SUVs and 4x4s are popular in the UK, and even though most spend their entire lives on sealed roads, a sizeable number of drivers demand tyres that will see them good should they ever encounter gravel, sand or grass. Auto Bild Allrad has compared ten SUV tyres in size 255/55 R18. Nine brands in total, with Goodyear represented twice – although it probably thinks once would have been enough.
After conducting no less than six all-season and winter tyre tests in recent months, Auto Bild is well positioned to identify and acknowledge the tyre makers who have consistently produced safe, well-performing tyres. It has now done so, naming Pirelli its star amongst the all-season tyre makers for 2024/25 and Michelin the leading manufacturer of winter tyres. Continental and Goodyear also secure a podium place for both categories.
Although many owners rely upon it, the added traction of four-wheel drive doesn’t suffice alone to ensure safe driving on snow or ice. Fitting the right tyre is just as important, arguably more so. Winter tyres are a niche product in the UK, but unbeatable for anyone who needs grip in these harshest of conditions. To help you select the right product, Auto Bild Allrad tested 12 brands of size 245/45 R18 winter tyres for SUVs and 4x4s in a range of conditions. The test team also entered a summer tyre into the fray to highlight the massive difference in capabilities between regular and winter tyres in certain conditions.
All-season tyres are becoming increasingly popular, especially among drivers of four-wheel drive vehicles who seek a reliable, weather-independent solution for their everyday journeys. But not every all-season tyre lives up to its promises. Auto Bild Allrad has tested ten tyre models in size 245/45 R18 to determine how they perform under various conditions, including snow, wet roads, and dry surfaces.
When choosing 4×4 and SUV tyres, it is ‘better to have, and not need.’ With this in mind, Auto Bild Allrad examines both on and off-road strengths in its 2024 summer tyre test. The publication examined 11 brands in size 235/55R19, and although none of the candidates achieved top marks on every type of surface, two tyres offer an “all-round no worries package on and off the road.”
In the preamble to its 2023 winter tyre test, SUV and 4×4 specialist publication Auto Bild Allrad argues that tyres play an even more important role than all-wheel drive when piloting a vehicle in wintry conditions. While employing four driving wheels instead of two undoubtedly improves traction, this only represents one aspect of vehicle safety – when it comes to braking and negotiating curves, tyres are decisive.
Introducing its 2022 summer tyre comparative test, Auto Bild Allrad comments that SUV tyres really can “make a noticeable hole in the household budget.” – but motorists can nevertheless save money by choosing the right tyre.
After conducting no less than five comparative evaluations for various Auto Bild titles, testing specialists Dierk Möller and Henning Klipp possess a solid understanding of which all-season and winter tyres are worth recommending, and which aren’t. Auto Bild has presented a summary of Möller and Klipp’s testing for the current season in its 42/2021 issue and at the same time has named its leading manufacturers in the all-season and winter categories. Three brands occupy the podium’s upper step.
The results of comparative tyre tests are a familiar site on the pages of Tyrepress.com during the autumn, with numerous motoring associations and publications releasing the results of their all-season and winter tests at this time of year. Hankook was present in many of these and victorious in two, the Auto Bild Sportscars winter test and Auto Bild Allrad all-season evaluation. UK site Tyre Reviews also gave the Hankook entrant is editor’s recommendation, exclaiming that the brand seems “to be on a roll at the moment.”
According to Auto Bild Allrad, winter tyres continue to improve in regards to their performance – but are also becoming pricier. The specialist SUV and 4×4 publication thus asks whether these products are worth buying. In order to provide an answer, it tested ten premium, value and budget tyres in size 235/55 R18. What Auto Bild Allrad found is that it is still possible to get “good performance at a fair price” when buying winter tyres. It rated the two best-scoring performers as ‘exemplary’ products and named them this year’s joint winners.
In the preamble to its latest tyre test, Auto Bild Allrad comments that the “future belongs to all-season tyres” and notes the evolution of these products into a true alternative to dedicated summer or winter tyres. This year, the German magazine for 4×4 and SUV enthusiasts tested ten brands of all-season tyre in size 215/65 R17. Victory was claimed by the Hankook Kinergy 4S2 X, a tyre that Auto Bild’s testers declared an “exemplary compromise” for safe driving in all weather conditions.
More than a year after its counterpart for conventional saloons came to market, Goodyear is introducing the UltraGrip Performance+ SUV. This new tyre range covers the growing SUV and crossover market by offering consumers a “technology-packed winter tyre that increases the versatility and contributes to the safety of their vehicles.”
Three of the top ten best-selling cars in Europe are SUVs. The growth of this market is such that the meaning of the terms has come to encompass a broad range of vehicle applications. Broadly though, a motorist can expect an elevated driving position, hatchback practicality mixed with some degree of all-terrain ability, and rugged looks. Handling a wide range of conditions and environments is a big part of their appeal, meaning tyre technology in the SUV segment needs to support these applications, as as Thomas Gesenhoff, technical project manager at Goodyear, explains.
In its 2021 summer tyre test, Auto Bild Allrad looks at ten premium, mid-range and budget brands, products ranging in price from around £230 to £450 for a set of four. The test team was, by and large, impressed with the candidates’ performance and declared six of the test products either ‘exemplary’ or ‘good’. They declined to recommend just one tyre.
An absence of alps, frequent sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfalls make winter tyres a hard sell in the UK. And just as our football fans’ capacity to brave the cold has earned them bemused respect throughout Europe, the average British motorist is content to soldier on with summer tyres even when the mercury drops. But for those who decide to invest in a set of dedicated winter tyres, it’s worth making sure you know what you’re getting.
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