2015 AutoBild All Season Tyre Test

Test Summary
Wet BrakingMichelin CrossClimate
Dry BrakingGoodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
Wet HandlingNankang N607
WearGoodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
Michelin CrossClimate
Rolling ResistanceGoodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
Pirelli Cinturato AllSeason
NoisePirelli Cinturato AllSeason
Vredestein Quatrac 5
Hankook Kinergy 4S
Snow BrakingMichelin CrossClimate
Snow HandlingNokian WeatherProof
Ice BrakingHankook Kinergy 4S
The 2015 Auto Bild all season tyre test is here, and it's the first test to include the new Michelin CrossClimate and Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-2.

This year Auto Bild put ten all season tyres, plus a summer and winter reference tyre, through the usual series of dry, wet, snow, NVH and rolling resistance tests. The snow and ice tests were were done in the arctic circle at below freezing conditions, while the dry and wet testing were done at a rather toasty 25c.

The New Tyres

Michelins entry into this market segment was a surprise, and the new CrossClimate tyre doesn't like to be called an "all season" tyre, but a summer tyre with winter capabilities. This has left us wondering whether it's the perfect tyre for the UK climate, as traditional all season tyres overly focus on snow and ice performance, instead of the wet grip we need for the UK winters.

Goodyear have ruled the all season market with the Vector 4Season, which has always had an extremely strong snow performance. While the original Vector 4Season was usually near best in category in the wet, it never really got close enough to the summer reference tyre to be classed as a true all season tyre, until now. With the gen-2 Vector 4Season tyre, Goodyear seem to have followed the same path as Michelin, and traded a little snow performance for wet grip.

Auto Bild MagazineSo which of the two tyres is best for the UK? That depends on your preference. The Michelin and the Goodyear trade blows in the wet and dry, with the Goodyear narrowly beating the Michelin in the wet, and the Michelin being slightly stronger in the dry. The dog fight continues with the rest of the tests - the Michelin is slightly quieter, the Goodyear has slightly better rolling resistance, the Michelin does more miles, but then the Goodyear is slightly cheaper so the price per mile is almost identical. In the end, the snow performance of the Goodyear wins it for Auto Bild overall, but either tyre would be a fine choice for the UK. The magazine negates to touch on the subjective differences of the tyres, something we're looking into in the next few weeks.

Other tyres

The Auto Express test winning Nokian WeatherProof could only manage fifth place, struggling with dry handling and finishing last in the dry lap, and the Pirelli Cinturato All Season which only managed fifth in Auto Express, finished third with a very balanced wet and dry performance.

The other new tyre in the test, the Hankook Kinergy 4S offered the best value (mileage divided by price) but was slightly weaker than the best in the wet.

The Results

Below are the full results. As usual, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the page with your questions and thoughts

1st: Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2

Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
  • 195/65 R 15
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 66
  2. Dry: 6
  3. Wet: 8
  4. Snow: 6
  5. Comfort: 6
  6. Rolling Resistance: 9
  7. Noise: 7
  8. Wear: 8
  9. Cost: 8
  10. Overall: 8
Model-rounder with best wet handling qualities, high aquaplaning resistance and shortest wet braking, low rolling resistance, high mileage
None listed

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2nd: Michelin CrossClimate

Michelin CrossClimate
  • 195/65 R 15
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 66
  2. Dry: 9
  3. Wet: 7
  4. Snow: 4
  5. Comfort: 6
  6. Rolling Resistance: 7
  7. Noise: 8
  8. Wear: 9
  9. Cost: 8
  10. Overall: 8
Dry specialist with high efficiency, dynamic dry handling, precise steering response, shortest dry braking
Average snow performance

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3rd: Pirelli Cinturato AllSeason

Pirelli Cinturato AllSeason
  • 195/65 R 15
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 54
  2. Dry: 6
  3. Wet: 6
  4. Snow: 4
  5. Comfort: 7
  6. Rolling Resistance: 9
  7. Noise: 5
  8. Wear: 6
  9. Cost: 5
  10. Overall: 6
Convincing all weather tires, stable handling and good braking on wet and dry roads, fuel-saving rolling resistance
Average snow performance

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4th: Vredestein Quatrac 5

Vredestein Quatrac 5
  • 195/65 R 15
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 57
  2. Dry: 7
  3. Wet: 5
  4. Snow: 6
  5. Comfort: 7
  6. Rolling Resistance: 7
  7. Noise: 5
  8. Wear: 6
  9. Cost: 7
  10. Overall: 7
Balanced handling and good braking in all weather conditions, pleasant steering feel, low rolling resistance.
Moderate resistance to aquaplaning

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5th: Hankook Kinergy 4S

Hankook Kinergy 4S
  • 195/65 R 15
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 58
  2. Dry: 6
  3. Wet: 5
  4. Snow: 6
  5. Comfort: 7
  6. Rolling Resistance: 5
  7. Noise: 6
  8. Wear: 7
  9. Cost: 9
  10. Overall: 7
Good winter performance, dynamic dry handling, pleasant ride comfort, good price-performance ratio
Average wet grip

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6th: Nokian WeatherProof

Nokian WeatherProof
  • 195/65 R 15
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 50
  2. Dry: 5
  3. Wet: 6
  4. Snow: 7
  5. Comfort: 5
  6. Rolling Resistance: 7
  7. Noise: 9
  8. Wear: 3
  9. Cost: 4
  10. Overall: 4
Excellent snow characteristics, good aquaplaning qualities, quiet
Slight understeer on dry track, average mileage

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7th: Uniroyal AllSeasonExpert

Uniroyal AllSeasonExpert
  • 195/65 R 15
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 42
  2. Dry: 4
  3. Wet: 7
  4. Snow: 7
  5. Comfort: 5
  6. Rolling Resistance: 4
  7. Noise: 5
  8. Wear: 2
  9. Cost: 5
  10. Overall: 3
Winter specialist with best snow characteristics and safe driving performance in the wet
Poor wear, sluggish steering response, high rolling resistance

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8th: Sava Adapto HP

Sava Adapto HP
  • 195/65 R 15
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 39
  2. Dry: 5
  3. Wet: 5
  4. Snow: 4
  5. Comfort: 5
  6. Rolling Resistance: 6
  7. Noise: 5
  8. Wear: 2
  9. Cost: 4
  10. Overall: 3
Good aquaplaning characteristics, low rolling resistance
Average winter performance, slow steering response, high wear

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9th: Nexen N Priz 4S

Nexen N Priz 4S
  • 195/65 R 15
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 46
  2. Dry: 4
  3. Wet: 4
  4. Snow: 5
  5. Comfort: 5
  6. Rolling Resistance: 5
  7. Noise: 6
  8. Wear: 4
  9. Cost: 8
  10. Overall: 5
Ok in the snow and wet, quiet, cheap
Understeering handling in all weather conditions, poor wear

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10th: Nankang N607

Nankang N607
  • 195/65 R 15
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 36
  2. Dry: 4
  3. Wet: 1
  4. Snow: 8
  5. Comfort: 6
  6. Rolling Resistance: 6
  7. Noise: 8
  8. Wear: 1
  9. Cost: 1
  10. Overall: 1
Good in the snow
Critical handling on wet roads, aquaplaning dramatically, long wet braking distances, poor wear

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