July 12, 2019
If you drive a coupe, sedan, minivan or small crossover, there’s a good chance it’s currently equipped with Grand Touring All-Season tires. They’re the go-to choice for drivers who want a single tire for year-round use, and the best in the category have become very good at doing it all. So, when considering a Grand Touring All-Season tire from a top-tier manufacturer, the expectations are understandably high. In addition to confident traction in all weather conditions, there’s the anticipation of a silky smooth ride and bank vault-like isolation inside the vehicle.
That’s the dream, anyway, so to find out what drivers can realistically expect from some of the newest Grand Touring All-Season offerings from four premium manufacturers, we gathered the untested Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack, Michelin Primacy Tour A/S and Vredestein Quatrac Pro and compared them to a known, impressive contender, the Continental PureContact LS. Our evaluation used 2020 BMW F36 430i Gran Coupes 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 expected to deliver at a high level when it comes to on-road manners, and those expectations are arguably highest for premium tires like the ones in our test group. Fortunately, our testing revealed that impressive refinement is one of the many attributes of their do-everything personalities.
All the tires tested scored very highly with our team, with the Turanza QuietTrack and the Quatrac Pro tied at the top. The ride of the Turanza QuietTrack was a pleasing blend of comfort and control, with firm damping that rounded over large impacts while essentially eliminating small bumps. Sound comfort was another high point, as Bridgestone’s engineers did a good job designing tread features to create tones that, while not completely silent, blend together into a muted, white noise. Crisp, direct steering with just the right amount of responsiveness felt particularly good, as well, lending a sporty vibe to the overall package. The Quatrac Pro exuded a luxurious persona that was arguably as refined as anything we have tested. The ride was nearly as well controlled as the Bridgestone, but where that tire felt taut and sporty, the Quatrac Pro was slightly softer and gentler, further removing road imperfections from the driver’s awareness. Over the smooth sections of our route, the only audible noise came from the engine and the wind, and the Quatrac Pro merely created a slight hum on the worst patches of road. Steering feel was just as precise and direct as the Bridgestone, though it was more fluid and smoother, with slightly less effort required, but it was equally satisfying. The Primacy Tour A/S was commendable on the road, with a ride that was just slightly firmer than we would like from a Grand Touring All-Season tire, though far from objectionable. It was a quiet tourer, as well, with some mild tread growl on most surfaces that was more pronounced when the road was coarse. The steering was precise and naturally linear, with little resistance or feedback to engage the driver. In isolation, the Continental PureContact LS is a fine tire on the road, as evidenced by its high score from our team. In this very strong company, though, the small nits became more apparent. Ride quality was likely to satisfy most drivers, and our testers found a lot to like, but a combination of a firm ride that wasn’t damped quite as well as the other tires here comparatively meant it crashed a little over impacts. Similarly, the tread noise was a little louder, a little more distinctive in tone, so it stood out in this test. Steering is the one place we may have a genuine complaint, but even that was only minor. There was a noticeable lack of feel or resistance directly on-center, though it was quick to respond to inputs, and the response was distinctly non-linear through the full range of steering.
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.
While Grand Touring All-Season tires prioritize comfort over performance, part of their makeup includes at least a little bit of a "fun-to-drive" character, and that’s part of what makes them so popular. Like a powerful luxury car, they provide a refined, pampering experience day-to-day, but they make a willing partner for a spirited romp when the mood strikes.
Even with this in mind, the PureContact LS felt surprisingly adept during our on-track evaluation, almost as if it was built for performance driving. Sharp turn-in and precise response to inputs made it easy to turn down to the apex, and the impressive ability to handle steering and acceleration at the same time allowed the driver to pick up the throttle quickly and confidently. Though ultimately its average lap times fell at the back of this tightly grouped comparison set, the satisfying personality of the Turanza QuietTrack meant it found a lot of favor with our team. Good feedback, balance at the limit and the same excellent steering we found on the road all contributed to an overall package that was a pleasure to drive. Similarly, the Quatrac Pro felt balanced and stable all the way up to the limit, though when pushed too hard it would default to understeer, and it took longer to recover than others. The steering was direct and precise and felt very good, but it didn’t respond as urgently as the Continental or Bridgestone tires. The Primacy Tour A/S was capable, though not as satisfying to drive as the rest of the group. Some slight, but noticeable, delay in response to inputs made it feel somewhat reluctant, like it didn’t want to be rushed. If the driver took this into consideration and drove accordingly, it was possible to put down reasonably quick laps, but it was easy to get ahead of the tire if not making a conscious effort to avoid it.
