Safety in all weather conditions? Such is the promise of the all season tyres that Auto Bild tested in its latest test. The German magazine selected 32 tyres in the popular size 205/55 R16 to test them on the road.
Are all season tyres good in winter?
Previously a niche product, the use of all season tyres has gradually become widespread following technological innovations. Their performances come close to winter and summer tyres in certain conditions. Although it remains a compromise tyre, it avoids the seasonal tyre change while offering a high level of safety. This is the reason why Auto Bild is taking a close look at this type of tyre with a new test. After its test of 51 winter tyres, the German magazine has turned its attention to 32 all season tyres in the size 205/55 R16 compatible with many city cars and other compact cars.
For this latest test, 34 tyres had to get through the wet and dry braking qualification tests first. Only the 14 best tyres reached the next round where they were tested in full:
- BF Goodrich G-Grip All Season2 (94 V)
- Bridgestone Weather Control A005 Evo (94 V)
- Continental AllSeason Contact (94 V)
- Falken EuroAll Season AS 210 (94 V)
- Firestone Multiseason Gen 2 (94 V)
- Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 (91 V)
- Hankook Kinergy 4S² (94 V)
- Kleber Quadraxer 2 (94 V)
- Kumho Solus 4S HA32 (94 V)
- Maxxis Premitra All Season AP3 (94 V)
- Michelin CrossClimate + (94 V)
- Nexen N’blue 4Season (94 V)
- Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF (94 V)
- Vredestein Quatrac (91 V)
Amongst the tyres whose long braking distances did not allow them to get past the qualifying round, we note the Nokian Weatherproof, mainly penalised for its too long dry braking distances. No panic for the Finnish tyre manufacturer, the latter already has its successor lined up with the new Seasonproof tyre for which first results are promising.
3 tyres considered “satisfactory”
None of the tyres put through the full test revealed any major faults impacting its final score. In this category we find the Maxxis, Kumho and Pirelli tyres which have good aquaplaning resistance but with a few residual shortcomings. The Kumho tyre has a relatively low mileage and a high rolling resistance whereas the two other tyres tend to understeer on snow and ice.
6 tyres considered “good”
In the category that Auto Bild considers to be “good”, we find tyres which are fairly specialised in one category without being among the best in other categories. The BFGoodrich G-Grip All Season 2 and Kleber Quadraxer provide a good driving experience on snow but are below the best in wet conditions.
The Bridgestone Weather Control A005 Evo, which finished first in wet and dry braking tests, and the Hankook Kinergy 4S2, which came third, are amongst the best tyres in wet conditions. However, they are much less at ease on snow.
The Nexen N’blue 4Season provides a good level of performance without excelling. This is also the case for the Firestone Multiseason Gen 2 which has a good price/performance ratio thanks to its high mileage.
5 tyres considered “exemplary”
Auto Bild has acknowledged 5 tyres as being “exemplary”. The Falken EuroAll Season AS210 is quite similar to the Firestone tyre. It is just slightly more efficient in dry conditions and on snow, hence the higher rating.
Once again, the Michelin CrossClimate + delivers a very balanced performance in almost all weather conditions, particularly on dry. Its precise steering and dynamic handling convinced Auto Bild, its price a little less. Nevertheless, this high price is justified by its low rolling resistance and high mileage potential. However, the Michelin tyre proves to be less efficient on snow than the other tyres.
On the contrary, the Continental AllSeasonContact is more efficient on snow. It offers very good aquaplaning resistance, precise steering and safe handling. It is also economical with a high resistance to wear. Although outweighed by the best in dry conditions, this is not a real handicap.
The Vredestein Quatrac delivers very satisfactory performance without any real shortcomings. It is most at ease in wet conditions offering safe, dynamic handling and a high resistance to aquaplaning. It is also at ease in dry conditions and offers a high mileage. Efficient on snow, it just lacks a higher level of performance to take the lead in this comparison test.
It is the Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 which wins this comparison test of the best all season tyres in the size 205/55 R16 for city and compact cars. Just launched, this tyre proves it is here to stay for a long time with its high level of winter performance. In addition to its safe, dynamic handling, it offers a high mileage and low fuel consumption.
| Top 10 best all season tyres for 2020 | + | – |
| 1 – Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 | The best on snow, ice and wet surfaces. Economical. | |
| 2 – Vredestein Quatrac | Good wet handling and high mileage | |
| 3 – Continental AllSeason Contact | Handling on snow, aquaplaning, mileage | Dry braking |
| 4 – Michelin Crossclimate + | Best dry braking performance, mileage and fuel consumption | Snow braking and high price |
| 5 – Falken EuroAll Season AS 210 | Stable handling, very good price/performance ratio | Snow braking |
| 6 – Firestone Multiseason Gen2 | Dry braking and price/performance ratio | Aquaplaning |
| 7 – Hankook Kinergy 4S2 | Braking on all surfaces | Mileage |
| 8 – Kleber Quadraxer 2 | Snow and dry braking. Good price/performance ratio | Aquaplaning when cornering |
| 9 – BFGoodrich G-Grip All Season2 | Snow | Wet conditions |
| 10 – Bridgestone Weather Control A005 Evo | Best wet and dry braking distances | Snow |
The full results and the braking distances of the 32 tyres tested are available in German on the Auto Bild website.
