2013 AMS Sports Winter Tyre Test

225/50 R17, a BMW 3 Series and 8 sets of the latest winter tyres summarise the 2013 Auto Motor Und Sport winter tyre test.

Test Summary
Best tyre for dry roads	Nokian WR D3
Best tyre for wet roads	Continental WinterContact TS 850
Best tyre for snow	Continental WinterContact TS 850
The lowest fuel use	Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
The most comfortable	Continental WinterContact TS 850 Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Performance Michelin Alpin A4
The quietest tyre	Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Performance Fulda Kristall Control HP

The results in the snow tests were extremely close, with the best snow braking tyre (Fulda) stopping from 50 km/h in 27.3 metres and the worst (Goodyear) just over a metre further, at 28.6 metres. The gap was equally as close during snow handling, with the quickest tyre (Dunlop) posting a 73.5 second lap, and the slowest (Toyo) 2.4 seconds behind at 75.9.

In the wet the gap opened a little more, with Continental winning both wet braking and wet handling. This time, the worst tyre (Toyo) stopped 6 metres behind the Continental, and the slowest tyre around the wet handling circuit (Fulda) was 5.3 seconds slower.

In the dry the Nokian reigned supreme, convincingly winning dry braking and handling. The Fulda again showed a comparative weakness, losing both the dry tests, stopping 3.9 metres further than the Nokian and taking 1.9 long to do the dry handling lap.

The Results

While the Continental only won three of the eleven tests, it rarely finished out of the top three places to take another convincing win. Pirelli placed a strong second thanks to an excellent wet showing (other than aquaplaning), and Dunlop rounded out the top three with a comfortable quiet tyre which worked well in all conditions.

	1st: Continental WinterContact TS 850 Total: 277 Dry: 50 Wet: 99 Snow: 95 Comfort: 10 Rolling Resistance: 14 Noise: 9 Positive: Short braking distances on snow and wet surfaces, very high wet grip, very balanced ride quality Negative: Relatively weak results for the dry Overall: Particularly recommended Read Reviews Buy from £158.60
	2nd: Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 Total: 270 Dry: 50 Wet: 92 Snow: 90 Comfort: 10 Rolling Resistance: 20 Noise: 8 Positive: Very good grip on snow, high level of safety and neutral behavior, low rolling resistance, short braking distances on wet surfaces Negative: Relatively weak resistance to aquaplaning Overall: Particularly recommended Read Reviews Buy from £83.50
	3rd: Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D Total: 258 Dry: 54 Wet: 84 Snow: 87 Comfort: 10 Rolling Resistance: 13 Noise: 10 Positive: High level of comfort, low noise, high lateral grip on the snow, short braking distances on wet surfaces Negative: Handling on wet surfaces Overall: Particularly recommended Read Reviews Buy from £98.00
	4th: Nokian WR D3 Total: 253 Dry: 60 Wet: 75 Snow: 83 Comfort: 8 Rolling Resistance: 18 Noise: 9 Positive: The shortest braking distances and best handling on dry surfaces, confident behavior in the snow, although with a tendency to understeer Negative: Relatively weak performance in the wet Overall: Particularly recommended Read Reviews Buy from £81.30
	5th: Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Performance Total: 248 Dry: 47 Wet: 85 Snow: 87 Comfort: 10 Rolling Resistance: 9 Noise: 10 Positive: Good grip and handling on wet surfaces, and especially in the snow Negative: Relatively poor braking performance, high rolling resistance Overall: Recommended Read Reviews
	6th: Michelin Alpin A4 Total: 240 Dry: 52 Wet: 72 Snow: 85 Comfort: 10 Rolling Resistance: 12 Noise: 9 Positive: Short braking distances and good handling on snow, high level of comfort Negative: Relatively long braking distances on wet surfaces, low resistance to aquaplaning Overall: Recommended Read Reviews Buy from £117.00
	7th: Fulda Kristall Control HP Total: 228 Dry: 39 Wet: 67 Snow: 91 Comfort: 9 Rolling Resistance: 12 Noise: 10 Positive: The shortest braking distances and excellent handling on snow Negative: Weak results in the wet Overall: Recommended Read Reviews Buy from £130.50
	8th: Toyo Snowprox S953 Total: 218 Dry: 50 Wet: 67 Snow: 79 Comfort: 9 Rolling Resistance: 4 Noise: 9 Positive: High resistance to aquaplaning, good handling on dry surfaces Negative: Low brake performance, high rolling resistance , poor handling on snow and wet surfaces Overall: Conditionally recommended Read Reviews

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