Motor magazine evo has compared nine UHP tyres in its performance tyre test. While none of the tyres had any difficulty completing the tests, some performed better than others.
9 UHP tyres tested by professionals
Car magazine evo selected 9 Ultra High Performance (UHP) tyres and put them through braking, aquaplaning, dry and wet handling, rolling resistance and road tests. Here are the contenders:
- Bridgestone Turanza T001 EVO
- Continental ContiPremiumContact6
- Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2
- Falken Azenis FK510
- Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3
- Hankook Ventus S1 evo2
- Michelin Pilot Sport 4
- Pirelli P Zero PZ4
- Toyo Proxes Sport
The magazine purchased these tyres in the size 225/40 R18 92 Y (the most popular 18-inch fitment) and then tested them at Continental’s Contidrom test track near Hannover, Germany on a 2017 Golf GTI.
A logical ranking with a few surprises
In 9th position, the Toyo Proxes Sport finished behind its competitors. Admittedly, by far the cheapest tyre at £72, evo drivers highlighted its poor wet and dry handling on the track and its rolling noise on the road. Amongst all the tyres tested, it also had the weakest braking performance, taking 38.8 metres to stop from 100 km/h (62 mph) in dry conditions and 33.2 metres from 80 km/h (50 mph) on wet surfaces.
Just ahead, in 8th position, evo found the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 slightly disappointing. Although it performed well in dry braking (36.1 metres from 100 km/h) and aquaplaning tests, it seemed a bit slow on wet surfaces.
The Hankook Ventus S1 evo2, ranked 7th, did not outshine its competitors in any particular test, but was not poor either. Evo drivers, however, noted its good road handling, especially in terms of comfort and rolling noise, at a price of £74 per tyre.
Just a whisker ahead in 6th place, the Bridgestone Turanza T001 Evo stood out with its wet handling performance. Its performance in the other tests was also satisfactory, especially in terms of rolling resistance where it came 2nd. The only negative points were the tyre’s difficulty in adapting to the different surfaces and its dry braking distance which was a bit long, taking 36.7 metres to stop from 100 km/h.
In 5th place, the Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 left evo drivers with mixed feelings. One of the fastest in dry conditions, it was also one of the slowest in the wet, providing low lateral grip on this surface. Despite this, the British tyre manufacturer obtained one of the best scores in the aquaplaning test. On the road, it offered decent ride comfort and noise suppression, but steering was a bit dull. On the price side, it was the third cheapest (£76.80) and had the lowest rolling resistance of the tyres tested.
In 4th place, and a little behind the top three, the Falken Azenis FK510 surprised the testers. On the downside, it was the heaviest tyre, one of the least refined on the road and had the highest rolling resistance. However, the tyre performed well in both wet and dry tests. On wet surfaces, it took 30.9 meters to stop from 80 km/h, the 3rd best test result. The evo test drivers also emphasised how fast it was around the track as well as the good feel it gave while providing precise, accurate steering.
A prestigious podium
With its good overall performance, the Continental PremiumContact 6 took bronze in the evo test. Priced at £85, it was particularly efficient in the wet, coming third in the track speed test despite feeling “a little skittish and disconnected”. According to evo drivers, its dry handling performance was slower but more reliable. On the braking side, it ranked 3rd on the dry and 2nd on the wet with stopping distances of 36.1 metres from 100 km/h and 30.7 metres from 80km/h. On the road, it ranked 2nd for ride comfort thanks to low rolling noise and accurate steering when cornering.
In 2nd position, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was explosive, proving to be the fastest around both the dry and wet handling circuits. The test drivers praised the tyre’s strong turn-in and mid-corner grip, and exit traction. Despite its poor results in aquaplaning tests, Pirelli’s flagship tyre was impressive. It had the shortest braking distance in dry conditions, 35.5 meters from 100 km/h to a standstill. For evo magazine, it simply lacked a bit of steering refinement to challenge the champion of this test.
And this champion was the Michelin Pilot Sport 4. 1st in the evo magazine ranking, the test drivers were impressed by this tyre. 29.8 metres to stop on wet surfaces, 35.4 metres on the dry, it also dominated handling tests on the track while finishing second fastest. In short, almost a Grand Slam for the PS4 which evo described as “simply a great tyre”.
The final ranking:
| Tyre | Final ranking |
| Michelin Pilot Sport 4 | 1 |
| Pirelli P Zero PZ4 | 2 |
| Continental ContiPremiumContact 6 | 3 |
| Falken Azenis FK510 | 4 |
| Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 | 5 |
| Bridgestone Turanza T001 EVO | 6 |
| Hankook Ventus S1 Evo2 | 7 |
| Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 | 8 |
| Toyo Proxes Sport | 9 |
