EVO magazine has a huge amount of respect in the industry, making their tyre test in 2007 one of the most talked about tyre tests of the year. Since 2007 the Germans have put out a number of excellent group tyre tests, but the pages of EVO have remained strangely devoid of the black boots. Thankfully this month that has all changed.
Feeling the high expectations the EVO writers selected 9 tyres to test and visited the Contidrome in Germany to put them through their paces over 9 different tests.
As EVO chose an MX5 as their test mule which has relatively small rear tyres (205/45 r17), the choice of high performance tyres was somewhat limited and the final mix a little bizarre.
Why is this a strange mix? The Contisport 3 now has a big brother in the Contisport 5P, the Bridgestone RE050A is getting a little long in the tooth, the Vredstein Ultrac Cento is out performed by the Ultrac Sessanta (which was tested in the 2007 test), the Pilot Exalto is slower version of the new Pilot Sport PS3, and just as you start to think this isn't an ultra high performance tyre test they throw in the Yokohama Advan Neova AD08 - a hardcore max performance / track day tyre... Confusing.
What can we learn from this? Interestingly there's some good data regarding the AD08's performance compared to a normal road tyre. While excelling in the dry, the Yokos were the most likely to aquaplane (bar the budget Zeetex HP103) in a straight line, and so poor in the curved aquaplaning test they only managed 54% of the speed of the test winning Uniroyal Rainsport.
The rest of the group isn't a huge surprise. The Contisport 3 just beat the Uniroyal Rainsport 2 by being consistently good everywhere, the budget Zeetex were rubbish proving you get what you pay for and the rest of the group traded places test by test and all finished within 7% of each other.
A little note to EVO, for next years test please follow the example of Auto Bild and find a nice tyre size that all the new extreme performance summer tyres are produced in. And invite us.
As always, make sure you pick up a copy of EVO issue 146 for the full breakdown of results, and in general an excellent motoring magazine.
It is indeed an interesting test, but it's fundamentally flawed. In the sum-up they comment that you should make sure you get the correct 84 load index Bridgestones rather than the 88 load index version which they tested (and which they criticized for feeling "a little firm" - I wonder why that might have been).
They also point out that you should get "this specific Sport Contact 3, with the 84 load rating, as it has a different construction and compound". Surely the same is true of the Potenzas.
They put a lot of time, effort and money into an extensive test, but failed at the first hurdle by testing the wrong tyre. What's worse, the MX-5 which they used would have been fitted with the correct 84 index Potenzas at the factory and probaby arrived at the test facility wearing them.
Now, where was that test facility again? Oh, yes - the Contidrom near Hannover, the main proving ground of Continental Tyres in Europe. Hmmmm.....
Note to tyre makers of the world . Make sure you produce your new high performance tyres in smaller sizes too ! This is the size my car uses so I'm glad they picked it even if the new crop of tyres arn't all represented ! Can't understand why the Pilot 3 wasn't used though as it is available in this size !
If you look at the results in depth you do notice the tests bias towards wet driving ! Yes I know it rains alot in the uk but alot of us use sense in these conditions and avoid driving fast through standing water ! If you like doing this the conti and the uniroyal are the best but if you get your pleasure in the dry the yoko or the bridgestone should be your choice ! Can see why ferrari used the RE050 A as their standard tyre for so long as most will only be used in the dry !