Summer tire test by Auto Bild Allrad — 2025

Usually for their tests, Auto Bild Allrad chooses exclusively highway tires, however, this year an exception was made, and one All-Terrain class model was added to the list of participants, namely Goodyear Wrangler AT Adventure. From the Goodyear range, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 tire, designed for use on asphalt, was also taken, and the competitors were Bridgestone Turanza 6, Falken Azenis FK520, Kumho Ecsta PS71 SUV, Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV, Pirelli Scorpion and Vredestein Ultrac. Due to the growing popularity of Chinese tires on the Russian market, the results of the two participating tires from Chinese brands are of particular interest: Hifly Vigorous HP801 and Triangle EffeXSUV TS601. The tires were taken in the size 255/55 R18.

The asphalt tests were conducted at the Goodyear proving ground in southern France, and off-road - on gravel, grass and sand - the tires were tested in Texas. In addition, such factors as noise and economy were traditionally evaluated.

Off-road

The most important discipline off-road was "gravel handling", and the A/T tire expectedly showed a good result, but the first place was taken by Pirelli Scorpion, specifically designed for crossovers and SUVs. In general, no one had any difficulties, and Michelin and Triangle were only slightly behind the tires with a "Good" rating.

On sand, the best traction is provided by off-road Goodyear, and the rest of the tires also have good results, and the only exception was Bridgestone.

On grass, All-Terrain class tires also work better than the others, and the last place this time is occupied by budget Hifly.

In the traction test on gravel, Michelin led with a significant gap, while Triangle dropped to the bottom line. At the same time, here, as well as in other tests, the testers had no particular complaints about any of the tires.

Wet asphalt

If off-road, A/T tires were in their element, then on wet asphalt they are far from highway tires, and they have a very long braking distance in such conditions. At the same time, for tires of this category, such a result is somehow forgivable, but Hifly definitely does not relate to this.

In the test for lateral stability on wet surface, the worst of the "asphalt" tires were Triangle, and the first places were taken by Falken, Vredestein and Michelin.

Falken also showed an excellent result in the handling tests, where the tires from the Japanese brand again outperformed all competitors, and Hifly again showed an unsatisfactory result, and only "at-eshki" were worse.

With aquaplaning resistance, Wrangler AT Adventure also has a poor result, while all highway tires received a "Good" rating. It is also worth noting that Hifly almost won the test for resistance to aquaplaning on a straight line.

Dry asphalt

According to the results of the tests for braking efficiency and handling on dry asphalt, Falken and Goodyear were recognized as the best, while Hifly had very weak results.

The noisiest at 50 km/h were off-road Goodyear, but at 80 km/h, the noise emitted by Michelin was even louder. The best acoustic comfort is provided by Pirelli.

All-Terrain tires are not designed for fuel economy, but they were also able to show an acceptable result in this discipline, and the first line with a noticeable gap is occupied by Bridgestone.

Test results

To win the test, the tires had to demonstrate truly balanced characteristics, and this was best achieved by Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6, which function equally well on any surfaces and in any weather. The rating "Exemplary" is also received by Falken Azenis FK520, Pirelli Scorpion and Vredestein Ultrac, which all did not show any shortcomings in any discipline and combine a high level of grip with good comfort and economy.

Next in the ranking are Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV, which showed themselves best on wet and dry asphalt, but are not as resistant to lateral slippage on gravel as the tires on the first lines, and they also had increased noise. Kumho Ecsta PS71 SUV showed very good and even results, and questions arose only about the comfort of the ride, while Bridgestone Turanza 6 have only a couple of drawbacks: reduced grip on sand and a tendency to skid on wet asphalt.

Affordable Triangle EffeXSUV TS601 did not "fail" in any discipline, but they have relatively weak lateral stability and a long braking distance on a wet road. In turn, Hifly Vigorous HP801 demonstrated very low results in several tests, and off-road, the ratings are good, but they are not able to provide optimal handling on either wet or dry asphalt. As for Goodyear Wrangler AT Adventure, as expected, they have excellent performance off-road, but when used on asphalt, one should consider their reduced grip in any weather conditions.

Source: Auto Bild