The 2019 Auto Motor und Sport tyre test has tested eleven crossover SUV tyres in 215/55 R17. While this fitment isn't the most exciting fitment in the world, usually being found fitted to vehicles like the Vauxhall Mokka, Skoda Karoq, Seat Ateca, Hyundai Kona and Audi Q2, it is a high growth segment thanks to the huge sales of these types of cars.
The results of this test are fairly straight forward, with only one note. The Continental PremiumContact 5 tested has been replaced by the PremiumContact 6, which undoubtably would have fared better than the seventh place overall.
Dry
Dry braking was extremely close between the top four tyres, with the Michelin just having the edge of the group.
Dry Braking
Spread: 3.20 M (8.9%)|Avg: 37.55 M
Dry braking in meters (Lower is better)
Dry Braking: Safety Impact: Best vs Worst Tyre
Dry handling was also close, with the top eight tyres averaging 1km/h difference over the handling lap.
Dry Handling
Spread: 2.10 Km/H (2%)|Avg: 103.74 Km/H
Dry Handling Average Speed (Higher is better)
Nokian WetProof
104.50 Km/H
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
104.30 Km/H
Giti GitiPremium H1
104.30 Km/H
Bridgestone Turanza T005
104.00 Km/H
Michelin Primacy 4
104.00 Km/H
Pirelli CINTURATO P7
103.90 Km/H
Falken ZIEX ZE310 EcoRun
103.90 Km/H
Nexen N Blue HD Plus
103.50 Km/H
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance
103.20 Km/H
Continental Premium Contact 5
103.10 Km/H
Toyo Proxes CF2 SUV
102.40 Km/H
Three tyres were awarded the top spot for the subjective dry handling scores.
Subj. Dry Handling
Spread: 3.00 Points (33.3%)|Avg: 7.82 Points
Subjective Dry Handling Score (Higher is better)
Pirelli CINTURATO P7
9.00 Points
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
9.00 Points
Michelin Primacy 4
9.00 Points
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance
8.00 Points
Giti GitiPremium H1
8.00 Points
Bridgestone Turanza T005
8.00 Points
Nokian WetProof
8.00 Points
Continental Premium Contact 5
7.00 Points
Nexen N Blue HD Plus
7.00 Points
Falken ZIEX ZE310 EcoRun
7.00 Points
Toyo Proxes CF2 SUV
6.00 Points
Wet
Wet braking proved the Nokian WetProof's high safety qualities, winning the wet braking testing to be the best braking tyre overall.
Wet Braking
Spread: 4.30 M (12.1%)|Avg: 37.11 M
Wet braking in meters (Lower is better)
Wet Braking: Safety Impact: Best vs Worst Tyre
While the Bridgestone couldn't place better than mid-pack for wet braking, it was the fastest around the wet handling lap, with the Nokian again proving its wet weather prowess.
Wet Handling
Spread: 5.30 Km/H (6%)|Avg: 85.60 Km/H
Wet Handling Average Speed (Higher is better)
Bridgestone Turanza T005
88.10 Km/H
Nokian WetProof
87.10 Km/H
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance
87.00 Km/H
Pirelli CINTURATO P7
86.20 Km/H
Continental Premium Contact 5
86.20 Km/H
Falken ZIEX ZE310 EcoRun
85.70 Km/H
Giti GitiPremium H1
85.30 Km/H
Michelin Primacy 4
85.10 Km/H
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
84.10 Km/H
Nexen N Blue HD Plus
84.00 Km/H
Toyo Proxes CF2 SUV
82.80 Km/H
The aging Continental PremiumContact 5 proved to be the best during straight aquaplaning.
Straight Aqua
Spread: 5.40 Km/H (6.7%)|Avg: 77.39 Km/H
Float Speed in Km/H (Higher is better)
Continental Premium Contact 5
80.50 Km/H
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance
79.70 Km/H
Falken ZIEX ZE310 EcoRun
79.10 Km/H
Giti GitiPremium H1
78.20 Km/H
Nokian WetProof
78.10 Km/H
Toyo Proxes CF2 SUV
77.00 Km/H
Michelin Primacy 4
76.90 Km/H
Bridgestone Turanza T005
76.10 Km/H
Pirelli CINTURATO P7
75.40 Km/H
Nexen N Blue HD Plus
75.20 Km/H
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
75.10 Km/H
The Goodyear took the lead during subjective wet handling scores, with the Nokian and Bridgestone just a point behind.
