magazine and website tyre tests, independent tyre tests, manufacturer tyre tests
The performance of the Kenda Emera A1 in a summer tyre test conducted by Finland’s Test World is viewed by the manufacturer as a confirmation of the tyre’s competitiveness and validation of its aim to produce premium tyres for the European market. Test World evaluated 18 size 205/55 R16 tyres in March; Kenda states its satisfaction with the Emera A1’s ranking in the “upper midfield” of test results.
Continental’s had a good run of it in the spate of tyre tests published in time for summer 2017. From victory in the main Auto Bild summer tyre test to wins in those conducted by Auto Bild Sportscars, GTÜ and Gute Fahrt, the Continental Premium Contact 6 and SportContact 6 were deemed amongst the best that money can buy. It thus came as a surprise to see a Conti tyre sitting near the tail end of the newest Auto Bild test table.
German car magazines love a tyre test, and sport auto is the latest to publish its findings on a batch of the current summer products. Using a Toyota GT86 as test vehicle, the performance-oriented sister publication to auto motor und sport evaluated seven size 225/40 R18Y UHP tyres together with three road legal semi-slicks. In consideration of their different focus, the trio were separated from the seven UHP products in the final results table.
The unworthy have already been weeded out, and now Auto Bild has given the remaining 20 tyres from the original 52 candidates in its 2017 summer test a thorough going over. The size 225/50 R17 tyres were fitted to a BMW 320d for evaluation in a range of disciplines not covered in the preliminary round, including aquaplaning, rolling resistance, mileage and noise. Victory went to the top-ranked rubber from the initial test, the Continental PremiumContact 6.
Tyres are black and round, but a shared shape and colour doesn’t mean all tyres perform the same. This truth was readily apparent in this year’s summer tyre test from Auto Bild Sportscars. The German magazine for sport and performance car fans evaluated nine size 235/35 R19 tyres. One of its aims in doing so was to reveal “dangerous beguilers” amongst the many models on the market today. What it found amongst the tested tyres was performance ranging from ‘exemplary’ to ‘not recommended’.
Its EfficientGrip SUV scored a victory in the recent ADAC summer tyre test, and now Goodyear has racked up another win with its Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3. The tyre, together with the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo² SUV, is joint winner of the test of ten tyres published in the most recent issue of German SUV magazine Auto Bild Allrad.
Every now and then a tyre test throws a surprise our way. We saw that in the ADAC test published last month, in which the affordably-priced Esa-Tecar Spirit 5 HP was found to be “surprisingly good” and was one of the five top-rated tyres. Then there are unpleasant surprises, such as the one Michelin must have received when finding out the results of a new SUV tyre test released by German technical monitoring agency GTÜ together with German and Austrian motoring clubs ACE and ARBÖ. The Michelin Latitude Tour HP ended the test of 11 tyres in last place, behind premium, value and budget competitors alike.
The interestingly-titled publication ‘Gute Fahrt’ is a German magazine that focuses on Volkswagen Group vehicles, and the most recent issue puts a group of size 215/55 R17 tyres under the magnifying glass. The tyres were fitted to a VW Passat for testing purposes and additionally evaluated alongside two Passat optional original equipment sizes, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 in 235/45 R18 and 235/40 R19, in order to demonstrate the respective advantages and disadvantages of 18/19-inch fitment compared with the 17-inch size. Three of the ten 17-inch tyres, as well as both Pirelli OE models, were self-sealing models. One of these self-sealing tyres, the Continental PremiumContact 5, was voted the test winner, however its advantage over its rivals was not huge – aside from one tyre that received a ‘satisfactory’ rating, all were considered to be either ‘good’ or ‘very good’.
Pirelli has celebrated a “real achievement” after its Cinturato P1 Verde 195/65R15 91V model took pole position in the ADAC summer tyre test. The tyre beat 15 competitors, including Pirelli’s premium brand rivals, with the Cinturato P1 Verde commended on its balance, performance in the wet, and low noise. ADAC added that “the Pirelli tyre stands out with good wear characteristics,” which the tyre manufacturer describes as a key priority in the highly-competitive “city car” sector.
It narrowly missed taking first place in the ADAC’s test of 15 size 215/65 R16 98H tyres, but the Cooper Zeon 4XS Sport nevertheless received the same ‘good’ rating as the victor – the only tyre to do so. Austrian partner association the ÖAMTC and Switzerland’s TCS gave the Cooper tyre a rating of ‘highly recommended’ in their versions of the test, and Cooper Tire Europe has expressed its pleasure in the motoring organisations’ positive evaluation.
It’s summer tyre test season, or at least the time of year when the results are published. German car magazine Autozeitung has evaluated ten size 215/55 R17 W/Y products. Its decision to only test tyres available for retail purchase at the time means that two newcomers, the Bridgestone Turanza T001 Evo and the Continental PremiumContact 6, aren’t included amongst the ten. Instead, the two brands were represented by each tyre’s respective predecessor.
Following its EfficientGrip SUV’s victory in the latest ADAC test, Goodyear states that the tyre has demonstrated the value it offers to the consumer. Prevailing in a contest featuring 15 other tyres, German automotive magazine ADAC found the tyre to have well-balanced performance, particularly regarding tyre wear, fuel consumption and handling on dry and wet.
For this year’s summer tyre test, German motoring organisation ADAC, together with its Austrian and Swiss partners, evaluated a total of 31 tyre models – 16 size 195/65 R15 91V tyres were fitted to a VW Golf for testing, while 15 size 215/65 R16 98H products were evaluated using a VW Tiguan. Most tests were performed by ADAC personnel at facilities owned by Bridgestone and Continental.
As in previous years, Auto Bild has separated the wheat from the chaff in its 2017 summer tyre test with a qualifying round. This year, the original 52 candidates were whittled down to 20 finalists through wet and dry braking tests.
Testing carried out by independent inspection company DEKRA at the request of Goodyear Dunlop suggests that the Goodyear EfficientGrip Cargo light commercial vehicle tyre can achieve an average additional mileage of 13,344 miles (21,475 kilometres).
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