YONKERS, N.Y.—Michelin, General, Cooper and Goodyear brand tires secured the top ratings in Consumer Reports' tests of all-weather tires, according to the magazine.
Published in CR's November 2018 issue, the latest rankings represented tests in five categories: all-season tires, performance all-season tires, ultra-high-performance all-season tires, winter/snow tires and SUV all-season tires.
Michelin scored first place in the performance and ultra-high-performance categories. In performance all-season tires, the Michelin CrossClimate + ranked first, followed by the Continental PureContact LS, the General Altimax RT43, the Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady and the Michelin Premier A/S.
In UHP, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ came out first, followed by the Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus, the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06, the BFGoodrich g-Force Comp-2 A/S and the Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season.
In the November article, CR said it evaluated five all-weather tire models for best all-around all-weather tire: the CrossClimate +, the Assurance WeatherReady, the Nokian WRG4, the Toyo Celsius and the Vredestein Quatrac 5.
"The Michelin CrossClimate + shined as the top-rated all-weather tire thanks to its uncompromising grip," the article said.
The Michelin CrossClimate + retails at $171 and is sold in limited sizes by Tire Rack, according to CR. More sizes will be added this fall, it said.
Among all-season tires, the General Altimax RT43 placed first, followed by the Michelin Defender T+H, the Continental TrueContact Tour, the Falken Sincera SN201 A/S and the Falken Sincera SN250 A/S.
The Cooper Discoverer True North took the prize among winter/snow tires, followed by the Hankook Winter I*cept iZ2, the Continental WinterContact SI, the Michelin X-Ice XI3 and the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3.
The Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max ranked highest among SUV all-season tires, followed by the Kumho Crugen Premium, the Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia, the Sumitomo HTR Enhance C/X and the Hankook Dynapro HP2.
CR purchased more than 630 all-season tires, covering 63 models, for this year's testing, the article said. Each year the magazine selects different tire categories for testing and ranking.
CR tested the tires at its test track in Connecticut for wet and dry braking and handling, ride comfort and quietness, snow traction and resistance to hydroplaning, according to the article.
It evaluated each tire's grip on ice at a nearby skating rink, conducted treadwear tests on public roads in western Texas, and commissioned outside laboratories to measure rolling resistance, it said.