Skip advert
Advertisement

Best tyres: evo Tyre Test 2015 - Wet handling and Wet steering pad

The best performance tyres should make your car faster, safer and more enjoyable. Which should you be fitting?

WET HANDLING

The three-quarter-mile wet handling circuit at Vizzola is roughly a figure of eight in shape, with a mix of tight chicanes and medium-speed bends. A sprinkler system keeps it covered in a layer of standing water rather than it just being a bit damp, but nonetheless it’s surprising just how much bite a good set of tyres can find through the water. By removing the correct fuse we fully disabled the GTI’s stability control system but kept the ABS on.

Advertisement - Article continues below

There were two corners in particular that revealed a great deal about the relative merits of each set of tyres: a tight left-hander with a demon downhill approach that demands effective braking performance, and a more open right-hander that only the very best tyres could hold a tight line through. I completed six laps in each car, taking an average lap time from the run. We used a reference tyre three times throughout the test – at the start, in the middle and at the end – in order to monitor the evolution of both the circuit and me. The times were then adjusted accordingly to ensure they were directly comparable.

As well as recording lap times using the circuit’s in-built timing loop, I also rated each tyre in subjective terms for turn-in, mid-corner grip, traction, steering feel, confidence and braking. Reassuringly, the correlation between subjective and objective rankings was strong, with two exceptions. The Dunlop scored well for traction and braking, so it ranked second overall in subjective terms, but its lap time was only the seventh fastest because the tyre lacked mid-corner grip. The Goodyear, meanwhile, set the fourth fastest time but ranked down in seventh in subjective terms; I had to brake much earlier on the Goodyear to shed enough speed to make the slower corners. 

The best tyre, however – and by no small margin – was the Continental. It would carry much more speed into corners than many of the others, hold a tighter line in the long corners, resist wheelspin very effectively and allow me to brake later with less ABS intervention.

Advertisement - Article continues below
Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

In contrast, the Toyo was treacherous. Its best lap time was some seven seconds down on the benchmark set by the Continental and it was the only tyre to consistently fail to slow the car sufficiently for the tight left with the downhill approach. It would also trip into understeer in the long corners. The Pirelli, meanwhile, performed well in both subjective and objective terms, setting the second quickest lap time, while the Yokohama also performed strongly to finish third overall in both rankings.

WET LAP

TyrePercentage
1Continental100
2Pirelli99.4
3Yokohama99.1
4Goodyear98.7
5Michelin98.3
6Vredestein97.6
7Dunlop96.9
8Hankook96.4
9Bridgestone96.2
10Toyo92.4

WET HANDLING - SUBJECTIVE

TyrePercentage
1Continental100
2Dunlop93.8
3Yokohama92.6
4Vredestein91.4
5Pirelli90.4
6Michelin90.1
7Goodyear85.2
8Bridgestone82.7
9Hankook77.8
10Toyo70.4

WET STEERING PAD

Vizzola’s 40-metre-radius steering pad was a useful indicator of outright lateral grip. I completed six laps on each tyre and we took an average lap time from the run – this was an objective test only. The technique involved accelerating to a point where the car would no longer hold a line, then dropping back a touch and maintaining a steady speed. As well as being a good test for the tyres it was demanding on both car and driver; during a sustained run the GTI would eventually cry enough and cut engine power, while my breakfast threatened to make a reappearance on more than one occasion.

Just as it did around the wet handling track, the Continental went quickest in this test. Similarly, the Toyo – which ranked last around the wet handling track – was also the slowest around the steering pad.

WET STEERING PAD

TyrePercentage
1Continental100
2Goodyear98.9
3Yokohama98.6
4Pirelli97.8
5Bridgestone97.1
6Vredestein97.0
7Dunlop96.5
8Michelin95.9
9Hankook95.6
10Toyo92.1
Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Should you fit winter tyres to your car?
GR Yaris
Advice

Should you fit winter tyres to your car?

When temperatures drop and the weather takes a dive, fitting winter tyres can get you out of trouble – and potentially save you from a crash
8 Jan 2025
Best car tyres 2024: evo tyre test
2024 evo Tyre Test
Features

Best car tyres 2024: evo tyre test

Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
17 Oct 2024
Falken Azenis RS820 2024 tyre review – a budget-conscious UUHP alternative to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
Falken Azenis RS820
Reviews

Falken Azenis RS820 2024 tyre review – a budget-conscious UUHP alternative to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

The UUHP Falken Azenis RS820 takes direct aim at popular offerings from Michelin and Continental, with a focus on dry handling and high temperature en…
9 Jul 2024
Vredestein Ultrac Pro 2024 tyre review – a worthy alternative to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S?
Vredestein Ultrac Pro
Reviews

Vredestein Ultrac Pro 2024 tyre review – a worthy alternative to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S?

New high performance tyre claims unique blend of grip and ride comfort. We put it to the test
23 May 2024
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best hybrid cars 2025 – the benefits of EV and petrol power
Best hybrid cars 2025
Best cars

Best hybrid cars 2025 – the benefits of EV and petrol power

Hybrids are the perfect compromise for manufacturers and buyers at the moment, keeping petrol power for versatility and customer appeal but adding an …
31 Mar 2025
Honda Civic Type R (FN2) – the car world's greatest misses
Honda Civic Type R FN2
Features

Honda Civic Type R (FN2) – the car world's greatest misses

Its lineage contains some hot hatch greats, but the late-noughties Civic wasn’t one of them
26 Mar 2025
2025 VED car tax: what you'll be paying
VED car tax 2025
Advice

2025 VED car tax: what you'll be paying

The latest car tax changes explained, including new pricing for EVs and hybrids and increased prices for higher-emission vehicles
1 Apr 2025