2019 Mid Range Tyre Test

Dry BrakingSemperit SpeedLife 2: 24.85 MDayton Touring 2: 25.98 M
Subj. Dry HandlingKleber Dynaxer HP 3: 9 PointsCooper Zeon CS8: 7 Points
Wet BrakingSemperit SpeedLife 2: 27.8 MDayton Touring 2: 30.7 M
Wet HandlingMaxxis Premitra HP5: 57.7 sKleber Dynaxer HP 3: 60.2 s
Subj. Wet HandlingDebica Presto HP: 8.9 PointsDayton Touring 2: 7.9 Points
Straight AquaSemperit SpeedLife 2: 86.5 Km/HCooper Zeon CS8: 79.2 Km/H
NoiseCooper Zeon CS8: 66.4 dBNokian Nordman SX2: 67.3 dB
Rolling ResistanceMaxxis Premitra HP5: 7.87 kg / tCooper Zeon CS8: 9.36 kg / t
Finnish magazine Moottori have recently compared eight 205/55 R16 tyre patterns which sit in the midrange price category!

While midrange tyres are cheaper than their premium rivals, they're not the cheapest tyres available on market, so in theory should still provide a reasonable level of performance, just offering better value.

The full test data is below, and it's a shame Moottori didn't include a premium tyre as a reference to see exactly what performances change as the price gets cheaper.

It's also worth noting, Semperit is owned by Continental, Kleber by Michelin and Goodyear owns Debica.

Dry

During dry testing, the Semperit SpeedLife 2 offered the most grip during the dry braking testing, and the Nokian and Kleber proved to have the best subjective handling. Interestingly Moottori didn't offer the dry handling laptimes.

Wet

Semperit continued its strong performance in the wet, offering the highest grip in wet braking and handling, which isn't a huge surprise given Semperit is own by wet weather kings, Continental. As in the dry testing, Maxxis was again extremely close to Semperit.

Environment

Maxxis proved to have an excellent blend of wet performance and low rolling resistance.

While Cooper had the lowest noise.

Results

1st: Semperit SpeedLife 2

Semperit SpeedLife 2
  • 205/55 R16
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking1st24.85 M100%
Subj. Dry Handling3rd8.8 Points9 Points-0.2 Points97.78%
Wet Braking1st27.8 M100%
Wet Handling1st57.7 s100%
Subj. Wet Handling3rd8.5 Points8.9 Points-0.4 Points95.51%
Straight Aqua1st86.5 Km/H100%
Noise2nd66.5 dB66.4 dB+0.1 dB99.85%
Rolling Resistance3rd8.29 kg / t7.87 kg / t+0.42 kg / t94.93%
High aquaplaning resistance, short braking distance on dry and wet surfaces.
Tendency for liftoff oversteer.

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2nd: Maxxis Premitra HP5

Maxxis Premitra HP5
  • 205/55 R16
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking2nd24.86 M24.85 M+0.01 M99.96%
Subj. Dry Handling4th8.4 Points9 Points-0.6 Points93.33%
Wet Braking2nd27.9 M27.8 M+0.1 M99.64%
Wet Handling1st57.7 s100%
Subj. Wet Handling3rd8.5 Points8.9 Points-0.4 Points95.51%
Straight Aqua6th80 Km/H86.5 Km/H-6.5 Km/H92.49%
Noise6th67.1 dB66.4 dB+0.7 dB98.96%
Rolling Resistance1st7.87 kg / t100%
Good handling on dry surfaces, short braking distance on dry and wet surfaces, low rolling resistance.
Unstable during high speed cornering, increased noise.

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2nd: Nokian Nordman SX2

Nokian Nordman SX2
  • 205/55 R16
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking5th25.37 M24.85 M+0.52 M97.95%
Subj. Dry Handling1st9 Points100%
Wet Braking3rd28.8 M27.8 M+1 M96.53%
Wet Handling3rd58 s57.7 s+0.3 s99.48%
Subj. Wet Handling3rd8.5 Points8.9 Points-0.4 Points95.51%
Straight Aqua2nd80.5 Km/H86.5 Km/H-6 Km/H93.06%
Noise8th67.3 dB66.4 dB+0.9 dB98.66%
Rolling Resistance5th8.51 kg / t7.87 kg / t+0.64 kg / t92.48%
Good handling on dry and wet surfaces, including during emergency maneuvers, high aquaplaning resistance.
Increased noise.

