WASHINGTON—Michelin tires swept the field in Consumer Reports' annual picks for best tires, leading or placing in all seven categories CR rated in its 2015 annual auto issue.
Goodyear, Continental, Pirelli, Yokohama and Hankook tires, among others, also did well in rankings listed in the CR issue dated April 2015.
CR unveiled the 2015 auto issue at the National Press Club Feb. 24, an event headlined by the announcement that three domestic cars—the Buick Regal, Chevrolet Impala and Tesla Model S—were the magazine's Top Picks in their respective vehicle categories.
The last time three domestic cars made CR's Top Picks list was in 1998, the magazine said.
According to the article, “The Best Tires in 7 Categories,” on page 18 of the issue, CR said it tests more than 50 tire models annually, putting them through a dozen or more tests to measure braking, handling, winter traction and treadwear.
The CR rankings in each tire category are as follows, with tires listed in order of preference:
• All-Season Tires: Michelin Defender, Goodyear Assurance Assurance Triple-Tred All-Season, Pirelli P4 Four Seasons, Yokohama Avid Ascend.
• Performance All-Season Tires, H Speed Rating: Michelin Primacy MXV4, Continental PureContact.
• Performance All-Season Tires, V Speed Rating: Continental PureContact, Michelin Primacy MXV4.
• Ultra-High-Performance (UHP) All-Season Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric All Season, Hankook Ventus S1 noble 2, Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season, Cooper Zeon RS3-A.
• UHP Summer Tires: Pirelli P Zero, Michelin Pilot Super Sport, Yokohama Advan Sport V105, Nokian zLine, Continental Extreme Contact DW.
• Truck and SUV All-Season Tires: Michelin Latitude Tour, Michelin LTX M/S2, Goodyear Assurance CS TripleTred All-Season, Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus, Continental CrossContact LX20 EcoPlus, Cooper Discoverer SBX.
• Truck and SUV All-Terrain Tires: Hankook Dynapro AT-M, Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure with Kevlar, Michelin LTX A/T2, Cooper Discoverer A/TW, Falken WildPeak A/TO1.
In its tire article, CR also recommended replacing tires at 4/32-inch tread depth.
“A tire that's won down to 2/32 of an inch should be swapped out immediately,” CR said. “But you may want to start shopping before then, because most tires lose their grip in wet conditions well before that.”
Lexus came first in CR's listings for Best Car Brands, followed closely by Mazda, Toyota, Audi and Subaru. Subaru had the most Top Picks of any brand, with three (Impreza, Forester, Legacy), followed by Toyota with two (Prius, Highlander).
The highest-ranked domestic brand was Buick at seventh, beating such brands as Honda, BMW, Acura, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz.