Cars and small trucks must be equipped with suitable tires for winter road conditions by April 15th. Then the winter tire requirement ends in Austria. However, there is no obligation to install summer tires. The test magazine “Konsument” took a close look at which summer tires you can confidently use when, for example, the old ones have reached the limit of 1.6 millimeters of tread depth.
They took a close look at 16 models measuring 215/55 R17. This tire size is used on many SUVs and mid-range cars. The test results are quite encouraging: There is no total failure, four tires scored “good” and all the others were rated “average”.
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These are the best summer tires
- The Test winner: The Continental PremiumContact 7 sets standards on both dry and wet roads and thus secured the top mark in the driving safety test. The tire costs 142 euros each.
- The Michelin Primacy 4+ is included in driving safety gut rated. It also scores points with a short braking distance. With a price of 151 euros per piece, it is the most expensive tire among the tested models.
- The Kumho Ecsta HS52 scores with one good Driving safety assessment. On wet roads, this tire impresses in terms of braking distance measurements and also in terms of behavior. At 96 euros it is also the best among the four best tires.
- The Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 excels in driving safety and with a short braking distance on dry roads gut away. However, the model cannot cope on wet roads average judgment beyond. At 125 euros, it is priced above the midfield.
The main criteria in the test
In the test, the experts paid attention to driving safety (70 percent) and the environmental balance (30 percent). The following product properties were evaluated: driving behavior on dry and wet roads, service life, wear resistance, efficiency, noise and sustainability.
Tips for buying tires
If you are regarding to buy tires soon, consumer advocates from the Chamber of Labor (AK) recommend:
- When buying tires, make sure that all four wheels have the same production date and therefore the same technical status.
- Do not buy new tires that are more than three years old. The DOT information on the tire sidewall provides you with information regarding the age of the tires.
- The tread depth of summer tires should be at least three millimeters so that you still have a safety reserve in the event of aquaplaning.
