ÖAMTC winter tire test: two failed

Of the current 33 models tested by ÖAMTC and its partners, only two are “not recommended” and four are “conditionally recommended”. Steffan Kerbl, tire expert at The Mobility Club, explains: “Consumers have a huge selection of good products that differ mainly in the details.

Therefore, it is very important for the purchase decision to evaluate the characteristics of tires that are most suitable for personal use. However, if you wanted to be on the safe side, you would choose one of the eight models (four for each dimension) rated as ‘highly recommended’ that were judged.

Rubber tire sizes 185/65 R15

Of the 16 tires tested in this popular small car dimension, four achieved “highly recommended”: Continental Winter Contact TS870And the Goodyear UltraGrip 9+And the Semperit 5 . speed grip And the Michelin Alpine 6. “You can’t go wrong with any of these models, they are real in all respects differing only in the nuances. For example, Semperit and Continental are slightly ahead in terms of fuel consumption, but Goodyear is a touch better on wet roads during which Michelin excels when it comes to wear,” Kerbl summarizes.

By the way, 185s are scratched too BF Goodrich G-Force Winter 2 And the Friedstein Weintrak Two other models are rated as ‘Highly Recommended’, but are a bit weak in wet or snowy conditions, so the rating had to be lowered to ‘Recommended’. A total of seven models of this size received this rating – and here it is advisable to take a particularly close look when buying, as the ÖAMTC technician explains: “Anyone who already knows that the car will remain in the garage on snowy roads, for example, can without hesitation Maxis Primetra Snow WP6 grip, which performs well to a very good level in all other parameters, and is even better on dry roads. The same applies to the three products categorized as “conditionally recommended” (Dunlop Winter Response 2And the Fulda Crystal Montero 3 And the Barum Polaris 5), where the Dunlop tire holds a special place here because it is one of the best in all standards – not just on dry roads, which means that the rating has been lowered from “strongly recommended” to “conditionally recommended”.

The two “disadvantages” of the current ÖAMTC winter tire test can also be found in this dimension: Imperial Snow Dragon HP And the Wanli SW611 Fail with glaring weakness in the wet. “These defects are so serious that even unusually good values ​​on ice and fuel consumption (Wanli) or in wear (Imperial) cannot justify a recommendation,” Kerbl explains.