Vienna (OTS) – The mobility club, together with its partner organizations, tested 16 summer tires of size 215/55 R17, which is widely used in the middle class. All makes were tested with regard to their driving and safety properties, comfort and cost-effectiveness aspects as well as from the perspective of sustainability. “In over 50 years of tire testing, we have never had a test with such good results: three ‘Good’, 12 ‘Satisfactory’ and one ‘Sufficient’. But even the model at the end of the test table is by no means a bad tire depending on the requirements profile,” ÖAMTC tire expert Steffan Kerbl is pleased. Details at www.oeamtc.at/tests.
The results in detail – big differences in mileage
The fact that there is no “very good” despite the good results is due to the methodology. “In order for a tire to receive an overall grade of ‘Very Good’, it would also have to perform ‘Very Good’ in all individual categories – that is not realistically to be expected. There is a constant conflict of objectives, especially when testing tires: Good driving properties usually go hand in hand with softer ones Rubber compounds and this in turn has a negative impact on mileage and tire wear,” explains the head of the ÖAMTC test department. The “Continental Premium Contact 7” performed even more respectably, achieving the best rating in the test with an overall grade of “2.0”. The “Michelin Primacy 4+” and the “Kumho Ecsta HS52” are also close behind with “Good”.
One of the test models inevitably has to be at the bottom of the test table: the “Vredestein Ultrac”. “This tire only receives a ‘Satisfactory’ rating due to the predicted mileage of just under 30,000 km. That’s around 40,000 km less mileage than the ‘Kumho Ecsta HS52’ or the ‘Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance 2’, the best in this criterion. Still The Vredestein can be an option for infrequent drivers, for example. In the driving safety category, this tire performs quite well,” explains the ÖAMTC technician. Conversely, for frequent drivers, in addition to the Kumho and the Goodyear, the Michelin and the Continental, each with a predicted mileage of 60,000 km, are also interesting. The “Semperit Speed-Life 3” also offers very good mileage.
The broad midfield in the test consists of 12 summer tires that scored “satisfactory”. “Depending on your personal requirements, you can get inexpensive tires that offer good performance in certain categories. If, on the other hand, a tire has to do everything as well as possible, you should go for a more expensive premium manufacturer,” says Kerbl. The ÖAMTC test table helps with the selection: broken down according to driving safety and environmental impact, everyone will find what they are looking for according to their needs. The decisive factor is your personal driving profile. “In terms of safety, the price should be of secondary importance – a significantly shorter braking distance can be crucial for safety in an emergency and the price difference is usually not huge when calculated over the period of use,” concludes Kerbl.
Why only one tire dimension? All-season tire test follows in June
The ÖAMTC usually tests two different dimensions in a tire test – in this summer tire test only one (215/55 R17). The background is that the club will instead publish a test with all-season tires at the end of June, also in just one dimension (205/55 R16).
Advice to the editors: Image and video material is available at www.oeamtc.at/presse.
Questions & Contact:
ÖAMTC public relation +43 (0)1 71199-21218 communication@oeamtc.at
