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2018 Auto Bild All Season Tyre Test

Jonathan Benson
Data analyzed and reviewed by Jonathan Benson
7 min read Updated
Below are all the data points for the 2018 Auto Bild All Season Tyre Test, displaying how each tyre performed across all test categories. The spider chart below provides a complete overview of performance, where one hundred percent represents the best performance in each category. The larger the area covered by each tyre's plot, the better its overall performance.
How to read these charts: For each test category, data is presented relative to the best performing tire. The direction indicates whether lower or higher values are better - pay close attention to this when interpreting results.

Performance Overview

This radar chart shows relative performance across all test categories, with 100% representing the best performance in each category. Reference tires may have gaps where data is not available.

Vredestein Quatrac 5
Nokian WeatherProof
Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
Nexen N Blue 4 Season
Michelin CrossClimate Plus
Continental AllSeasonContact
Reference Summer
Reference Winter
Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
Hankook Kinergy 4S2
Bridgestone Weather Control A005
Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210

Quick Navigation

Dry Performance Overview

Dry Braking (M)

Spread: 8.00 M (20.5%) | Avg: 43.20 M

Dry braking in meters (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Reference Summer with a result of 39 M. The difference between best and worst was 17%.
  1. Reference Summer
    39 M
  2. Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    39.4 M
  3. Michelin CrossClimate Plus
    40.8 M
  4. Hankook Kinergy 4S2
    43.1 M
  5. Continental AllSeasonContact
    43.4 M
  6. Nexen N Blue 4 Season
    43.6 M
  7. Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210
    43.6 M
  8. Vredestein Quatrac 5
    43.9 M
  9. Nokian WeatherProof
    44.2 M
  10. Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
    44.6 M
  11. Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    45.8 M
  12. Reference Winter
    47 M

Dry Handling (Km/H)

Spread: 4.00 Km/H (3.6%) | Avg: 107.63 Km/H

Dry Handling Average Speed (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Reference Summer with a result of 110.6 Km/H. The difference between best and worst was 3.6%.
  1. Reference Summer
    110.6 Km/H
  2. Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    108.6 Km/H
  3. Michelin CrossClimate Plus
    107.9 Km/H
  4. Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    107.9 Km/H
  5. Hankook Kinergy 4S2
    107.7 Km/H
  6. Vredestein Quatrac 5
    107.3 Km/H
  7. Nokian WeatherProof
    107.1 Km/H
  8. Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210
    107.1 Km/H
  9. Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
    107 Km/H
  10. Continental AllSeasonContact
    107 Km/H
  11. Reference Winter
    106.7 Km/H
  12. Nexen N Blue 4 Season
    106.6 Km/H

Wet Performance Overview

Wet Braking (M)

Spread: 12.00 M (29%) | Avg: 48.34 M

Wet braking in meters (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Reference Summer with a result of 41.4 M. The difference between best and worst was 22.5%.
  1. Reference Summer
    41.4 M
  2. Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    45.2 M
  3. Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
    46.2 M
  4. Hankook Kinergy 4S2
    47.8 M
  5. Michelin CrossClimate Plus
    48.1 M
  6. Vredestein Quatrac 5
    48.6 M
  7. Continental AllSeasonContact
    48.6 M
  8. Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210
    49.5 M
  9. Nexen N Blue 4 Season
    49.9 M
  10. Nokian WeatherProof
    50.7 M
  11. Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    50.7 M
  12. Reference Winter
    53.4 M

Wet Handling (Km/H)

Spread: 3.40 Km/H (4.7%) | Avg: 71.47 Km/H

Wet Handling Average Speed (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Reference Summer with a result of 73.1 Km/H. The difference between best and worst was 4.7%.
  1. Reference Summer
    73.1 Km/H
  2. Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
    72.9 Km/H
  3. Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    72.5 Km/H
  4. Continental AllSeasonContact
    72.4 Km/H
  5. Vredestein Quatrac 5
    71.9 Km/H
  6. Michelin CrossClimate Plus
    71.6 Km/H
  7. Hankook Kinergy 4S2
    71.5 Km/H
  8. Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    71.3 Km/H
  9. Nokian WeatherProof
    70.6 Km/H
  10. Reference Winter
    70.2 Km/H
  11. Nexen N Blue 4 Season
    69.9 Km/H
  12. Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210
    69.7 Km/H

Straight Aqua (Km/H)

Spread: 12.50 Km/H (14.7%) | Avg: 78.98 Km/H

Float Speed in Km/H (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Continental AllSeasonContact with a result of 85.2 Km/H. The difference between best and worst was 14.7%.
  1. Continental AllSeasonContact
    85.2 Km/H
  2. Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210
    83.9 Km/H
  3. Hankook Kinergy 4S2
    81.5 Km/H
  4. Nokian WeatherProof
    81.2 Km/H
  5. Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
    80.8 Km/H
  6. Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    80.7 Km/H
  7. Michelin CrossClimate Plus
    78.5 Km/H
  8. Reference Winter
    78.1 Km/H
  9. Reference Summer
    75.7 Km/H
  10. Nexen N Blue 4 Season
    75.2 Km/H
  11. Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    74.3 Km/H
  12. Vredestein Quatrac 5
    72.7 Km/H

Snow Performance Overview

Snow Braking (M)

Spread: 17.70 M (70.2%) | Avg: 28.47 M

Snow braking in meters (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Reference Winter with a result of 25.2 M. The difference between best and worst was 41.3%.
  1. Reference Winter
    25.2 M
  2. Nokian WeatherProof
    25.7 M
  3. Continental AllSeasonContact
    26.2 M
  4. Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
    26.3 M
  5. Nexen N Blue 4 Season
    26.6 M
  6. Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210
    26.9 M
  7. Vredestein Quatrac 5
    27.2 M
  8. Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    27.4 M
  9. Hankook Kinergy 4S2
    27.8 M
  10. Michelin CrossClimate Plus
    28.3 M
  11. Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    31.1 M
  12. Reference Summer
    42.9 M

Snow Handling (Km/H)

Spread: 26.40 Km/H (45.4%) | Avg: 55.16 Km/H

Snow handling average speed (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Nokian WeatherProof with a result of 58.2 Km/H. The difference between best and worst was 45.4%.
  1. Nokian WeatherProof
    58.2 Km/H
  2. Reference Winter
    58 Km/H
  3. Continental AllSeasonContact
    57.9 Km/H
  4. Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210
    57.9 Km/H
  5. Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    57.6 Km/H
  6. Vredestein Quatrac 5
    57.5 Km/H
  7. Nexen N Blue 4 Season
    57.5 Km/H
  8. Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
    57.3 Km/H
  9. Hankook Kinergy 4S2
    56.6 Km/H
  10. Michelin CrossClimate Plus
    56.5 Km/H
  11. Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    55.1 Km/H
  12. Reference Summer
    31.8 Km/H

Comfort Performance Overview

Noise (dB)

Spread: 4.20 dB (6%) | Avg: 72.39 dB

External noise in dB (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Nexen N Blue 4 Season with a result of 70.4 dB. The difference between best and worst was 5.6%.
  1. Nexen N Blue 4 Season
    70.4 dB
  2. Hankook Kinergy 4S2
    70.6 dB
  3. Vredestein Quatrac 5
    71.1 dB
  4. Michelin CrossClimate Plus
    71.9 dB
  5. Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    72 dB
  6. Reference Winter
    72.4 dB
  7. Reference Summer
    72.6 dB
  8. Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
    72.7 dB
  9. Nokian WeatherProof
    73 dB
  10. Continental AllSeasonContact
    73.4 dB
  11. Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210
    74 dB
  12. Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    74.6 dB

Value Performance Overview

Wear (KM)

Spread: 26600.00 KM (45.2%) | Avg: 43490.00 KM

Predicted tread life in KM (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Michelin CrossClimate Plus with a result of 58800 KM. The difference between best and worst was 45.2%.
  1. Michelin CrossClimate Plus
    58800 KM
  2. Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210
    51700 KM
  3. Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
    50200 KM
  4. Continental AllSeasonContact
    45700 KM
  5. Vredestein Quatrac 5
    43200 KM
  6. Nexen N Blue 4 Season
    42900 KM
  7. Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    40000 KM
  8. Nokian WeatherProof
    35500 KM
  9. Hankook Kinergy 4S2
    34700 KM
  10. Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    32200 KM

Value (Price/1000)

Spread: 3.23 Price/1000 (66.7%) | Avg: 6.20 Price/1000

Euros/1000km based on cost/wear (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210 with a result of 4.84 Price/1000. The difference between best and worst was 40%.
  1. Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210
    4.84 Price/1000
  2. Nexen N Blue 4 Season
    5.01 Price/1000
  3. Michelin CrossClimate Plus
    5.27 Price/1000
  4. Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
    5.58 Price/1000
  5. Vredestein Quatrac 5
    5.79 Price/1000
  6. Continental AllSeasonContact
    6.24 Price/1000
  7. Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    6.63 Price/1000
  8. Hankook Kinergy 4S2
    7.06 Price/1000
  9. Nokian WeatherProof
    7.46 Price/1000
  10. Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    8.07 Price/1000

