2015 Auto Bild Performance Tyre Test

Test Summary
Wet BrakingVredestein Ultrac Vorti
Dry BrakingHankook Ventus S1 evo
Rolling ResistanceHankook Ventus S1 evo
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2
Maxxis Victra Sport VS01
NoiseHankook Ventus S1 evo
Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2
Vredestein Ultrac Vorti
Continental ContiSportContact 5 P
Snow HandlingHankook Ventus S1 evo
Vredestein Ultrac Vorti
Nankang Noble Sport NS20
Maxxis Victra Sport VS01
For the 2015 ultra high performance tyre test, Auto Bild have chosen the new BMW M4, wearing 275/35 R19 rear and 255/35 R19 fronts. While this limits the amount of tyres available to test to just seven, it is a very good test car as the M4 is the benchmark for the current breed of big-wheeled super-saloons!

Surprisingly missing from the test were Pirelli, Dunlop and Yokohama, but Auto Bild did manage to include Hankook, Maxxis and Nankang to give a spread of the midrange and budget end of the markets.

The Results

Subjectively, the tyre which offered the best steering feel was no surprise. The Michelin Pilot Super Sport offered outstanding turn-in and great feel, so much so that sometimes it left the rear a little lose. The Vredestein was a close second, and while the Vorti might have lost some of the sharpness the Ultrac Sessanta had, it still did very well on test and even provided a slightly better overall balance than the Michelin ending up with a fractionally quicker lap time. Continental, Hankook and Goodyear all had very close lap times for third to fifth, and unsurprisingly the two cheapest tyres on test were the two slowest.

In the wet Vredestein and Hankook traded top places in handling and braking, with the Maxxis and Nankang once again consistently last.

Overall, Auto Bild awarded the top spot to the Hankook Ventus S1 EVO, a surprise result for the Korean brand considering the strong opposition. It tested well in every category, and somehow managed to stop 2.6 meters shorter than the next best in wet braking (places two to five were only covered by just 1.5 meters…)

Second place was awarded to the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Nearly perfect in the dry, combined with a strong wet performance and good comfort meant it was a great all round choice for the BMW. Third place was the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2, which placed well in every category and perhaps an overly harsh fourth place for the Vredestein Ultrac Vorti, whos only weakness seemed to appear in the aquaplaning test.

1st: Hankook Ventus S1 evo

Hankook Ventus S1 evo
  • 275/35 R19
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 32
  2. Dry: 6
  3. Wet: 8
  4. Comfort: 6
  5. Rolling Resistance: 6
  6. Noise: 6
Balanced tyres without obvious disadvantages, the shortest braking distance in the wet, very low rolling resistance
None mentioned

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2nd: Michelin Pilot Super Sport

Michelin Pilot Super Sport
  • 275/35 R19
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 27
  2. Dry: 7
  3. Wet: 5
  4. Comfort: 6
  5. Rolling Resistance: 4
  6. Noise: 5
The real sports tyres with excellent handling and precise and rapid steering response, excellent results on dry and wet surfaces
High rolling resistance

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3rd: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2
  • 275/35 R19
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 28
  2. Dry: 5
  3. Wet: 6
  4. Comfort: 6
  5. Rolling Resistance: 6
  6. Noise: 5
Very balanced tyres, short braking distances on wet and dry roads, low rolling resistance
None mentioned

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4th: Vredestein Ultrac Vorti

Vredestein Ultrac Vorti
  • 275/35 R19
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 31
  2. Dry: 8
  3. Wet: 7
  4. Comfort: 6
  5. Rolling Resistance: 4
  6. Noise: 6
Good handling and precise steering response in all conditions
Poor resistance to aquaplaning, high rolling resistance

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5th: Continental ContiSportContact 5 P

Continental ContiSportContact 5 P
  • 275/35 R19
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 26
  2. Dry: 6
  3. Wet: 5
  4. Comfort: 6
  5. Rolling Resistance: 4
  6. Noise: 5
Good handling and precise steering response on dry roads
Not enough good handling and braking performance in the wet

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6th: Nankang Noble Sport NS20

Nankang Noble Sport NS20
  • 275/35 R19
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 22
  2. Dry: 3
  3. Wet: 4
  4. Comfort: 5
  5. Rolling Resistance: 4
  6. Noise: 6
Low noise level, high resistance to aquaplaning
Weak lateral stability and a tendency to understeer on dry and wet roads, long braking distances in the dry

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7th: Maxxis Victra Sport VS01

Maxxis Victra Sport VS01
  • 275/35 R19
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 22
  2. Dry: 4
  3. Wet: 1
  4. Comfort: 5
  5. Rolling Resistance: 6
  6. Noise: 6
None mentioned
Poor handling and long braking distances on wet surfaces, poor resistance to aquaplaning

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