TCS AND ADAC COMPARISON TEST OF WINTER TYRES FOR CITY CARS

The Swiss Touring Club and ADAC have published their new comparison test of winter tyres for 2019: 16 tyres designed for small cars were put through a series of tests in winter conditions. The tyres delivering the best performance on snow, among other things, can be found here.

Winter tyres tested

This year, TCS, the largest Swiss drivers association, and ADAC, the General German Automobile Club, have decided to test 16 winter tyres in the size 185/65 R15 88 T compatible with city cars such as the Renault Clio, Twingo II, Peugeot 207 or Volkswagen Polo. The Volkswagen Polo was used for the different tests of the following winter tyres:

• Continental WinterContact TS860
• Davanti Wintoura
• Dunlop Winter Response 2
• Falken Eurowinter HS01
• Gislaved Euro*Frost 6
• Goodyear Ultragrip 9
• Hankook Winter i*cept RS2
• Kleber Krisalp HP 3
• Kumho WP51 Wintercraft
• Michelin Alpin A4
• Nokian WR D4
• Pirelli Cinturato Winter
• Sava Eskimo S3+
• Toyo Snowprox S943
• Viking WinTech
• Vredestein Snowtrac 5

Note that the results were obtained based on three test categories which are safety (braking, aquaplaning, traction, grip, etc.), economy (wear, longevity) and ecology (fuel consumption), carried out in this order.

Also, remember that TCS (Swiss Touring Club) and ADAC (General German Automobile Club) are both non-profit associations whose results are approved by independent experts.

City car tyre test: Davanti and Toyo

The Davanti Wintoura and Toyo Snowprox S943 respectively finish last and second last in the winter tyre test. They are not recommended by the TCS and ADAC organisations.

Davanti Wintoura:

Toyo Snowprox S943:

City car tyre test: Sava Eskimo S3+

The Sava Eskimo S3+ is the only tyre to be “recommended with reservations” due to its weaknesses in dry and wet conditions.

Sava Eskimo S3+:

City car tyre test: Viking, Kumho, Gislaved and Nokian

Recommended by TCS and ADAC, the Viking WinTech, Kumho WP51 Wintercraft, Gislaved Euro*Frost 6 and Nokian WR D4 tyres deliver good performance on ice, an important criterion when buying winter tyres, and as a bonus, offer good fuel savings.

Viking WinTech:

Kumho WP51 Wintercraft:

Gislaved Euro*Frost 6:

Nokian WR D4:

City car tyre test: Goodyear, Vredestein, Falken and Michelin

In the middle of the ranking of the winter tyres tested on the Volkswagen Polo city car, we find the tyres which are recommended by the ADAC and TCS organisations. However, their performances differ depending on the type of surface (dry, wet, snow, snow, ice) used. The tyres manage to balance their faults with high fuel efficiency or with good longevity.

Goodyear Ultragrip 9:

Vredestein Snowtrac 5:

Falken Eurowinter HS01:

Michelin Alpin A4:

City car tyre test: opinion on the Hankook and Continental

We have almost reached the end of the winter tyre test results for city cars. TCS and ADAC also recommend the Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 W452 and Continental WinterContact TS860 tyres. Their performances on wet and dry surfaces and on snow are much appreciated and they achieve a good position in the test ranking.

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 W452:

Continental WinterContact TS860:

City car tyre test: opinion on the Pirelli, Kleber and Dunlop

The 2019 Top 3 best winter tyres for city cars tested by TCS and ADAC are the Pirelli Cinturato Winter (3rd place), the Kleber Krisalp HP3 (2nd place) and the Dunlop Winter Response 2 (1st place). All three are highly recommended by the test organisations since they delivered satisfactory results in each test category.

Pirelli Cinturato Winter:

Kleber Krisalp HP3:

Dunlop Winter Response 2: