Nokian Tyres has refreshed its summer tyre range with two new products, Powerproof 1 and Wetproof 1. It will offer a total of 99 new products for cars, CUVs and SUVs in 15- to 20-inch rim diameters, with both lines debuting in time for summer 2024.
Firestone has launched the new Roadhawk 2 Enliten summer touring tyre. The Bridgestone brand says the new model offers “best-in-class wet grip” as well as longer mileage and a greater than 10 per cent reduction in rolling resistance, optimising fuel or energy consumption, based on internal testing on size 225/55 R17 101W. The integration of Bridgestone’s Enliten technology, which reduces material consumption and tyre weight, as well as using the new NanoPro-Tech high-silica compound for greater wear resistance, ensures the Roadhawk 2 Enliten is an “EV-ready tyre”: a tyre suitable for fitment on vehicles using and electric or conventional combustion engine powertrain. The new tyre will be available from January 2024 in 17-21” sizes to cover 90 per cent of the market. After the addition of 16” sizes in 2025, the range will comprise 112 size variations. The Firestone Roadhawk 2 Enliten is the successor to the Roadhawk summer touring tyre.
The best-selling tyre size in the UK is still 205/55 R16 and this is the dimension Auto Express selected for its summer 2023 tyre test. In association with Blackcircles.com, tyre tester Kim Adams and the Auto Express team headed to the Contidrom proving ground in Germany and compared the performance of 11 brands of tyre.
Anyone striving to make an informed purchase can learn much from tyre test results. In recent months, motoring publications and associations throughout Europe have evaluated no less than 185 current products. To help you choose the right tyres, we’ve brought all summer 2023 test candidates together in one table that clearly shows the tyres that impressed – and those that didn’t.
GT Radial has unveiled its “dual approach” strategy to the electric vehicle tyre market. The headline news is that the brand’s manufacturer Giti Tire has produced an initial three 18-20” sizes of the specialist GT Radial SportActive 2 EV tyre, with the 19 and 20-inch variations achieving the top AAA label rating. GT Radial has also introduced 16 “EV Ready” tyres in the brand’s popular SportActive 2 and FE2 portfolios, demonstrating the manufacturer’s strategy to supply both specialist EV tyres and products suitable for EVs and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Giti’s European managing director – product technology, Stefan Fischer explains why the tyre manufacturer views this approach as “a game changer”.
Goodyear has come on board as an original equipment tyre supplier to the Volkswagen ID. Buzz and transport version ID. Buzz Cargo. VW operations in regional and national markets have the option of offering customers tyres from the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5, UltraGrip Performance+ or Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 ranges as standard.
After the two corresponding titles for winter and all-season tyres went to Michelin, Goodyear was invited to the top step of the podium for the accolade of being “Top Manufacturer Summer Tyres” for a second consecutive year. Second and third place respectively went to Michelin and Bridgestone.
Sometimes a tyre test resembles a day with the mean kids at school, with a low-priced budget tyre invited to hang out – only to be later mocked as vastly inferior to its peers. But not the latest comparative evaluation from European motoring associations ACE, ARBÖ and GTÜ – while everybody doesn’t win a prize, all present are commended for one characteristic or another.
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?
German motoring association ADAC will soon publish its 50th anniversary tyre test together with partner clubs in Europe. To honour the occasion, it has tested 50 tyres in two sizes instead of the usual 30 or so. The half-century milestone is also accompanied by a shift in focus: In addition to safety-relevant driving qualities, in future it will place a greater emphasis upon each tyre’s environmental and sustainability characteristics.
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.
During last year’s The Tire Cologne show, Prinx Chengshan shared plans to bring its Prinx brand to Europe as a flagship range. It is now doing so, accompanied by a new site for the region: prinxtire.eu.
A new flagship tyre will arrive in Bridgestone’s summer touring line-up next year, and it’s a product that “gives drivers control and confidence in stressful and unforeseen conditions, including on a rainy day.” Introducing the Bridgestone Turanza 6, Bridgestone states that its successor to the Turanza T005 offers best-in-class wet performance as well as superior mileage and improved fuel/energy efficiency.
Kenda Tires has launched a new range that is developed specifically to meet the needs of European customers. Described as an “expansion of the tried and tested Emera A1” range and available in 28 dimensions for 13- to 16-in rims and in T to V speed ratings, the Kenda Kenetica Pro KR210 is positioned as a high-performance tyre for small to mid-sized cars.
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