Grip under all conditions
All-season tires are not only becoming more popular, but also getting better. What can the latest models of all-season tires 225/45R17 do and for whom are they a recommended alternative? We tested it.
Choosing the right tires is crucial for the safety of your car. A short braking distance, precise driving behavior and good grip provide the driver with confidence and driving pleasure. Of course, the purchase price, the expected lifespan and the consumption of expensive fuel also play an important role. Especially from an economic point of view, the all-season tire is unbeatable and that is the main reason for its increasing popularity. Because you can use them all year round, you don’t have to change the tires and therefore you don’t have to purchase a second set of tires and wheels. Our driving tests in the sun, rain, snow and ice prove that driving safety is not compromised. So in all seasons. In this test we look for the ultimate all-rounder.
Brake test on wet and dry roads
All candidates we have purchased undercover from independent dealers must first qualify for the actual main part of the test by passing a braking test. To do this, we make an emergency stop with each tire several times on a special measuring circuit, with an initial speed of 100 km/h on both wet and dry road surfaces (an average of ten braking actions per time). All results can be found in the table that you can download with this article. Only the tires with the best braking distance on wet and dry surfaces (the first sixteen, indicated in the table with the green numbers) advance to the final. The yellow marked tires already provide a longer braking distance and therefore end up in the second division. It is better to ignore the red marked bands in the table, for the sake of your own safety. For comparison and as a benchmark for the test disciplines in summer and winter weather conditions, we also tested a summer tire and a winter tire in all tests.
All tires in the brake test
These all-season tires are included in the first test. The tires that received the ‘good’ rating on this section will continue. You will find the results in the table in the PDF that you can download for free. The tires are listed here in descending order of their braking performance.
- Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6
- Michelin CrossClimate 2
- Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF2
- Vredestein Quatrac
- Continental AllSeasonContact 2
- Falken EuroAll Season AS220 Pro
- BFGoodrich Advantage All Season
- Kleber Quadraxer 3
- Nexen N’Blue 4Season 2
- Firestone Multiseason 2
- Dunlop Sports All Season
- Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3
- Hankook Kinergy 4S² (H750)
- Ceat 4 SeasonDrive+
- Kumho Solus 4S HA32
- Toyo Celsius A S2
- Minerva All Season Master
- Lanvigator Catchfors A/S
- Barum Quartaris 5
- Linglong Grip Master 4S
- Yokohama BluEarth-4S AW21
- Kormoran All Season
- A Plus A909 All Season
- Headway PSM01 4 Seasons
- Tracmax X-Privilo Trac Saver
- Sava All Weather
- Tourador
- CST Medallion All Season ACP1
- Fulda MultiControl
- Tomket Allyear 3
- Hi y All-Turi 221
- LeaoI-Green All Season
- Atlas Green 4S
- Goodride All Season Elite Z-401
- Black ArrowAll Season Dart 4S
Test parts on snow
It is clear that the winter tire is the benchmark when driving in winter conditions. However, the all-season candidates that are more focused on winter use, especially the updated Michelin CrossClimate 2, perform almost as well on snow and ice. When starting off on slippery slopes or icy intersections, you can rely on all candidates, as the traction values ​​show, especially compared to the summer tire. However, there are clear differences in suitability on snowy slopes; With convincing lateral grip, the candidates from Michelin, Bridgestone and Kleber in particular ensure safety and confidence. The candidates from Ceat, Falken, Toyo and Nexen, on the other hand, disappoint, with significantly less lateral grip and longer braking distances.
Test parts on wet roads
The Volkswagen Golf that we used as a test car places high dynamic demands on the tires. It is all the more surprising that the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 can hold its own perfectly under braking and on the wet track. It even finishes ahead of the benchmark summer tires. Toyo’s Observe 944, on the other hand, is not really in its element on wet roads. It lacks good lateral grip without reliable lateral control and when the rear axle breaks away, the Speed-Grip 5 from Semperit and the low-budget tire from an unknown manufacturer that took part in this test as a ‘deterrent’ also do not leave a commendable impression. If there is a danger of aquaplaning, Hankook’s balanced Winter i*cept evo³ tire offers the greatest safety reserves.
Test parts on dry road surface
When braking on dry roads, all-season tires still separate the wheat from the chaff. The softer rubber compound and the large number of small indentations in the tread blocks, which should provide good traction on ice and snow, prevent a shorter braking distance in summer temperatures. Even the best braking tires in this test require an additional two meters compared to the summer tire also tested to come to a stop during a simulated emergency stop with an initial speed of 100 km/h, and at the bottom of the table the tires allow a maximum of 6.50 meters valuable security reserves. On provincial roads, on the other hand, the all-rounders are completely in their element and according to our test drivers, the Vredestein Quatrac, the Kumho Solus 4S and the Kinergy 4S2 from Hankook in particular provide sporty driving behavior.
The costs of the all-season tires 225/45R17
In addition to the purchase price, the rolling resistance and especially the service life determine the position of a tire when it comes to costs. With an impressive expected lifespan, the new N’Blue 4Season 2 from Nexen leaves its competitors far behind in this area. On the other hand, the tire does not really perform well on snow and wet surfaces. The victory in this chapter therefore goes to the Kinergy 4S2, Hankook’s well-balanced all-rounder. Striking: cheap tires can still perform worse than the tires of the more expensive premium brands, as the two candidates from Falken and Firestone clearly show.
Environmental friendliness compared
In our society, which is dependent on mobility, environmental pollution caused by car traffic cannot simply be eliminated. Truly environmentally friendly individual transport will not come, even with the switch to the much-praised e-mobility. Nevertheless, tire manufacturers are making great efforts to gradually reduce the environmental impact of tire production and use. Of course, the achieved safety standards in terms of aquaplaning or braking distances should not be reduced, safety always has priority in road traffic. Tire wear, fuel consumption, raw material consumption in tire production and their noise production: we analyzed the candidates from our all-season tire test against these criteria and assessed them according to a points system (see the table at the bottom of this page). Tire manufacturers Michelin and Nexen score the most points in this test section, and their all-season tires CrossClimate 2 and N’Blue 4Season 2 emerge as winners in this test section.
Top 5 all-season tires 225/45R17
In the table that you can download you can see the results for all bands. The top 5 tires all achieved the ‘Excellent’ qualification.
- Michelin CrossClimate 2
- Continental AllSeason Contact 2
- Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6
- Vredestein Quatrac
- Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF2
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 sixteen different tire providers. The results are also here all tire tests from the past 9 years.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl