ADAC Winter Tire Test 205/55 R16 2024

In the dry braking distance test, the Falken EUROWINTER HS02 performed best, stopping after just 43.3 meters. On the contrary, the Winrun Winter Max A1 WR22 achieved the worst results, stopping after only 46.5 meters, which represents a difference of 3.2 meters. Most of the tested tires were in the range of 44-46 meters, with the TOP 3 brands ( Falken, Nokian and Goodyear ) offering noticeably shorter braking distances.

In the wet braking distance test, the Continental WinterContact TS 870 and Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 shared first place, with both tires stopping after just 35.1 meters. The weakest results were again achieved by the Winrun Winter Max A1 WR22, which needed 40.7 meters – 5.6 meters more than the test winners. The top five models had very close results, separated by only 0.8 meters, while the last three tires experienced a clear performance drop.

On wet concrete, the Continental WinterContact TS 870 achieved the best results, stopping after 38.5 meters. The Winrun Winter Max A1 WR22 again performed the worst, stopping after 46.6 meters, a significant difference of 8.1 meters. There was a clear performance gap between the top four tires and the rest of the field.

In the direct aquaplaning test, the best tyre was the Hankook Winter i*cept RS3, which maintained control up to 84.4 km/h. On the other hand, the worst performer was the Zeetex WH 1000, which lost grip at 68.9 km/h – a difference of 15.5 km/h. The results clearly showed the difference between the TOP 7 group of tyres, which maintained control above 80 km/h, and the bottom five, which fell below 77 km/h .

In the case of aquaplaning in a curve, the Continental WinterContact TS 870 once again excelled, achieving a lateral acceleration value of 3.7 m/s². The Zeetex WH 1000 and Winrun Winter Max A1 WR22 performed the worst with a value of only 2.4 m/s², which represents a difference of 1.3 m/s². Here too, there was a clear gap between the TOP 5 tires and the rest of the tested models.

In the braking distance test on snow, the best results were achieved by the Continental WinterContact TS 870 and Dunlop Winter Sport 5 tires, which stopped after only 9.9 meters. On the other hand, the worst results were achieved by the Zeetex WH 1000 and Falken EUROWINTER HS02, which stopped after only 11.0 meters. The difference between the best and worst tires was only 1.1 meters, which shows relatively balanced results in this discipline.

In the snow traction test, the Michelin Alpin 6 tire performed best, achieving a traction force of 236 N. The Zeetex WH 1000 tire performed worst, with a value of only 208 N – a difference of 28 N. The performance difference was clear: the TOP 9 tires provided traction above 229 N, while the bottom three dropped below 222 N.

On icy roads, the best results were achieved by the Continental WinterContact TS 870, which stopped after 18.3 meters. On the contrary, the worst result was achieved by the Nokian Snowproof 2, which stopped after 21.6 meters – a difference of 3.3 meters. The results clearly showed a significant performance gap between the TOP 6 tires and the rest of the tested field.