The latest tires were tested in two sizes, with only 2 out of 34 tested poorly and 7 tested as ‘highly recommended’.
The 2021 German and Austrian Automobile Club (ADAC and ÖAMTC) winter tire tester tested the very common 195/65 R15 and the slightly rarer 225/50 R17 tires for compact cars. The vast majority of tires completed the test without significant impairment, with adequate results, But they also found two terrible bad ones among the cheap.
The results tables can be read below. In the German rating system, a smaller number means a better result on a scale of 1-5.5.
In the 195/65 R15 size, the Dunlop Winter Response 2 and the Goodyear Ultragrip 9+ beat the same score, but the Michelin Alpine 6 and Friedstein Winterrac did well, too. The worst was found by our testers to be the Kumho Wintercraft WP51, especially with its performance on the dry track.
In the 225/50 R17 size for mid-size and large cars, there was also a Dunlop win and a tie, with the Winter Sport 5 leading the way with the Michelin Alpine 6. Apart from them, only the Goodyear Ultragrip Perform+ got a good rating, but in terms of value for money. The Kléber Krisalp HP3 proved to be the best, with a rating of 2.7, and barely lags behind the absolute podium.
Two Chinese tires finished with the worst results, and both are worth avoiding from afar for motorists according to ADAC. The Goodride Z-507 Zuper Snow earned the worst possible rating of 5.5 for its snowy behaviour, but it took last place in almost every race other than noise level. Despite the sonorous name of Linglong Green-Max Winter UHP, he also appeared, his performance on the wet road was very poor, but he was also sick in the drought. Although it is cheaper in testing at 85 euros, it is still not worth buying.
