As in previous years, Auto Bild’s 2020 summer tyre test has begun with a preliminary round in which the distance taken to stop in wet and dry conditions determines which tyres progress to the second, more extensive round of testing, and which don’t. The results of this first round are now available, and there’s one or two surprises to be seen.
In the spring, Auto Bild looked at the wet and dry braking results from five of its latest summer and all-season tyre tests. Tyre brands that had participated in at least three tests received an average percentage value for all braking tests results, and based on these values the motoring magazine named Michelin its ‘Manufacturer of the Year’. With winter now approaching, Auto Bild has reached for its pocket calculator again to work out which products are “the best tyres for the cold season”.
If you are like most UK motorists and want to drive year-round on the same set of tyres, then all-season tyres may well be the right choice for you. But is there such thing as a tyre that offers safe driving in every type of weather? After testing 31 all-season tyre models, Auto Bild believes there is.
The team at Tyrepress.com view independent tyre tests as an invaluable consumer purchasing tool. We will therefore follow the new licensing partnership between Auto Express and Auto Bild with interest, particularly in regards to how it influences both publications’ approach to tyre testing.
The tyre testers at Auto Bild are certainly earning their keep. The release of the magazine’s 2019 winter comparison is being tailgated by its 2019 size 225/45 R17 all-season tyre test. Auto Bild has now published details of the preliminary round. Starting with 31 tyres, it has whittled the field of contenders down to just […]
The results of this year’s Auto Bild winter tyre test are now out, and although the usual suspects have topped the table, the final scores offered a surprise or two. One tyre maker – Apollo Vredestein – has particular reason to be happy with this year’s results: Two of its products achieved the publication’s top ‘exemplary’ rating.
This week’s tabloid headlines warn us that the Beast from the East will soon return to the UK. Best pay attention to this season’s winter tyre tests then. Auto Bild has got in early and published the results of its winter 2019 preliminary round.
As we reported in July, progress is being made at European and international levels towards deciding on a wet grip test for worn tyres. Michelin actively supports this development and claims that driving on tyres to the legal tread depth of 1.6mm can be completely safe. The tyre maker is therefore critical of a magazine test that suggests this isn’t the case at all.
The latest tyre test from Auto Bild Klassik sets out to determine whether “classic tyres with today’s technology can make the driving behaviour of yesterday’s sports cars even more dynamic and, most importantly, safer.” To do this, the German magazine’s test team fitted eight 185 R15 (today’s 185/80 R15) classic car tyre brands to a 1960s Austin Healy 3000.
Although tyre tests cover everything from handling to comfort and fuel consumption, the value of a tyre’s role in bringing a vehicle to a safe stop can’t be underestimated. Auto Bild agrees – it’s the criterion the motoring magazine uses to determine which tyres to further examine in its tyre tests, and which it should eliminate.
As expected, this year’s Auto Bild size 225/45 R17 summer tyre test delivered no nasty surprises. With more than half of the original field of 53 already eliminated in a preliminary round of wet and dry braking tests, the remaining 20 candidates all gave a good account of themselves. Six of their number were even declared ‘exemplary’ tyres.
Shortlisting has taken place for the Auto Bild 2019 summer tyre test, with a starting field of 53 candidates reduced to 20 finalists in the initial round. The size 225/45 R17 91/94 W/Y tyres selected for further testing mainly come from the premium and mid-range segments, while the budget segment was well-represented in the group of 33 tyres eliminated from proceedings. Disappointingly, the group also included two tyre brands belonging to leading manufacturers – both delivered ‘bottom ten’ results.
Those who know their tyres are increasingly warming to all-season solutions. Although dismissed as a compromise on numerous occasions, most recently in this month’s GTÜ 2018 winter tyre test, an experienced and respected tester recently commented off the record that “the future belongs” to the segment. This is an impression that may also be gained from perusing the freshly minted all-season tyre test from Auto Bild.
After narrowing the starting grid of 51 protagonists down to 20 in a preliminary knockout round, the team at Auto Bild got busy subjecting the survivors to a battery of tests in various conditions. The results of this second, decisive round of winter tyre tests have been announced, and it is a win for Dunlop. Sharing the podium were joint runners-up from Continental and – having delivered a more convincing result than its flagship-brand sibling – Kleber.
Whereas most publications and organisations typically include no more than ten contenders in their tyre tests, Germany’s Auto Bild prefers to line up dozens of products and then eliminate all but the most promising in a knockout round. The latest Auto Bild winter tyre test is no exception – no less than 51 tyres were subject to wet and snow braking tests to determine which would stay in the running to be evaluated in greater detail. The results of this initial round have now been published.
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