The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric, Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT and Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 all achieved 'excellent' overall scores in evaluations of braking, handling, hydroplaning, tread life, rolling resistance and noise.
The Continental Extreme Contact DW and the Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110 scored just below those three. Both were priced lower, but the Hankook was considerably less than the top-three rated tires, according to the publication.
With short, low-profile sidewalls and a wide tread, UHP tires are designed to provide tenacious grip and superior handling. But they usually wear more quickly and cost more than standard all-season passenger car tires, the editors report.UHP tires used to be found as factory rubber on high-end sports cars and sports sedans, but they're now showing up as original equipment on many lower-priced cars such as the MazdaSpeed3 and Mini Cooper S, they note.
In addition to testing summer UHP tires, Consumer Reports also rated 17 models of all- season ultra-high performance tires and 15 models of performance winter tires. All-season UHP tires provide some performance in wintry conditions, but give up a little dry-wet grip compared with their summer-only cousins, according to the publication. Performance winter tires are designed to provide better grip on snow and ice, and come in sizes and speed ratings that make them a good winter alternative to UHP tires.
All of the 38 summer and all-season ultra-high performance models tested earned a 'very good' score; five models were declared "excellent."
"That glut of high-rated tires makes it easy to comparison shop among different brands and potentially save hundreds of dollars without giving up much in the way of performance. But prices vary by tire size and where they are sold," the magazine points out.
Consumer Reports also tested a new all-season tire that's designed to save fuel, the Continental ProContact Ecoplus +. It achieved an excellent rolling resistance rating, also delivering good all-around performance in braking, handling, hydroplaning resistance and winter-driving tests.
Overall, the ProContact Ecoplus + earned an excellent test score and now ranks second among the 26 models in the competitive all-season tire category. It tied the equally fuel-efficient Michelin EnergySaver A/S, which the magazine had tested for its July issue.
Consumer Reports' testers put tires through a number of objective and subjective tests in the most comprehensive tire- test program of any American magazine or website, the editors assert. Testers measure braking and lateral grip on dry and wet surfaces, dry handling in an emergency avoidance maneuver, wet handling in a 2.5 acre autocross course and hydroplaning resistance, which measures how well a tire maintains contact with the road in standing water.
The magazine, which does not accept advertising to ensure impartiality, rents a local skating rink to test braking on ice and snow traction in Vermont for UHP all-season and performance winter tires. Outside labs evaluate tread life and rolling resistance. To ensure consistency, testers buy each tire model in the same size and mount them on the same test cars.
For UHP tires, Consumer Reports' overall scores are a weighted average emphasizing braking, handling and hydroplaning. Scores for performance winter tires are more heavily weighted to snow- traction and ice-braking performance; they are not tested for wet handling or tread life. They chose a (P)225/40R18 size tire that fits the Chevrolet Cobalt SS for its tests; engineers expect other sizes of the same tire models to provide similar performance.
Among the 21 different models of summer UHP tires tested, only the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymetric got 'excellent' ratings in four of the five braking, handling, and hydroplaning tests. It posted a "very good" score in the wet braking test.
The three top-scoring tires in the all-season UHP category are the Pirelli P Zero Nero All-Season; the Sumitomo HTR A/S P01; and the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. The Pilot Sport A/S Plus tied with the fourth-place finisher, the Continental Extreme Contact DWS.
The three top-rated tires in the performance winter category are the Nokian WR G2; Hankook Winter i*Cept Evo; and the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3.
All the results are posted online and will be published in the November issue, which goes on sale Oct. 5.
For more information, visit www.consumerreports.org.
