The British magazine Auto Express conducted its next tire test, this time comparing UHP summer tires from seven manufacturers in size 225/40 R18 with 92Y load and speed indexes. The previous test of tires of this size was conducted by AE back in 2016, and not a single participant returned to the test this time around, including due to dealership stock issues. Over this time, a few fresh models have appeared on the market, such as Bridgestone Potenza Sport, and, in addition, the test involved two hot new releases 2022 — Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 and the Falken Azenis FK520, for which this was a debut in independent tire tests. The Asian budget tire brands were represented by the Austone Athena SP7 model, produced by Prinx Chengshan. The tests were conducted at the Bridgestone proving ground in Aprilia, Italy, and rolling resistance was measured in the company’s nearby R&D facility in Castel Romano.To get more news about austone tires, you can visit gofortunetire.com official website.

Just like in the recent SUV tire test, wet handling performance was evaluated in the special section of the Bridgestone proving ground, built quite recently. The best handling and braking performance was demonstrated by the Bridgestone Potenza Sport (probably because it played «at its home field»); very good results were also shown by the new Goodyear model. Last place in both disciplines was predictably occupied by the Austone model, and an unpleasant surprise was that the Pirelli Cinturato P7 fell substantially short of the competition — the AE experts said that this tire could use a major revision.

The tests for hydroplaning resistance were led off by the Goodyear model, which was better than the rest at dispelling water from the contact area while driving straight and in corners as well. One should also mention a high result of yet another newcomer — the Falken Azenis FK520. The Austone model again was the worst. Another tire that had issues was Hankook.

On a dry track, the Bridgestone model again made a clean sweep of the competition, confidently scoring first place in the handling and braking tests. On the whole, the order of all the tires in the two disciplines was the same, and the leader was followed by Goodyear and Falken, while the last lines were scored by (surprisingly) Pirelli and Austone.

The noise was measured in the cabin at a speed of 50–80 km/h, and the quietest tires were Hankook, Austone and Pirelli. At the same time, the Goodyear model dropped to the bottom of the tournament bracket, and this was its first obvious issue (but then again, the difference from the leader was mere 2,8%).

And, finally, the ranking of best fuel savers was topped by the Pirelli model. This did not help it much in the final standings, considering the tire’s poor wet and dry performance. Second-placed was the Goodyear model, which is living proof that low rolling resistance can indeed be combined with excellent grip; it was followed by Falken. The worst result was demonstrated by Bridgestone — the tire technologists clearly sacrificed fuel saving performance in favor of maximum grip.

First place with the highest scores for handling performance and the shortest dry and wet stopping distances was scored by the Bridgestone Potenza Sport. According to the experts, possibly, this has something to do with the fact that Potenza Sport can be quite reasonably referred to the Ultra-Ultra High Performance category, while the widely available alternative — Turanza T005 — would have had difficulties in this company. On wet pavement, this tire confidently followed the set trajectory, demonstrating impressive grip, and its superiority in terms of braking performance could be felt particularly acutely at the entrance to a sharp corner after a long straight line, where the car was slowed down with the ABS disabled. The tire was just as reliable on a wet track, where smaller cornering angles were required, and when heated, the reduction in the tire’s grip was minimal. In the hydroplaning resistance test, the Bridgestone was no longer the leader, yielding this status to the new Goodyear model, and this tire also has a very high rolling resistance.

Silver goes to the newcomer 2022, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6, which stopped just a little short of becoming the champion of its AE debut test. Although on a wet and on a dry track the Goodyear model did let its competitor from Bridgestone get ahead, its lead over the rest of the competition was quite substantial. The experts shared that on a dry track the tire maintained excellent grip, especially in high-speed bends, and on wet pavement it allowed the driver to quickly enter corners without creating the danger of drifting. In the middle of a bend the grip was not as high as Bridgestone’s but on the whole the Goodyear model delivered excellent wet performance.