Out in the November 2010 edition of Consumer Reports is their most recent review of All-Season UHP tires...
Here's a summary in order of ranking of the 17 tires tested:
#1. Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season
#2. Sumitomo HTR A/S PO1 (note HTR+ is a completely different tire)
#3 (tie). Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus
#3 (tie). Continental ExtremeContact DWS (note the DW is a different tire)
...other tires
All four of the above tires received scores from 80-82 and were recommended by CR. The tires performed very similarly in dry braking, dry handling, wet braking, wet handling, snow traction, ice braking, ride, and rolling resistance. There were some notable differences (average for the group was ~"good" in CR lingo which corresponds to a ~3/5 using their scale): the Sumitomo's scored "excellent" (5/5) in noise, the Michelin's scored "excellent" (5/5) in treadlife, and the Conti's scored just "fair" (2/5) in treadlife.
Needing new tires for the scrubbed GARBAGE Toyo Proxes 4 on the Protege, I ruled out the Contis because of the "fair" rating in treadlife. The Michelins and Pirellis were either unavailable in the Protege size and were significantly more expensive than the Sumitomos without any significant performance gains. I went with the Sumitomos...
The Sumitomos are a bargain in this group, at just $84 on the tirerack for 205/50R16. They are not available in the Pro's stock 195/50R16 - but the 205 size fits just fine, even fills out the fenders a bit better, and only creates a speedo error of 2-3% (since the Protege's speedo is pessimistic, this might actually make it more accurate). The tires are remarkably hush-hush, especially after the ULTRA-NOISY Toyo Proxes 4. Very happy with the purchase so far, will see how I feel in about 40k.
Interestingly, the #1 UHP tire from a few years ago, the venerable Falken Ziez ZE-912, has fallen midpack, no longer having an edge in handling and taking hits for its poor treadlife, rolling resistance, snow traction, and ice braking.
If you want to read the whole report, you can buy a one month subscription to Consumer Reports online--at $6, it was totally worth they money since the report lead me to buying a better and cheaper tire than the Conti ExtremeContact DWS I was considering.
Here's a summary in order of ranking of the 17 tires tested:
#1. Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season
#2. Sumitomo HTR A/S PO1 (note HTR+ is a completely different tire)
#3 (tie). Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus
#3 (tie). Continental ExtremeContact DWS (note the DW is a different tire)
...other tires
All four of the above tires received scores from 80-82 and were recommended by CR. The tires performed very similarly in dry braking, dry handling, wet braking, wet handling, snow traction, ice braking, ride, and rolling resistance. There were some notable differences (average for the group was ~"good" in CR lingo which corresponds to a ~3/5 using their scale): the Sumitomo's scored "excellent" (5/5) in noise, the Michelin's scored "excellent" (5/5) in treadlife, and the Conti's scored just "fair" (2/5) in treadlife.
Needing new tires for the scrubbed GARBAGE Toyo Proxes 4 on the Protege, I ruled out the Contis because of the "fair" rating in treadlife. The Michelins and Pirellis were either unavailable in the Protege size and were significantly more expensive than the Sumitomos without any significant performance gains. I went with the Sumitomos...
The Sumitomos are a bargain in this group, at just $84 on the tirerack for 205/50R16. They are not available in the Pro's stock 195/50R16 - but the 205 size fits just fine, even fills out the fenders a bit better, and only creates a speedo error of 2-3% (since the Protege's speedo is pessimistic, this might actually make it more accurate). The tires are remarkably hush-hush, especially after the ULTRA-NOISY Toyo Proxes 4. Very happy with the purchase so far, will see how I feel in about 40k.
Interestingly, the #1 UHP tire from a few years ago, the venerable Falken Ziez ZE-912, has fallen midpack, no longer having an edge in handling and taking hits for its poor treadlife, rolling resistance, snow traction, and ice braking.
If you want to read the whole report, you can buy a one month subscription to Consumer Reports online--at $6, it was totally worth they money since the report lead me to buying a better and cheaper tire than the Conti ExtremeContact DWS I was considering.
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