AutoBild Summer Tire Test 225/40 R18 2025

In the first part of the test, twenty tires with the best braking distances on dry and wet roads were selected. These twenty brands in size 225/40 R18 were subjected to further tests in various categories.
The greatest emphasis was placed on wet road performance, followed by dry surface tests and finally comfort - noise and operating costs.
The overall winner of the test is the GoodYear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 summer tire. During the test, it delivered balanced performance on both dry and wet roads, but it especially impressed with its long mileage and lowest noise level.
In second place with the same overall rating is the Michelin Pilot Sport 5, which is slightly behind in mileage but not by much. In third and fourth place are the Bridgestone Potenza Sport and the Continental PremiumContact 7.
A very nice fifth place was won by this year's new Hankook Ventus evo K137, which also delivered convincing performance on wet surfaces.

Surprisingly, the Chinese Sailun Atrezzo ZSR2 made it into the top ten, and the second ten is also started by the Chinese (but European-made) LingLong Sport Master. Is it possible that Chinese tires have improved so much?
The premium Pirelli P Zero PZ4 tires performed worse, finishing only in 16th place. They were also overtaken by Nexen, Laufenn, and Maxxis. The last two places were taken by mid-range summer tires Yokohama and Firestone, which is not a very good sign for the mid-range tire category.

The wet tests had four subcategories, and only one was won by a premium tire – when driving on a wet track. Here, the Bridgestone Potenza Sport won. In the other subcategories, mid-range tires won:
Handling (steering response - highest average speed measured) - Falken Ziex ZE 320
Braking (from 80km/h to standstill) – Hankook Ventus evo K137
Direct aquaplaning (highest floating speed – at which the tire still has contact with the road) - Giti Tire Gitisport S2

The premium tires performed well in the test, which ultimately put them in first place. However, if you decided to save money on tires and risk having to replace them after two seasons, you can also go for the Chinese Sailun tires, which performed solidly.
We could write that Hankook surprised us when its new product was ranked among premium tires in the first test, but that's unnecessary. Based on the performance it has been delivering for several years, Hankook should belong to the premium category, and so the position it has won is rightfully its own.

Have you already bought new summer tires for this season?

In our e-shop you will find a wide range of various summer tires, winter tires and all-season tires, from classic to real off-road tires, with which you can afford much more on unconventional terrain than with regular tires.
We will be happy to advise you on choosing tires in our brick-and-mortar store, and you can change your tires in our tire service.
Visit us in Košice on Popradská Street (ORLEN gas station) or call the following phone numbers:

+421 (0) 55 78 99 273, +421 (0) 905 606 842