The next summer season is ahead, which means that soon you will have to change tires again, changing your car into summer tires. For most car owners, this period cannot be called easy, because you need to decide on the question - what kind of rubber is worth buying this year? To help you navigate the sea of new products, we decided to introduce you to the most interesting of them for the 2015 season, but if you plan to buy an "already proven option", then in the second part of the article we present the results of testing the most popular tires for compact cars ... In general, read and choose.
So, Let's start with an overview of the new summer passenger tires, which are expected to appear in Russia in 2015.
The first in this list will be rubber Continental Semperit Speed-Life 2designed for those who like to drive fast. The novelty received a rubber compound with a high content of silica, which guarantees high wear resistance, as well as significant fuel economy due to lower energy losses during friction. The tread of the Continental Semperit Speed-Life 2 tires has a directional pattern with scattering channels that ensure timely drainage of water from the contact patch area, and a rigid center rib, responsible for directional stability and steering precision when cornering. The design of the shoulder areas of the tire helps in the process of water drainage from the center section, and also provides sufficient traction when exiting paved roads onto soft ground. For full off-road driving, the Continental Semperit Speed-Life 2 tires, of course, are not suitable. Their main purpose is high-speed driving on asphalt roads, on which the novelty can become the main discovery of the year among the debuting tires.
The next novelty is an updated rubber Maxxis PRO-R1, which received an improved multi-block tread pattern with three central polyhedral ribs and four drainage grooves. Maxxis PRO-R1 is a high-speed rubber designed exclusively for use on asphalt roads. Its intricate tread pattern with multiple curved and curving traction grooves maximizes wet grip, while its shoulder areas are designed with narrow grooves to reduce center noise for superior acoustic comfort. The new rubber compound of the Maxxis PRO-R1 tires is aimed at increasing the grip of the tire while increasing its wear resistance. In general, Maxxis PRO-R1 tires, according to the manufacturer, have excellent trajectory, provide easy handling and acceptable braking distances.
There will be another new thing in Russia by the summer of 2015 - an improved model Continental ContiPremiumContact 5, which has been repeatedly recognized as one of the best in its price segment. This year's Continental ContiPremiumContact 5 tires have revised groove geometry and new 3D sipes to dramatically improve wet performance. The shape of the center ribs of the tire has also been slightly tweaked, which means that the Continental ContiPremiumContact 5 tires have become more grippy and are able to further shorten the braking distance of the car. As before, the Continental ContiPremiumContact 5 maintains some of the best performance in terms of durability and acoustic comfort.
That's all for now, other manufacturers are in no hurry with "loud premieres", so at the moment we will confine ourselves to only three novelties of 2015 on the summer tire market, which are worth paying close attention to.
As for the already presented models on the summer rubber market, it is high time to get acquainted with the rating compiled according to the results of a comprehensive test carried out by the specialists of the magazine "Za Rulem", during which 11 models of summer tires for compact cars were tested with the help of Lada Priora. As part of the testing, experts checked the car's handling and braking distance on a dry and wet track, assessed its directional stability, ride smoothness, acoustic comfort in the cabin, and also measured fuel consumption at speeds of 60 and 90 km / h. For each test, the tires received assessment points, the total amount of which influenced the balance of power in the ranking. Below is a short version of the rating of summer tires for compact cars, and you can find detailed test results of 2015 in the March issue of Za Rulem magazine.
"Honorable" last place with a score of 835 points went to rubber Bridgestone Ecopia EP150released in Thailand. Possessing a symmetrical tread pattern, this rubber showed very fast results in all tests and only in terms of fuel economy it took the leading role, demonstrating the best consumption at a speed of 90 km / h. Moreover, if we compare the braking distances of the outsider and the winner, it turns out that the Bridgestone Ecopia EP150 rubber loses about 4 meters on wet asphalt and almost 5 meters on dry. Actually, a test car easily fits into this distance.
The tenth line in the ranking of summer passenger tires of the 2015 season borrowed tires Matador stella 2 Russian production. These tires have an asymmetric tread with a tread depth that allows you not to be afraid of going on light off-road. The Matador Stella 2 scores 841 points, mainly due to its excellent fuel economy at all speeds. In addition, these tires have acceptable softness and provide satisfactory acoustic comfort, but low grip and poor handling, even on dry surfaces, negate all the advantages.
In ninth place, having typed 867 points, the tires are located Cordiant Road Runner, also released in Russia. Thanks to a well thought out directional tread pattern, this rubber shows good results in terms of directional stability, ride comfort and handling, but at the same time it has the highest fuel consumption, especially at a speed of 60 km / h.
One line above - on the eighth line of the rating - rubber is located Formula Energy of Turkish origin, also scored 867 points. Higher acoustic comfort and slightly more favorable fuel consumption helped Turkish tires climb higher. Of the other advantages of Formula Energy tires, we single out good directional stability. Of the minuses, we note the low handling both on dry and wet asphalt, as well as the "fear" of dirt roads.
Seventh place in the ranking of the best summer tires of 2015 take up tires BFGoodrich g-Gripbrought from Poland. Their result is 870 points and one of the best indicators of acoustic comfort among all tested models. Otherwise, the BFGoodrich g-Grip tires perform satisfactorily, close to the Cordiant Road Runner tires.
Sixth line got tires Hankook Kinergy Eco Hungarian production. Scoring 888 points, these asymmetric tread tires were noted for high acoustic comfort, reasonable braking distance, good behavior on the wet track, but at the same time they almost failed the road holding test, and in addition showed quite high fuel consumption.
List of top five leaders according to the test results of summer tires opens Yokohama BluEarthwith 889 points. Launched in the Philippines, this rubber proved to be quite balanced and economical in terms of fuel consumption at a speed of 90 km / h, but at the same time it is very tough, does not behave well on the ground and does not boast a good ride.
Fourth place rating went to tires Nordman SX Russian-made, who managed to score 906 points. The main trump cards of Nordman SX rubber are excellent grip properties, good handling on wet roads and high acoustic comfort. There are also downsides. In particular, these tires lack a smooth ride, and in terms of directional stability, they are also not ideal.
"Bronze" of the rating of summer passenger tires of the 2015 season went to Japanese rubber Toyo Proxes CF2, which has 907 points. Demonstrating high grip on any surface and good handling, Toyo Proxes CF2 tires were significantly inferior to other leaders in terms of acoustic comfort. At the same time, we note that with an average price of 2,180 rubles, this rubber is the most affordable among the top three.
Silver earned in 2015 tires Nokian Hakka Greenproduced in Russia. Their result is 927 points. Among the advantages of this rubber, we single out excellent directional stability, which clearly stands out against the background of the rest of the test participants. In addition, Nokian Hakka Green tires have excellent road holding, provide good handling and guarantee high traction on any surface. Of the minuses of the Nokian Hakka Green, the low smoothness of the course stands out.
And finally first place in the rating with a score of 928 points, the above-mentioned summer tires received Continental ContiPremiumContact 5brought from Portugal. This rubber provides the shortest braking distances, excellent acoustic comfort and the best ride comfort. The wet handling and directional stability are a little worse, but overall, the Continental ContiPremiumContact 5 tires proved to be the most balanced tires tested.
Summarizing, we note that the most affordable tires tested to date are the Matador Stella 2 and Nordman SX tires, estimated on average at 1800 and 1970 rubles. The highest price (2655 rubles) has the Continental ContiPremiumContact 5 rubber, which took 1st place, but the most overvalued rubber in our opinion is the outsider of the 2015 rating - Bridgestone Ecopia EP150, sold for an average of 2370 rubles.
