2011 Finnish ECO Touring Tyre Test

Finnish magazine Engineering World have tested 15 of the latest tyres in 205/55 r16.

The test includes all the latest ECO tyres and regular touring tyres from premium, mid range and budget manufacturers.

1st: Continental Premium Contact 2

Continental Premium Contact 2
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 103.5
  2. Dry: 29
  3. Wet: 39
  4. Comfort: 9
  5. Rolling Resistance: 8
  6. Noise: 9
  7. Overall: 9.5
Grip and driveability in both the wet and dry
None mentioned
The Continental Premium Contact 2 is a convincing tyre, winning in almost every test. Best dry and wet grip and great handling

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2nd: Nokian V

Nokian V
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 95.8
  2. Dry: 26
  3. Wet: 37
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 7
  6. Noise: 9
  7. Overall: 8.8
Grip and driveability in the wet, good dry handling
None mentioned
Precise setting and excellent stability in both the wet and dry gives the Nokian V a strong second. Extremely quiet to boot

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3rd: Vredestein Sportrac 3

Vredestein Sportrac 3
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 92.5
  2. Dry: 22
  3. Wet: 36
  4. Comfort: 9
  5. Rolling Resistance: 8
  6. Noise: 9
  7. Overall: 8.5
Great in the wet
Not as good in the dry as the top 2
Sporty drivability and excellent wet performance give the Vredestien a strong 3rd place.

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4th: Goodyear EfficientGrip

Goodyear EfficientGrip
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 92.2
  2. Dry: 24
  3. Wet: 32
  4. Comfort: 9
  5. Rolling Resistance: 10
  6. Noise: 9
  7. Overall: 8.2
Excellent aquaplaning resistance, best rolling resistance
None mentioned
The Goodyear EfficientGrip wins the rolling resistance test and finishes a strong 4th. Its quiet comfortable nature means it's not the sharpest handling tyre in the group but a good all rounder

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5th: Pirelli CINTURATO P7

Pirelli CINTURATO P7
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 92.5
  2. Dry: 27
  3. Wet: 31
  4. Comfort: 9
  5. Rolling Resistance: 8
  6. Noise: 9
  7. Overall: 8.5
Extremely good in the dry
Slightly let down by it's wet grip
The Pirelli P7 Cinturato is most at home on the dry tarmac with excellent grip and a sharp steering response. Only slightly let down by its wet braking leaves the Pirelli in 5th

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6th: Nokian Hakka Green

Nokian Hakka Green
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 90
  2. Dry: 22
  3. Wet: 33
  4. Comfort: 9
  5. Rolling Resistance: 9
  6. Noise: 9
  7. Overall: 8
Good wet performance and low rolling resistance
Not as good in the dry as others
The Nokian Hakka Green excelled in the wet tests but was slightly let down by its dry performance. Another comfortable quiet tyre.

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7th: Dunlop SP Sport Fast Response

Dunlop SP Sport Fast Response
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 81.8
  2. Dry: 22
  3. Wet: 32
  4. Comfort: 7
  5. Rolling Resistance: 5
  6. Noise: 8
  7. Overall: 7.8
Best aquaplaning result in test
Not the most comfortable tyre, not great rolling resistance
The Dunlop Sport Fast Responce resists aquaplaning brilliantly but unfortunately has a high rolling resistance and isn't the most comfortable tyre in the test

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8th: Bridgestone Turanza ER300 Ecopia

Bridgestone Turanza ER300 Ecopia
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 82.5
  2. Dry: 22
  3. Wet: 29
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 7
  6. Noise: 9
  7. Overall: 7.5
Very low noise
Slightly let down by dry braking
The Bridgestone ER300 Ectopica proves itself as a very balanced tyre by excelling in no one test but scoring well in every category.

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9th: Hankook Ventus Prime2

Hankook Ventus Prime2
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 81.4
  2. Dry: 23
  3. Wet: 29
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 6
  6. Noise: 8
  7. Overall: 7.4
Excellent aquaplaning resistance
Wet braking
The Hankook Ventus Prime 2 is let down by its wet braking and high rolling resistance. Its aquaplaning resistance is excellent and dry driveability good.

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10th: Barum Bravuris 2

Barum Bravuris 2
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 84.4
  2. Dry: 22
  3. Wet: 28
  4. Comfort: 9
  5. Rolling Resistance: 9
  6. Noise: 9
  7. Overall: 7.4
Great rolling resistance
Average wet performance
The Barum Bravuris 2 performed honorably with good scores in every test proving no major weakness.

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11th: Linglong Green Max

Linglong Green Max
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 84.4
  2. Dry: 24
  3. Wet: 30
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 7
  6. Noise: 8
  7. Overall: 7.4
Easy to drive
Average wet braking
The Linglong Green Max is the first time a Linglong tyre has scored reasonably in a group test. Its wet braking is rather modest but lateral grip good in the wet and dry. Slightly let down by its rolling resistance.

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12th: BFGoodrich gGrip

BFGoodrich gGrip
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 79.2
  2. Dry: 20
  3. Wet: 27
  4. Comfort: 9
  5. Rolling Resistance: 9
  6. Noise: 7
  7. Overall: 7.2
Good rolling resistance
Quite high noise
The BF Goodrich g-Grip offers reasonable aquaplaning resistance but not enough to make up for its average wet and dry grip.

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13th: Michelin Energy Saver

Michelin Energy Saver
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 85.2
  2. Dry: 24
  3. Wet: 26
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 10
  6. Noise: 10
  7. Overall: 7.2
Excellent rolling resistance
Poor wet performance
Its the usual story for the Michelin Energy Saver - excellent rolling reistance but at the expense of wet performance. This tyre is due an update.

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14th: Sava intensa hp

Sava intensa hp
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 70.6
  2. Dry: 16
  3. Wet: 27
  4. Comfort: 9
  5. Rolling Resistance: 4
  6. Noise: 8
  7. Overall: 6.6
Good aquaplaning resistance
Poor drivability, high rolling resistance
The Sava intensa HP offers good aquaplaning restance but that's where the praise ends. Thanks to a seeming random ability to slide the Sava is not a nice tyre to drive on.= and has the highest rolling resistance in the test

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15th: Sunny SN3630

Sunny SN3630
  • 205/55 r16
  • 3PMSF: no
  1. Total: 55.6
  2. Dry: 13
  3. Wet: 16
  4. Comfort: 8
  5. Rolling Resistance: 7
  6. Noise: 7
  7. Overall: 4.6
Moderately comfortable
All other characteristics!
The magazine would not use the Sunny SN3630 if they were given away thanks to poor grip levels and random handling characteristics

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