July 27, 2018
It’s something of a backhanded compliment, being called a "jack of all trades," mostly due to the implied, "master of none," conclusion. This label is frequently applied to Grand Touring All-Season tires, and while it’s true that tires from the category are nowhere near as proficient in the (warm) dry or wet as a Max Performance Summer tire or as capable in ice and snow as a dedicated winter tire, the best in class continue to improve and expand the performance envelope in all directions.
Continental hopes the new PureContact LS will build off the foundation of its predecessor, which was already one of the top Grand Touring All-Season tires in wet and winter performance. The new tire is supposed to make big gains in noise comfort, tread life and wet traction, with incremental gains in the snow, as well.
Yokohama’s new AVID Ascend GT is also aiming straight for the top, with claims of category-leading wet braking and snow braking, impressive wear, in addition to ride and noise comfort and dry handling that match the best.
We decided to compare these two new entries to some of the best on the market, so we brought together the Continental PureContact LS, Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady, Michelin Premier A/S and Yokohama AVID Ascend GT for a full test. Our evaluation used 2017 BMW F36 430i sedans fitted with new, full tread depth 225/50R17 tires mounted on 17x7.5 wheels.
Our 6.0-mile loop of expressway, state highway and county roads provides a great variety of road conditions that include city and highway speeds, smooth and coarse concrete, as well as new and patched asphalt. This route allows our team to experience noise comfort, ride quality and everyday handling, just as you would during your drive to school or work.
Grand Touring All-Season tires are likely to spend 100% of their lives on paved roads, dutifully shuttling drivers from point A to point B, so their on-road characteristics are what consumers will live with, day in and day out. In this regard, our team favors the Premier A/S above the rest of the group. While the ride is noticeably the firmest in the test, excellent motion control means every impact is a single event. Compared to some other tires here that are softer, but have a moment of continued reverberation following each bump, the net result feels more composed and refined. There is some light but noticeable tread growl as the pattern interacts with most road surfaces, but it quickly fades into the background unless you’re listening for it. The PureContact LS also has a lot to offer for the daily drive. The ride is nearly as firm as the Michelin’s, but some slight, continued vertical motion after impacts hurts the subjective score a little. Similarly, noise quality is a high point overall, with tread noise that is on par with the best in the test and some impact noise that is mildly more noticeable than the other tires here. The AVID Ascend GT feels the most softly-sprung, smoothing over big impacts very well, but it can also feel a little jiggly, especially over repetitive bumps. Several of our testers stated they felt the Yokohama created the most tread noise, but it is still likely to satisfy even the most discerning drivers. As we have found previously, the Assurance WeatherReady is completely sufficient on the road, but it isn’t quite as refined as the other premium tires in the category, due to a somewhat unsettled ride combined with pattern noise that is roughly equal in volume but at a frequency that makes it slightly more noticeable.
The Premier A/S earns high marks for steering feel and light handling, with urgent and linear response to inputs and positive heft to the wheel. There is considerably less resistance and feedback when driving the PureContact LS, but it is equally precise and has a satisfying feel that is all its own. The AVID Ascend GT has the lightest steering feel in the group, feeling a little disconnected from the road. It likely won’t cause much concern for anyone shopping the category, but it is worth noting. The Assurance WeatherReady responds rapidly and directly but feels a little vague while doing it.
Our 1/3-mile per lap test track course includes 90-degree street corners, a five-cone slalom and simulated expressway ramps. Run in both dry and wet conditions, the test track allows our team to experience the traction, responsiveness, handling and drivability normally only encountered during abrupt emergency avoidance maneuvers or competition events.
The precise and linear steering exhibited by the PureContact LS on the road translates to the dry track, complemented by stable and balanced handling that feels at home while being pushed to the limits. The Premier A/S also takes to the track nicely, with strong front-end authority and fast reflexes that are only slightly held back by a small lack of ultimate lateral grip. While the AVID Ascend GT doesn’t feel quite as natural or composed during track duty, it has the athleticism to get the job done, as evidenced by average lap times that are essentially in a three-way tie for second place. Similarly, it’s apparent the Assurance WeatherReady wasn’t built for track use, but responsive steering and reasonable balance mean it is in the hunt.
Wet traction is a strength for both of the new tires in our test, in addition to one of the existing entries. The AVID Ascend GT is a noticeable step ahead of the competition and is a huge improvement over its predecessor. It seems to do everything well and in proportion, with no attribute dominating any of the others, building confidence by clearly informing the driver of what to expect. The Premier A/S has a reputation for adept wet performance, and it’s easy to see why. With enough traction for whatever a consumer may experience on the road, plus responsive handling and authoritative braking, the Premier A/S feels controlled and capable. Objectively, the PureContact LS is in a virtual tie with the Michelin, and their subjective scores are very close, as well. The PureContact LS is proficient in the wet, with a small tendency to hang the tail out a little bit through some of the fastest turns on the track. While it is likely to be acceptable for street driving, the wet traction of the Assurance WeatherReady leaves something to be desired compared to the rest of this group. Though reasonably capable, it is a little out of balance through transitions, and there is little reserve grip once the driver pushes too hard, which means it takes noticeably longer to recover from a small skid or slide.