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4th: Debica Presto HP

Debica Presto HP
  • 205/55 R16
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking3rd24.97 M24.85 M+0.12 M99.52%
Subj. Dry Handling7th8 Points9 Points-1 Points88.89%
Wet Braking5th29.7 M27.8 M+1.9 M93.6%
Wet Handling4th58.1 s57.7 s+0.4 s99.31%
Subj. Wet Handling1st8.9 Points100%
Straight Aqua3rd80.2 Km/H86.5 Km/H-6.3 Km/H92.72%
Noise4th66.6 dB66.4 dB+0.2 dB99.7%
Rolling Resistance7th8.96 kg / t7.87 kg / t+1.09 kg / t87.83%
Good handling on dry and wet surfaces, short braking distance on a dry surface.
High rolling resistance, low resistance to aquaplaning, long braking distance on wet surfaces.

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5th: Kleber Dynaxer HP 3

Kleber Dynaxer HP 3
  • 205/55 R16
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking4th25.26 M24.85 M+0.41 M98.38%
Subj. Dry Handling1st9 Points100%
Wet Braking6th30.1 M27.8 M+2.3 M92.36%
Wet Handling7th60.2 s57.7 s+2.5 s95.85%
Subj. Wet Handling2nd8.6 Points8.9 Points-0.3 Points96.63%
Straight Aqua6th80 Km/H86.5 Km/H-6.5 Km/H92.49%
Noise2nd66.5 dB66.4 dB+0.1 dB99.85%
Rolling Resistance2nd7.93 kg / t7.87 kg / t+0.06 kg / t99.24%
Good handling on dry surfaces, low rolling resistance.
Average wet handling and long wet braking.

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6th: Cooper Zeon CS8

Cooper Zeon CS8
  • 205/55 R16
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking6th25.44 M24.85 M+0.59 M97.68%
Subj. Dry Handling8th7 Points9 Points-2 Points77.78%
Wet Braking4th29.6 M27.8 M+1.8 M93.92%
Wet Handling5th58.4 s57.7 s+0.7 s98.8%
Subj. Wet Handling6th8.4 Points8.9 Points-0.5 Points94.38%
Straight Aqua8th79.2 Km/H86.5 Km/H-7.3 Km/H91.56%
Noise1st66.4 dB100%
Rolling Resistance8th9.36 kg / t7.87 kg / t+1.49 kg / t84.08%
Low noise, acceptable in the dry.
Low wet grip, high rolling resistance.

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7th: Sumitomo BC100

Sumitomo BC100
  • 205/55 R16
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking7th25.92 M24.85 M+1.07 M95.87%
Subj. Dry Handling5th8.2 Points9 Points-0.8 Points91.11%
Wet Braking6th30.1 M27.8 M+2.3 M92.36%
Wet Handling6th59.9 s57.7 s+2.2 s96.33%
Subj. Wet Handling7th7.9 Points8.9 Points-1 Points88.76%
Straight Aqua4th80.1 Km/H86.5 Km/H-6.4 Km/H92.6%
Noise6th67.1 dB66.4 dB+0.7 dB98.96%
Rolling Resistance6th8.65 kg / t7.87 kg / t+0.78 kg / t90.98%
None mentioned.
Long braking in the dry and wet, low wet grip and oversteer balance.

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8th: Dayton Touring 2

Dayton Touring 2
  • 205/55 R16
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Braking8th25.98 M24.85 M+1.13 M95.65%
Subj. Dry Handling6th8.1 Points9 Points-0.9 Points90%
Wet Braking8th30.7 M27.8 M+2.9 M90.55%
Wet Handling7th60.2 s57.7 s+2.5 s95.85%
Subj. Wet Handling7th7.9 Points8.9 Points-1 Points88.76%
Straight Aqua4th80.1 Km/H86.5 Km/H-6.4 Km/H92.6%
Noise5th66.9 dB66.4 dB+0.5 dB99.25%
Rolling Resistance4th8.4 kg / t7.87 kg / t+0.53 kg / t93.69%
Acceptable aquaplaning resistance.
Long braking distances and poor wet handling.

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