Sport auto published the results of its summer tyre comparative test; ten tyres in the popular dimension 225/40 R18 were tested, with sport auto selecting a mixture of UHP and comfort-oriented tyres for evaluation in 14 criteria, including six dry condition criteria (worth 50 per cent of the final result), six wet condition criteria (40 per cent of final result) and two environmental criteria (ten per cent of final result). The tyres were tested fitted to a VW Golf GTI.
Test winner was Pirelli’s latest-generation P Zero. Sport auto declared that the Italian tyre maker’s UHP tyre “triumphed in the wet and dry with inspirational handling” and rated it as “particularly recommended”. The testers singled out a number of characteristics as strengths: Lateral grip and handling on wet road surfaces, dry braking, lightweight. On the negative side of the equation, the P Zero was said to perform not quite as good as the best in the test during aquaplaning situations, and the tyre’s high performance comes with a price tag to match.
Six tyres were rated as “recommended” – the Dunlop Sportmaxx RT, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2, Hankook Ventus V12 evo², Nokian zLine, Conti SportContact 5 and Michelin Pilot Sport 3. A further three – the Bridgestone Potenza S001, Avon ZZ5 and Toyo Proxes T1 Sport – were “conditionally recommended”.