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2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test

Jonathan Benson
Data analyzed and reviewed by Jonathan Benson
7 min read Updated
Below are all the data points for the 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter 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.

Goodride SW608
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
Hankook Winter i cept RS2
Continental WinterContact TS 860
Fulda Kristall Control HP2
Pirelli Cinturato Winter
Falken Eurowinter HS01
Toyo Snowprox S954
Michelin Alpin 6
King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81
Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus
Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
Nexen Winguard Snow G3

Quick Navigation

Dry Performance Overview

Dry Braking (M)

Spread: 4.30 M (9.4%) | Avg: 47.96 M

Dry braking in meters (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Hankook Winter i cept RS2 with a result of 45.8 M. The difference between best and worst was 8.6%.
  1. Hankook Winter i cept RS2
    45.8 M
  2. Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
    46.5 M
  3. Nexen Winguard Snow G3
    46.7 M
  4. Falken Eurowinter HS01
    47.2 M
  5. Michelin Alpin 6
    47.5 M
  6. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
    47.7 M
  7. Goodride SW608
    47.8 M
  8. Toyo Snowprox S954
    47.8 M
  9. Pirelli Cinturato Winter
    48.3 M
  10. Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus
    48.4 M
  11. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    48.7 M
  12. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    48.8 M
  13. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    50.1 M
  14. King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81
    50.1 M

Subj. Dry Handling ( Points)

Spread: 7.00 Points (70%) | Avg: 6.29 Points

Subjective Dry Handling Score (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Toyo Snowprox S954 with a result of 10 Points. The difference between best and worst was 70%.
  1. Toyo Snowprox S954
    10 Points
  2. Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
    9 Points
  3. Hankook Winter i cept RS2
    8 Points
  4. Falken Eurowinter HS01
    8 Points
  5. Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus
    8 Points
  6. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    7 Points
  7. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    6 Points
  8. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
    6 Points
  9. Michelin Alpin 6
    5 Points
  10. King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81
    5 Points
  11. Nexen Winguard Snow G3
    5 Points
  12. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    4 Points
  13. Pirelli Cinturato Winter
    4 Points
  14. Goodride SW608
    3 Points

Wet Performance Overview

Wet Braking (M)

Spread: 16.40 M (32.2%) | Avg: 57.12 M

Wet braking in meters (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 with a result of 50.9 M. The difference between best and worst was 24.4%.
  1. Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
    50.9 M
  2. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    54.3 M
  3. Michelin Alpin 6
    54.4 M
  4. Hankook Winter i cept RS2
    55.1 M
  5. Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus
    55.4 M
  6. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
    55.4 M
  7. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    55.5 M
  8. Pirelli Cinturato Winter
    56.9 M
  9. Falken Eurowinter HS01
    57.1 M
  10. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    58.2 M
  11. Goodride SW608
    58.6 M
  12. Nexen Winguard Snow G3
    59.1 M
  13. Toyo Snowprox S954
    61.5 M
  14. King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81
    67.3 M

Subj. Wet Handling ( Points)

Spread: 9.00 Points (90%) | Avg: 4.43 Points

Subjective Wet Handling Score (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Continental WinterContact TS 860 with a result of 10 Points. The difference between best and worst was 90%.
  1. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    10 Points
  2. Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
    9 Points
  3. Michelin Alpin 6
    8 Points
  4. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
    6 Points
  5. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    5 Points
  6. Hankook Winter i cept RS2
    5 Points
  7. Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus
    5 Points
  8. Pirelli Cinturato Winter
    4 Points
  9. Falken Eurowinter HS01
    3 Points
  10. Goodride SW608
    2 Points
  11. Nexen Winguard Snow G3
    2 Points
  12. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    1 Points
  13. Toyo Snowprox S954
    1 Points
  14. King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81
    1 Points

Straight Aqua (Km/H)

Spread: 18.10 Km/H (21.2%) | Avg: 77.65 Km/H

Float Speed in Km/H (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Hankook Winter i cept RS2 with a result of 85.2 Km/H. The difference between best and worst was 21.2%.
  1. Hankook Winter i cept RS2
    85.2 Km/H
  2. Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
    82.8 Km/H
  3. Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus
    82.3 Km/H
  4. Pirelli Cinturato Winter
    82 Km/H
  5. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    80.2 Km/H
  6. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
    79.9 Km/H
  7. Falken Eurowinter HS01
    79.3 Km/H
  8. Toyo Snowprox S954
    77.2 Km/H
  9. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    76.7 Km/H
  10. Michelin Alpin 6
    76.5 Km/H
  11. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    75 Km/H
  12. Nexen Winguard Snow G3
    71.8 Km/H
  13. Goodride SW608
    71.1 Km/H
  14. King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81
    67.1 Km/H

