Auto Bild's top 15 winter tire shootout

ERJ staff report (TP)

Hamburg, Germany − After testing 50 different winter tires in wet and snow braking tests, Auto Bild took the top 15 performers through to a final shootout, reported TyreReviews.

In this test, they examined 16 aspects of the tires’ performance, including all aspects of their snow performance, wet and dry capabilities and various other tests, such as wear and rolling resistance in 195/65 R15 on a VW Golf.

The Top 3

Michelin won the test with the Michelin Alpin A4 thanks to a balanced performance in all areas, including the best wear score in the test. While the Michelin isn't cheap, and slightly noisy compared to the rest, its longevity and total all round performance put the Alpin A4 on the top step of the podium.

Second place was taken by the new Pirelli SnowControl Serie 3, which is proving to be a strong winter tire for 2013. Let down by wear and price, the Pirelli can't quite match the Michelin in the snow but beats it in the wet.

Rather unusually, third place went to the Continental WinterContact TS850. Having been used to first places finishes since its launch, the TS850 was marked down for its dry performance and high wear compared to the winning Michelin, but was still extremely strong in the wet and on snowy roads.

The Rest

The Bridgestone Blizzak LM32 continued its strong 2013 showing with a fourth place finish. Like the Michelin, the Bridgestone wore extremely well while keeping a balance of performance, so while the purchase price might be higher than some, the overall pound per mile make it good value.

Nokian finished fifth with the WRD3, continuing its dry road dominance and Barum finished sixth thanks to its low purchase price and balanced performance in all tests.

A disappointing show from Goodyear and Dunlop, finishing eighth and ninth respectively with the Goodyear having a hard time in the dry, and the Dunlop suffering in both the dry and having high wear when compared to the best tires in the test.

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Full list of top 15 can be found at TyreReviews