As with the Auto Bild winter tyre test, the excellent German publication have placed a large number of all season tyres through wet and dry braking tests in order to find the top ten tyres for the full all season tyre test, which will include broader wet and dry testing, plus the inclusion of snow running.
In total 27 all season tyre patterns were tested in the popular 195/65 R15 size, and the spread of best to worst proved to be worringly large!
The best in the wet and dry proved to be the new Bridgestone Weather Control A005, beating the dry master Michelin CrossClimate by 1.4 meters in the dry, and a huge 2.9 meters in the wet!
The rest of the premium players proved to be more evenly matched, with Michelin, Goodyear, Hankook and Continental all covered by just a few meters. Vredestein, Falken and Nexen were all inside a comfortable window too.
The further down the table you go, the more worrying (or dangerous) some of the results get. By 18th place the combined wet and dry stopping distance is already over 15 meters more than the best on test, and the worst tyre on test is a combined 22 meters behind the winning Bridgestone. The majority of this disadantage is in the wet, which again highlights the importance of fitting the RIGHT all season tyre for the rainy UK climate.
The full list is below, and be sure to come back to the Tyre Reviews website in a few weeks for the results of the top 10 shootout. Also, don't forget to watch our "Top 7 All Season Tyres" video!
Results
Because this is just based on braking distances
Hi gents, I want to try all-season tyres on my E class (245/40/R18) only because sometimes I travel to Europe in the winter.
So can anyone help me to choose between Michelin CC+ and Bridgestone WC A005. I don't want to worsen handling and braking in the summer on dry and wet. At the moment I got Michelin Pilot Sport 4 and I really love them but unfortunately, I am not allowed to use them in Europe for winter.
No, I do not have room to store another set of wheels for winter.
Thanks
Crossclimate is currently way more proven so I'd recommend that at the moment
Can anyone shed light on this Michelin tyre Crossclimate 235/55 R19 105W XL, S1, SUV. Especially S1 index.
Depending on the brand, S1 can indicate lower sound, or Peugeot fitment. Might be worth dropping Michelin an email to find out which.
Thanks a lot. I've found the answer here https://www.mytyres.co.uk/t...
How can the Kleber & BFGoodrich have gotten this much worse in one year?
They were 4th & 5th in Auto Bild's 2017 Top 10 test, and this time they don't even qualify for the full test.
Or does that just come down to the tested size?
2018: 195/65 R15 H vs 2017: 205/55 R16 V
Size, vehicle and test location can have a dramatic affect on the overall results when everything is so close.
Thanks for the info.
I guess I won't have to worry that I made a wrong choice when getting the Quadraxer 2s recently, especially since my size is the one where they came in 4th.
After about 12 hours of combined research overtime I have finally settled on 4 seasons Kleber Quadraxer 2. In the size for 245/45 17 Inch Rim. The choice for me was in between Bridgestone. I will report later when the Kleber gets installed in a middle of October. I personally think and from what I gather from other experiences, these are the good choice tyres.
Hi guys, would like to get some all season for my Audi a1 but wheel size is 225/35r18 so as far as I can tell they don't exist ☹️ Any suggestions for something that will do a half decent job all year round in the U.K.?
You could run the Conti TS850 as an all season, but depending on where you are in the UK it's probably best to move to another wheel / tyre size or stick with summers.
Hello, Folks, need some help from Tyre geeks (I'm too). Very much considering all season tyre for a car which is not going to go a lot of mileage and cannot decide between Kleber QUADRAXER 2 vs Nexen N Blue 4 Season? Please share your opinion on these. which one would be better?
Check out our all season video :) Of the two I would go with Nexen at the moment, but it's very close.
hey, i have seen all videos and subscribed you on another platform, also frequently checking latest news on website. Huge fan from Lithuania. Regarding tires, I think everyone have few favorites, just need some other opinion to make a step :) Thanks a lot!
Does temperature alter the results ?You don’t mention temperatures, for example is it the same braking/handling in dry/wet at 5 degrees vs braking at 35 degrees ?
Since from where I am from we have temperatures from -10 to +40 , I was wondering if an all season tyre will be capable to handle different temperatures .
