TCS all-season tire test: A highly recommended model for the first time
16 all-season tires were tested by the Touring Club Switzerland to see whether they could withstand dangerous situations in summer temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius as well as in sub-zero temperatures and on snow-covered roads. A good tire must guarantee the shortest possible braking distance and safe control of the vehicle in both summer and winter.
Depending on the area of use and mileage, all-season tires are an economically sensible solution with acceptable safety. However, they are always a compromise for drivers. Drivers who do not cover an above-average number of kilometers - no more than 25,000 kilometers a year - and who rarely drive on snow-covered surfaces, such as in urban areas, can at best drive with all-season tires.
The overall conclusion of the all-season tire test is positive: For the first time in TCS tire test history, an all-season tire receives the final rating of "highly recommended". In addition, six tires were rated as "recommended", seven as "conditionally recommended" and two as "not recommended".
16 models were tested in 19 criteria in the dimension 205/55 R16 94V. This is suitable for lower mid-range vehicles such as the VW Golf or Caddy, Audi A3, Citroen C3 or C4, Hyundai i30 or Ioniq, Renault Mégane or Scénic, Skoda Octavia or Ford C-Max. The test results were obtained with a VW Golf 8. The difficulty: the tires have to compete with the respective specialists in summer and winter conditions, while at the same time achieving a good environmental balance.
Highly recommended and yet not flawless
The "Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3" completed the test with 62 percent and thus with four stars or "highly recommended". Nevertheless, this tire is not flawless. In terms of driving safety, the tire delivers good results on wet and winter roads, but shows slight weaknesses on dry roads in high summer temperatures. However, thanks to its very good predicted mileage, low abrasion and good efficiency, it manages to gain points.
The "Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF2" also made a positive impression. This tire was the only one in the test to secure a good rating for driving safety. This tire convinces in summer as well as winter and wet conditions with (still) good driving and safety characteristics. In the predicted mileage, the tire loses important points, so that the final rating remains "recommendable". However, the Pirelli is definitely a good choice for infrequent drivers.
The other tires in the good midfield and therefore recommended are the "Hankook Kinergy 4S²", "Michelin CrossClimate 2", "Kumho Solus 4S HA32+", the "Vredestein Quatrac" and the "Falken EuroAll Season AS210".
These models are not recommended
The weaknesses of the tires "Firestone Multiseason2", "Sava All Weather", "Nankang Cross Seasons AW-6", "Toyo Celsius AS2", "Semperit AllSeason-Grip", "Uniroyal AllSeasonExpert 2" and "Yokohama BluEarth-4S" are already so pronounced that they do not receive a purchase recommendation from the TCS.
The "Kenda Kenetica 4S" and the "Infinity Ecofour" are at the bottom of the test field. Both tire products deliver poor performance in some cases. Among other things, they tend to understeer and oversteer very early on due to the poor grip level and are therefore imprecise in terms of steering.
Tested in the main areas of driving safety and environmental balance
The 19 different test criteria are divided into the main areas of "driving safety" and "environmental balance". In addition to dry and wet performance, the focus for "driving safety" was on the properties on winter roads. To this end, the tires were evaluated on snow and ice. In the "environmental balance" pillar, the driving performance, abrasion, efficiency, noise and sustainability of the 16 test tires were assessed.
All tested all-season tires have the snowflake symbol (Three-Peak-Mountain Snowflake Symbol). This means that they are recognized as winter tires both in Switzerland and in the EU member states.
An all-season tire is suitable if it has been rated at least "recommended" in the TCS test. On the portal, which was launched in 2023 and is unique in Europe tcs.ch/tyresearch thousands of summer, winter or all-season tires from around 50 brand manufacturers can be compared for driving safety, fuel consumption/efficiency, comfort/noise and sustainability/wear with filter function.
Source: TCS
