All-season SUV tire test from Wybór Kierowców (2024)
The Polish portal Wybór Kierowców conducted tests of six models of all-season tires for crossovers and SUVs, choosing the size 235/60 R18, which is suitable for cars such as Skoda Enyaq, Audi Q5, Hyundai Santa Fe, and others.
The list of participants included two premium-class tires: Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 and Continental AllSeasonContact 2, two from the middle segment: Falken EuroAll Season AS220 Pro and Kleber Citilander, and two budget models: Debica Navigator 3 and Imperial All Season Driver. The snow tests were conducted in Sweden near the Arctic Circle, and on wet and dry asphalt in Germany.
The key characteristic of the tires is braking efficiency, which was evaluated on three types of surfaces, and on snow, the first place was unexpectedly taken by the inexpensive Debica, while on wet and dry surfaces, the best were Continental and Bridgestone, respectively. At the same time, Debica was the least effective on the wet track.
In the handling test, the driver evaluated the properties of the tires, such as behavior on the verge of skidding or during sharp steering movements, and the lap time was also measured. As a result, Debica again managed to outperform all other participants on the snowy track, while again taking the last place in the tests on wet asphalt. Continental performed better than the others on wet surfaces, while on dry surfaces, Bridgestone failed to maintain leadership, and Falken took first place.
Based on the results of the entire test, the winner was the Continental tire, which has the best balance of characteristics and provides the highest level of safety on all types of surfaces (in regions with a mild climate). The second place with a minimal gap was taken by Bridgestone, which did not allow itself obvious weaknesses and provides good handling and fast braking in various conditions, and the bronze was awarded to Falken tires, which, according to experts, was an "undisputed success". In WK, it was noted that although Falken lagged behind the leaders, they are able to provide a good level of safety, and most of the points they lost were in the snow tests.
In fourth place was Debica, which surprised with the best performance on snow, but at the same time has reduced grip on wet roads and comfort. At the same time, Debica has a very attractive price. Next were the Kleber tires, which cannot boast of outstanding driving qualities or a low price and were also recognized as the loudest and most uneconomical, and the last place was taken by Imperial, which showed weak results on both dry and wet asphalt, and on snow, the results were even lower.
In conclusion, WK stated that "although the highest level of safety is provided by premium-class tires, the good results of Falken and Debica indicate that it is possible to find a less expensive alternative, while Imperial tires are offered at the most attractive price, but their characteristics clearly leave much to be desired".
Source (including photos): Wybór Kierowców.