Summer tires are often an option on sportier cars. But most cars come equipped with all-season tires, partly because that rubber is good for the problems you might encounter throughout the year. This includes summer heat, winter snow, and all the dirt and mud in between. And the all-season has taller sidewalls that provide a more comfortable ride than low-profile summer tires.
But you’ll probably sacrifice comfort for sticky grip. That’s why we’re looking at comparison tests at Tire Rack, an online retailer, and Consumer Reports, a product testing and review site.
While their ratings of the best summer tires vary consumer Reports 14 models tested and tire rack Evaluating just six, both include these five: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02, General G-Max RS, Bridgestone Potenza Sport, and Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. Tire Rack also evaluated the Yokohama Advan Apex V601, which Consumer Reports skipped.
Still, when these tires were evaluated on subjective and objective metrics, such as overall handling, road noise, as well as both wet and dry performance, you get very stiff competition. For example, if you just look at grip, Tire Rack got the tiniest edge for the Michelin: 1.01 grams of cornering force compared to .99 grams for the Continental.
Look beyond any one standard and the picture is more nuanced. In fact, in terms of lap times, Continental outlasts Michelin in both dry and wet conditionsContinental and Yokohama take first place in Tire Rack’s road overall rating. Factor in comfort and predictable viscosity, and there’s a lot more to consider. Here, a secret steed has emerged from both Consumer Reports and Tire Rack, and also represents a great value.
Most of us don’t get track time
Even if you drive a hot car daily, like the BMW M2 that Tire Rack used to test six ultra-high performance and maximum performance summer tires on the race track, it probably has a big advantage over you. That is, regular access to said race track.
Fortunately, both Tire Rack and Consumer Reports consider other aspects of driving performance beyond lap times. As for raw grip, we already know that Michelin won that competition by a nose. But one reason the tire rack led to the Continental’s victories on the track in both rainy and dry conditions was that it was predictable, requiring less correction than the Michelins.
But the General G-Max RS was another overall stronger performing tire in both tests. Tire Rack tabulates a “Real World Road Ride Ratings” index, which includes factors such as noise, ride quality, as well as steering and road handling. Judged in this way, which is likely to be more than what you’ll experience every day, the General score is almost on par with the winner Continental, particularly for ride quality, steering and road handling. While the General comes in at 10th out of 14 tires in Consumer Reports, CR still recommends it And says it performs well in both wet and dry conditions.
It would be better to estimate the catch
Historically, if there’s one thing Formula 1 drivers have been consistently picky about, it’s tyres. What drivers want – predictability – also translates to tires on the road. The ideal tire behaves consistently and safely up to and slightly beyond the limit. Which explains why Tire Rack gives the Bridgestone Potenza Sport a bad rap for “sudden” grip loss, which is definitely not what you want.
In contrast, Tire Rack characterized the Continental’s breakaway moment as “a gentle fade into oversteer”, enabling an easy steering correction. The General also performed quite well, allowing testers to push the tire to its edge and then recover.
But the broader reason to consider the General is that while it doesn’t hold up or lead in any one category, it offers reasonable performance for less money. The $212.99 Continental costs 27% more than the $167.99 General, while the $241.99 Michelin costs 44% more than the General.
Yes, Continental is best. Michelin and even Yokohama are like that. But if grip isn’t your ultimate metric and you want to save some money on a good-value tire, a set of four Gen G-Max RS tires can save you about $300 compared to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4s. And even if you want to splurge, the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 is a better choice and will save you $116 compared to the Michelin.
