Summer Tyre Test 2025 from Tyre Reviews
This year, a new summer tire with increased comfort, Pirelli Cinturato (C3), is entering the market, and in its first test, which was conducted by the Tyre Reviews portal, the novelty was compared with several main competitors, such as Continental PremiumContact 7 and Michelin Primacy 4+. Tires of size 225/50 R17 were chosen, which, as usual, were tested on dry and wet surfaces, and in addition, such parameters as ride comfort, noise, and rolling resistance were also evaluated.
List of participants:
Falken Ziex ZE320
Goodtrip GR-66 (released by the Chinese tire company Jiangsu General Science Technology)
Pirelli Cinturato (C3)
Vredestein Ultrac
Dry asphalt
In the handling test on dry pavement, not only was the lap time measured, but the tires were also rated taking into account such aspects as steering accuracy, predictability of behavior, etc. According to Jonathan Benson, the author of the Tyre Reviews project, Firestone tires provide pleasant ease of handling, while Vredestein has inaccurate reactions to the driver's actions, and due to their softness, the rear tires take time to stabilize the grip in turns, which worsens handling (although the grip is quite acceptable otherwise). At the same time, Falken has a more sporting character and very good stability.
The top three included Continental, Michelin, and Pirelli, and PremiumContact 7 responds very quickly to steering wheel turns, but in the chosen size, they felt too compliant, and the other two tires behaved very reliably and stably, and since Pirelli had the best lap time, they eventually took first place in the subjective ranking.
The braking distance on dry asphalt was measured from 100 km/h, and here the new Pirelli tires were again the best, while the budget Goodtrip showed the worst result.
Wet asphalt
Goodtrip also finished last in the handling test on the wet track, and Benson said that "to be honest, this is not the worst cheap tire I've ever driven, but it's definitely not comparable to the other test participants". Michelin finished in second-to-last place, which, as always, provided a high level of safety with a certain tendency to understeer on the front axle, but the fact is that in terms of grip, the tire concedes to some competitors, as it is one of the oldest models in the test.
The time difference between the tires in the top five places was less than 3%, which is extremely small in such conditions, and although the results on the track were almost identical, all the tires behaved very differently. So, Firestone again pleased with ease of handling and high grip on the rear axle, while Continental did not very much like Benson, including due to the fact that the grip on the rear axle was not as high as on the front. Third and second place were taken by Pirelli and Vredestein, respectively, and the latter tire did not respond as quickly to the driver's actions, but the grip was at a high level for both models.
The best lap time on wet pavement was shown by Falken tires, which were similar to Vredestein, i.e. not as responsive as Pirelli, but they have a very high grip, including on surfaces with a deep layer of water.
The most effective in terms of braking on a wet road were Continental, whose braking distance from 80 km/h was only 24.61 meters, while Goodtrip needed 9.4 meters more, which is a significant difference affecting safety.
Continental also excellently resists longitudinal aquaplaning, and the worst in this discipline were again Goodtrip. At the same time, in the test for resistance to aquaplaning in turns, one tire - Falken - lost grip earlier than Goodtrip, and Pirelli took the first place.
Comfort
The tires with the best ride comfort were recognized as Michelin, which received the maximum possible score of 10 points, while Goodtrip felt quite stiff when hitting bumps of any force, which again puts them in last place.
Noise was measured outside the car, and Vredestein were the quietest, and Continental were the loudest.
Economy
All tires showed approximately the same rolling resistance, and Firestone took the first place (made using the Enliten technology, which reduces the weight of the tires and, therefore, improves economy), and the last place was taken by Goodtrip.
Test results
The debut of the new Pirelli tire was quite successful, and Cinturato took first place in the test with a minimal margin, but still ahead of Continental PremiumContact 7. As Benson told, Pirelli works well on both dry and wet pavement, and did not allow themselves to have obvious drawbacks in any discipline. Therefore, although they were not the best in terms of comfort, the balance of characteristics allowed Pirelli to achieve their first victory. In turn, Continental dominated in the tests on wet pavement, where they had the shortest braking distance and the best resistance to longitudinal aquaplaning. At the same time, the tires did not behave very stably in terms of handling on the wet track, and they were also the loudest in the tests, which did not allow them to surpass Pirelli.
Falken tires recorded the best lap time on both dry and wet pavement, and they also have a good level of comfort. However, it is clearly necessary to improve the resistance to aquaplaning in turns, and Falken also have reduced fuel efficiency. Vredestein Ultrac Pro managed to get a rating of "Highly Recommended" due to the high comfort, which is combined with excellent handling on wet roads. At the same time, on dry pavement, the behavior is not as predictable, and Vredestein also have increased rolling resistance. In general, the tires can be recommended to those who prioritize the level of comfort.
Michelin Primacy 4+ can also be considered very comfortable, and it also has low rolling resistance, however, the indicators on wet pavement suggest that the model is starting to get old and concedes to some newer tires in terms of lap time and braking distance. However, the Michelin Primacy 5 tire has already been released to replace it.
Firestone took sixth place, as although the tires have very low rolling resistance and behave stably in any conditions, without unpleasant surprises, there are also significant drawbacks, such as weak resistance to longitudinal aquaplaning and a long braking distance on wet roads.
Finally, the cheap Goodtrip GR-66 finished last, whose low price was their only advantage. In all other respects, the tires are clearly inferior to the other test participants and took last place in most disciplines, and since they combine a long braking distance on wet pavement and poor resistance to aquaplaning with a reduced level of comfort, they can hardly be recommended to anyone.
Source (including photos): Tyre Reviews