Search Form for vehicle model, tire size or rims Choose a tab below to get fitment data for your vehicle or to find vehicles matching your criteria.

Specify make, year and model to find matching wheels:

Switch to LT-High Flotation Tire Sizing System LT-High Flotation

Specify values for fields below to find matching vehicles:

ADAC 2023: Large Summer Tire Test R16

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its tire tests, the German motoring association ADAC tested 50 summer tire models in size 205/55 R16

In 2023, Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club («General German Automobile Club») commemorated the 50th anniversary of its tire tests. It all began back in 1973, when the most discussed topic among the German motorists was the ban that was imposed on habitual studded tires due to their negative influence on the road surface. How do you survive winter without spikes? And what kind of tires do you have to buy now? The answers to these questions were supposed to be given during the first ADAC tire test, in which 25 tire models competed on snow in Switzerland’s Engadin, on ice in Geneva, and on tarmac at the Pirelli test facility in Italy.

The tires were tested using Ford Focus ST.

The tires were tested using VW Golf 8. Source: adac.de.

Today, 50 years later, ADAC, together with their European partners, keep testing tires, and it was decided to celebrate the 50th anniversary by conducting a grand-scale test that would involve 50 models from every price bracket, and this time around the test involved virtually every tire in size 205/55 R16 that you can purchase or order online in Germany.

The last 50 years saw progress not only in the tire and car making technology, but also in the tire testing methods, and in 2023 ADAC are introducing new criteria, the final combined score being largely formed by two main factors — safety and environmental performance. The wet and dry safety remains the key criterion with a score weight of 70%, while tread wear, fuel consumption, and noise emission are now considered as part of the environmental performance score with a 30% weight. At the same time, the ADAC experts are considering now a whole range of new factors, such as the country of manufacture (the longer it takes the bring the tire over to Europe the harder it will be on the environment), the presence of the ISO 14001, ISO 14025, ISO 14040/44, and Ecovadis certificates, the company’s participation in the United Nations Global Compact, and even the presence of rubber «hairs» that «hit the environment uncontrollably once the tire is put into operation».

Test discipline: dry handling. Source: adac.de.

10 tires ended up with a «Good» verdict, the top lines in the final standings being predictably occupied by premium models from Goodyear, Continental, Michelin, and Bridgestone, Continental even having two tires on this list — the UltraContact with extra-low rolling resistance and the PremiumContact 6. The ADAC experts noted that the Continental tire and the Goodyear EfficientGripPerformance 2, which shared the first line of the tournament bracket, are the benchmarks in terms of ensuring driving safety, and there is also a newer model, PremiumContact 7, available on the market in some of the sizes.

21 tires, including a few ones from premium brands, were rated as «satisfactory» — usually, this verdict is bestowed upon tires whose combined score is compromised because of one obvious weakness. As a rule, this has to do with a relatively poor wet (rarer dry) performance, and sometimes the combined score is undermined by the environmental factors, chiefly by the increased treadwear. An example of that can be the Apollo Alnac that received a low score of 3.5 points for expected mileage (on a scale from 5.5 being unsatisfactory to 0.6 being very good) because it took less than 30,000 kilometers to reach the 1.6 mm remaining tread depth. For comparison, the Michelin e. Primacy can cover almost 72,000 kilometers before it reaches the same tread depth.

Test discipline: wet handling. Source: adac.de.

Despite its long tread life, the Michelin e. Primacy, along with other 11 tires, scored only an «average» verdict, which again goes to show how difficult it is to successfully combine conflicting characteristics within one tire. The e. Primacy model, which, as its name suggests, was designed for EVs, has a really long expected mileage and is a great fuel saver but, on the downside, is not terribly good in rainy weather — its 80 km/h braking distance was a whopping 43.7 meters, while in the case of the Continental PC6 this figure was 34.4 meters. The ADAC experts added that, although the retreaded tires were entitled to bonus points for their environmental performance score, the only tire of this category that was involved in the test — the King Meiler Sport1 — could not show any good results, and was also rated as «Average».

