The ‘magic triangle’ of tyre development depicts the conflict between efficiency and safety, but must we really sacrifice one quality when optimising the other? Auto Bild looks at a trio of tyres in an attempt to answer this question.
Campervans based upon vehicles such as the VW Transporter are a popular choice for those wishing to see more of the countryside, and Auto Bild gave them some deserved attention in a recent tyre test. The publication looked at 12 all-season tyres in size 235/55 R17. It fitted these to a VW T6 and then found out how the tyres performed in dry, wet and snowy conditions. Three products gained the top ‘exemplary’ rating and Auto Bild opined that they, along with four ‘good’ rated tyres, are well-suited to the task at hand.
Auto Bild has published the second-round results of its size 225/45 R18 summer 2023 tyre test, and thanks to cost factors contributing 20% to the final score, participating tyres gained an opportunity to demonstrate their price-performance ratio. This year’s winner is the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6, a tyre that not only impressed the publication’s test team in wet and dry conditions – its purchase price and mileage potential ensured a second victory as economy champion.
Congratulations to Hankook for its table-topping performance during the preliminary wet & dry braking component of Auto Bild’s 2023 summer tyre test, and well done to the other 19 finalists that also progress to the second and main round of testing. But what about the 30 tyres that didn’t make the grade – how well or poorly did they perform?
As in other years, Auto Bild is divvying up its 2023 summer tyre test into two parts, a preliminary round of stopping distances on wet & dry surfaces and, for those making the grade, a more thorough evaluation of performance, comfort and environmental characteristics. This year Auto Bild looks at size 225/45 R18 95Y and began proceedings with 50 tyres. Just 20 roll into the second round.
Kumho has continued its recent good form in tyre tests, outstripping 30 rival manufacturers to take fifth place overall in Auto Bild’s latest all-season tyre test. The Kumho Solus 4S HA32 was comprehensively put through its paces in a test that spanned two continents. Kumho rates the test highly, saying its results “will be regarded as highly significant by both the European tyre trade and its consumers.”
The tyre boffins at Auto Bild have been busy of late, evaluating no fewer than 56 products for their 2022 winter test. After looking at the size 255/55 R17 tyres’ braking performance in wet and snowy conditions, Auto Bild selected the 20 with the shortest average stopping distances and subjected these to further testing on dry, wet and snow-covered surfaces and also examined their comfort, noise, mileage and rolling resistance. The motoring publication declared two tyres joint test winners and gave five products the highest ‘exemplary’ rating.
Leading German motoring magazine Auto Bild has named Goodyear its summer tyre manufacturer of the year. It announced this honour in the 13 April 2022 edition of Auto Bild (issue 15/2022) after declaring the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 winner and eco champion in its main summer 2022 tyre test and the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 victor in its high-performance test. Partner publication Auto Bild Allrad also voted the EfficientGrip 2 SUV joint winner of its summer test.
When sharing the results of both its main summer 2022 test of 50 tyres and the performance-oriented Auto Bild Sportscars tyre test, esteemed European publication Auto Bild commented that the days of Chinese-made tyres failing these tests due to outdated technology are well and truly behind us. Auto Bild spoke about one product from China in particularly favourable tones.
Every tyre competing in round two of the Auto Bild summer tyre test has already proven its ability to stop without undue fuss on wet and dry roads, and the testers now turn their attention to separating the great amongst the 21 finalists from the good and just okay. Auto Bild honoured three of the size 215/55 R17 tyres with its top exemplary rating. The publication considered further seven tyres good and ten satisfactory. The last-placed tyre gains just a conditional recommendation.
The latest incarnation of the Hankook Ventus Prime is now available and takes over from a predecessor that has sold more than 20 million units since 2015, is original equipment on several vehicles and has racked up a number of tyre test honours, including two wins in the renowned Auto Bild summer test. Hankook says the new Ventus Prime 4 offers generational improvements “in practically all relevant points,” including further optimised handling, rolling resistance and mileage.
The scramble to make this year’s Auto Bild summer tyre test shortlist is over, with no less than 21 of the 50 competing tyres making the grade. These finalists achieved the shortest combined stopping distances in wet and dry braking tests and include established premium brands as well as products that offer good performance at a competitive price.
Apollo Tyres expresses pride in its Vredestein brand’s podium finishes in Auto Bild’s annual Tyre Manufacturer of the Year awards. The leading German car magazine awarded Vredestein joint second in the winter tyre category and joint third place in the all-season category.
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.
After selecting the 20 best-performing tyres in wet and snow braking tests from a starting field of 50 candidates, Auto Bild has subjected the finalists to further evaluations of their capabilities in a range of situations. As well as looking at how each tyre influences handling and braking in dry, wet and snowy conditions, the publication’s test team examined rolling resistance, mileage, tyre-road noise and cost factors. Here’s what they found.
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