Temperature will affect mostly how the all season tyre compares to a summer tyre, not each other
Yes, compared to a summer tyre how much temperature affects them. Is an all season tyre better in 3 degrees on dry/wet ? as a summer tyre is better on 30 degrees on dry/wet .
sadly these are the questions which don't get answers
I think the issue of snow performance (Weather Control A005) is relevant, not all Londoners drive only in London. Granted a direct comparison with other tyres can sometimes be confusing and of course dry/wet cold weather behaviour (which is more often seen) matters too.
When there is abiliy to quantify why the German site marked this tyre down to last place will I be better placed to decide which tyre to select. Can't speak about others, but I have until early November to make a decison so hopefully more information will be known by then. My driving is 75 miles a day commuting, mixture of fast motorway & narrow 'A' road - think almost a country lane, including one long hill ending 500' above sea level at the top, if it is going to snow this is always the first place to be affected.
I have this issue of Autobild, they rated Bridgestone last because it was the worst all season tyre on snow by a margin (which was a bit of a surprise to me due to some youtube videos I have seen comparing it favourably to Michelin).
I also have to order tyres before end of the month, and even if I overlook the snow performance of Bridgestone (which I can't because I drive at least a few weekends over snow), I guess I would still order Michelin or Conti because they both seem to be better value.
I'm still waiting to see the full result, but out of interest what videos have you seen which rate the a005 in the snow?
Sorry I tried copying the link here unsuccesfully, but when you search YouTube, there is one titled: "Bridgestone Weather Control A005 vs Michelin Crossclimate + - Snow braking - 4Legend.com" where Bridgestone has a shorter stopping distance, whereas in Autobild's test it's the other way round.
Interesting, I see it's a TUV test, but at Bridgestones test centres. Probably best to wait for a few more all season tests before making your final choice, though if snow performance is important the Goodyear and Conti are excellent choices too.
Really keen to hear more about the Weather Control A005. All season tyres for the 245/40/R19 on my 2014 XF are rare, so thinking of either these or Goodyear Asymmetric 3s. Difficult decision when I'd be spending close on £700 and need 4 new tyres soon. Any thoughts?
There's some discussion below.
You decision will come down to whether you NEED snow performance.
Try to find out in the big technical paper of your individual car version which other, ideally smaller tyre dimension, you are allowed/certified by car producer to use. That can give you broader tyres offer and lower prices from higher competition.
Good to see a comparison which includes the new Bridgestone tyre, more so that it came first, however there is very little else about this tyre, I don't speak German is there to be a translation of the comments posted to this website, or any other tests with comments about this tyre?
The Bridgestone came last in the top 10 test, but it was marked down heavily for it's snow performance, which in the UK isn't a big issue.
As soon as I've full details of the test I'll get it on the website in english :)
You fail to mention that in the test the summer tyre came out best of all for braking in the dry and the wet and at the top/near the top in most other disciplines, but not in the snow. The main reason for buying a All Seasons Tyre over a summer tyre is to get better performance in snow/ice. Therefore if a all seasons tyre isn't good at this discipline it deserves to be marked down heavily.
For the majority of UK motoring I disagree.
A bad all season tyre will still be many many many times better than a summer tyre in the snow, and at the speeds we generally see on snow covered UK roads more than usable. We spend the 99% to 100% of our year on dry and wet roads, this is what the majority of us need to focus on for the safest year round motoring.
I agree 100% that an all season tyre is better than a summer tyre in the snow. The summer tyre failed miserable in the snow in the AutoBild test. I just don't agree that the Bridgestone's poor performance in the snow should be overlooked, despite its good performance in dry/wet conditions. I was considering buying the Bridgestone but having read the AutoBild review it's out of the running for me.
That's the beauty of tyres, everyone has different preferences so there is no "one best tyre".
Personally I'd take the Bridgestone or Michelin approach for where I am in North London.
@Alisdair I disagree. I live in Manchester, UK. In winter our roads are gritted. I encounter snow mainly on car parks, or if I go looking for it on minor roads. I want an all season tyre to give me better cold weather performance than a standard summer tyre, including on the slush which results from gritting.