Subj. Wet Handling
Spread: 5.00 Points (50%)|Avg: 7.55 Points
Subjective Wet Handling Score (Higher is better)
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance
10.00 Points
Bridgestone Turanza T005
9.00 Points
Nokian WetProof
9.00 Points
Pirelli CINTURATO P7
8.00 Points
Continental Premium Contact 5
8.00 Points
Michelin Primacy 4
8.00 Points
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
7.00 Points
Falken ZIEX ZE310 EcoRun
7.00 Points
Nexen N Blue HD Plus
6.00 Points
Toyo Proxes CF2 SUV
6.00 Points
Giti GitiPremium H1
5.00 Points
Environment
The Michelin Primacy 4 used the least fuel on test.
Rolling Resistance
Spread: 1.70 kg / t (22.4%)|Avg: 8.37 kg / t
Rolling resistance in kg t (Lower is better)
Michelin Primacy 4
7.60 kg / t
Bridgestone Turanza T005
7.70 kg / t
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance
7.80 kg / t
Pirelli CINTURATO P7
8.10 kg / t
Giti GitiPremium H1
8.40 kg / t
Toyo Proxes CF2 SUV
8.50 kg / t
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
8.50 kg / t
Nexen N Blue HD Plus
8.60 kg / t
Continental Premium Contact 5
8.80 kg / t
Nokian WetProof
8.80 kg / t
Falken ZIEX ZE310 EcoRun
9.30 kg / t
19,000 km
£1.45/L
8.0 L/100km
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Annual Difference
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Lifetime Savings
--
Extra Fuel/Energy
--
Extra CO2
Estimates based on typical driving conditions. Rolling resistance accounts for approximately 20% of IC vehicle fuel consumption and 25% of EV energy consumption. Actual savings vary based on driving style, vehicle weight, road conditions, and tyre age. For comparative purposes only. Lifetime savings based on a 40,000km / 25,000 mile tread life.
The Nokian was the quietest tyre on test, with the Toyo having its only good placement of the test.
Noise
Spread: 3.00 dB (4.2%)|Avg: 73.10 dB
External noise in dB (Lower is better)
Nokian WetProof
71.50 dB
Toyo Proxes CF2 SUV
71.60 dB
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
72.40 dB
Giti GitiPremium H1
72.70 dB
Michelin Primacy 4
72.80 dB
Falken ZIEX ZE310 EcoRun
72.80 dB
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance
73.00 dB
Nexen N Blue HD Plus
74.20 dB
Bridgestone Turanza T005
74.20 dB
Continental Premium Contact 5
74.40 dB
Pirelli CINTURATO P7
74.50 dB
And lastly, the subjective comfort scoring was again very close, but this time Pirelli managed to combine good handling results and good levels of comfort better than any other tyre on test.
I have a BMW X3 with Pirelli P7s on and they just don't seem to be wearing out! I wouldn't mind if I liked them, but in the wet they don't inspire confidence. They have done over 35000 miles and still have over 3.5mm on. The date code is 4014, so they have likely been on the car for over 4 years. I'm thinking of changing them due to age, although I wouldn't normally change tyres until they get below 3mm. I'd like to see an SUV group test that includes the Avon ZX7.
Thanks for replying. There's lot of conflicting information on the 'net, which is why I posted here - I'd rather trust your judgement. A very useful resource, a credit to the internet.
The Primacy 4 dfoesn't score that well in the wet. But that's with new tyres.
Since Michelin is advertising that the Primacy 4 will keep his wet handling capabilities better that the competitors, a used tyre test would have been nice.
Could you possibly do a video/an article about various parameters of the tyre? How it can influence the end-result? (as I take the response here would be just too long - well I would hope for a long one ;))
- how load / speed index influences the construction of the tyre, and if having way higher than needed might improve/lower comfort/handling etc - how tyre presure can influence the behavior on dry/wet/breaking and how balance of the car can be impacted/improved by having rear/front differ in pressure
Also is there any way of actually know the thread width of individual tyres? I've only seen one web page having this listed - www.tirerack.com, but those are US market tyres, so will differ to what we have in europe... Theory here being that some say, 235 width tyres will have contact patch (thread width) wider than other manufacturer, but even than different height one (ie 235/45 might be different to 235/35) - which in the end will not reflect various bits of the tests.. (like breaking distances, aquaplaning resistance etc.)
