Summer tyre novelties have passed the quality test
This year's summer season will abound in many tyre novelties. Not every tyre equals another. The experts from OPONEO.PL decided to look at the results of the tests and see which of the latest products on summer season’s offer, have the best driving characteristics.
The best of the best - tyres under the experts' magnifying glass
When buying summer tyres, many drivers face the dilemma, which tyre they should choose, especially that many of the new products have been equipped with the innovative technologies that resulted in improved tyre performance. The decision-making process could be easier, if we look at this year's results of tyre tests. By far the biggest authority in this field enjoys a German organization ADAC and the Autobild magazine. The overall assessment of the Autobild test consisted of: a level of comfort, abrasion resistance, noise, braking distance or degree of wear. After analyzing the results from each category, in 2017 ranking, the following models made it to the top ten :
1) Continental Premium Contact 6,
2) Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2,
3) Falken Azenis FK510
4) Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue
5) Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
6) Fulda SportControl 2
7) Bridgestone Turanza T001 Evo
8) Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3
9) Michelin Primacy 3
10) Uniroyal Rainsport 3
In the list above, you can see that despite the high positions of proven and well-known tyre models like Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2, or Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue, the tyre novelties are on top this year. At the head of the list was the new Premium Contact 6 model from Continental, the sixth place was SportControl 2 from Fulda, followed by 7th place Bridgestone Turanza T001 Evo and 8th place Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3. However, it is worth to look at the novelties that have not yet taken part in this year's tests. These include Bridgestone DriveGuard and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.
‘This year's novelty from Bridgestone is the first product on the market with a safety system suitable for any car with a tyre pressure sensor, and tests have shown that DriveGuard provides the ability to drive even with severe damage or the teared off tread. In turn, the new Pilot Sport 4S tyre from Michelin , during the test enabled precise handling of strong and fast cars, even at high speeds. ‘- said Ernest Pujszo, Commercial Director of OPONEO.PL
After the internal tests, both tyres showed a huge potential. Once again manufacturers offer customers a product of the highest quality, with excellent driving characteristics. The new improved technologies have raised the level of safety and driving comfort. This year's choice of tyres will therefore be extremely difficult, because most of the novelties are just as good, if not better than their predecessors.
Selection of tyres vs. preferences and priorities
According to the tests conducted by AutoSwiat.pl for tyres in the size of 225/50 R17, only every third tyre available on the market meets the requirements and is recommended. The choice of tyres however, depends on our way of driving the car, preffered speed of driving , weather and climate, and in particular the preferences. For example, if we live in the south of Italy and use the car mainly for commuting to work, there is no urgent need to buy a tyre, which performs very well during the wet surface braking trials, due to the low rainfall in this part of the country. Another situation would be in England, where customers are guided by the increased security and are looking for the tyres that perform excellent in the aquaplanning. The basic criterion that had to be met in order for the tyre to be allowed for further testing was the braking distance on dry and wet surfaces.
In terms of driving on a wet road surface, the best was Pirelli with an average speed of 79.9 km/h. The second place was shared by Bridgestone with a score of 79.7 km/h and Dunlop (79.7 km/h).The dry-driving test showed that the first place went to Pirelli (117.3 km/h), just behind it, with a mere 0.1 km/h difference was Continental and the third position was taken by Falken (116.8 km/h). In an attempt to aquaplaning undisputed winner was the Uniroyal, which lost traction only at 93km/h. The second place in this category accounted for the Dunlop brand, the level of grip of the tyres up to 90.1 km/h. On the podium was also Goodyear with a maximum speed of 89.8 km/h. The most enduring tyre, was the new Premium Contact 6 from Continental, with a mileage of 39,996 km. The second in terms of durability was the Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 (36,592 km), while the third place was taken by the Michelin's Primacy 3 (33,221 km).
Taking into account the main parameters such as wear, rolling resistance, noise level and results obtained by Autobild tests, one can safely say that the winner of both rankings was Continental Premium Contact 6. Right behind was the Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 and the bronze went to the Falken Azenis FK510. The results of both tests are consistent and the tires that hit the top ten are world-class products providing the comfort and safety in all driving conditions.