Tire Test Results

Tires Tested

• What We Liked: It's comfortable on the road and capable when pushed on the track.
• What We'd Improve: A slight bump in most characteristics would bring it to greatness.
• Conclusion: A good all-round tire that should satisfy drivers in most situations.

• What We Liked: Its snow traction is good for the category and on-road behavior is adequate.
• What We'd Improve: There's room to improve both its on-road comfort and wet traction.
• Conclusion: It's a decent tire that could make some drivers happy but struggles to make a case for itself outside the winter season.

• What We Liked: On the road, it's composed, cushioned and comfortable.
• What We'd Improve: It could be a tad quieter.
• Conclusion: A deserving entry that understands the mission of a touring tire.

• What We Liked: It does everything everyone else does, but better.
• What We'd Improve: It has some persistent resonance on most surfaces.
• Conclusion: A great tire, that while imperfect, remains one of the better touring options available.

What We Learned on the Road

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.

The road ride fell toward the close of the summer testing season, on a windy, but temperate atmosphere with a thick cover of clouds. The Falken Aklimate started the test on a high note, delivering a firmer ride that capably isolated a number of small bumps and imperfections, even if some of the larger impacts were more pronounced. The sound created over the drive was well-blended in general, though a distracting variety of tones emerged over various surfaces. In particular, extremely smooth surfaces would create a distracting pattern noise every so often. The steering feel was comparatively less manic, with appropriate weight and accuracy that were held back somewhat by a slight delay from input to response. The Quatrac subjectively handled itself extremely well over larger impacts better than any other tire in the test and was equally well-composed over smaller, repetitive imperfections. In addition, the Quatrac reacted positively to steering commands, executing them with reasonable accuracy and progressively building effort into turns. Its noise generation was undoubtedly the area it had the most room to improve, with a persistent resonant grind over most surfaces. The Celsius II did a capable job cushioning and rounding over regular flaws in the street, taking on large impacts with aplomb. It did blend tones from road noise well and was one of the quieter tires tested, but still struggled with persistent grinding resonance like most of the other tires in the group. In terms of steering, the Celsius II handled well - accurate, weighty and responsive, though some of our testers felt it somewhat vague on-center. Finally, the Encompass AW01 rounded out our set of on-road testing, with a notably lightweight ride in almost every respect. Our testers felt as if every undulating change in the road was communicated through the tires, punctuated by the impact force over larger gouges in the street. The lightweight feel continued into its handling; the steering was accurate and responded quickly, however the lack of feedback left it disconnected and weightless. The Encompass AW01 exhibited the weakest noise characteristics, with high volume, varied tones that, while they settled into a background drone well enough, were noticeable enough to be distracting.

What We Learned on the Test Track

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.

Grand Touring All-Season tires are, as the name implies, intended as a single-tire solution for all kinds of situations. Naturally, since rainy weather is a condition that can occur any time regardless of season or location, it affects nearly everyone who drives, and is one of the chief conditions we check for performance.

The Quatrac took to the wet track easily, its strong traction and capable handling putting it at the forefront of all tires in this test in every objective metric we used. Longitudinal traction was up across the board, with braking taking center-stage. The Quatrac took just over 100 feet to stop from 50 mph in our standardized braking test, stopping well short of the closest competing tire by a full 10 feet. No tire is perfect, and it did struggle with overlapping inputs, but on any individual level, it was a strong, planted tire that transmitted its drivers' commands to the road with expert precision.

Around the wet track, the Aklimate demonstrated responsive, accurate steering that allowed for adequate navigation under the limit. As our drivers pushed speed and approached the edges of traction, precision would suffer and understeer became more prevalent.

The Celsius II made an interesting case for itself during laps. It avoided the pitfalls of understeer typical of this category and among others in this test, though at the trade of balancing in the other direction. It dealt with the dual-issue of lower overall traction and a tail-happy rear-end as it ran out of traction, forcing our drivers to steer more from the center of the vehicle.

Our drivers agreed the Encompass AW01 was a difficult ride in a wet environment, not at all helped by the lightweight steering present during the road ride making a return here as well. Without the resistance expected from most tires, gauging the correct input to wrangle the low-traction front end through a turn became a difficult proposition, likely to result in understeering through the turn. A tail-happy balance and lack of grip only compounded the overarching feeling that the Encompass AW01 struggled to find its footing.

On the dry track, the Quatrac again demonstrated a remarkable ability to lead its competitors here in average lap times. The commanding traction it had shown elsewhere only continued to dominate on a dry track, particularly when measuring stopping distance from 50-0 mph. Steering was precise and accurate, though it still struggled with combining inputs during quick maneuvers or braking and turning at the entrance to a corner.

The Celsius II performed well on a dry track - despite a somewhat yaw-prone tendency, though it was more manageable than on the wet track. With no obvious weaknesses or concerns, it was competent, though not overly exciting either.

