2019 Consumer Reports Tire Tests

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https://www.moderntiredealer.com/bl...rts-tested-102-tires-and-the-winners-are

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The engineers at Consumer Reports (CR) outdid themselves in the December issue. They tested 102 tires in seven categories, including all-season truck. And six different tire brands topped their respective segments.

Here is an abbreviated look at the tires CR ranked best-of-class.....

1. Performance Winter/Snow. The Vredestein Wintrac Pro finished first, six points ahead of the runner-up Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4. The Wintrac Pro received top marks in three of the nine test categories: hydroplaning resistance, snow traction and ice braking. It received the second highest marks (based on five degrees from better to worst) in dry braking, handling and ride. The Pilot Alpin PA4 was top ranked in hydroplaning resistance and ice braking. Both were the only tires in the category recommended by CR, with the Wintrac Pro priced $10 less than the Alpin PA4.

2. Ultra-High Performance All-Season. The Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate was first, followed by four lines tied for second: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+, General G-Max AS-05, BFGoodrich g-Force Comp-2 A/S and Vredestein Quatrac Pro. The Eagle (handling, hydroplaning resistance) and Pilot Sport (dry braking, hydroplaning resistance) were at the top of the scale in two testing categories each. CR recommended the Michelin, General (by far the lowest-priced of the top 13 tires) and Vredestein tires.

3. Ultra-High Performance Summer. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4s finished with 76 points, two ahead of the Continental ExtremeContact Sport and General G-Max RS. All three were recommended by CR.

4. All-Season. The General brand broke through with its T-rated Altimax RT43. It not only scored three more points than the Michelin Defender T+H, but also didn't have a bad rating in any test category. CR recommended them both.

5. Performance All-Season. Guess which brand was No. 1? The Michelin CrossClimate+ was first, followed by the Continental PureContact LS (second) and V-rated General Altimax RT43 (third). CR recommended the Michelin and Continental tire lines.

6. Winter/Snow. The 10 tires in this segment were bunched closer than any other, with only seven points separating the first-place tires (Cooper Discoverer True North and Hankook Winter I*cept iZ2) and the last place tire. CR recommended the Cooper, Hankook, Continental WinterContact SI, Michelin X-Ice XI3, and Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3.

7. All-Season Truck. Tied for first were the Continental CrossContact LX20 EcoPlus and the Michelin Premier LTX. There was a three-way tie for third among the Firestone Destination LE2, Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season Plus and Michelin Defender LTX M/S. CR recommended all five of these tires.
 
Originally Posted by SubLGT
1. Performance Winter/Snow. The Vredestein Wintrac Pro finished first,
What size were they testing? From what I'm seeing, Wintrac Pro isn't available in any size smaller than 17".
 
Originally Posted by Sayjac
Looks like the very pedestrian General Altimax RT43 T and V rated did quite well in the CR tests in two different categories. Imagine that.


Not very pedestrian anymore. more or less mid-level price range.
Wonder why they didn't test the H rated version.


I don't think they say what size has been tested.
 
Originally Posted by Davejam
Originally Posted by Sayjac
Looks like the very pedestrian General Altimax RT43 T and V rated did quite well in the CR tests in two different categories. Imagine that.

Not very pedestrian anymore. more or less mid-level price range....
Owning a set of V rated General Altimax RT43 on an Accord for several years I would agree. They compare very favorably with the Michelin Primacy MXV4 I had on prior, for significantly less money. The term 'pedestrian' used for hyperbolic effect, combine with last two words in post. Though reading this board, that description would be an apt interpretation of some opinions.
 
Originally Posted by Sayjac
Originally Posted by Davejam
Originally Posted by Sayjac
Looks like the very pedestrian General Altimax RT43 T and V rated did quite well in the CR tests in two different categories. Imagine that.

Not very pedestrian anymore. more or less mid-level price range....
Owning a set of V rated General Altimax RT43 on an Accord now for several years I would agree. They compare very favorably with the Michelin Primacy MXV4 I had on prior, for significantly less money. The term 'pedestrian' used for hyperbolic effect, combine with last two words in post. Though reading this board, that description would be an apt interpretation of some opinions.


I have a 2002 Taurus and the T rated ones fit my car. Almost 200k miles so I'm not worried about treadlife but I am price conscious with the high miles and older vehicle. I live in MI and can't afford or justify a second set of winter tires for this car. Would the RT43 be a good tire? I want the best winter performance without breaking the bank and still have an all season tire.
 
Originally Posted by krzyss
Size tested: 225/40R18 at leas,t for performance winter.

KrzyÅ›

Originally Posted by MParr
Take it with a grain of salt. I learned my lesson years ago about buying things recommended by CR.


?

their tire testing is pretty much 99% inline with every single other tire test out there. I don't get the knee-jerk CR bashing... I do find some part of the magazine questionable, but their tire testing has always been solid.

Like everyone else though, their tests are on new tires--so I really think it's only telling half of the story. That's were I think the individual reviews on Tirerack have some value as well.

As far as the Wintrac Pro, it's 17" and larger only, which makes sense since it's a performance tire. I don't even think the Alpin PA4 is available in a 17" (18" and larger, iirc).

For performance winter, the real winner to me looks to the the Nexen Winguard 2. It's the 3rd ranked tire behind the Alpin PA4 (70 vs 71), and it performs well in every other test I've seen. The street price I've seen it's less than half the price of the Alpin PA4 for the sizes that I'd consider--and it comes in a 17". Can't really think of a reason not to try these out.
 
Snow not a major concern/issue here so I can't comment on the RT43 in conditions where that is common, frequent. Others here likely have more experience with it and will chime in. The occasional times I have used them in snow, they've been fine.
 
I had T Rated RT43 on a 1999 Saturn with 240k just for Winter traction. They became my favorite tire on that car. Had to ditch Michelins at 1/2 rated life due to no Winter traction. Replaced with CS4s. Almost left me stranded in Winter. Replaced with RT43's and never had an issue. The T-Rated ones are a softer tire with deeper tread. I have the H rated ones on my 2017 Elantra. I actually preferred the T-Rated ones due to the softer ride.
 
Originally Posted by MONKEYMAN
I had T Rated RT43 on a 1999 Saturn with 240k just for Winter traction. They became my favorite tire on that car. Had to ditch Michelins at 1/2 rated life due to no Winter traction. Replaced with CS4s. Almost left me stranded in Winter. Replaced with RT43's and never had an issue. The T-Rated ones are a softer tire with deeper tread. I have the H rated ones on my 2017 Elantra. I actually preferred the T-Rated ones due to the softer ride.


The T rated ones come in first place in the CR tests. While the H rated ones come in 5-6th place if I recall correctly. I have the T rated ones and agree they ride pretty soft.
 
I just bought the Vredstein Quatrac Pro in 225/40/18. I narrowed it down to them and the new Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate. Both get great reviews and test results but I chose the Quatrac Pro's because I go up snow shoeing in the mountains and the they are 3 peak rated.
 
???

One is winter tire and the other all season. Not exactly fair comparison for winter usage.
Are you going to use them all year round?

Where did you buy them?

KrzyÅ›
 
I very much prefer the tire ratings by actual users on "tire rack" .

The CR tests are objective, I'll never claim they are not. But living with a tire throughout it's lifespan is a vastly different story than the instrumented tests.

Some tires have clear issues with aging tread compounds, uneven wear, eventual noise and very poor end of life performance.
 
Originally Posted by Cujet
I very much prefer the tire ratings by actual users on "tire rack" .

The CR tests are objective, I'll never claim they are not. But living with a tire throughout it's lifespan is a vastly different story than the instrumented tests.

Some tires have clear issues with aging tread compounds, uneven wear, eventual noise and very poor end of life performance.


I think they both have value, for that very reason. Agree that bad tires generally aren't going to improve, but obviously some degrade faster than others. My own experience is that most Michelin tires tend to deteriorate less throughout their life. That said, I do think this is a missing hole in the objective testing. Obviously there are challenges in accelerating wear (simply shaving the tire doesn't cut it), but ultimately I expect their will be some objective testing on tires that have gone through an accelerated wear protocol.
 
Originally Posted by krzyss
???

One is winter tire and the other all season. Not exactly fair comparison for winter usage.
Are you going to use them all year round?

Where did you buy them?

KrzyÅ›


The Quatrac pro is a Grand Touring All-Season and not a winter tire. I bought them from Tirerack.
 
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