- Michelin CrossClimate 2 wins the snow test with winter-like grip
- Bridgestone WeatherControl A005 Evo finishes last in snow
- Tomket Allyear 3 struggles on wet surfaces with oversteer
- Kleber Quadraxer 2, Hankook Kinergy 4S2, Goodyear and Continental perform well in snow
All-season tires represent the ideal choice for drivers who want to use the same set of tires year-round, without swapping between summer and winter tires. These tires combine the characteristics of summer and winter tires, delivering decent performance in all weather conditions.
Testers from TireReviews.com conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the top 10 All-Season tires of 2022, assessing performance on snow, wet and dry surfaces, as well as noise levels, comfort and rolling resistance. All tires tested shared the same size: 225/45 R17, a popular size in Romania for compact and compact premium cars.
Snow performance: the decisive test for All-Season tires
Poor snow performance tires
On the last place in the snow test went to Bridgestone WeatherControl A005 Evo. Although this tire does not perform well on snow, it handles dry and wet terrain exceptionally well. If you live in an area where snow is rare, this tire can be a good choice, being certainly superior to a summer tire in light winter conditions.
Vredestein Quatrac Pro and Falken AS210 occupied positions 9 and 8, with only 9 seconds behind the leader. In both cases, cars equipped with these tires showed significant sliding tendencies, requiring recovery maneuvers. Of the two, Falken offered superior braking performance.
Pirelli Cinturato AllSeason SF2 finished 7 seconds behind the leader. The car equipped with these tires exhibited oversteer behavior - fun for an experienced driver, but potentially unsafe for everyday drivers.
Tomket Allyear 3 finished 6th. Although the tire provides reasonable grip, testers reported a sensation of losing contact with the surface, translating to pronounced understeer and difficulty in communicating with the front axle.
Top 5 tires for snow
Continental AllSeasonContact in 5th place and Goodyear Vector 4Season Gen-3 in 4th place offered similar performance, with minimal understeer and excellent braking. Both tires demonstrated a good balance between grip and controllability.
Hankook Kinergy 4S2 in 3rd place showed superior grip, but this came with occasional oversteer at higher speeds, requiring interventions to stabilize the car.
Kleber Quadraxer 2 in 2nd place impressed with its remarkable snow grip.
Winner of the snow test: Michelin CrossClimate 2. TireReviews testers state that this tire offers levels of grip comparable to a dedicated winter tire.
Wet terrain test: the critical balance of All-Season tires
Disappointing performances
Tomket Allyear 3, although decent on snow, proved disastrous on wet terrain. The car was hard to control, with constant oversteer and a performance about 12 seconds slower than the leader. This example perfectly illustrates the inevitable trade-off of All-Season tires – excelling in some conditions means underperforming in others.
Kleber Quadraxer 2 and Pirelli Cinturato AllSeason SF2 finished at the rear. Unlike Tomket, these tires offered some predictability in behavior, without extreme oversteer, but without inspiring full confidence.
Michelin CrossClimate 2, though dominant on snow, ranked lower in this test, confirming the principle that no All-Season tire can excel in all conditions.
Solid wet performances
Bridgestone WeatherControl A005 Evo in 6th place offered consistency and reasonable grip, though not at the brand’s reputation on wet roads.
Continental AllSeasonContact in 5th demonstrated precise steering with minimal understeer.
Falken AS210 in 4th offered a balanced compromise.
Goodyear Vector 4Season Gen-3 and Hankook Kinergy 4S2 battled for the podium, offering both an almost perfect balance between oversteer and understeer. Hankook was fastest on the first lap of four, but dropped on the following three.
Winner on wet terrain: Vredestein Quatrac Pro offered slightly oversteer behavior but very controllable, leading to the best overall time.
Braking distances on wet terrain
Dry terrain tests: basic performance
Dry-terrain tests revealed that all tires in the test delivered acceptable performance, even budget models. The big negative surprise was Vredestein Quatrac Pro, which demonstrates the difficulty of excelling simultaneously on dry and wet surfaces.
Dry performance podium
The podium on dry surfaces consisted of Hankook Kinergy 4S2, Continental AllSeasonContact and Goodyear Vector 4Season Gen-3, but the clear winner was Bridgestone WeatherControl A005 Evo, confirming the brand’s reputation on dry roads.
Braking distances on dry
Conclusion of the test
The test demonstrates that choosing All-Season tires should take into account the conditions specific to the region where you drive. If you live in a region with mild winters and precipitation rarely falls as snow, Bridgestone WeatherControl A005 Evo may be the ideal choice. For areas with harsher winters, Michelin CrossClimate 2 remains the benchmark.
Vredestein Quatrac Pro stands out for its versatility on wet terrain, while Continental AllSeasonContact offers a solid balance in all conditions. Hankook Kinergy 4S2 delivers consistent performance, making it an excellent choice for most Romanian drivers.
