions, as well as for environmental & economic performance (Photo: Stephen Goodchild / Tyre Industry Publications Ltd)

Sportauto

For Sportauto, 215/40R18 was the dimension of choice. Using a Hyundai i20 N, the “pocket rocket” being evaluated by the performance motoring publication at the time, the test team looked at five premium and mid-range tyre brands.

Naming the Continental PremiumContact 7 its test winner, Sportauto writes that the tyre is “very grippy on wet and dry roads, very balanced and safe to drive.” Specific positive qualities include extremely easy controllability in the wet, with great steering precision and high aquaplaning protection. In dry conditions, Sportauto describes the PremiumContact 7 as agile, stable and very safe.

Vi Bilägare

Swedish magazine Vi Bilägare put ten brands of size 215/55 R17 tyres through their paces and dry and wet roads. The publication team undertook testing in Spain in October, using Škoda Karoq 1.5 TSI and Škoda Superb 2.0 TDI as test vehicles.

Continental PremiumContact 7 emerged as the leader in the test. The testers remarked that this is a “true sport tyre, with grip levels that are in a class its own.” The testers particularly praised the PremiumContact 7 for delivering the shortest braking distance and highest cornering grip on both dry and wet surfaces. In addition, Continental “gives the driver confidence in unexpected driving situations.”

Motoring association testing

European motoring clubs ADAC, ÖAMTC and TCS jointly tested 16 brands of 215/55 R17, a dimension suitable for mid-size cars and smaller SUVs. The test team employed the revised test criteria first seen last year, which places a greater emphasis on sustainability. Driving safety factors now account for 70 per cent of the total result, with factors such as noise, fuel economy, wear and weight making up the balance.

From the 16 tested models, the team rated three tyres as ‘good’, a further 12 as ‘satisfactory’ and one as ‘adequate’. The best of the ‘good’ was the Continental PremiumContact 7, which the testers found to be “clearly number one in the driving safety category.”