Test: These are the best all-season tires size 235/65 R17

SUVs are all-rounders on four wheels and are known for their versatility, both on and off the asphalt. What could be better suited to these types of cars than tires that allow you to go on adventures all year round, regardless of the weather? The really good all-season tires have now grown into true all-rounders. It doesn’t matter if it rains, snows or the sun shines, they provide safety while driving in any weather.

However, not all all-rounders do equally well in this tire test with ten all-season tires in size 235/65 R17. Already during the first safety checks, the braking tests on wet and dry surfaces, we have to give a red card to the tires of the manufacturers Uniroyal, Kenda and Imperial; their stopping distances are simply too long. During an emergency stop, they give away meters of safety reserve that could possibly make a difference when it comes down to it. In our extensive tests on snow, wet roads and dry roads, the test participants not only have to compete against their direct competitors, but also against a summer tire and a winter tire. Even this comparison does not have to avoid the best-performing tires among all-rounders. Modern technologies, especially in the field of rubber compounds, have continuously pushed the boundaries of performance in recent years. This has resulted in reliable tires that make tire changes and the purchase of a second set of wheels and tires unnecessary. You will find the quick results of our fourteen test items on these pages and the full results in the PDF that you can download for free after logging in.

This is how we tested

In the summer months there are not many opportunities to test tires on snow and ice. To take a closer look at its winter properties, we traveled to the southern hemisphere, to the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds in the New Zealand Alps to be precise. We carried out the tests on wet and dry road surfaces at the Triwo test center in Pferdsfeld in the German Hunsrück low mountain range.

The test items on snow

Driving behavior: With the best performing candidates on this test item, you are absolutely safe on the road in winter conditions. The all-rounders from Bridgestone and Michelin even perform at the level of winter tires thanks to their exemplary lateral grip. However, it is not recommended to drive to a ski resort on the tested tires from Kenda.

Braking: Even during simulated emergency braking with an initial speed of 50 km/h, we measure differences of almost a car length when braking on snow. Uniroyal’s AllSeasonExpert 2 finishes just behind the winter tire with good braking performance. Kenda and Falken tires, on the other hand, only provide average performance.

Traction: Even with four-wheel drive, power transmission requires a good connection between the tire and the smooth road surface. The best-performing tires don’t cause any problems, but with Toyo and Kenda tires the wheels on our test car tend to spin prematurely.

Slalom: With good lateral grip, the car stays safely on course. The Michelin CrossClimate 2 SUV and the new Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 put their best foot forward in this test discipline and with these tires the test car even negotiates the bends better than with the tested winter tires.

The test parts on wet roads

Driving behavior and roundabout: The tires from Vredestein, Hankook and Goodyear are not only the fastest on the watered circuit, they also score the most sympathy points in the subjective assessment. On the tires from Uniroyal, Imperial and Kenda, on the other hand, the test car has a tendency to understeer and therefore slide out of the bend over the front wheels at a relatively low speed.

Brakes: The wet braking test, as so often happens in our tests, separates the wheat from the chaff. With the best deceleration values, the new Turanza All Season 6 from Bridgestone even surpasses the summer tire. With braking distances that are more than ten meters longer than those of the other tires, the water-shy candidates from Kenda and Imperial end up at the bottom.

Aquaplaning and cornering aquaplaning: Even though the risk of aquaplaning is less great than before thanks to modern assistance systems, the laws of physics still set limits. The Michelin and Goodyear candidates offer the greatest safety reserves if things threaten to become dangerous.

The test parts on dry road surfaces

Rolling resistance: Between the Uniroyal fuel-saving tire and the Bridgestone tire there is a fuel savings potential of 3 to 4 percent, so you keep some money in your pocket at the pump.

Noise (when driving past): Hankook whisper tires protect the eardrums of road users and the environment. The Kenda tire produces significantly more rolling noise. However, these differences are not noticeable in the car.

Driving behavior: Hats off! With the candidates from Goodyear, Michelin and Falken, the test Audi goes quickly and with at least as much precision over the winding test course as on the summer tires that we tested for reference. The spongy-feeling candidates from Kenda and Uniroyal offer less driving pleasure.

Braking: The extremely short braking distance of a summer tire cannot be achieved with all-season tires, but only the Uniroyal tire excels in terms of grip level.

Top 5:

• Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6
• Michelin CrossClimate 2 SUV
• Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3
• Hankook Kinergy 4S²
• Vredestein Quatrac Pro+

Extensive results and graphs

All results are also shown in graphs, as well as an overview of all tires and their performance. We cannot show this on the web page, but you will find it in the PDF that you can download on this page.

Price comparator

With the AutoWeek Car Tire Price Comparator we offer you a handy tool to find the best offers on summer tires. The price comparator currently provides an overview of the complete range of 16 different tire providers. The results are also here all tire tests from the past 9 years.