Winter weather is often unpredictable, and snow-covered roads change with every passing vehicle as they churn snow into slush or pack it down to polished ice. For accurate results we use a dedicated winter testing facility in Northern Sweden with acres of groomed snow that provides the consistency needed for reliable acceleration and braking comparisons. A groomed handling course allows us to evaluate stability and control during abrupt maneuvers. To simulate the icy conditions found at intersections or the black ice experienced out on the highway, we use ice at a local hockey rink and measure acceleration and braking traction.
The Assurance WeatherReady repeated its strong performance from previous winter tests, leading this group in the snow, and living up to its promise of good snow traction made by the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) symbol on its sidewall. The PureContact LS was very close behind, even though this tire doesn’t have the 3PMSF symbol. This reality underscores that the 3PMSF symbol is not the only guarantee of good winter traction - our testing has revealed there are a number of tires that perform well in the snow despite not having the symbol. The AVID Ascend GT provided good traction to start and stop our test vehicle, but struggled when it came to steering response and cornering traction. The Premier A/S rounded out the group with good traction and a balanced feel that made it easy to drive, but trailed the others for overall snow traction level.
On the ice all four tires performed similarly and in the same rank order as in the snow. Ice traction levels were adequate, but fell well short of what dedicated winter tires provide.
Our Real World Road Ride features a relatively flat 6.0-mile loop of 65 mph expressway, 55 mph state highway and 40 mph county roads along with three stop signs every lap. Our team drove each tire approximately 500 miles over the course of several days. Since we wanted to compare fuel consumption results that typical drivers would experience, our drivers were instructed to maintain the flow of traffic by running at the posted speed limits and sustain the vehicle’s speed using cruise control whenever possible. They did not use hypermiling techniques to influence vehicle fuel economy.
| Tire | Test MPG* | Gallons/Year @ 15,000 Miles |
% vs. Most Efficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continental PureContact LS | 30.5 | 491.8 | -1.3% |
| Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady | 30.9 | 485.4 | -- |
| Michelin Premier A/S | 30.4 | 493.4 | -1.6% |
| Yokohama AVID Ascend GT | 30.6 | 490.2 | -1.0% |
| *Our evaluation used Race Technology DL1 data loggers to record true distance travelled. | |||
Fuel economy is an important consideration for the family vehicles that typically use Grand Touring All-Season tires, and within this group, we found a negligible difference in observed mileage, with a .5-mile per gallon disparity between our lowest and highest observed fuel economy. This difference would result in an additional 8 gallons of premium gasoline used per year for a vehicle driven 15,000 miles annually.
It’s important to note our test’s fuel consumption measurements follow consistent procedures designed to minimize variables that could influence the results; however, they do not represent an exhaustive long-range fuel consumption study. While our procedures require the test vehicles in each convoy to run under the same prevailing conditions, the week-to-week differences in ambient temperatures, barometric pressures and wind speeds that we experience over a season of testing can influence vehicle fuel consumption and prevent the absolute mpg values of this test from being compared directly against those of others.
It’s true that Grand Touring All-Season tires can’t compete with more specialized products in certain conditions or types of use, but the top tires in the category keep getting better and better. And while it may not be as glamorous as being the dry track expert or the guru of snow and ice, Grand Touring All-Season tires are arguably the masters of the daily drive for the way most consumers use their cars the majority of the time.
The Michelin Premier A/S is a perpetual favorite in the category, thanks to polished refinement with a sporty flair in nice conditions and reassuring traction when the going gets wet. Continental’s new PureContact LS is sure to score well with consumers, thanks to a well-rounded performance and good traction in slippery wet and winter conditions. The Yokohama AVID Ascend GT is the new benchmark in wet performance, and on the road it is soft and comfortable, though not particularly engaging. The Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady performs at a high and category-appropriate level on the road and in the dry, but is just a little outmatched in that regard by this impressive group. It continues to be the Grand Touring All-Season leader for light snow traction, but wet traction is one area we would like to have a little more.
Continental PureContact LS (Grand Touring All-Season): The PureContact LS is Continental’s Grand Touring All-Season tire developed for drivers of family sedans, coupes, minivans and small crossovers looking for responsive handling and sporty steering feel, along with quiet comfort and year-round traction. PureContact LS tires are designed to combine the refined ride of a premium touring tire with an engaging driving experience and confident grip in dry, wet and wintry conditions, including light snow. Read more.
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady (Grand Touring All-Season): The Assurance WeatherReady is Goodyear’s Grand Touring All-Season tire designed for the drivers of family sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs and minivans who want the smooth and quiet ride of a premium touring tire combined with the all-season confidence that comes from driving a vehicle equipped with tires bearing the Severe Snow Service certification symbol. Read more.
Michelin Premier A/S (Grand Touring All-Season): The Premier A/S is Michelin’s Grand Touring All-Season tire developed for the drivers of coupes, sedans and minivans looking for tires that deliver category-leading wet grip when new and when worn. And even when worn, Premier A/S tires are designed to stop shorter on wet roads than leading competitors’ brand-new tires, as well as provide all-season traction on wintry roads, even in light snow. Read more.
Yokohama AVID Ascend GT (Grand Touring All-Season): The AVID Ascend GT is Yokohama’s Grand Touring All-Season tire developed for drivers of sedans, coupes, crossovers and minivans who want a refined ride and noise comfort combined with long life and confident all-season traction. The AVID Ascend GT is designed to deliver grip in dry, wet and wintry conditions, even light snow. Read more.
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