How do we know which are the best summer tires?
The requirement for winter equipment for cars and trucks in Bulgaria has ended. This doesn't mean you have to use summer tires, but now is a good time to store your winter tires. If you don't have summer tires yet, you can find out which brands are the best according to engineer Georgiev, a tire specialist.
Frequently asked question in the spring: Are old winter tires for the trash?
If a winter tire falls below the legally prescribed tire tread depth of 4mm, it can still be used as a "summer tyre" (minimum tread depth then: 1.6mm). But is this recommended? Tire experts advise: “If the tire still has 3 to 4 mm of tread depth, no cracks and is not very hard, it would be pointless to throw it away immediately.
If you can adapt to the limited driving characteristics, you can continue to drive such a tire in the spring and only change it before it gets really warm. Then you also avoid the usual rush to change tires in the spring." But: "As summer temperatures rise, the disadvantages of winter tires increase, driving behavior and braking values are then significantly worse than with summer tires. This can age not only you, but also those around you." Over 34 brands of tires were subjected to the OAMTS (Austrian SBA) test. The test shows which tires are recommended for use in the summer months. Most of them passed successfully and 11 brands are highly recommended 185/65R15 tire size cars are mainly used by small vehicles, with the majority rated as least recommended. However, one tire in particular caught the testers' eye: the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 steers a remarkable balancing act.Achieves good values in both dry and wet conditions and still achieves the highest value in terms of wear.Good driving and braking characteristics require a fairly soft rubber compound, which on the other hand has worse wear properties. For example, "Continental EcoContact 6" and "Fulda EcoControl HP 2" achieve very good wear values, which are accompanied by mediocre wet ratings. In return, the Continental receives the highest fuel consumption ratings. Goodyear, Bridgestone Turanza T005, Michelin Primacy 4, Pirelli Cinturato P1 Verde and Dunlop Sport BluResponse are highly recommended. The 215/60 R16 tire size is often fitted in the compact and mid-size class and is also a popular size for compact SUVs. Good brands that are highly recommended in addition to "Michelin Primacy 4", "Continental Premium Contact 6", "Bridgestone Turanza T005", "Dunlop Sport BluResponse" and "Toyo Tires Proxes Comfort" are "Debica Presto HP2", "Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125", "Kumho Ecowing ES31" and "Sava Intensa hp 2", which also showed very good individual wear values - albeit with the disadvantage of mediocre behavior in the wet. One tire only not conditionally recommended - Kormoran Road Performance Although this showed the best value in terms of fuel consumption, it had significant weaknesses in terms of driving characteristics, especially on wet surfaces.
