These are the first all season tyres I've used as I didn't want to be switching between summer/winter tyres anymore so I can't directly compare these with other all season tyres.
I've only been using these this spring/summer so might return to update the review when I've seen how they cope with snow/ice and generally cold conditions.
The first thing I noticed about these tyres was how quiet, smooth and comfortable they are compared with any other tyre I've used. They replaced Conti Premium Contact 2 on all four wheels and the difference is night and day. I've also used a lot of tyres in my time from Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone, Toyo, Falken & Kumho and I've never seen this level of comfort or lack of noise. Very impressive!
In the dry the handling is quite sharp for a tyre with soft-ish sidewalls and grip is excellent. Not quite as good at handling in the dry as a dedicated summer tyre but you would never notice unless pushing hard. Bizarrely, dry braking is actually improved over the previous tyres though!
In the wet it's a different story, the tyre's noticeably lacking a bit in all out grip. They're not unsafe, and I've driven on worse summer tyres in the wet, but I wouldn't say they were great in the wet; only above average. Wet braking is a bit better than wet handling and acceleration which is reassuring for safety but they just can't match a dedicated a premium summer tyre in this area.
I can't really comment on wear as I've not done enough mileage in them. They don't appear to have worn at all and there's no reason to assume that they won't last well.
To conclude, I'd say you're sacrificing some all round performance for a tyre which will still work in the cold and snow/ice. I intend to update the review once I've tried these in winter but for the time being I'm quite happy with them.
I've only been using these this spring/summer so might return to update the review when I've seen how they cope with snow/ice and generally cold conditions.
The first thing I noticed about these tyres was how quiet, smooth and comfortable they are compared with any other tyre I've used. They replaced Conti Premium Contact 2 on all four wheels and the difference is night and day. I've also used a lot of tyres in my time from Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone, Toyo, Falken & Kumho and I've never seen this level of comfort or lack of noise. Very impressive!
In the dry the handling is quite sharp for a tyre with soft-ish sidewalls and grip is excellent. Not quite as good at handling in the dry as a dedicated summer tyre but you would never notice unless pushing hard. Bizarrely, dry braking is actually improved over the previous tyres though!
In the wet it's a different story, the tyre's noticeably lacking a bit in all out grip. They're not unsafe, and I've driven on worse summer tyres in the wet, but I wouldn't say they were great in the wet; only above average. Wet braking is a bit better than wet handling and acceleration which is reassuring for safety but they just can't match a dedicated a premium summer tyre in this area.
I can't really comment on wear as I've not done enough mileage in them. They don't appear to have worn at all and there's no reason to assume that they won't last well.
To conclude, I'd say you're sacrificing some all round performance for a tyre which will still work in the cold and snow/ice. I intend to update the review once I've tried these in winter but for the time being I'm quite happy with them.