All-season tires promise tens of thousands of kilometers of peace and quiet: no annoying changing, no wasted space due to unused wheels. But many models are a compromise – until now.
All-season tires – they could be so practical. But the all-weather tires have always had to contend with a mediocre reputation. In summer they didn’t have enough grip, and in winter they were also worse than specialized tires. After extensive series of tests, he now offers hope and writes “Something is happening on the market for all-season tires.”
The reason for this conclusion is the fact that the ADAC has given an all-weather tire the grade “good” for the first time – a first in this category. For the test, the club compared 16 tires from different manufacturers in the common size 205/55 R 16. These tires are suitable for models such as the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, the Mazda 3, VW Passat and VW Golf. According to the ADAC, it is the tire size with the highest demand.
Two tires “poor”
The tires were tested in the categories of driving safety under different conditions and environmental impact. The latter is made up of fuel consumption, abrasion and the predicted mileage.
A look at the last-placed tires in the test shows how big the differences can be. The Infinity Ecofour came last and received a grade of “unsatisfactory”. The ADAC spoke of “indisputable results”. According to the test, the tire failed even in wet conditions and proved difficult to control. The Kenda Kenetica 4S was also rated “unsatisfactory” according to the test, failing in snow and offering hardly any reserves at the limit.
A whopping seven tires received an overall rating of “adequate.” The testers also say they cannot recommend these tires. Some of the models showed “too great weaknesses, especially on dry roads” and caused problems during evasive maneuvers. There are some well-known names among the manufacturers, such as Semperit, Toyo, Yokohama and Firestone.
Test winner does not have the best driving performance
The test winner was the . It achieved an overall rating of “good” due to its best environmental performance, including by far the highest predicted mileage. According to the ADAC, the tire had “no glaring weaknesses in any area.” However, since the tire did not perform at its best in summer temperatures, it only achieved a rating of 2.7 in terms of driving safety, which is “satisfactory” in this discipline.
According to the club, anyone who places absolute priority on driving safety should With a rating of 2.3 (“good”), the tire achieved the best marks in summer as well as in winter and wet conditions. But: With a predicted mileage of 33,000 kilometers, its mileage is in last place – the Goodyear would last almost twice as long. The ADAC notes that there is already a successor to this tire, but test results are not yet available.
The ADAC concludes: “All-season tires are far from being all-rounders. There are very positive developments, as shown by a total of seven recommendable models and, above all, the first all-season tire rated ‘good’. But it is also a fact that nine out of 16 tires are not recommended.”
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Source: Stern
I’m a recent graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. I started working as a news reporter for 24 Hours World about two years ago, and I’ve been writing articles ever since. My main focus is automotive news, but I’ve also written about politics, lifestyle, and entertainment.