The Aklimate struck a mostly composed profile on the track. It was responsive, accurate and capable of rotating on command. As it reached and surpassed the limit of its traction however, the Aklimate tended to understeer and slide if our drivers didn't carefully meter out their inputs. Kept within its comfort zone, it was competent and able to turn out laps with ease.

The Encompass AW01 was consistent with its behavior on the road and wet track, and the lack of steering feedback remained a concern for wrestling it through laps. It was quick, but lacked composure during weight transition, wobbling out of turns or through the slalom. Combined with its limited traction and braking force, it could be a tricky tire to manage around the track.

Driving in Winter Conditions

One of the implicit expectations of an all-season tire, especially a 3PMSF-branded all-weather tire, is that, beyond the heat of summer, the briskness of autumn, or the heavy rainfall of spring, they can be safely driven in the notoriously slick, low-traction environments created by snowfall and ice during winter. While all-season tires must make concessions that a dedicated winter tire does not, and consequently, will never be a true replacement for a purpose-built tire, incremental improvements over the years have certainly made modern all-weather tires more appealing.

Each one of these tires seemed to excel or stand out in one objective score or the other, so none of them truly distinguished itself from the rest of the group. The Celsius II took a narrow lead in acceleration through snow, accomplishing 0-12 mph in an even 30 feet, and coming to a stop from 25 mph in 57.8 feet. Notably, though, our drivers observed it felt the most planted during emergency avoidance maneuvers, with no real breakaway. It was slower to respond, heavy, and not at all urgent to drive, but its reliable translation of driver input was mostly well-suited to a low-traction environment. The Encompass AW01 felt more at home in snow than it did in the wet or dry, and its test-leading snow-stopping distance of 52.4 feet supported that case. All four tires were within a foot of each other in acceleration distance, so its 30.7 feet to reach 12 mph was comfortably within the competitive set. Avoidance maneuvers were direct, clean, and tidy, keeping the car in balance throughout. Any loss of grip was minor and able to be recovered quickly. The Quatrac was extremely close to the lead in acceleration, at 30.1 feet, though at 64.5 feet to come to a stop, had plenty of room for improvement. It was less direct during turn-in, "catching up" to instruction from the wheel. Combined with a more abrupt traction breakaway, it led to an edgy feeling tire, even if, in general, it had higher than average limits to its grip. Finally, the Aklimate technically took the furthest to accelerate at 31 feet, and at 61.5 feet to stop in the snow, was competitive but still 3+ feet behind its closest rival and nearly 10 feet off from the leading tire. Any sudden or abrupt steering felt as if the tire lost traction and then found it again a heartbeat or two later. Combined with the feeling that its grip limits were lower and sharper than the other tires, the Aklimate felt slightly "out-of-phase."

On the ice, the Quatrac was able to showcase the top objective results in both measurements. It was the quickest to reach the acceleration target in 5.79 seconds and came to a halt in only 55.3 feet. The Celsius II remained a good competitor here as well, with 6.12 seconds to accelerate and coming to a stop at 57 feet even, just under two feet apart. The Aklimate was similarly close, at 6.23 seconds to accelerate and 59.2 feet to stop. Finally, the Encompass AW01 trailed in a tight group at 6.31 seconds to accelerate, and the furthest to brake at 61.5 feet, competitive with the group but still over six feet from the leading tire.

Summary

There's more to a Grand Touring All-Season tire than just how it performs, and these every-day drivers needed to balance comfort, sound and performance to be worth considering. Each one brings something to the table, and focusing on both the strengths and weaknesses of each has always been critical to evaluating tires.

The Vredestein Quatrac is an excellent example of the category, with leading performance in nearly every aspect these tires are examined. It isn't without flaws, and we'd love to see a small boost in the snow and some of the road noise addressed. However, overall, it's wonderfully balanced and a straightforward example of a good tire. The Falken Aklimate didn't veer into uncontrollability or struggle to hustle around the track, but it lacked the ultimate traction to take it to the next level. It's a well-rounded tire in most environments, not quite able to rise to the level of lead, but its combination of comfortable on-road behavior balanced with capable performance was still able to allow it to rise ahead of its competitors. The Celsius II continues to iterate on Toyo's Celsius line, and its cushioned, quiet road ride channels the essence and purpose of touring tires. It deserves particular note for its stable winter performance. There's still room to improve its dry and wet performance, but Toyo is on the right track. Finally, the Nokian Encompass AW01 turned in an adequate drive on the road - with a ride somewhat comparable to a more specialized performance or winter tire, but without the specific benefits of those focused designs. The Encompass AW01 isn't a bad tire for the right driver; ideally, one who prefers significantly lighter steering, or is looking for something slightly better in the snow than an average Grand Touring All-Season tire but not quite a winter tire. As long as you approach with its specific limitations in mind, it may be just the right fit that nothing else could fill.