Summer tire test by Al Volante — 2025

In fresh tests by the Italian edition of Al Volante, two novelties of the summer season 2025 were met: Michelin Primacy 5 and Pirelli Cinturato (C3), which were tested on wet and dry asphalt. The tests were conducted in early March in moderate weather, and tests were also carried out on the level of external noise and rolling resistance, and as participants, in addition to Michelin and Pirelli, five tires of different price categories were taken: Austone Athena SP-303 (a budget model from the Chinese company Prinx Chengshan), Continental PremiumContact 7, Firestone Roadhawk 2, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 and Hankook Ventus Prime4. The tires of size 225/55 R18 were tested.

In the test of braking qualities on a wet surface, the difference in the results of the tires in the first and last places - respectively, Continental and Austone - was very significant, however, if we remove the cheap product from the rating, the differences between the participants will be generally not so significant, although the PremiumContact 7 still has a strong advantage.

The best time on a wet track was shown by the new Pirelli, which with a minimal gap bypassed Goodyear. At the same time, Austone again showed a very weak result, and the experts noted that the tires quickly lose grip and often do so without warning.

Goodyear copes with aquaplaning, both longitudinal and transverse, most effectively, and Pirelli also showed a very good result. Budget Austone is again at the bottom of the list.

On a dry surface, the best braking qualities were demonstrated by Continental, and behind them were Goodyear and Pirelli with the same indicator. Austone is doing poorly in similar conditions as well.

Handling on a dry asphalt was evaluated subjectively, and the testers put the Pirelli tires in first place, which have very good stability when maneuvering, and gave the silver to Goodyear. Regarding economy-class tires, experts said that they require increased steering wheel angles, and the grip was very low in general.

While in previous disciplines Pirelli had already shown a number of excellent results, Michelin showed themselves much more modestly, but in one test they won, showing the lowest level of noise. Goodyear was also very quiet, and Firestone and Hankook made the most noise.

Michelin also has low rolling resistance, and here they only lost to Firestone, but Pirelli can also be considered quite economical tires, which cannot be said about Goodyear, which were the most sporty in this test. Experts also checked whether the assessments on the euro-labels reflect the test results. It turned out that all tires have assessments that reflect the actual rolling resistance, and only Firestone's "B" rating was slightly overstated, and they rather belong to class "C".

Test results

Pirelli Cinturato (C3) won gold in the tests, which have an impressive balance of characteristics - the tires work very well on both dry and wet surfaces, effectively resist longitudinal aquaplaning, and have a low noise level, and were also third in the energy efficiency test. Thus, the level of safety was increased (the tires, in particular, stood out for their excellent handling on a wet road) without compromising comfort and economy.

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 took second place, which earned a lot of points due to the best resistance to aquaplaning, as well as very short braking distances on dry and wet asphalt. Goodyear also provides excellent handling in any weather conditions and was one of the quietest in the test, and the fact that these are the only UHP tires in the list of participants was reflected in high rolling resistance.

Continental PremiumContact 7 was one line below, which has the shortest braking distances on dry and wet surfaces among the test participants. Continental also guarantees high grip in turns on a wet surface, while on a dry surface there is a certain tendency to sharp loss of grip. In addition, the tires have a not-so-smooth ride and increased rolling resistance, as well as relatively weak resistance to aquaplaning on a straight line.

New Michelin Primacy 5, although not taking such a high place as Pirelli, showed very even results in all disciplines and demonstrated very low rolling resistance, as well as the ability to improve acoustic comfort. At the same time, the effectiveness of braking on a dry surface was average, and experts noted that the tires do not have the fastest reactions to steering wheel turns.

Firestone Roadhawk 2 also performed very evenly, and their main advantage was extremely low rolling resistance - the tires are made using the Enliten technology, which improves fuel efficiency due to reduced tire weight and other factors. According to the testers, the tires behave stably and predictably, including when performing emergency maneuvers, and their drawbacks were slowed-down reactions at low speeds and increased noise level.

The results of the Hankook Ventus Prime4 tires were not very high, and, in particular, it would be possible to increase the effectiveness of braking on both dry and wet asphalt. The grip of the Hankook Korean brand was generally lower than that of premium-class tires, and in addition, there was a tendency to skid on a wet road, especially when accelerating out of a turn. In addition, Hankook was the noisiest among the tested tires.

Cheap Austone Athena SP-303 showed very weak results in all disciplines, and long braking distances on dry and wet surfaces are combined with extremely low resistance to aquaplaning, and grip can be lost sharply and without warning. In addition, the tires are quite noisy and have increased rolling resistance, so the low price is unlikely to be a sufficient reason for their purchase.

Source, including photos: Al Volante