The «Unsatisfactory» rating was given to seven tires, all of which failed the wet tests, even though some of them did manage to show impressive results in other disciplines, the most vivid example of that being the DoubleCoin DC99 with its incredibly long tread life. This Chinese tire can cover almost 65,000 km without any serious wear, yet at the same time its 80 km/h wet braking distance amounted to the monstrous 59.3 meters, i.e. this tire is a direct threat to road safety. The remaining speed of the DoubleCoin, compared to the Continental PC6 amounted to a whopping 52 km/h, so this tire ended up with a «not recommended» stamp.

What factors are taken into account when giving scores in accordance with the new ADAC standards:

Driving safety:

Dry

The tire’s behavior at the grip limit, road holding ability, steering response, emergency lane switching, ride comfort
100 km/h braking distance with the ABS on

Wet

80 km/h braking distance with the ABS on (on tarmac and concrete)
Hydroplaning resistance, straight and lateral (the layer of water 7 and 5 mm respectively)
Handling performance: subjective evaluation by two test pilots combined with the lap time
Lateral grip

Environment:

Expected mileage

The expected mileage was evaluated upon covering the first 15,000 km on two identical cars. Each 2,500 km, the tread depth is laser-measured along the entire circumference of the tire.
Bench running. Simulation of a 5000-kilometer drive. The tread depth is measured every 1250 km.
Evaluation: Calculation of the distance required to reach the minimum legal tread depth of 1.6 mm.

Carbon emissions

The degree of abrasion of the tread in milligrams per kilometer per vehicle weight in tons

Fuel saving

Weight of the tire:

The effect of the tire weight on the dynamics of movement in terms of the spin inertia during acceleration
Fuel consumption: Calculating the actual fuel consumption when moving at a constant speed of 100 km/h.

Noise

Cabin noise: Subjective evaluation by two people when moving by inertia from 130 km/h down to 30 km/h on tarmac and concrete.
External noise: Measuring the noise at 80 km/h with the engine off.

Sustainability

The country of manufacture: The longer the tire travels the bigger the impact on the environment.
The presence of the ISO 14001, ISO 14025, ISO 14040/44, and Ecovadis
Participation in the United Nations Global Compact
The presence of rubber debris («hairs»), which uncontrollably enters the environment, once the tire is put into operation
The weight of the tire from the point of view of using the resources
Retreaded tire (bonus points for the environmental performance)
The manufacturer offers a system for returning tested tires.
The presence of contactless identification, such as RFID tags.

1st place: Continental / PremiumContact 6

Quick Take

Search Form for vehicle model, tire size or rims Choose a tab below to get fitment data for your vehicle or to find vehicles matching your criteria.

Specify make, year and model to find matching wheels:

Specify values for fields below to find matching vehicles:

Specify values for fields below to find matching vehicles:

Specify values for fields below to find matching vehicles:

ADAC 2023: Large Summer Tire Test R16

What factors are taken into account when giving scores in accordance with the new ADAC standards:

Driving safety:

Dry

Wet

Environment:

Expected mileage

Carbon emissions

Fuel saving

Noise

Sustainability

Continental PremiumContact 6

Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2

Michelin Primacy 4+

Bridgestone Turanza T005

Continental UltraContact

Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun

Nokian Wetproof

Kumho Ecsta HS52

Hankook Ventus Prime 4 K135

Nexen N'Fera Primus

Fulda EcoControl HP2

Kenda Kenetica Pro KR210

Kleber Dynaxer HP4

Toyo Proxes Comfort

Debica Presto HP2

Dunlop Sport BluResponse

Pirelli Cinturato P7 (P7C2)

Sava Intensa HP2

Semperit Speed-Life 3

Firestone RoadHawk

Tyre Reviews 2023: Summer Tire Test R16

Auto Bild 2023: Big Summer Tire Test R18

ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ 2023: Summer Tire Test R18

AutoBild Allrad 2023: Crossover Summer Tire Test R17

Auto Zeitung 2023: UHP Summer Tire Test R19