Wet handling/wet cornering
Winter is a byword for wet, so how did the tyres fare on out wet handling course?
The test
The 1,535-metre soaked handling track brings together all the elements of our wet road tests. Consistent driving was vital, using the same braking points and lines, but trying to carry more speed through turns.
On the wet circle, we hugged the inner kerb and accelerated until the line could not be maintained.
Our results are from average lap times.
Michelin’s car tyres don’t usually excel in the wet, but it’s a different story for its SUV rubber. There was plenty of grip at all speeds, which really inspired confidence. There was none of the brake locking we experienced with rivals, and as the limit was reached, our test car broke traction progressively.
The French maker just shaded Continental by a tenth of a second, while wet specialist Goodyear was a fraction behind in third. There was a clear gap to Kumho and Pirelli, and a further five seconds behind was Hankook, which really struggled in the slow corners.
This also put paid to its chances on the 60-metre circle. Kumho led the way from Continental and Michelin, which swapped places from the handling track.
There was little to choose between Pirelli and Goodyear in this test, which puts the emphasis on pure wet grip.
Wet handling
Michelin 100.0
Continental 99.9
Goodyear 99.5
Kumho 98.6
Pirelli 98.1
Hankook 92.4
Wet cornering
Kumho 100.0
Continental 98.7
Michelin 97.4
Pirelli 96.8
Goodyear 96.5
Hankook 88.5
