All-Season Tire Test by Auto Bild Allrad — 2024
Auto Bild Allrad tested 10 sets of 245/45 R18 tires that can be used all year round in regions with a mild climate, and this time, the first place was shared by three participants, with the recognized market leaders from Europe being able to compare with tires from a Korean manufacturer. At the same time, not all tires work well in all conditions, and in the test, two models immediately received a "Poor" rating.
The following tires were tested: Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6, Continental AllSeasonContact 2, Davanti Alltoura, Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen-3, Hankook Kinergy 4S 2, Michelin CrossClimate 2, Minerva All Season Master, Nexen N'blue 4Season 2, Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF 3 and Vredestein Quatrac Pro+.
On snow, the tires were tested in four disciplines, and when starting from a standstill, the highest traction was provided by Michelin, while the last place was taken by the budget Minerva (a private brand of the Belgian company Deldo), and in the slalom section, the CrossClimate 2 again showed the best results, which were able to overtake even the winter tires taken for comparison, while Vredestein fell to the bottom of the rating.
One of the most important disciplines on snow is "braking efficiency", and here the participants pleasantly surprised, as although they did not reach the level of winter tires, all received good ratings. Finally, in the handling test, the first place again went to Michelin, which was able to overtake the winter tires due to a higher average speed on the snowy track, and the results of Davanti and Minerva were called "at best satisfactory".
On wet asphalt, the car was stopped the fastest by Vredestein, and their braking distance was shorter than that of Davanti by the length of three cars. Cheap Minerva also pose a real threat to safety, which once again reminds us of the consequences of saving money when buying tires. In the handling and lateral stability tests on a wet track, most participants did not have any problems, however, as the experts noted, "on Minerva and Davanti, the car skidded out of the turn as if it were driving on soap, and there was no advantage of all-wheel drive". The resistance to aquaplaning was assessed on a straight in turns, and the Bridgestone and Goodyear tires were the most reliable in maintaining traction.
On dry pavement, all tires have good braking properties (although summer tires are still more effective), and the best in this test were Pirelli, followed by Michelin and Bridgestone, and Davanti and Minerva also ensured a high level of safety. In the handling tests, Hankook took the lead, approaching the level of summer tires, the second place was shared by Continental and Pirelli, and Nexen lagged slightly behind the competitors.
All tires were also found to be quite quiet, and the best acoustic comfort is provided by Minerva, Vredestein and Nexen. In the final test, the impact of the tires on fuel consumption was evaluated, and Michelin turned out to be the most economical, while Davanti, Hankook and Minerva have increased rolling resistance.
According to the test results, four tires - Continental, Hankook, Pirelli and Bridgestone - received an "Exemplary" rating, and all three had only one small drawback. So, Hankook was marked by not the best fuel efficiency, Continental and Pirelli had relatively long braking distances on dry and snowy roads, respectively, and Bridgestone was louder than the other tested tires. Otherwise, there were no complaints about the tires.
Goodyear, Michelin and Vredestein received a "Good" rating, and the first two tires were not able to catch up with the leaders due to reduced braking efficiency on dry and wet surfaces (although Michelin had excellent results on snow), while Vredestein demonstrated weak lateral stability on a snowy track. Further, Nexen were placed, which received a "Satisfactory" rating, as they do not work very well on wet asphalt. Finally, the budget Minerva and Davanti were recognized as not recommended due to very long braking distances on wet pavement and weak resistance to aquaplaning.
