All-season tire test 2022: SUV tires (225/50 R 18)

Especially in times like these, everyone tries to save wherever possible. There is also potential for savings when it comes to tires. Of course, it makes a difference whether you spend just 290 euros for a set of cheap Goodride tires or a whopping 800 euros for four tires from Michelin – as is the case with the eleven test candidates here. In addition, there are the costs for assembly, balancing and possibly also the bill for storing the wheels that are not used for six months.

Ratings in detail: see table below

All-season tires have been around for decades. But only the technical advances in materials and the further development of production methods have improved them to such an extent that even discerning drivers are considering their purchase. In the past, these tires were either disastrous in the snow or spongy in the summer—quite often both.

Today, even we are amazed at the properties of the current generation of all-season tires. Because while you have to look for progress with a magnifying glass for many things in everyday life – with all-season tires it is unmistakable. The temperature stability of the tread compounds with a high silica content makes it possible. The tread rubber remains supple across all temperature ranges and ensures a secure grip in all weather conditions.

In midsummer, the tread blocks remain stable and true to shape, which ensures short braking distances and sporty, direct steering behavior. On cold winter days, on the other hand, the profile, which is peppered with a sufficient number of sipes, provides a secure grip on snow and ice.

Prime examples of all-round successful all-season tires are our two test winners from Michelin and Hankook. Although the Michelin CrossClimate is the most expensive test candidate at 200 euros per tire, it does not perform worse than a grade of two in any of the test disciplines. The Hankook Kinergy 4S2 X, which was also rated “exemplary” but is almost a quarter cheaper, comes a whole lot closer to the originally requested savings target.

However, the production of all-season tires is and remains a difficult task: the 72-euro tire from the Chinese brand Goodride fails completely due to brake failure on wet roads. The affordable Allseason from Maxxis, on the other hand, lacks sufficient safety reserves on ice and snow. Your own safety should be worth a few euros more, after all you are on the road with these tires all year round.