Still waiting for some 225-40-R18 or similar tests for a FWD car. Need new rubber in less than 6 months. I kinda look more to Continental because they're usually strong in wet grip/traction without sacrificing dry performance. But I'm still not sure for the Premium Contact 6 (some test "complain" about wet grip) . I have bad experience with Michelin after 3 years, where wet grip/traction get a major hit (currently running 4 year old PS3, and wheel spin in wet and understeer, is ridiculous in a Ceed GT 1.6 Turbo). On my previous car originally with Michelin Energy (205-55R16)and wet grip... well, butter would provide more grip. Swapped for Continental PremiumContact 5 at the time, and the difference was night and day. So the contenders for the requirements, Continental PremiumContact 6, Michelin PS4, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 or Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport if available in 18... it's a tough one.
For example the Auto Bild 2019 Summer tire test puts the PremiumContact 6 in 5 place overall. It gets a 7 place for wet braking and 10 place for wet handling. Even the Falkens FK510 and the Hankook S1 evo3 get better results. The previous Continental (premiumcontact 5 or sportcontact5) tires were always at the top in the wet compared to the rivals at the time. The only tire that gets consistent results between tests is the Michelin PS4. So it might be a safer bet. Sorry for all the doubts, but replacing 4 tires is expensive, and i want to make sure it's a proper fit for the car so i can enjoy it the best. Thanks for the help. Can't wait for the next video.
I have a BMW X3 with Pirelli P7s on and they just don't seem to be wearing out! I wouldn't mind if I liked them, but in the wet they don't inspire confidence. They have done over 35000 miles and still have over 3.5mm on. The date code is 4014, so they have likely been on the car for over 4 years. I'm thinking of changing them due to age, although I wouldn't normally change tyres until they get below 3mm. I'd like to see an SUV group test that includes the Avon ZX7.
AT 4 years old they're coming to the end of their usable life, so it's best to get them changed :)
Thanks for replying. There's lot of conflicting information on the 'net, which is why I posted here - I'd rather trust your judgement. A very useful resource, a credit to the internet.
https://www.falkentyre.com/...
Can you please test Toyo Tranpath MPZ?
How sub. comfort has been calculated?
Nokian are the best for noise but the worst in sub. comfort...
Every magazine has slightly different criteria so I'm not entirely sure how AMS came to their scoring.
The Primacy 4 dfoesn't score that well in the wet. But that's with new tyres.
Since Michelin is advertising that the Primacy 4 will keep his wet handling capabilities better that the competitors, a used tyre test would have been nice.
There are other tests where it does score well in wet handling, it's all very close at the top at the moment!
Could you possibly do a video/an article about various parameters of the tyre? How it can influence the end-result? (as I take the response here would be just too long - well I would hope for a long one ;))
- how load / speed index influences the construction of the tyre, and if having way higher than needed might improve/lower comfort/handling etc
- how tyre presure can influence the behavior on dry/wet/breaking and how balance of the car can be impacted/improved by having rear/front differ in pressure
Also is there any way of actually know the thread width of individual tyres? I've only seen one web page having this listed - www.tirerack.com, but those are US market tyres, so will differ to what we have in europe...
Theory here being that some say, 235 width tyres will have contact patch (thread width) wider than other manufacturer, but even than different height one (ie 235/45 might be different to 235/35) - which in the end will not reflect various bits of the tests.. (like breaking distances, aquaplaning resistance etc.)
Still waiting for some 225-40-R18 or similar tests for a FWD car. Need new rubber in less than 6 months. I kinda look more to Continental because they're usually strong in wet grip/traction without sacrificing dry performance. But I'm still not sure for the Premium Contact 6 (some test "complain" about wet grip) . I have bad experience with Michelin after 3 years, where wet grip/traction get a major hit (currently running 4 year old PS3, and wheel spin in wet and understeer, is ridiculous in a Ceed GT 1.6 Turbo). On my previous car originally with Michelin Energy (205-55R16)and wet grip... well, butter would provide more grip. Swapped for Continental PremiumContact 5 at the time, and the difference was night and day.
So the contenders for the requirements, Continental PremiumContact 6, Michelin PS4, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 or Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport if available in 18... it's a tough one.
The wet grip of the PC6 is up there with PS4 and Asym 5. They're all amazing tyres.
For example the Auto Bild 2019 Summer tire test puts the PremiumContact 6 in 5 place overall. It gets a 7 place for wet braking and 10 place for wet handling. Even the Falkens FK510 and the Hankook S1 evo3 get better results.
The previous Continental (premiumcontact 5 or sportcontact5) tires were always at the top in the wet compared to the rivals at the time.
The only tire that gets consistent results between tests is the Michelin PS4. So it might be a safer bet.
Sorry for all the doubts, but replacing 4 tires is expensive, and i want to make sure it's a proper fit for the car so i can enjoy it the best.
Thanks for the help. Can't wait for the next video.
Also:
https://www.tyrereviews.co....
https://www.tyrereviews.co....