This year's summer tire test by the ÖAMTC and its partner organizations shows clear differences in the quality of tires in the dimension 225/40 R18. Of the 18 brands tested, eleven received the grade "good," four "satisfactory," two "sufficient" and one even "unsatisfactory." There were enormous differences of up to 17 meters, especially in the braking distance on wet roads.
"The differences were most dramatic in the braking test on a wet road at 80 km/h," reports the ÖAMTC technician. While the "Continental SportContact 7" was the convincing test winner, the "Doublecoin DC-100" received an "unsatisfactory" rating due to its poor braking performance on wet roads. "At the point where the vehicle with the Continental tire comes to a stop, the same car with the Doublecoin still has a residual speed of around 49 km/h on the speedometer - collisions with this impact speed can have fatal consequences," says the expert.
Other tire models such as the “Norauto Prevensys 4” and the “Syron Premium Performance” also only achieved “adequate” results in the test. They showed weaknesses in steering precision and driving behavior in curves.
Fortunately, there were also two tires, the "Continental SportContact 7" and the "Bridgestone Potenza Sport", that received a "very good" rating in the "driving safety" category. They impressed with their high level of grip and safe handling on dry and wet roads.
ÖAMTC tire expert Steffan Kerbl advises drivers to pay attention not only to the appearance when buying tires, but above all to the safety features: "If you value a sporty look for your wheels, you shouldn't spend everything on beautiful rims, but also plan enough buffer for good tires."