Wet testing saw significant separation within the group, with the Quatrac Pro delivering a dominant performance. While it was remarkable in all aspects, what stood out most was the ability to put the power to the pavement, allowing the driver to use full throttle sooner and in sections of the track where it was not possible with the other tires. We often find highly capable tires feel edgy or nervous at the limit, but that behavior was absent from the Quatrac Pro, and it felt stable and planted, even while pushing as hard as the driver’s abilities would allow. The PureContact LS has enough wet traction to satisfy even the most discerning drivers, and it felt very strong everywhere on the track. Our only concerns surrounded some edginess at the limit, where the tire could transition to understeer very quickly, or to snap oversteer under power and through rapid changes of direction like the slalom. Where traction and ability were concerned, the Primacy Tour A/S was essentially on par with the PureContact LS, but the Michelin didn’t feel as capable in the moment. The somewhat hesitant steering and sluggish response made it easy to fall behind the expectations set by its relatively high traction, and this disparity resulted in an overall package that felt less skilled in the wet. The wet grip of Turanza QuietTrack was a step behind the rest of the group, though it may be sufficient to satisfy most drivers on the road. When driven within the window of traction, the tire is balanced, communicative and well mannered, but unfortunately, on the track it doesn’t take a lot to ask too much and overstep the relatively low limits.
In our winter testing, all four entries performed admirably and about as well as one can reasonably expect from all-season tires. While they all fall well short of the capabilities delivered by a dedicated winter tire in the snow or on the ice, they are likely to satisfy drivers who typically use all-season tires year round.
The Turanza QuietTrack led the way in lap times and also earned the highest subjective score from our drivers. It delivered a satisfying level of traction and was very easy to maximize. The tire clearly communicated its balance of performance, so the driver knew precisely how hard he could push. The PureContact LS also provided very good grip, and it led the test in our objective acceleration and braking figures. Subjectively it felt quite capable, as well, though the strong longitudinal traction overshadowed the lateral grip somewhat. This resulted in a slight imbalance that made it a little more difficult to read. The Quatrac Pro was a small step back from the leaders in all regards, and it still delivered a very solid performance. Interestingly, the Quatrac Pro is also the only tire in the test bearing the 3PMSF symbol, which further illustrates, as we have found previously, while the symbol is a guideline it is not the only indicator of light snow performance. The Primacy Tour A/S rounds out the group, but that is not to say it isn’t a satisfactory tire in the snow. While outright traction is slightly less than the other three tires tested, it never felt inadequate during our drive.
Acceleration and braking on the ice were very tightly matched among the group, with the acceleration times close enough to be considered within the noise of our test procedures. The Primacy Tour A/S set itself apart from the group in braking with stops that averaged out to about five feet shorter than the rest. Less than a foot separated the braking distances of the other three tires.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack | 30.7 | 488.6 | -- |
| Continental PureContact LS | 30.7 | 488.6 | -- |
| Michelin Primacy Tour A/S | 30.7 | 488.6 | -- |
| Vredestein Quatrac Pro | 30.1 | 498.3 | -2.0% |
| Our evaluation used Race Technology DL1 data loggers to record true distance traveled. | |||
Fuel economy is a consideration for most drivers, and within this group we found a negligible .6-mile per gallon disparity between our lowest and highest observed fuel economy. This difference would result in an additional 9.7 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.
Larger differences in consumption between tires may indicate a difference that might be experienced on the road, while smaller differences should be considered equivalent. As they say, your mileage may vary.
Drivers have high expectations from Grand Touring All-Season tires, especially those from top-tier manufacturers. The perception of ultimate luxury and all-around capability exists for a reason, and the tires in our test group illustrate why.
The Vredestein Quatrac Pro is an all-around impressive tire. The ride and noise comfort are some of the best we have tested, along with light handling that is ideal for a Grand Touring All-Season tire’s mission. Combine the excellent on-road performance with wet traction that is significantly superior to its competitors and competent dry track capability, and the result is a winner. A mid-pack finish in our snow testing among this very talented group of competitors is no knock against the tire, and it’s likely to meet the expectations of drivers who are used to using all-season tires year-round. Continental’s PureContact LS is a strong contender in its own right. Very good wet traction and acceleration and braking figures that led our light snow testing are two high points. Factor in surprising capability on the dry track and on-road manners suitable for miles of comfort and you have a well-rounded, talented tire that should satisfy any driver. The Michelin Primacy Tour A/S is also an all-around, balanced performer. A firm ride and some mild tread growl, particularly over coarse surfaces, are the only minor quibbles with the characteristics on the road, and while it doesn’t feel adept in dry or wet track use, the traction delivered in both of those conditions is sufficient for what drivers are likely to experience on the road. Similarly, the light snow traction is good for an all-season tire. The Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack has strengths and weaknesses that make it somewhat less balanced in its performance. Marvelous steering is an asset on the road and the dry track, and the composed ride combined with hushed, white noise from the tread make it a remarkable option for a daily-driven vehicle. Test-leading lap times around the snow handling track and the highest subjective score in the snow from our testers make the Turanza QuietTrack an even more compelling choice. The downside is wet traction that is a step behind the rest of the group that drivers may feel while driving in the rain.
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