Gravel traction

Date: October 2009

The test

There’s no shortage of gravel at the Uvalde proving ground, so we used a section to assess the off-road grip of our tyres.

A series of runs was done, accelerating hard in first gear from 5mph and comparing the speed of the back tyres on our rear-wheel-drive Nissan to those on the front.

Average results were rated against a treadless, slick tyre to calculate the grip achieved.

SUVs are not just about the school run or weekly shop – they are ideal for loading up bikes, towing boats, cars and motorcyles or carrying camping gear. So, the chances are you will head off-road at some point.

Four-wheel drive can help, but it doesn’t count for much if the tyres work only on tarmac.

When the going gets tough, the Continental is the best choice – it left rivals trailing in the Texas dust. Hankook was second over the rough surface, closely followed by Goodyear and Pirelli. Bringing up the rear was Kumho, just ahead of Michelin.

Gravel traction

Continental    100.0
Hankook        97.9
Goodyear      97.2
Pirelli            96.7
Kumho         96.3
Michelin       96.2

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