What are the best summer tyres? We measured it. See for yourself

We did our first summer tyre test back in March 2013; last year we compared summer tyres in early April, while this year our test took place near the end of April. This was done on purpose, as earlier that month drivers would still need winter tyres, so we might as well have done a winter tyre test at that time. The weather eventually eased up, allowing us to do our sixth comparison together with nonstopgumi and of course the team of the Practice Track, not in heat but at least in dry, warm weather.
At air temperatures around 18–23 degrees Celsius, asphalt temperatures were already at the beginning of the test slightly above 25 degrees, and by the end they rose to above 37 degrees. Such a change in conditions was expected in our comparison—done as usual in the 195/65 R15 size category—which painted an astonishingly realistic picture of what the different tyres were capable of. Out of the 17 tyres we compared, 15 were completely new and two were used. The latter included an only two-year-old set of high-quality summer tyres from a well-known brand, which would definitely not have needed replacement just yet. The other one was another typical example: a five-year-old set of winter tyres with a tread depth below 4 mm that can definitely not be recommended for winter use, and so many people would leave it on their cars to ‘wear out’ a set of tyres that is unsuitable for winter roads anyway. The 15 brand-new sets included premium, budget and superbudget tyres alike, and we also added two all-seasons sets to the mix (the Debica Navigator 2 and the Kumho Solus Vier) to find out if they are worth considering.
We tested the tyres with our usual methodology: emergency braking started at 130 km/h (evaluated from 120, 100 and 60 km/h) in the home stretch of the Hungaroring, and we also looked at cornering characteristics, coasting and passenger compartment noise levels on dry roads—all on the Ring. Our wet asphalt tests were once again done under constant conditions on the Practice Track, and that was where were tested cornering speeds as well. As usual, we took all measurements five times, and scores were based on averages calculated without the extreme values. Our detailed test results (download here or see the bottom of the article) show that wet roads allowed for far higher speeds. The reason for this was that on wet asphalt we drove in circles with a larger radius, whereas on dry asphalt we set up a circular track using traffic cones in corner 14 of the Hungaroring. Our test driver was Tibor Pesti, experienced instructor of the Practice Track, while the measurements were taken by our colleague Tamás Gere with instruments courtesy to GPS Aréna.
Not just the test results but the driving experience, too, confirms that there are still no tyres that would excel in every discipline; tyre manufacturers optimise their models for different characteristics. What did surprise us was that even in spring weather—albeit warm for spring—a couple of emergency braking sessions could entirely wear out and ruin winter tyres that still seemed to be good; the bigger problem of course is that we also got far longer braking distances than with summer tyres, and found the same with all-seasons tyres. At least as surprising was that our used summer tyres—although it should be noted that they were premium tyres in good condition—produced the shortest braking distance from 120 km/h. That said, the shortfall of the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance, the best set of tyres according to the aggregated results, is within the error margin, and the Goodyear was also the best performer on wet asphalt. Premium brands performed well on both dry and wet asphalt, with the Chinese (but not low-end) Infinity doing surprisingly well on dry roads, while the Barum Brillantis 2, a brand popular in Hungary, fared poorly in the same discipline, as well as on wet asphalt.

As far as cornering characteristics were concerned it was actually the Barum that turned out to handle best on dry asphalt—the only question is how long it could sustain these results considering its terrible wear characteristics. This is why tyres need to be examined for all characteristics together. The Firestone and the Pirelli had only slightly lower cornering speeds than the Barum, and essentially neither of them showed any wear. Even used summer tyres with their good performance on dry asphalt did poorly in wet corners, while used winter tyres performed abysmally in all disciplines, as did the Debica Navigator 2 and Kumho Solus Vier all-season tyres.
If there is anything good that can be said about winter tyres, it is the fact that they were the most silent of all, which is natural, as winter tyres are always softer than their summer counterparts. That aside, we cannot recommend anyone to use winter tyres in summer. It is not economical, as one summer and a few thousand kilometres are enough to ruin a set of winter tyres. The wear patterns of our test tyres (not just winter but all-season tyres as well) showed that the lamellas had burned away. And even this is nothing compared to the danger they pose due to their extended braking distance. Strangely, even the used tyres showed strong wear during the test and did not stand the rigours of the trial as well as the other sets. Even if they did well when braking on dry asphalt, they did show their age. While Barum’s winter tyres performed well in our winter tyre test, their summer tyres fared poorly in this round. Even their wear score was the worst among new tyres. The testing also left its mark on the Michelin group’s Taurus and Sebring tyres, as well as on Hankook’s Kinergy Eco K425—which on a side note had the best rolling resistance—and the Debica Navigator 2 and Kumho Solus Vier all-season tyres. The Dayton and the Infinity proved to be somewhat more resilient. Out of the more reputable brands, only Michelin and Nokian tyres exhibited noticeable wear, which was even less in the Firestone, while all other premium tyres—Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear and Pirelli—essentially remained in mint condition even after the rigorous test that wore out several other tyres.

Of course personal preference could lead customers to choose different models when selecting tyres. No complicated calculations are needed; simply use the app at the end of the article to adjust the weighting. In our own summary we gave the largest weight (30%) to braking performance on dry roads, 20% to braking on wet asphalt, 10% each for cornering characteristics on dry and wet asphalt, only 5% to noise and 15% to wear resistance. In the end our top three tyres were the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance, the Bridgestone Turanza T001 and the Continental ContiEcoContact 5. There are only minimal differences between the overall capabilities of the first two, and the third is also only slightly behind. These are the three tyres we would recommend the most based on our testing, but the Pirelli P1, the Firestone TZ300, the Michelin Energy Saver+, the Nokian Line, the Infinity Ecosis, the Hankook Kinergy Eco K425, and even a set of quality used summer tyres are also a good choice. Interestingly, while Michelin tyres showed shorter braking distances than for example Pirellis, the latter were superior in durability. As for the tyres that showed satisfactory characteristics (Dayton, Taurus, Sebring and Barum), we would only recommend them under specific circumstances, these being small amounts of driving under calmer conditions, for example in the countryside at rather modest speeds. However, we can say in all seriousness that all-season and winter tyres are not recommended in summer conditions! Their excess braking distance can lead to serious material damage and could even claim human lives. These tyres also wear out far more quickly. The extra price one has to pay for good tyres is minimal compared to how much depends on them.