Price

Spread: 95.00 (44.2%) | Avg: 262.50

Price in local currency (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Nexen N Blue 4 Season. The difference between best and worst was 30.6%.
  1. Nexen N Blue 4 Season
    215
  2. Hankook Kinergy 4S2
    245
  3. Vredestein Quatrac 5
    250
  4. Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210
    250
  5. Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    260
  6. Nokian WeatherProof
    265
  7. Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    265
  8. Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
    280
  9. Continental AllSeasonContact
    285
  10. Michelin CrossClimate Plus
    310

Rolling Resistance (kg / t)

Spread: 2.58 kg / t (34.8%) | Avg: 8.95 kg / t

Rolling resistance in kg t (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Nokian WeatherProof with a result of 7.41 kg / t. The difference between best and worst was 25.8%.
  1. Nokian WeatherProof
    7.41 kg / t
  2. Continental AllSeasonContact
    8.15 kg / t
  3. Bridgestone Weather Control A005
    8.48 kg / t
  4. Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
    8.55 kg / t
  5. Hankook Kinergy 4S2
    8.9 kg / t
  6. Michelin CrossClimate Plus
    8.91 kg / t
  7. Vredestein Quatrac 5
    8.92 kg / t
  8. Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210
    9.05 kg / t
  9. Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus
    9.45 kg / t
  10. Reference Summer
    9.6 kg / t
  11. Reference Winter
    9.96 kg / t
  12. Nexen N Blue 4 Season
    9.99 kg / t

Overall Findings

Based on the weighted scoring from all tests, here are the overall results:

Position Tyre Score
Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 0%
2 Continental AllSeasonContact 0%
3 Nokian WeatherProof 0%
4 Michelin CrossClimate Plus 0%
5 Hankook Kinergy 4S2 0%
6 Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210 0%
7 Vredestein Quatrac 5 0%
8 Nexen N Blue 4 Season 0%
9 Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus 0%
10 Bridgestone Weather Control A005 0%
11 Reference Summer 0%
12 Reference Winter 0%

Discussion

55 comments
  1. Rufley archived

    I am trying to decide if if I should switch from my Falken Eurowinters (HS449) to an all season tyre. I drive a 2009 Volvo V70 estate, which can easily lose its grip in the snow, and I live in Sheffield, full of hills, so though snow is not present all winter, when it comes it does a good job of shutting the place down!). But I am confused by the AutoBild data and indeed your comments on it. Particularly the comments comparing with the Summer reference in wet braking.

    For the Winter tyre test (http://www.tyrereviews.co.u... the summer ref is 35.9m and several of the Winter tyres easily beat it. Yet for the data above, even though the Summer ref is higher (41.4m), none of the All Seasons beat it and still they are all presented as better than the Winter ref at 53.4m. In the Winter tyre test, however, the worst winter tyre still manages 38.2m (link above). What's going on? From one test (Winter) I should conclude that Winter tyres are better than Summer in the wet braking, yet in the other I have to conclude that All Seasons are not even though they are better than the Winter ref?!

    Let me know who I should contact at Autobild to let them know they need a scientist involved (I am one!). In the meantime, I have one Falken wearing more than the the other 3 (which have a bunch of tread left); to switch to an all season means I am going to have to buy 4 (in stead of just replacing the one Falken); not really worth it, is it?!

    #5146
    1. TyreReviews Rufley archived

      Lots of factors change tyre test results, temperature, vehicle, surface type etc. It's a good idea to use lots of data sources and average the results you find.

      In short, a good all season or a good winter (such as a TS860) will out perform the falken in most if no all scenarios. I like using a summer bias all season as a winter tyre for most of the UK, but if you see heavy snow and hills, either go with a "normal" all season, or a winter with a good all round ability.

      #5152
  2. Illuvattarr archived

    Hello! I'm trying to decide which allseason tyres to fit under my Ford Fiesta 2014. Since I have 16 inch rims, I have to keep height 45, which prohibits me from a Continental or Goodyear all season tyre unfortunately.

    I'm currently thinking about the Bridgestone Weather control A005 or the Vredestein Quatrac 5. I'm from the south of the Netherlands and it's mostly dry and wet road conditions here, with maybe a couple of days snow a year. Bridgestone seems the better choice, but I've read reviews saying they're awfull in the snow. Plus they have a higher noise level. Vredestein seems like the more allround with a lower noise level, they perform well in the snow, but less so in the dry and wet than the Bridgestones.
    Which should I get?

    #4533
    1. TyreReviews Illuvattarr archived

      Both excellent choices! Given the Bridgestones will still be much better in the snow than a summer tyre I wouldn't let you put that off if you see limited snow running.

      #4534
      1. Illuvattarr TyreReviews archived

        Alright, thank you! I currently have 195/45 R16 tyres under my Ford Fiesta 2014. Do you think it is possible to put Continental Allseason contact 195/55 R16 tyres on it? Or will the height be to much of a difference?

        #4540
        1. TyreReviews Illuvattarr archived

          That would be too much of a height difference for me.

          #4544
    2. George Illuvattarr archived

      Sinse 99% of driving is happening on wet or dry roads, i would definitely go for the brigestone weather control.

      #4967
  3. Jacek Pelka archived

    Hi, I currently have Pirelli Scorpion Verde AS tires in size 245 / 50R20 on my car. I am currently looking for new tires. In my size, I found only the Goodyear Eagle Sport AS model. Do you recommend these tires? Will they be better than current Pirelli?

    #4370
      1. Jacek Pelka TyreReviews archived

        South of Poland near Wisła. The city of our ski jumper Adam Malysz :) Car with 4x4

        #4372
        1. TyreReviews Jacek Pelka archived

          In Poland I wouldn't recommend the Eagle Sport AS as it's not a true all season tyre so like the Pirelli will have limited abilities in the snow and ice.

          If you are thinking of changing tyre size make sure you have enough suspension clearance etc.

          #4374
          1. Jacek Pelka TyreReviews archived

            Quatrac 5 will be a better option than the aforementioned two Pirelli and GoodYear? CrossClimate is expensive and I am looking for alternatives.
            Tire size 255/45 R20 is acceptable in my car but in option with another engine, so it's not a problem.

            #4375
            1. TyreReviews Jacek Pelka archived

              The Quatrac will have better capabilities in snow and ice yes, but won't be as good in the dry.

              #4376
              1. Jacek Pelka TyreReviews archived

                So on a dry Pirelli will be better than Vredestein? I guess it would be wise to buy CrossClimate and have good tires on both snow and dry roads. What do you think ?

                #4377
                1. TyreReviews Jacek Pelka archived

                  The Pirelli is essentially a summer tyre so yes, as a rule any siped tyre is worse than a non-siped tyre during dry braking.

                  The CrossClimate is a good mix between the two

                  #4378
                    1. Kolemjdouci Jacek Pelka archived

                      Vredestein Quatrac 5 is weak in snow, its made for an SUV in NL...You should go for one of the 3 best: Goodyear Vector4Seasons, Conti AllSeasonsContact or more summer oriented Michelin Cross Climate+, if available.

                      #4460
                  1. Jacopo Siliprandi TyreReviews archived

                    where would you position tyres such as the P7 All season/Scorpion Verde All season and the like of Bridgestone el440? I understand that these may be particularly tailored to the US market as a more versatile summer tyre. However the Scorpion Verde All season seems to have a decent amount of sipes.

                    #5589
                    1. TyreReviews Jacopo Siliprandi archived

                      The US market all season tyres are more usable in the snow than our summer tyres, but nowhere near our all season tyres. There's actually a video on the channel covering different tyre types, might be worth watching.

                      #5590
      2. Jacek Pelka TyreReviews archived

        emergency plan is to change the size of tires to 255 / 45R20. Then there are definitely more options to choose from as the CrossClimate SUV. However, if possible, I would prefer to stay at the factory size 245 / 50R20

        #4373
  4. Davide archived

    I'm going to buy a new set of all-season tyres. I live on the coast, 5Km from the sea (Italy): november-march it's rainy (average temperature 7-12°C) or it's sunny (average temperature 0-4°C in the morning when I go to work), summer very hot (average temperature 25-30°C), the snow is a rare and fast event. I've seen Bridgestone (dry and wet performance, planned and tested in Italy), but also Goodyear is interesting (dry-wet-snow-comfort-noise-wear). I want a tyre good for dry and wet (braking and handling), good aquaplaning performance, snow performance isn't very important. Now I've got Vredestein Quatrac 3: the braking on dry street is poor (ABS usually active), good aquaplaning performance, wear about 43.000Km. I drive on some streets with obbligation for snow tyres. My daily job route (monday-friday) is 18Km on flat land (city and suburban) but 6Km on hill as far as 550m altitude: temperature a little lower, more probality of snowing (3-5 day each year - but the street covered by the snow is impossible), many curves and hairpin bends, it'possible ice on the street. What tyre do you advice me?

    #4170
    1. TyreReviews Davide archived

      Probably the Conti Allseasoncontact :)

      #4171
  5. Marek Marek archived

    all that depends on the outside temperature, doesn't it? what about summer tyre in dry -0C and allseason tyre in dry +30C?

    #4150
    1. TyreReviews Marek Marek archived

      IN the dry the summer tyre should always win, no matter the temperature. In the wet the balance of performance changes as the temperatures drop

      #4151
      1. Marek Marek TyreReviews archived

        I always thought that in cold (e.g. -10°C) summer tyre loses traction as its tread compound rubber properties change to
        inflexible plastic, and that ´s reason why winter tyres are significantly softer...

        #4159
        1. TyreReviews Marek Marek archived

          I'm not sure about -10c, but at around 0c the summer tyre will still win as siped tyres have a 15-20% dry braking disadvantage, as shown in this test (ignoring the CrossClimate and A005 as these are special cases)

          #4160
            1. Elio Golfieri Marek Marek archived

              Hi, sorry if I reply to an old post! I'm very interested about the question. For dry conditions, so, summer is always the best (at least, with 0C or high)...but whit wet conditions? What's, more or less, the temperature where siped tyres will become better? Thank you

              #4509
  6. vijay arora archived

    hi How do you test for comfort is it an objective test or subjective?

    #4121
    1. TyreReviews vijay arora archived

      Comfort tests are generally subjective, but the scores does sometimes include a noise score which is measured and objective.

      #4122
  7. Angelo archived

    We can't choose between the Continental and the Goodyear for our Corsa. It has 15 inch tyres.
    We live in the Netherlands and it's raining more than that it's snowing. Seems these tyres are quite even in their performance.

    I tend more to Goodyear, but I would like to receive some advice.

    #4098
    1. TyreReviews Angelo archived

      As you said, there's very little between the two. The Goodyear is the more proven product, the Conti is the newer tyre, so it depends which side of that fence you sit!

      #4099
  8. Scour archived

    Last year the weather is my region was mostly wet and rarely snowy. But somedays it was really hard to drive because it was snowy and slippery. So tires like the A005 are not worth a discussion in my area. I guess the A005 would be absolute horrible if it don´t have the full tread.
    Bridgestone actually don´t have a winter tyre which I can call a winter tyre, the LM001 Evo would probably beaten by most all season tyres in the snow. And it was far away from all other winter tyres in the Michelin 2mm-test

    #3982
    1. TyreReviews Scour archived

      Do you mean it was hard to drive on winters or on summers?

      #3983
      1. Scour TyreReviews archived

        I can even driver very good with summer tires in winter ;) as long it´s not snowing.

        The A005 seems to be weak in snow and I guess it would have the same behaviour like the LM001 Evo. The snow-performance would decrease a lot with every lost of tread.

        #3985
    2. Kolemjdouci Scour archived

      New winter Bridgestone LM005 launched...soon to be tested this year.
      So, you can also compare the prices and availability or concrete DOT for delivery from a good dealer...

      #4461
      1. Scour Kolemjdouci archived

        Looks nice, but is the 2nd clone (after Pirellis Cinturato Winter) of the Conti TS 860

        #4462
  9. J archived

    Wow, that Bridgestone Weather control A005 seems to be a fantastic tyre for Southern UK and Dutch climate. Even though it's placed last in this test. Snow handling is just less important in these regions.

    #3953
    1. TyreReviews J archived

      That's my current way of thinking!

      #3958
      1. Pedro Neves TyreReviews archived

        For Southern UK it may also be a good combination Bridgestones in the front and Goodyears Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 or Continentals AllSeason Contact in the back to compensate for Bridgestone's lower grip and braking in the snow and ice.
        In the wet, the results would be equally great.
        In the dry, the ESP could compensate for Goodyear's or Continental's lower grip. The handling wouldn't be as good as with 4 Bridgestones but there's safety enough in the dry if the ESP is on. And, since in the dry emergency braking almost 80% of the braking force is applyed in the front, there wouldn't be much difference in the dry braking compared with a 4 Bridgestone fitting.
        I believe this could be valid for a front or a rear wheel drive car but only testing could tell...

