Test: All-season tires size 235/55 R17

From the North Cape over snowy Alpine passes to the sunny Italian coast, how nice would that be? Being mobile in every season, without having to think about whether you have the right tires on your motorhome. It is not only in the passenger car world that more and more people are opting for all-season tyres. More and more drivers of vans and campers who are on the road all season are switching to these all-rounders. The other advantages, apart from mobility at any time, are obvious: you don’t have to change tires in spring and autumn. The money you save because you don’t need a second set of wheels can be nicely added to the travel budget for the next trip. That sounds like a good solution and it is, provided you choose the right tires. Not all manufacturers succeed equally well in the necessary splits to deliver good performance in all weather conditions, as shown by this test with twelve all-season tires in size 235/55 R17, which in this case are used on a Volkswagen T6. On thirteen test parts they have to compete against a summer and a winter tire. Of course, all candidates carry the Alpine or snowflake symbol embossed on the sidewall, which makes it clear that they are full winter tires according to the law. Even compared to full winter tyres, most candidates cut a very good figure on ice and snow. On the following pages you will find more information about this and see how the test participants perform on wet and dry roads.

Wet grip

You don’t have to worry about icy crossings or slippery slopes on the tested all-season tires. All twelve candidates offer good grip and show that they are reliable companions on snow and ice.

Wet braking

When braking, the summer tire can show its superior side. The treads of all-season tires have more sipes, but still come to a stop at most a car length later.

Driving behavior on a dry road surface

Summer tires are not necessary with the agile all-rounders from Goodyear and Hankook. With the candidates marked yellow, the test car, on the other hand, reacts somewhat spongy to steering commands.

Conclusion

All-season tires are ideal travel companions, especially for small and medium-sized motorhomes. In a direct comparison with summer and winter tyres, the models rated ‘exemplary’ or ‘good’ don’t drop a lot. This means that nothing stands in the way of traveling through all climate zones with just one set of tyres. The top 5 of this test are:

1. Michelin Cross Climate 2
2. Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF 2
3. Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3
4. Continental AllSeasonContact
5. Maxxis Premitra All Season AP3 SUV

Extensive results and graphs

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

Price comparator

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