2015 Auto Bild Performance Tyre Test
For the 2015 ultra high performance tyre test, Auto Bild have chosen the new BMW M4, wearing 275/35 R19 rear and 255/35 R19 fronts. While this limits the amount of tyres available to test to just seven, it is a very good test car as the M4 is the benchmark for the current breed of big-wheeled super-saloons!
Surprisingly missing from the test were Pirelli, Dunlop and Yokohama, but Auto Bild did manage to include Hankook, Maxxis and Nankang to give a spread of the midrange and budget end of the markets.
The Results
Subjectively, the tyre which offered the best steering feel was no surprise. The Michelin Pilot Super Sport offered outstanding turn-in and great feel, so much so that sometimes it left the rear a little lose. The Vredestein was a close second, and while the Vorti might have lost some of the sharpness the Ultrac Sessanta had, it still did very well on test and even provided a slightly better overall balance than the Michelin ending up with a fractionally quicker lap time. Continental, Hankook and Goodyear all had very close lap times for third to fifth, and unsurprisingly the two cheapest tyres on test were the two slowest.
In the wet Vredestein and Hankook traded top places in handling and braking, with the Maxxis and Nankang once again consistently last.
Overall, Auto Bild awarded the top spot to the Hankook Ventus S1 EVO, a surprise result for the Korean brand considering the strong opposition. It tested well in every category, and somehow managed to stop 2.6 meters shorter than the next best in wet braking (places two to five were only covered by just 1.5 meters…)
Second place was awarded to the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Nearly perfect in the dry, combined with a strong wet performance and good comfort meant it was a great all round choice for the BMW. Third place was the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2, which placed well in every category and perhaps an overly harsh fourth place for the Vredestein Ultrac Vorti, whos only weakness seemed to appear in the aquaplaning test.
Test Summary | |
Best tyre for dry roads | Vredestein Ultrac Vorti |
Best tyre for wet roads | Hankook Ventus S1 evo |
The lowest fuel use |
Hankook Ventus S1 evo Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 Maxxis Victra Sport VS01 |
The most comfortable |
Hankook Ventus S1 evo Michelin Pilot Super Sport Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 Vredestein Ultrac Vorti Continental ContiSportContact 5 P |
The quietest tyre |
Hankook Ventus S1 evo Vredestein Ultrac Vorti Nankang Noble Sport NS20 Maxxis Victra Sport VS01 |
Rezultate:
Locul 1: HANKOOK - VENTUS S1 EVO
Dry: 6 / Wet: 8 / Rolling resistance: 6 / Fuel consumption: 6 / Noise: 6
Puncte forte: Balanced tyres without obvious disadvantages, the shortest braking distance in the wet, very low rolling resistance
Puncte slabe: None mentioned
Locul 2: MICHELIN PILOT SUPER SPORT
Dry: 7 / Wet: 5 / Rolling resistance: 4 / Fuel consumption: 6 / Noise: 5
Puncte forte: The real sports tyres with excellent handling and precise and rapid steering response, excellent results on dry and wet surfaces
Puncte slabe: High rolling resistance
Locul 3: GOODYEAR EAGLE F1 ASYMMETRIC 2
Dry: 5 / Wet: 6 / Rolling resistance: 6 / Fuel consumption: 6 / Noise: 5
Puncte forte: Very balanced tyres, short braking distances on wet and dry roads, low rolling resistance
Puncte slabe: None mentioned
Locul 4: VREDESTEIN ULTRAC VORTI 4x4
Dry: 8 / Wet: 7 / Rolling resistance: 4 / Fuel consumption: 6 / Noise: 6
Puncte forte: Good handling and precise steering response in all conditions
Puncte slabe: Poor resistance to aquaplaning, high rolling resistance
Locul 5: CONTINENTAL SPORT CONTACT 5P
Dry: 6 / Wet: 5 / Rolling resistance: 4 / Fuel consumption: 6 / Noise: 5
Puncte forte: Good handling and precise steering response on dry roads
Puncte slabe: Not enough good handling and braking performance in the wet
Locul 6: NANKANG NS 20
Dry: 3 / Wet: 4 / Rolling resistance: 4 / Fuel consumption: 5 / Noise: 6
Puncte forte: Low noise level, high resistance to aquaplaning
Puncte slabe: Weak lateral stability and a tendency to understeer on dry and wet roads, long braking distances in the dry
Locul 7: MAXXIS - VICTRA SPORT VS01
Dry: 4 / Wet: 1 / Rolling resistance: 6 / Fuel consumption: 5 / Noise: 6
Puncte forte: None mentioned
Puncte slabe: Poor handling and long braking distances on wet surfaces, poor resistance to aquaplaning