Probably the best overview of the tyre market I've seen

[jon-]

50 sets of tyres, 225/45 R17. 3 Series estate. Wet and dry braking.

Admittedly that's the only tests Auto Bild do (they take the top 15 through to the proper tests) but it still gives a nice indication of the market.

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2012-Autobild...

Things of interest to the PH masses?

Nokian wins with the Z G2, and the other PH hero (F1 Asym 2) is second. Nexen puts in a surprisingly good result in 11th.

The PH heros (Falken and Vredestein) finish in 25th and 27th, though Vred supplied the Ultrac Cento (perhaps because the Ultrac Sessanta is being replaced by the Ultra Vorti - more information soon).

Unsurprisingly, apart from Nexen, the budget crap is still budget crap.

[Sulli]

Hancook 3rd - and I would agree having used them for the S4, great tyre, almost budget price!

[Wafflesmk2]

Crikey, and i always thought the PH tyre geeks were just a bunch of anoraks, and in reality there was no real difference between the cheapies and the expensive stuff...

[Ozzie Osmond]

Main thing is to avoid the rubbish tyres. At the end of the day you get what you pay for. Even the cheaper grippy tyres will probably give a shorter life than their expensive counterparts.

[vrsmxtb]

I love tyre tests. A few surprises there!

[r11co]

Interesting that the Wanli, Infinty and Sunny came out 45th, 46th and 48th seeing as they are the same bloody tyre!!

Also doesn't surprise me that the GT beat some bigger names.

Biggest shocker of all though is that for the first time in living memory a Continental Tyre didn't come out tops in an AutoBild tyre test. Guess they must have fallen out with their biggest advertising sponsors.....

[williredale]

Bookmarked because I'm doing my best to get through the my same sized tyres.

[Dave Hedgehog]

the difference is stunning ...

[E38Ross]

my tyres in 4th place is nice (only difference is mine are R18). still, they ain't cheap and when it comes to replace i may get some hankooks.....

[Herbs]

I am by no means a tyre boff but I'm assuming that these tests are based on straight line braking so how much difference could there be between cornering/breakaway grip in say the top 10?

[jagnet]

Good to see the Nokian Z G2 performing well in another tyre test. Must be the best "unknown" tyre manufacturer in the UK market, and for the price versus the established players well worth considering.

[Fox-]

Finally some hard facts to silence those who seem to think Falkens are like high end tyres only half the price.

[CraigyMc]

Tyre temperature makes a difference to this stuff. I'd love to know if/how they made sure the test was equal for all.

C

[jason s4]

Distinct lack of "branded" tyres.

Or am i missing something?

[Chuck328]

CraigyMc said:

Tyre temperature makes a difference to this stuff. I'd love to know if/how they made sure the test was equal for all.

C

Agreed. I don't see why they wouldn't do so but then can you test 50 tyres at the same temp? Probably not a lot in it though.

I suppose it's a reasonable framework, but I'd put money on my Yokohamas climbing up that list a bit once some heat has gone in (assuming other did the same).

[MattOz]

I've got the Conti 5Ps on my car and I rate them highly. Better than the Michelin Pilot sports I had before and also better than the old Conti sport contact 3. Great to see Nokian doing so well. They're very well regarded on the other side of the pond, particularly in Canada.

[456mgt]

No Michelins in the top 50? Pffft

[Chuck328]

MattOz said:

I've got the Conti 5Ps on my car and I rate them highly. Better than the Michelin Pilot sports I had before and also better than the old Conti sport contact 3. Great to see Nokian doing so well. They're very well regarded on the other side of the pond, particularly in Canada.

That's encouraging, I've been Yokohama all the way as I know what I'm getting. About to change and the Conti 5 has decent reviews. What are they like in the wet?

[jagnet]

456mgt said:

No Michelins in the top 50? Pffft

14th: Michelin Primacy 3
Total: 83.8 / Dry: 37.5 / Wet: 46.3

[hornetrider]

The BF Goodrich Profilers did well coming in 9th. I had them on a VR6 years ago and I thought they were pretty good but my experience back then was limited. They were a very good price at the time (kind of mid range) so if they are still at that price point they could be a very good buy.