Winter tyre test 225/50 R17 - ADAC 2026
Winter Winter testing at Ivalo, Finland (snow/ice) plus dry/wet handling and braking at Contidrom/ATP proving grounds; snow braking/traction measured on compacted snow/ice.
Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TFSI – front-wheel drive reference for mid-size class 225/50 R17; also representative for BMW 3-series, Mercedes C-class, VW Passat.
Price vs Quality
See how tyre price relates to test performance at a glance
Results
Agenda:Best value in test
Better than average value
Worse than average value
Worst value in test
Dry braking 100–0 km/h: field tight around 42–46 m (exact best/worst not disclosed numerically, grades 2.0–5.0). Best dry grades: Toyo Observe EWS1 and Continental/Pirelli around 2.0–2.3; worst dry 5.0 (Sunwide Snowide) – described as 'extremely spongy' with late response.
Winter2.4
Wet1.7
Dry2.3
Enviromental impact2.5
Noise2.9
Wear2.5
Driving safety2.1
Fuel consumption2.1
Wet braking decisive – >10 m spread between best and worst (ADAC highlights). Best wet grades: Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 (best wet overall), Continental 1.9, Michelin 2.5; worst wet 5.5 (Royal Black, Sunwide, Aptany, Tracmax) – these tyres cannot combine longitudinal and lateral forces on wet asphalt/concrete.
Winter2.4
Wet1.9
Dry2.5
Enviromental impact2.5
Noise2.6
Wear2.5
Driving safety2.2
Fuel consumption2.4
Snow braking 30–0 km/h and ice braking 20–0 km/h – best snow note 1.3 (Sunwide Snowide!) yet overall mangelhaft due to dry/wet collapse; best balanced snow: Pirelli, Continental, Goodyear, Michelin all 2.4–2.6. Worst snow 4.8–5.3 (Toyo, Tracmax) – Toyo especially very weak on winter (grade 5.3) despite excellent dry (2.0).
Winter2.6
Wet2.2
Dry2.4
Enviromental impact2.0
Noise2.7
Wear1.4
Driving safety2.6
Fuel consumption2.1
Snow traction: top values for Pirelli/Continental/Michelin (high dN), worst for some budget tyres with low snow traction despite good ice braking. Sunwide proves best snow traction/braking does not make a good winter tyre if dry/wet fails.
Winter1.7
Wet2.5
Dry2.6
Enviromental impact2.3
Noise2.8
Wear2.1
Driving safety2.6
Fuel consumption2.0
Same weighting as 185 test: 70 % safety (dry 30 % wet 40 % winter 30 %) + 30 % eco (mileage 40 % abrasion 20 % efficiency 20 % noise 10 % sustainability 10 %). Aquaplaning, handling, snow-handling and sustainability can trigger downgrades.
Winter2.6
Wet2.3
Dry2.1
Enviromental impact2.6
Noise3.2
Wear2.2
Driving safety2.6
Fuel consumption2.2
Four 'good' tyres at the top (Pirelli 2.2, Continental 2.3, Goodyear 2.4, Michelin 2.5) prove balanced winter tyres exist even in mid-size – unlike small size where only two achieved good.
Winter2.6
Wet2.3
Dry2.3
Enviromental impact2.8
Noise3.1
Wear2.8
Driving safety2.6
Fuel consumption2.4
Six 'mangelhaft' tyres demonstrate that winter excellence alone is insufficient: Sunwide, Royal Black, Aptany, Tracmax, Toyo and Falken collapse on dry/wet or vice versa; Toyo's opposite imbalance (great dry 2.0 but winter 5.3) mirrors Sunwide's.
Winter2.9
Wet2.4
Dry2.8
Enviromental impact2.2
Noise2.7
Wear2.1
Driving safety2.9
Fuel consumption1.8
Measured price range ca. €49–€165 – best price-performance according to ADAC data is not Tama but Goodyear (high mileage) and ESA-Tecar (Swiss-only) with good plus/minus balance.
Winter2.1
Wet2.9
Dry3.4
Enviromental impact1.8
Noise2.6
Wear1.1
Driving safety3.4
Fuel consumption2.0
Environmental trade-off visible: Dunlop Winter scores best eco 1.8 (very high mileage) but safety only 3.4 (befriedigend/ausreichend dry), while Pirelli balances both.
Winter3.1
Wet2.8
Dry2.8
Enviromental impact3.1
Noise3.5
Wear1.9
Driving safety3.1
Fuel consumption3.1
Aquaplaning and snow-handling are frequent fail points for cheap tyres – lateral aquaplaning and snow-handling grades often decide 'mangelhaft' vs 'befriedigend'.
Winter2.5
Wet2.6
Dry3.1
Enviromental impact3.2
Noise2.9
Wear3.2
Driving safety3.1
Fuel consumption2.4
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 wins narrowly (overall 2.2, safety 2.1) – best wet performance in test plus balanced dry (2.3) and winter (2.4), with good mileage/abrasion and low consumption; only downside indoor noise.
Winter4.8
Wet2.7
Dry3.1
Enviromental impact3.4
Noise3.3
Wear3.4
Driving safety4.8
Fuel consumption2.1
Continental WinterContact TS 870 second (2.3) and Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 third (2.4, eco 2.0 best eco) – both 'good' without major weaknesses, Goodyear with very high mileage (>55 k km predicted for Dunlop sibling).
Winter5.3
Wet2.3
Dry2.0
Enviromental impact2.3
Noise3.6
Wear1.6
Driving safety5.3
Fuel consumption2.3
Michelin Alpin 7 fourth 'good' (2.5) – strong on winter (best winter among top 4) but slightly imprecise dry steering prevents podium.
Winter5.3
Wet5.4
Dry2.9
Enviromental impact2.9
Noise2.7
Wear2.4
Driving safety5.4
Fuel consumption2.9
Safety warning: Six mangelhaft tyres – Falken 4.8, Toyo 5.3, Tracmax/Aptany 5.4, Royal Black/Sunwide 5.5 – must be avoided; Toyo and Sunwide are textbook 'single-talent' fails (one discipline excellent, others catastrophic).
Winter1.7
Wet5.4
Dry4.0
Enviromental impact3.1
Noise3.9
Wear3.0
Driving safety5.4
Fuel consumption2.3
Midfield befriedigend (Bridgestone 2.6, Hankook 2.7, ESA-Tecar 2.7, Dunlop 2.9, Yokohama/Vredestein 3.1) are conditional recommendations – check Stärken/Schwächen per tyre before buying for your climate.
Winter2.8
Wet5.5
Dry4.8
Enviromental impact2.1
Noise3.6
Wear1.4
Driving safety5.5
Fuel consumption1.9
Larger size shows better overall quality than small size: 4× good vs 2× good, confirming ADAC's remark that developers focus more on popular mid-size dimensions.
Winter1.3
Wet5.5
Dry5.0
Enviromental impact3.1
Noise2.5
Wear2.6
Driving safety5.5
Fuel consumption2.2
Same size tyres not featured in the test
Tests usually don't cover the whole market - here is our selection what not to miss when shopping for tyres in this size.
