Winter tires tested: These manufacturers should definitely be avoided

The right tire is one of the most important parts of a car. After all, the wheels are the only contact with the road. This shows time and again what it means if you are not careful when choosing the right tire. The club has now tested 28 winter tires for the lower middle class, 16 of them for compact SUVs. And the comparison test proves once again: the differences are huge.

The testers’ assessments are made up of various test disciplines. The most important – and with 70 percent also the most clearly represented in the overall score – is driving safety. This is made up of various criteria, such as driving comfort, behavior at the limit, braking distances, handling and aquaplaning. This was determined by the testers on dry, wet, icy and snow-covered roads. All situations that play an important role in everyday life.

The remaining 30 percent of the overall score is made up of the results of the environmental tests. Factors such as tire wear, efficiency, noise emissions and sustainability play a role here.

Most well-known winter tires are “good” – but not all

Drivers of compact SUVs should choose from three manufacturers: The test winner Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 and the second-placed Dunlop Winter Sport 5 performed well, and the Vredestein Wintrac Pro was also impressive. All tires received an overall rating of “good,” but the testers did not find a “very good” model.

There are also three “good” tires for these. The Continental WinterContact TS 870, Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 and Michelin Alpin 6 won the comparisons. The testers attested that the test winner from Continental had by far the best driving characteristics on wet and wintry roads.

When comparing tires, the results often look very similar. The big, well-known names take the top spots in alternating order, while unknown manufacturers bring up the rear. There is one outlier when it comes to tires for the compact class, however: the testers cannot recommend the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 and gave it a surprising second-to-last place – a score of 3.9. The club writes: “The fact that the Pirelli does not receive a recommendation to buy despite its good braking performance in wet conditions and ends up in second-to-last place is due to its poor performance in dry conditions and the resulting downgrade.”

Cheap tires have major defects

But it gets even worse. Four tires were sent out of the test with a “poor” rating. When it comes to SUV tires, the ADAC warns against the Triangle WinterX TW401, Davanti Wintoura + and Kenda Wintergen 2 KR501 models. Drivers of compact cars should stay away from the Winrun Winter-max A1 WR22, and actually also from the aforementioned Pirelli.

A look at the price shows that very cheap tires usually end up at the bottom of the field. The Kenda is an exception here at 114 euros and failed despite the comparatively high price. Conversely, the Zeetex WH 1000 at 66 euros did not get top marks in the compact category, but with a score of 3.7 it still came in ahead of the Vredestein Wintrac.

The ADAC test confirms what Continental test engineer Philipp Must said in an interview with star As already explained: The tire label should not be the main focus when making a purchasing decision. Even if the standardized marking is found on the sidewall of a tire, it says very little about its properties in the real world.