Summer tire test by Auto Zeitung (2024)
The Auto Zeitung magazine compared the characteristics of 225/45 R17 tires belonging to the "touring" category, but differing in their properties. For example, the Bridgestone Turanza 6 were created with an emphasis on economy, and the Continental PremiumContact 7 - on increasing the level of grip, which can be understood from the evaluations on the euro-labels. At the same time, as noted in AZ, the euro-marking may not reflect the true state of affairs, and, for example, the Michelin Primacy 4+ has much lower rolling resistance than one might think from the "C" rating.
In addition to the mentioned tires, the test included "proven universal" Pirelli Cinturato P7 (P7C2) and Vredestein Ultrac, as well as Bridgestone's 2024 season novelty - Firestone Roadhawk 2. The middle price segment was represented by Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun and Maxxis Premitra HP5, which have been on the market for quite some time, as well as Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, which, like Continental, are close to UHP tires, but are focused on improving the level of comfort.
According to the testers, in the 2024 test, all tires were unusually close to each other in such critically important disciplines as "aquaplaning resistance" and "braking". This was especially noticeable in the first case, and even the "weakest" tires effectively resist aquaplaning in deep puddles and ruts filled with rainwater. In addition, when braking sharply from 100 km/h on dry pavement, the difference in braking distance between the worst (Bridgestone) and best (Continental) tires was only about 2 meters, which means the residual speed will be "still acceptable" 20 km/h. At the same time, on a wet surface, the result of Michelin was worse than that of Continental by 5.1 meters, which is more than the length of a car (in this discipline, Vredestein also performed poorly).
In AZ, they add that the differences in braking qualities confirm the main problem that tire developers face, since increasing grip, especially on a wet surface, leads to an increase in rolling resistance. For this reason, manufacturers choose different approaches, and, for example, Continental PC7 has very high grip, which led to a deterioration in economy, while Bridgestone and Michelin "sacrificed dynamic qualities for the sake of energy efficiency". Whoever manages to combine these two aspects will gain a competitive advantage, but for now, the deviation in one direction or another is determined by the company's philosophy, and consumers should choose tires based on their preferences, the experts noted.
The best in the 2024 test were Continental, which function perfectly in any conditions, but are not distinguished by economy, while the second place was taken by Pirelli, whose sports character caused a certain deterioration in comfort, and the third place was taken by Hankook, which deserved praise for the best price-quality ratio. The new Firestone pleased with energy efficiency and balance of characteristics, thanks to which they were in fifth place, and Vredestein had only 1 point less, but it should be taken into account that they have a long braking distance on a wet road. The rest of the tires also lagged behind by a very small margin, and the last place was taken by Bridgestone, which helps save fuel, but at the same time has reduced grip on a wet surface.
