All-season tires promise safety in all weather conditions. This tire test must clarify whether the tires can live up to that. We questioned the test participants in different climate zones.
More and more car owners are opting for all-season tires. It is an interesting option, especially for compact cars and (compact) middle class vehicles. The advantages of these ‘all-rounders’ are obvious: you no longer have to change the tires (or have them changed) twice a year and you do not have to store tires. And then you also keep money in your pocket that you would otherwise lose on a second set of wheels and tires plus their storage. The question is whether these tires really deliver top performance in all conditions or whether it is a half-baked compromise.
To get straight to the point: after conducting extensive safety tests in various climate zones, we can say that all-season tires do indeed provide sufficient safety. In the 40 years since their introduction, all-season tires have become a safe and affordable alternative. According to a study by KwikFit, the share of all-season tires was 13.3 percent last year and this share is expected to rise further. At the same time, the share of winter tires has fallen sharply, which of course has everything to do with the mild winters of recent years. Be careful when purchasing a four-season tire, because not every tire has the characteristic symbol on the sidewall. Many tires have the M + S symbol, but only if the so-called Three Peak Mountain symbol with snowflake is also on a tire, you can assume that a tire can also cope with snow. But even if both symbols are on the sidewall of a tire, this is no guarantee of top performance under all conditions. Our tire test with 32 tires in the size 205/55 R16, which is particularly suitable for compact models, shows that they are missing left and right.
The tests are divided into a number of tests on dry road surface, on wet road surface and in the snow. A comparison was also made with a summer tire and a winter tire. On a dry road, the summer tire is superior and the winter tire the last. The all-season tires are exactly in between. You wouldn’t expect it, but on wet roads the summer tire achieves the best scores on most components. Many all-season tires are nearby. The winter tire does not exceed the average in wet conditions. It looks very different on a snowy road. The summer tire is nowhere to be found here. But the best all-season tires come along nicely with a good winter tire.
That’s how we tested
We anonymously bought 32 sets of all-season tires, which first had to prove themselves in safety tests on wet and dry surfaces. We measured the braking distances on wet and dry roads with an initial speed of 100 km / h. Only the tires with the shortest braking distances in total were allowed to participate in the main test, in which, in addition to other tests on wet and dry surfaces, we also carried out tests on snow and ice. Finally, we take a look at the cost, in which, in addition to price, the lifespan also plays an important role.
The all-season tire does not excel anywhere, but is right behind the summer tire on dry and wet roads, and in winter conditions it is hardly inferior to the winter tire. This certainly applies to the test winners. Last year we were able to give 2 tires the highest rating, this year there are even 5 that received the rating ‘very good’. The overall winner is the Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3, immediately followed by the Vredestein Quatrac, the Continental AllSeason Contact, the Michelin CrossClimate Plus and the Falken EuroAll Season AS 210.
The complete Techzle Four-season tire test 2020 with all candidates and all measurement results can be found this week in Techzle 44 (28 October-4 November), but is also available digitally at the bottom of this article.
Price comparator
With the Techzle Car tires Price comparison we offer you a handy tool to find the best offers on all-season tires. The price comparison site currently provides an overview of the full range of twenty different tire providers. Also are here all tire tests from previous years.
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