MOTOR Tyre Test 2015: Figure Eight

With the Michelin and Continental showing class-leading form on dry high-friction asphalt, it was interesting to see if the same dominance would continue on the Figure Eight.

Surfaced with slippery low-friction concrete and with its long, medium-radius corners, it really amplifies a tyres’ attributes when subjected to sustained cornering load.

Here, the AMG proved the perfect test bed: its all-wheel drive virtually eliminates irregularities in power-down traction, its even-to-front drivetrain torque bias allows maximum attack while focusing load across the front axle, and its sweet adjustability allows rear grip to factor into the performance.

And like last year, each tyre set was subjected to three consecutive flying laps from a rolling 60km/h start, after which a combined three-lap time was recorded as gospel.

To no-one’s surprise, both the Michelin and Continental were the pace-setters, though you’d need a crystal ball to predict they’d clock identical 65.03sec passes. And given their performances in the Slalom, both models look untouchable in providing both highly reactive turn-in and supreme loaded grip on any type of dry surface.

It was the thick end of a full second between the quickest trio and the next four competitors. And, you could have thrown a blanket over the Dunlop (66.40), Bridgestone (66.48), Goodyear (66.85) and the Falken (66.97) – their collective times separated by a spread of just half-a-second in total over three combined laps.

The same can’t be said for the Winrun, however, though its tail-ender 67.45sec effort was, to be fair, a mere half-a-second off the Falken.

1