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 2022: Winter Tire Test R15

The ADAC experts tested 16 winter tires, two of which ended up being rated as «Good», and two were not up to the set tasks, and received a «not recommended» stamp.

List of models tested:

In the first «winter» ADAC test of this year, the experts compared 16 spot-on tire models in size 185/65 R15 with a speed index of T (up to 190 km/h), designed for such compact cars as Opel Corsa, Kia Rio, Toyota Yaris, Fiat Panda, as well as Volkswagen Polo, which was used as the test car.

The tires were tested using Volkswagen Golf. © ADAC/Marc Wittkowski

The top four tires were the Continental WinterContact TS 870, Goodyear Ultragrip 9+, Semperit Speed-Grip 5, and Michelin Alpin 6, each one of which demonstrated a well-balanced performance and was recommended without any reservations (you need to keep in mind, though, that all the tires were designed for a mild winter). The first place was shared by three tires, including the Continental model, and the ADAC experts noted that the designers of TS 870 addressed the issues of the previous-generation model — TS 860 — and improved its dry performance, which ultimately earned this tire the first place in the test. At the same time, the Goodyear model was particularly impressive on wet pavement, the Semperit model distinguished itself with impressive snow traction, and the Michelin tire, which lost only 0.1 points to the leaders, turned out to be extremely durable.

Snow Braking

Dunlop: 2
BFGoodrich: 2
Bridgestone: 2
Continental: 2
Semperit: 2
Barum: 2
Fulda: 2
Goodyear: 2,3
Firestone: 2,3
Wanli: 2,3
Michelin: 2,5
Maxxis: 2,5
Vredestein: 2,8
Nexen: 3
Avon: 3
Imperial: 3,8

Info! Points: Exemplary (0.6 - 1.5), Very Good (1.6 - 2.5), Good (2.6 - 3.5), Satisfactory (3.6 - 4.5), Unsatisfactory (4.6 - 5.5).

Ice Braking

Nexen: 2
Semperit: 2,3
Goodyear: 2,3
Firestone: 2,3
Vredestein: 2,3
Wanli: 2,3
Dunlop: 2,5
BFGoodrich: 2,5
Bridgestone: 2,5
Continental: 2,5
Fulda: 2,5
Michelin: 2,5
Maxxis: 2,5
Avon: 2,5
Imperial: 2,5
Barum: 3

Info! Points: Exemplary (0.6 - 1.5), Very Good (1.6 - 2.5), Good (2.6 - 3.5), Satisfactory (3.6 - 4.5), Unsatisfactory (4.6 - 5.5).

Seven more tires were rated as recommended with minor reservations, and all of them have strong sides and (minor) weaknesses. For example, the BFGoodrich model was relatively poor on tarmac, yet very impressive on snow, and the Vredestein tire, conversely, will be a better option for those who drive on cleared roads in winter. For example, the BFGoodrich model was relatively poor on tarmac, yet very impressive on snow, and the Vredestein tire, conversely, will be a better option for those who drive on cleared roads in winter. In addition, if you rarely use your car in the wintertime, the Bridgestone and Maxxis tires will be a viable choice (although both tires demonstrated low resistance to wear).

The ice and snow tests were carried out in Ivalo, Finland. © ADAC/Marc Wittkowski

Three tires — Dunlop, Fulda, and Barum — received an «Average» rating this time around, all of them losing points because of less-than-perfect dry performance. The ADAC experts noted that, when driven at highway speeds, these tires cannot provide enough feedback through the steering wheel, their road holding ability also could have been better, and during lane switching it is hard to figure out what steering angle you need because the tires behave in a less than predictable way. According to the experts, although such characteristics of tires do not directly compromise driving safety, during long trips they will create discomfort and get the driver tired. In addition, and more importantly, these tires turned out to be prone to oversteer during emergency maneuvers.

Dry Braking

Imperial: 2
Vredestein: 2,3
Maxxis: 2,3
Nexen: 2,3
Avon: 2,3
Dunlop: 2,3
Continental: 2,5
Goodyear: 2,5
Semperit: 2,5
Michelin: 2,5
BFGoodrich: 2,5
Bridgestone: 2,5
Barum: 2,5
Wanli: 2,5
Firestone: 2,8
Fulda: 3

Info! Points: Exemplary (0.6 - 1.5), Very Good (1.6 - 2.5), Good (2.6 - 3.5), Satisfactory (3.6 - 4.5), Unsatisfactory (4.6 - 5.5).

Wet Braking

Nexen: 2,1
Vredestein: 2,3
Dunlop: 2,3
Goodyear: 2,3
Michelin: 2,3
Firestone: 2,3
BFGoodrich: 2,4
Bridgestone: 2,4
Avon: 2,5
Continental: 2,5
Maxxis: 2,6
Semperit: 2,8
Barum: 2,9
Imperial: 3,5
Fulda: 3,5
Wanli: 4

Info! Points: Exemplary (0.6 - 1.5), Very Good (1.6 - 2.5), Good (2.6 - 3.5), Satisfactory (3.6 - 4.5), Unsatisfactory (4.6 - 5.5).

And there were two tires that ended up with a «Not recommended» verdict — the Imperial Snowdragon HP (produced by a brand privately owned by the Belgian company Deldo) and Wanli SW611 (produced in China by Wanli Tires), which, among other things, took forever to stop the car on wet pavement. While the 80 km/h stopping distance demonstrated by the Bridgestone was 36.2 m, the Imperial tire needed nine, and Wanli even eleven meters more. Thus, the remaining speed of a car driving on Wanli tires will be 39 km/h, and ADAC highly recommends refraining from buying these tires.

205/55 R16 Winter Tire Test Summary ADAC, 2022. Click to enlarge.

1st place: Continental / WinterContact TS 870

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 2022: Winter Tire Test R15

Snow Braking

Ice Braking

Dry Braking

Wet Braking

Continental WinterContact TS 870

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+

Semperit Speed-Grip 5

Michelin Alpin 6

BFGoodrich g-Force Winter 2

Vredestein Wintrac

Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6

Firestone Winterhawk 4

Nexen Winguard Snow G 3

Avon WT7

Dunlop Winter Response 2

Fulda Kristall Montero 3

Barum Polaris 5

Imperial Snowdragon HP

ADAC 2022: Winter Tire Test R16

Vi Bilägare 2022: SUV Studdless Winter Tire Test R18

Vi Bilägare 2022: SUV Studded Tire Test R18