All-season tires put to the test

All-season tires put to the test

Currently, almost every fifth tire sold in Austria is an all-season tire. More and more drivers want to save themselves the hassle of seasonal tire changes, have more space in the garage and at the same time be prepared for different weather conditions. High demands are placed on the all-rounders so that they have good grip both in winter on snow and in summer on hot asphalt. The test team from the ACE Auto Club Europe, ARBÖ, the Austrian Auto, Motor and Cyclist Association and the GTÜ Gesellschaft für Technische Fernsehen mbH therefore investigated the question of which tire best meets these requirements. Nine all-season tires measuring 215/50 R 18 were tested on a VW T-Roc. The spectrum ranges from premium manufacturers such as Pirelli or Goodyear to cheaper alternatives from Maxxis or Toyo. The winter tests were carried out at the Arctic Falls test site in Sweden, while the summer tests took place at the ATP site in Papenburg, Lower Saxony.

Various dangerous situations were tested in the snow. When emergency braking from 40 km/h on a snow-covered road, all tires were still close together at 19.4 (Falken) to 20.9 (Pirelli) meters. The last summer tire test winner was also used for comparison. It became clear how dangerous it is to drive on the wrong tires in winter: the car traveled 51.8 meters before it came to a stop. In the next scenario, starting off in the snow, the field was somewhat divided: the Michelin tire only needed 23.3 meters to reach 30 km/h, while Toyo ended up far behind in last place with 27.5 meters. In terms of handling, the Michelin and Continental were particularly convincing: they only showed slight understeer in curves, but were otherwise precise to steer with good lateral support. The loser, however, was Toyo, who had too little cornering and oversteered significantly.

When braking on wet roads, Continental was clearly ahead: at 80 km/h the T-Roc came to a stop after just 29 meters. Closely followed by Pirelli and Bridgestone, each of which required 29.9 meters. Toyo again came in last with a braking distance of 33.5 meters. Three tires stood out in terms of handling: Goodyear, Pirelli and Continental were all precise to drive, with only slight understeer in the corners. Michelin, Bridgestone, Falken and Toyo performed the weakest. When aquaplaning, everyone drove well, so there were no downward drifts.

The summer tire, which was also tested for comparison purposes, delivered a top value with a braking distance of 30.6 meters, which no other all-weather tire tested could come close to. On dry roads, however, the tide turned for the otherwise eternally last-placed Toyo: When he braked hard from 100 km/h, he only needed 36.7 meters to come to a standstill. Only Pirelli (35.6 meters) and Continental (36.1 meters) were better. Bringing up the rear were Goodyear and Falken with 42 meters each, as well as Vredestein (42.4 meters). There was at least 6.8 meters between the first and last place winners - that corresponds to a long panel van. When it comes to handling, however, all candidates were close to each other.

All-season tires have to be all-rounders. The test winner Continental achieves this balance best, closely followed by Michelin. Falken, on the other hand, is strong in winter but weak in summer. And Toyo scores in the dry and is otherwise at the bottom. Three tires are still recommended and four are conditionally recommended: Vredestein, Maxxis, Falken and Toyo. Nobody failed. It is also clear that summer tires in winter are extremely dangerous.