ADAC summer tire test: not a single tire rated “very good”

from Maximilian Kaiser am 23.02.2021

Every year the ADAC tests tires for the coming summer. This year 32 tires for mid-range and lower mid-range vehicles. Overall, there were few outliers, up or down – the grade “very good” was not given at all.

Spring is just around the corner and with it the next tire change. In line with this, the ADAC published its summer tire test 2021 this year.

 The  result: predominantly “good” and “satisfactory”, only once each “sufficient” and “poor”. However, there were outliers in the respective individual disciplines among the total of 32 tires for mid-range and lower-mid-range vehicles: Many tires were not particularly convincing on wet roads and some tire treads were worn out very quickly when it came to wear.

Firestone Roadhawk fails completely!

In the category of tires for mid-range vehicles (tire size 225/50 R17), the Firestone Roadhawk failed completely with a 4.9 and thus the worst mark in the test.

 The  reason for this was the poor performance on wet roads: when braking wet from a speed of 80 km / h, it came to a stop almost two vehicle lengths later than the front-runner Semperit Speed-Life 3 in this discipline.

 The  Firestone Roadhawk, however, is the only tire that the ADAC cannot recommend at all.

Continental and Bridgestone ahead in both categories

 The  four tires rated “good” in this dimension were the Falken Azenis, the Continental PremiumContact 6, the Kumho Ecsta PS71 and the Bridgestone Turanza. All of them are characterized by all-round qualities and are convincing in both wet and dry conditions.

 The y were also economical in terms of wear and tear.

Falken 225/50 ZR17 98Y Azenis FK510 XL MFS

Falken 225/50 ZR17 98Y Azenis FK510 XL MFS

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 The  Continental PremiumContact 6 (1st) and the Bridgestone Turanza (3rd) were also at the forefront in the golf class (tire size 205/55 R16).

 The  ADAC ranked the Semperit Speed-Life 3 between the two. All three performed well in the various individual categories.

Continental PremiumContact 6 205 / 55R16 91V summer tires

Continental PremiumContact 6 205 / 55R16 91V summer tires

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Shipping costs: 6.99 EUR

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Delivery time: see information in the shop

Shipping costs: see information in the shop

At the bottom of this category was the only retreaded tire in this year’s test:  The  King Meiler Sport 1 not only has the second longest dry braking distance, but also shows poor performance, especially on wet roads. It is also very loud. “Although a reconditioned tire scores with resource conservation and a low price, this model is at the expense of safety,” explains ADAC test manager Dino Silvestro. A further development of the retreaded tires is therefore necessary.

 The  ADAC advises that when buying tires, make sure that all four tires have the same production date and thus the same technical standard. It is also advisable to take a close look at the performance in the individual disciplines and choose a tire according to your own driving profile.

You can find out more details about the test and what else you should consider when buying in our large debriefing.

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