Snow Performance Overview

Snow Braking (M)

Spread: 1.60 M (6.2%) | Avg: 26.27 M

Snow braking in meters (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Dunlop Winter Sport 5 with a result of 25.7 M. The difference between best and worst was 5.9%.
  1. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    25.7 M
  2. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    25.7 M
  3. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    25.9 M
  4. Hankook Winter i cept RS2
    26 M
  5. Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
    26 M
  6. Goodride SW608
    26.1 M
  7. Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus
    26.1 M
  8. Michelin Alpin 6
    26.2 M
  9. Pirelli Cinturato Winter
    26.3 M
  10. Falken Eurowinter HS01
    26.5 M
  11. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
    26.5 M
  12. Nexen Winguard Snow G3
    26.5 M
  13. King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81
    27 M
  14. Toyo Snowprox S954
    27.3 M

Snow Traction (N)

Spread: 154.00 N (7%) | Avg: 2129.64 N

Pulling Force in Newtons (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus with a result of 2193 N. The difference between best and worst was 7%.
  1. Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus
    2193 N
  2. Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
    2175 N
  3. Hankook Winter i cept RS2
    2171 N
  4. Pirelli Cinturato Winter
    2170 N
  5. Michelin Alpin 6
    2152 N
  6. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    2146 N
  7. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
    2144 N
  8. Nexen Winguard Snow G3
    2138 N
  9. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    2132 N
  10. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    2123 N
  11. King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81
    2087 N
  12. Falken Eurowinter HS01
    2078 N
  13. Toyo Snowprox S954
    2067 N
  14. Goodride SW608
    2039 N

Subj. Snow Handling ( Points)

Spread: 9.00 Points (90%) | Avg: 5.36 Points

Subjective Snow Handling Score (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 with a result of 10 Points. The difference between best and worst was 90%.
  1. Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
    10 Points
  2. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    9 Points
  3. Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus
    9 Points
  4. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    8 Points
  5. Pirelli Cinturato Winter
    8 Points
  6. Michelin Alpin 6
    7 Points
  7. Hankook Winter i cept RS2
    6 Points
  8. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    5 Points
  9. Falken Eurowinter HS01
    4 Points
  10. Nexen Winguard Snow G3
    3 Points
  11. Goodride SW608
    2 Points
  12. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
    2 Points
  13. Toyo Snowprox S954
    1 Points
  14. King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81
    1 Points

Comfort Performance Overview

Subj. Comfort ( Points)

Spread: 9.00 Points (90%) | Avg: 7.00 Points

Subjective Comfort Score (Higher is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Michelin Alpin 6 with a result of 10 Points. The difference between best and worst was 90%.
  1. Michelin Alpin 6
    10 Points
  2. Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus
    10 Points
  3. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    9 Points
  4. Hankook Winter i cept RS2
    9 Points
  5. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    9 Points
  6. Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
    9 Points
  7. Nexen Winguard Snow G3
    8 Points
  8. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
    7 Points
  9. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    6 Points
  10. Falken Eurowinter HS01
    6 Points
  11. Goodride SW608
    5 Points
  12. Pirelli Cinturato Winter
    5 Points
  13. Toyo Snowprox S954
    4 Points
  14. King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81
    1 Points

Value Performance Overview

Price

Spread: 210.00 (123.5%) | Avg: 285.00

Price in local currency (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81. The difference between best and worst was 55.3%.
  1. King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81
    170
  2. Goodride SW608
    200
  3. Nexen Winguard Snow G3
    220
  4. Toyo Snowprox S954
    230
  5. Hankook Winter i cept RS2
    280
  6. Falken Eurowinter HS01
    280
  7. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    300
  8. Pirelli Cinturato Winter
    300
  9. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
    300
  10. Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus
    320
  11. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    330
  12. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    340
  13. Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
    340
  14. Michelin Alpin 6
    380

Rolling Resistance (kg / t)

Spread: 1.36 kg / t (16.9%) | Avg: 8.76 kg / t

Rolling resistance in kg t (Lower is better)

Key Insight: The best performer was Fulda Kristall Control HP2 with a result of 8.06 kg / t. The difference between best and worst was 14.4%.
  1. Fulda Kristall Control HP2
    8.06 kg / t
  2. Dunlop Winter Sport 5
    8.17 kg / t
  3. Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus
    8.26 kg / t
  4. Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
    8.4 kg / t
  5. Continental WinterContact TS 860
    8.47 kg / t
  6. Michelin Alpin 6
    8.48 kg / t
  7. Goodride SW608
    8.74 kg / t
  8. Nexen Winguard Snow G3
    8.81 kg / t
  9. Pirelli Cinturato Winter
    8.88 kg / t
  10. Hankook Winter i cept RS2
    9.12 kg / t
  11. Falken Eurowinter HS01
    9.21 kg / t
  12. King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81
    9.22 kg / t
  13. Toyo Snowprox S954
    9.41 kg / t
  14. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
    9.42 kg / t

Overall Findings

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

Position Tyre Score
Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 0%
2 Continental WinterContact TS 860 0%
3 Goodyear UltraGrip 9 Plus 0%
4 Hankook Winter i cept RS2 0%
5 Michelin Alpin 6 0%
6 Dunlop Winter Sport 5 0%
7 Pirelli Cinturato Winter 0%
8 Falken Eurowinter HS01 0%
9 Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6 0%
10 Fulda Kristall Control HP2 0%
11 Nexen Winguard Snow G3 0%
12 Toyo Snowprox S954 0%
13 Goodride SW608 0%
14 King-Meiler Winter Tact WT81 0%

Discussion

10 comments
  1. Scour archived

    I´m a bit confused to see the non-tested Goodride SW608 in the tabs ;) . Isn´t it the Trazano?

    Again a victory of the LM005. But after some bad experiences with the last Bridgestone summer and winter tyres prevent me from recommending Bridgestone-tyres since years. And the predecessor LM001 Evo shows the worst performance by far in the TÜV-test (commissioned by Michelin) with 2mm tread. After my experience with the Yokohama V905 which was extreme dangerous with over 5mm tread I take care with buying winter tyres.

    And Autozeitung.com don´t exist if I´m not wrong.

    #6270
    1. TyreReviews Scour archived

      Sorry, I should have noted I swapped the SW608 to Goodride as we don't list Trazano. As you well know, it's the same tyre ;)

      I'd love to see some wear data on the LM005 (and other winter tyres) but as it stands, with the information we have from tests, the LM005 is exceptional

      #6271
      1. Scour TyreReviews archived

        ADAC and AutoBild lists wear data, maybe I get you wrong?

        The problem with the LM001 Evo was not the overall wear but the big lost of snow-performance with less tread. Reminds me of my Yokohama V905 which was good in the beginning but had an awful snow-performance with over 5mm tread. It was so bad that I decided to buy new winter tyres in mid of december.

        And the LM32 was on wet in the 3rd season also awful, experiences like that keep me away from Bridgestone winter tyres.

        Hope next year some new tyres like Conti TS870 and Pirelli P Zero Winter will show up in the tests.

        #6272
        1. TyreReviews Scour archived

          You're right they do, but they don't test them once worn. I'm trying to arrange this.

          #6275
          1. Scour TyreReviews archived

            I´m not sure whether it is worth the effort. It´s not only the low tread, there are some other factors which happen, like sunbeam, kind of storage which affects the grip on tyres

            #6283
            1. TyreReviews Scour archived

              You are correct, which is why it's so expensive and difficult to test, as you need to factor in tyre wear and aging

              #6285
    2. Kolemjdouci Scour archived

      With 2 mm tread left should each tyre be dumped and recycled, no need to test.

      #6278
      1. Scour Kolemjdouci archived

        Yep, that´t what I do ealier. But after my V905 I know there´s a big difference on snowgrip long before the tread is down to 2mm

        #6282
  2. Engineer_Andy archived

    Good to see that Bridgestone (loved my RE720s on my old 90s Micra but absolutely hated the OEM ER30s fitted to my Mazda3 that replaced in back in 2006) now seemingly consistently back on form. A good result for Hankook too, especially with the lower price in their favour.

    If both keep doing well, I'll certainly give them consideration when changing my A/S CC+s next time (admitedly that won't be for a good few years yet unless I change cars again)

    #6263
    1. TyreReviews Engineer_Andy archived

      Bridgestone are storming it this winter, they'll be my number one recommendation in the "top winter tyres for 2020" video (if I ever make it)

      #6264