Touring Club Suisse, in partnership with the German Automobile Club (ADAC), has published its latest review of summer tyres for 2019. The associations compared 16 summer tyres for city cars.
16 summer tyres for city cars tested
Winter has not said its last word, but for Touring Club Suisse (TCS) and the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC) the season for summer tyres started. That is why the associations have published the results of the newest summer tyre test. For this 2019 summer tyre review, 16 tyres were tested in the size 185/65 R15 88H for city cars such as the Citroën C3, DS3, Dacia Sandero, Hyundai i20, Fiat Punto, KIA Cee’d, Mercedes A-Class, Opel Corsa, Peugeot 207, Renault Clio, Seat Ibiza and the Volkswagen Polo:
- Bridgestone Turanza T005
- Continental ContiPremiumContact 5
- Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun
- Firestone Roadhawk
- Giti GitiSynergy E1
- Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance
- Hankook Kinergy Eco2
- Kumho Ecowing ES01
- Linglong Green-Max HP010
- Maxxis Mecotra 3
- Michelin Crossclimate +
- Petlas Imperium PT515
- Pirelli Cinturato P1 Verde
- Semperit Comfort-Life 2
- Toyo Proxes CF2
- Vredestein Sportrac 5
The Michelin CrossClimate + is also part of this line-up despite its all season positioning.
For the review, 16 tyres were put through a series of tests grouped under 6 categories: dry roads, wet roads, comfort, fuel consumption, wear and high speed. The first 2 categories count for 60% of the final score.
No bad performers, 14 tyres “recommended”
Despite the high number of tyres tested, none fell below the standards set by ADAC and TCS.
Even if its overall performance is just enough to be recommended, the Chinese tyre Linglong Green-Max HP010 delivers reasonably good performance on wet roads. Less efficient than its competitors on dry roads, it suffers with its high wear where it is far behind the other tyres tested.
Quite efficient on dry roads, the Pirelli Cinturato P1 Verde obtains the lowest score for wet performance, equal with the Hankook Kinergy Eco 2 with which it shares the same final score.
The Petlas Imperium PT515 has the lowest score on dry roads and is hardly more efficient on wet surfaces. Yet, it ranks well thanks to its low rolling resistance and good wear.
Even if it is the quietest tyre of the comparison test, the Giti GitiSynergy E1 is unable to compensate for its weaknesses on wet and dry roads. All the same, it is one of the best for fuel consumption thanks to its low rolling resistance. Characteristics also found with the Semperit Comfort-Life 2 which is slightly more efficient on wet roads.
Very efficient on dry roads, the Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun lacks overall balance according to ADAC and TCS who nevertheless underline its good results in wear tests.
Unlike the Continental ContiPremiumContact 5 which delivers good performances in all tests except for wear. The latter is a very good choice for low mileage drivers according to ADAC.
Well balanced, the Toyo Proxes CF2 is also a good choice. It obtains the best score for rolling resistance and ranks amongst the best for dry performance. Only a few weaknesses in wet conditions prevent it from ranking higher.
The MaxxisMecotra 3 obtains the best results in fuel consumption tests. But, it is penalised by a slight drop in performance in wet conditions despite its very good dry handling performance. Note that it is one of the cheapest tyres of the test.
The Kumho Ecowing ES01 offers good value for money thanks to its low rolling resistance and good wear. But it is not fully convincing due to slight weaknesses on dry and wet roads.
The Firestone Roadhawk quite simply obtains the best score of the comparison test on dry roads. Unfortunately, it is not sufficiently balanced to rank higher. ADAC and TCS note a few weaknesses on wet roads and the tyre obtains the lowest score in fuel consumption tests.
Just one step away from obtaining the best rating from ADAC, the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance also pays for its weaknesses on wet roads. Otherwise, it is very efficient on dry roads, with a high resistance to wear and low fuel consumption.
The surprise guest of this test, the Michelin CrossClimate + makes a strong entry. On the last step of the podium, it ranks amongst the best on wet roads, and above all, impresses with its low wear. If its rolling resistance is little higher than its competitors, it falls behind with slightly longer braking distances on dry roads. But with this test, ADAC and TCS prove that an all season tyre is perfectly entitled to be considered as a real alternative to summer tyres.
2 summer tyres “highly recommended”
Heads above the competition, the Vredestein Sportrac 5 is a very balanced summer tyre according to ADAC and TCS. It has no weaknesses for the German and Swiss drivers associations. After the CrossClimate +, it is the tyre with the best resistance to wear. It is also one of the few summer tyres which makes no compromise between wet performance and fuel savings.
But the clear winner of the test is the new Bridgestone Turanza T005. Launched last year, it quite simply offers the best level of performance whether in wet or dry conditions. Quite economical and with a good resistance to wear, it is just slightly noisier than its competitors. Not enough to affect its final score, making it the best summer tyre for 2019 according to ADAC and TCS.
| Tyre | Final ranking |
| Bridgestone Turanza T005 | 1 |
| Vredestein Sportrac 5 | 2 |
| Michelin CrossClimate + | 3 |
| Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance | 4 |
| Firestone Roadhawk | 5= |
| Kumho Ecowing ES01 | 5= |
| Maxxis Mecotra 3 | 5= |
| Toyo Proxes CF2 | 5= |
| Continental ContiPremiumContact 5 | 9= |
| Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun | 9= |
| Semperit Comfort-Life 2 | 9= |
| Giti GitiSynergy E1 | 12 |
| Petlas Imperium PT515 | 13 |
| Hankook Kinergy Eco 2 | 14= |
| Pirelli Cinturato P1 Verde | 14= |
| Linglong Green-Max HP010 | 16 |
