evo TYRE TEST 2021
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
ONCE AGAIN, IT’S THE TURN OF THE BEST-SELLING UHP (ULTRA HIGH Performance) tyre, the ZR-rated 225/40 R18. EU tyre labelling makes customers better informed when choosing tyres, but as evo’s tests have shown, even tyres with identical ratings for wet grip and rolling resistance can show quite different performance.
As well as multiple objective measurements, including wet and dry braking and aquaplaning resistance, our comprehensive test also rates the tyres subjectively, describing what they feel like – how responsive, how tactile, how comfortable and how noisy over different surfaces – so you can make the most informed choice.
Contenders this year include a new Bridgestone, the Potenza Sport, which finds itself up against the tyres that finished first, second and third respectively when we last tested this size in 2019: Pirelli’s P Zero, Michelin’s Pilot Sport 4 and Continental’s PremiumContact 6 (on its last outing before the new PremiumContact 7 arrives). Goodyear is represented by the Eagle F1 SuperSport, and Dunlop and Hankook are here too. We also welcome a newcomer to evo testing, GT Radial, with its SportActive 2, and for added context we’ve included a budget tyre, the Triangle Sportex TH201.
THE CAR
This year our test car was an Audi S3, which has a Haldex-style four-wheel-drive system – a first for an evo tyre test. Exploratory laps revealed it has throttle adjustability akin to a front-drive Golf and in the wet it can settle into power oversteer. It also has decent steering feel and plenty of performance: its turbo’d in-line four delivers 306bhp and a muscular 295lb ft of torque