        #3960
        1. TyreReviews Pedro Neves archived

          I would never ever recommend mixing tyre types (which is essentially what you're doing there), I've a video coming on mixed fitment soon, it's super dangerous in snow and ice!

          #3963
          1. Pedro Neves TyreReviews archived

            Looking forward to watch it! I'm sure it will be quite useful!

            #3964
          2. Rohit Shah TyreReviews archived

            Did you ever did the video with mixed fitment?

            #5082
      2. Engineer_Andy TyreReviews archived

        Weird how they won or came near the top except the snow test and thus came bottom of the overal score. Maybe its because in Germany snow falls far more regularly, though surely you'd only keep them on if a) the had the 3 peak symbol, and b) the snow in your region wasn't that bad, which is why people buy all-season tyres.

        If the snow got really bad, that would be the resaon to use dedicated winter tyres and summer tyres. Surely they didn't test them as if they were going to replace winter tyres? Well, at least they gave a breakdown of the differnt sub-tests so we Brits can decide for ourselves whether its worth going for A, B or C, depending on where we live and the availability/value/performance we want out of the tyres.

        I must admit that quite a few (the Contis especially, which would've been on my top 3 list of possibles) are not widely available in the UK, or are quite expensive.

        #3978
        1. TyreReviews Engineer_Andy archived

          I'd certainly like to see the A005 in more tests before making a firm choice, but as we've covered, the best all season tyre in my mind for the most of the UK is one that is strong in the dry and wet, and works ok in snow. This is why the Michelin CrossClimate has been such a great choice for the UK.

          #3981
          1. Kris Aumann TyreReviews archived

            Hi, i'm really indecisive about the A005 or the micheline crossclimate. The A005 seems superior (besides the snow handling but that's not all that important to me) but that main issue seems to be the mileage. the micheline seems to be able to do 60000 km compared to the 40000 km the A005 would be able to handle. Is this accurate? I can both buy them online for around 70 euro's so the micheline seems the better choice mileagewise and still having a good tyre. Any advice? thanks a lot. And awesome website and video's btw. Makes chosing a tyre much more fun and interesting ;-)

            #4003
            1. TyreReviews Kris Aumann archived

              The Michelin is proven at this stage, where as the Bridgestone has only been in this one test so right now the Michelin is the safer option if that makes sense.

              #4004
              1. Kris Aumann TyreReviews archived

                It does. Thanks a lot. My choice for the Belgian weather has been made ;-) Only one question more; should i opt for the 195/65/R15 version or the 205/55/R16? both fit my car and the 195 is a bit cheaper than the 205 but was wondering if there are any advantages/disadvantages for this or that size. Thanks again. Kind regards. Kris

                #4025
                1. Engineer_Andy Kris Aumann archived

                  It depends upon how good a ride and the handling capabilities are for your car. I changed my wheels and tyres on my (now) 13yo Mazda3 from 205/55 R16 to 195/65 R15 because I'd driven a pool car (same model) with the smaller tyres and it still handled well (it's a great handling car to start with, given it shares the same floorpan as the Ford Focus mk2, and modern Mazdas are good handling cars).

                  Doing so saved also me a shed load of money, as I had to change the alloys anyway (and were nearly 2x the cost for 16in OEM replacements). I saved over £300 (€.330) on the wheel and tyre replacements and £100 on the tyres alone, and £25 per tyre for every future replacement (I bought Michelin CrossClimate+'s - H rated for speed, which are slightly cheaper than the V rated ones [but both are allowed on my car for the 15in tyres]).

                  You also get a smoother ride quality with the higher sidewall 15in tyres, but handling isn't quite as good, but again it depends on the car. The higher sidewall is also more resistant to damage from kerbing and will work better in the snow for stopping and in the wet for aquaplaning, but again, at the expense of general grip. The TR videos referred to about differences in tyre size show this in more detail. To be honest, the really high differences come from changing from wider low profile tyres (17in/18in) down by 2ins on the wheel diameter.

                  If your wheels are in decent condition and don't need changing any time soon, I'd stick to the 16in wheels and tyres, as the difference on the road won't be likely that much for most cars and the cost to change over the long term won't be much in it. It's only if you're in a similar situation to me that it's worth changing down a size, assuming the smaller wheels fit over the brakes and your insurer allow the change (they should). You may even get lower insurance premiums as a result (I did), if you're lucky.

                  #4112
        2. Kolemjdouci Engineer_Andy archived

          If not available in the UK or very expensive then just make a trip to Europe and buy them here cheaper directly or via an e-commerce site.

          #3988