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.
The aim of magazine tyre tests is to inform consumers about product performance, and this is typically quantified in a point score that results in a winner. But the best tyre – for you – is the one that most closely meets your individual priorities and driving style. Recognising this truth, Austrian motorcycling magazine Motorrad Magazin refrained from crowning any particular tyre victor in the test of five enduro tyres published in its current (5/2019) issue.
Pirelli is happy about the “tenth important recognition” its Scorpion Trail II has gained in a comparative test. It says the tyre’s strong performance in the test conducted by Austrian motorcycling publication Motorrad Magazin (issue 5/2019) “confirms its position at the top of the enduro street segment.”
Past tyre tests have on occasion presented all-season tyres as a compromise solution, a jack of all trades but master of none. But is this always the case? German car magazine Auto Bild Allrad doesn’t think so – in its current test of seven size 235/55 R19 SUV tyres, the publication opines that all-season products are no longer a “lazy compromise”. While noting that a single tyre that can do everything well at all times of year still doesn’t exist, Auto Bild Allrad found one that came close.
It’d been a long time since a tyre test had delivered results so poor as those recently seen in a van tyre comparo jointly conducted by three European motoring associations: More than half the candidates were rated ‘not recommended’. In comparison, the seven size 235/60 R17C tyres tested by specialist campervan magazine Promobil were – mostly – considered competent products. Only one wasn’t recommended.
Finland’s central police agency, the National Bureau of Investigation, has completed its pre-trial investigation related to Nokian Tyres and accusations of tyre test rigging. It has referred the case to the Prosecutor’s Office of Helsinki.
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.
Yesterday we reported the results of the Auto Motor und Sport summer 2019 tyre test and noted that while no tyre received the publication’s highest rating, most gained its recommendation. It’s a different story at sister title Sportauto – its test of eight tyres yielded a ‘highly recommended’ winner, but six of the candidates only received a lukewarm endorsement.
For its 2019 summer tyre test, Auto Motor und Sport (AMS) looked at 215/55 R17, a size favoured by compact SUVs. It tested 11 tyres on a VW T-Roc. What it found was a group of tyres that largely performed well, but failed to dazzle. None of the candidates received the German motoring publication’s top ‘highly recommended’ rating. The good news is, however, that no less than seven were ‘recommended’.
Several positive results for Maxxis in the recent round of magazine tyre tests have been cited as “defining proof that motorists can obtain premium tyres which balance high performance and reliability at a surprisingly affordable price.” The tyre manufacturer said recommendations gained from a range of international motoring titles shows it is “bridging the technological gap on longer established European brand alternatives.”
Another tyre test from the Auto Bild family of magazines. This time, Auto Bild Sportscars has looked at 11 products in the size 245/45 R18 100W/Y. The exercise was happily free of major dramas, with testers Henning Klipp and Dierk Möller not reporting any serious safety issues amongst the candidates.
Look at recent tyre test results from Auto Bild and Gute Fahrt and you might assume there’s no such thing as a bad tyre these days, but you’d be wrong. Auto Bild Allrad has evaluated ten SUV tyres, and while six were awarded the top ‘exemplary’ rating, one certainly wasn’t recommended and another hesitantly so. The upshot is that it still pays to do your homework when buying replacement tyres.
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.
During its years of performing comparative tyre tests, German car magazine Gute Fahrt has been confronted with the good, the bad and the ugly. But this time round things were a little different – in its latest evaluation of summer car tyres, all candidates put in a performance worthy of a rating of ‘good’ or better. This is the first occasion that no tyre has gained a lowlier rating in a Gute Fahrt test.
When evaluating the latest crop of tyres for the coming summer season, Germany’s Autozeitung opted to look at ten brands of size 235/45 R18 rubber. We weren’t especially surprised to see the Continental PremiumContact 6, last year’s runner-up, in first place and the Michelin Primacy 4 in second, but it was nice to see the Maxxis Premitra HP5 acquaint itself with the victors’ podium.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.