SUV Tyre Test

October 2009

Small SUVs are always a big favourite with car buyers in winter, as they provide drivers with much of the security and safety of full-size 4x4s without the high costs.

The safety of these models is a key to their success, thanks to their go-anywhere image, greater ride height and versatile tyres.

But when the time comes to replace your rubber, which tyres combine the best performance with the keenest price? We put a group of top-sellers through their paces to discover which is the right rubber for your SUV.

The size we tested was 235/55 R17, which can be found on models such as the Toyota RAV4 and Volkswagen Tiguan. We put our candidates through a series of tests on wet and dry roads, in the lab and on gravel.

The results are shown as percentages, with the winner scoring 100 and the others shown relative to the test best. We reveal our champ after a week’s intensive testing at Continental’s US proving ground in Uvalde, Texas.

What we tested

 * Continental CrossContact UHP (H)

 * Goodyear Excellence (H)

 * Hankook Dynapro HP (H)

 * Kumho Ecsta SPT KU31 (W)

 * Michelin Latitude Diamaris (H)

 * Pirelli Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico (V)

Speed ratings: (H) up to 130mph (V) 150mph (W) 186mph

Verdict

Drivers can choose what matters to them most from our individual tests, but we wanted our final calculations to come up with the best all-rounder.

As a result, we weighted the scores to equalise the performance gap in each discipline.

That meant a victory in a category where the results were close, such as dry handling, counted the same towards the final score as a test where the spread was wider, in aquaplaning, for example.

The exception to this rule was in price, as this played a small role in our final verdict compared to safety.

Never have we had a tyre test that has been so close.

Any of the top three will do an excellent job on your car, and drivers can confidently choose a tyre based on individual strengths in the knowledge that they are solid all-round performers.

Our emphasis on safety means Goodyear takes a narrow victory, thanks to its prowess in the wet.

Continental proved to be a consistent performer in all areas, while Michelin matched Goodyear in the wet but was narrowly beaten in the other disciplines.

Kumho edged out premium brand Pirelli to take fourth – a good result for the Korean producer.

Bringing up the rear was Hankook, which struggled in this company, and needs to do a lot of work to match the standard of the best.

 * 1st Goodyear

 * 2nd Continental

 * 3rd Michelin

 * 4th Kumho

 * 5th Pirelli

 * 6th Hankook

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