Another all-season tire test, this time for the tire size 215/55 R17. This is a common size for the extremely popular compact SUV and crossover.
All-season tires have rapidly become more popular and for most drivers, given the mild Dutch winters, they are an excellent choice. For many different car models, they are a safe and cost-saving alternative to seasonal tire changes. This also applies to the all-seasons in size 215/55 R17, which you’ll find on numerous SUV and crossover models in the compact and lower mid-range segments. Take for example our test car, the Volkswagen T-Roc, or think of the Seat Ateca, Skoda Karoq, Toyota Yaris Cross, Hyundai Kona Electric, or the Fiat 500X.
Advantage: no more changing
The tires in this size, which nicely fill the wheel arches of these types of models, offer both driving comfort and an attractive appearance. Through continuous development, modern all-season tires are increasingly better at bridging the gap between winter and summer. This not only eliminates the annoying tire change but also saves the additional costs for purchasing, mounting, storing, and cleaning a second set of tires and the required wheels. Not to mention the time you spend on it. These all-rounders meet the legal requirements for winter tires if they have the snowflake symbol on the side. The M+S marking, on the other hand, has no value by itself. If you’re driving with rubber that only bears this symbol in winter conditions, you not only endanger your own safety and that of others, but you also risk a high fine.
But all-season tires remain a compromise
Manufacturers cannot bypass the laws of physics, however: it remains a challenge to find a compromise between good performance on dry and wet roads and additionally on snow and ice. After all, you have to develop a tire that performs well even with temperature differences of more than 50 degrees. For the necessary grip at low temperatures and on snow, the treads are made of a softer rubber compound and equipped with sipes. These are small notches in the tread blocks, which winter tires also have.
However, precisely these aspects, which are indispensable for a high level of safety in winter conditions, can lead to longer braking distances on wet and dry roads. Even the best-performing all-rounders need a few more meters to bring the test car to a stop than a summer tire. This is where the wheat is separated from the chaff. Our selection reflects the entire spectrum: in addition to tires from well-known premium manufacturers, who invest significantly in the development of new compounds and production processes, products from cheap B-brands and manufacturers still relatively unknown in Europe also had to prove themselves in this test.
In this test, not as many tires were tested as in the all-season tire test with the larger tire size.
The winner this time is Vredestein, which scored the most points with the Quatrac. Bridgestone finishes second with the Turanza All Season and Hankook is on the lowest step of the podium with the Kinergy 4S.