Top 9 UUHP Summer Tyres Tested by Auto Bild

Auto Bild’s UUHP (ultra ultra high performance) annual tyre testing event is as much anticipated in the auto industry as is the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in the fashion industry. (I hope this reference makes sense as it has been a while since my last glimpse at a fashion magazine).

Let’s get back to tyres, where this year’s competition had a new heavyweight debut – Bridgestone Potenza Sport. It was the first test for the Potenza Sport, which only launched just earlier this year.

The last number of years UUHP tyre testing was dominated by superstar tyres like Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, Continental Sport Contact 6 and Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport. However, this year there was much excitement to see if the new Bridgestone Potenza Sport was able to take the fight to the above-mentioned tyres.

Surprisingly, Ford Mustang was this year’s choice for the test car, mounted with 265 35 r20 tyres.  

So how did the Bridgestone do?

The new Bridgestone Potenza Sport stunned the competition by winning the shortest dry braking, shortest wet braking and setting the fastest wet lap time! Across the four key criteria, it only lost out in the dry handling test, finishing second, less than 2% behind Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyre.

All-in, Bridgestone Potenza Sport won the overall test while identified to offer excellent and precise handling on both, wet and dry.

The best of the rest

The runner up title went to the Continental SportContact 6 tyre. It has not won any individual tests but came in close in individual tests behind each winner. It was praised for its dynamic sporty driving on wet roads, but a bit noisier than the competitors.

The third place finish went to the dearest entry in the test – Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S. PS4s did exceptionally well on dry testing, wining the dry braking segment. It also came in as the quietest tyre in the test. Unfortunately, wet road testing was where Pilot Sport 4 S fell behind, finishing just mid-table.

Another internet favourite Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport came in 4th overall. It was steady in all of the testings but did not match the performance of the above-mentioned tyres.

Dry Braking

Bridgestone Potenza Sport topped the shortest dry braking test by a nail-biting margin.

Dry Handling

This test is measured in average speed per lap and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S was a clear winner.

Wet Braking      

Bridgestone edged the wet braking test by a small margin while Berlin and Landsail brands were not able to keep up with the premium tyre makers.

Wet Handling    

Bridgestone Potenza Sport left others well behind in the average speed of the wet lap circuit.

Road Noise

Landsail bounced back to equal Michelin for the top spot at the road noise testing.

Rolling Resistance           

Landsail yet again held on to the top position, ensuring the best fuel economy in the class.

Retail Price

Below shows the price of the full set of tested tyres, priced in the local market/currency.

Combined Table

Winner – Bridgestone Potenza Sport

(Dry braking – 1^st, Dry handling – 2^nd, Wet braking – 1^st, Wet handling – 1^st, Straight aqua – 3^rd, Noise – 6^th, Rolling resistance – 6^th, Price – 7^th)

2^nd – Continental Sport Contact 6

(Dry braking – 3^rd, Dry handling – 5^th, Wet braking – 2^nd, Wet handling – 4^th, Straight aqua – 6^th, Noise – 8^th, Rolling resistance – 2^nd, Price – 6^th)

3^rd – Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

(Dry braking – 3^rd, Dry handling – 1^st, Wet braking – 3^rd, Wet handling – 5^th, Straight aqua – 7^th, Noise – 1^st, Rolling resistance – 3^rd, Price – 9^th)

4^th – Goodyear Eagle F1 Super Sport

(Dry braking – 2^nd, Dry handling – 4^th, Wet braking – 5^th, Wet handling – 3^rd, Straight aqua – 1^st, Noise – 7^th, Rolling resistance – 8^th, Price – 8^th)

5^th – Vredestein Ultrac Vorti R

(Dry braking – 5^th, Dry handling – 3^rd, Wet braking – 6^th, Wet handling – 2^nd, Straight aqua – 3^rd, Noise – 4^th, Rolling resistance – 9^th, Price – 4^th)

6^th – Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3

(Dry braking – 6^th, Dry handling – 6^th, Wet braking – 4^th, Wet handling – 6^th, Straight aqua – 5^th, Noise – 9^th, Rolling resistance – 5^th, Price – 3^rd)

7^th – Falken Azensis FK510

(Dry braking – 7^th, Dry handling – 7^th, Wet braking – 7^th, Wet handling – 7^th, Straight aqua – 2^nd, Noise – 5^th, Rolling resistance – 4^th, Price – 5^th)

8^th – Landsail LS588 UHP

(Dry braking – 8^th, Dry handling – 8^th, Wet braking – 9^th, Wet handling – 8^th, Straight aqua – 9^th, Noise – 1^st, Rolling resistance – 1^st, Price – 1^st)

9^th – Berlin Summer Tyre UHP 1

(Dry braking – 9^th, Dry handling – 9^th, Wet braking – 8^th, Wet handling – 8^th, Straight aqua – 8^th, Noise – 3^rd, Rolling resistance – 7^th, Price – 2^nd)

For more information on car, van and 4×4 tyres, pop into your local Tyreland today or call now on 01 860 2 20.