Major summer tire test by Auto Bild (2024)
Size 205/55 R16 is the most popular in the segment of passenger car tires on the European market, so in 2024, Auto Bild again chose it for its large test, which was divided into qualification and the main part.
In the qualification, tires were traditionally tested for braking efficiency on dry and wet surfaces (braking was carried out from 100 and 80 km/h, respectively), and 20 tires made it to the final, with the first places taken by Continental PremiumContact 7, Kumho Ecsta HS52 (who unexpectedly won bronze in the latest ADAC test) and Vredestein Ultrac (who failed the same test due to a very low resource).
The last line among all tires in the qualification was taken by Triangle AdvanteX TC101 from a large Chinese manufacturer, whose result was worse than that of Continental by seven meters on dry and by as much as 14 meters, which is the length of several cars, on a wet surface. In addition, the list of non-recommended tires, and this has also become a tradition, included several tires from second-line brands owned by leading global manufacturers. This time, poor results were shown by Matador Hectorra 5 from Continental and Lassa Driveways from the joint venture Bridgestone and Sabanci. At the same time, tires from such brands as Firestone, Uniroyal, Kleber, Fulda, and others, which also belong to the assortment of market leaders, were able to quickly stop the car and pass to the main part of the test.
In the main part, handling on dry surface was also evaluated, and in this discipline, thanks to clear reactions to steering wheel turns and good maneuverability, the best were recognized as Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun, Vredestein, and Kumho, while Uniroyal RainSport 5 worsened their assessment due to excessive steering.
In terms of braking, Continental and Kumho were the best, and the braking distance of an unnamed budget tire, taken for comparison, was longer by the length of a car.
On a wet surface, Vredestein, Continental, and Kumho provide the highest level of safety, while budget tires showed very weak results, once again reminding of the danger of saving on tires.
AB also evaluates how economically viable the purchase of certain tires is ("Cost savings"), and here the key is the potential mileage, and the most durable were Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2. At the same time, since Goodyear also took second place in the rolling resistance test, they received the Eco Meister 2024 award based on the results of all tests. The worst in this part of the test were Vredestein, which can cover only about 15,000 km, while Goodyear's result was 45,000 km.
Verdict
First of all, it is necessary to refrain from buying tires that took the last places in the qualifying tests and cannot provide acceptable safety. In addition, experts note that even excellent results in individual disciplines are not enough for a good place in the overall standings, and, for example, Vredestein became conditionally recommended due to very high wear. The best were recognized as tires with really balanced characteristics from Michelin, Continental, and Bridgestone.
