VW SYNCRO: Passat b3/b4 Syncro tyres.

05 February 2021

My only option, in Greece, for a 225 50 r15 tire, which is all weather, V rating, and not, just, for the left wheels, as some directional tires are, suitable for a fast 4x4 car.

Nankang xr611 M+S

( Wave tread pattern, Pirelli 1995, P6000)

A comparison based on a 2013 test of 54 summer tires:

tyrereviews.uk 2013 test 54 Summer tires

tyrereviews.uk 2017 test 11 All season tires

And here is a synthesis of the data of the Summer 2013 test to All season tires of the year 2017:

Recommended! (My humble opinion).

Not recommended! (Experts are speaking!).

Not recommended! (By Nankang!)

Recommended! (By racers, Finland, 2015 Nankang xr611 cup).

(Not my style exactly).

08 February 2021

Nankang xr611 is a m + s tire and has to be tested and validated as m + s, (or all weather), tire.

The science behind it:

Wave tread pattern.

“…and a primary object of the present invention is to provide a pneumatic tire which is improved in the steering stability on dry roads and running performance on snowy/icy roads by improving the configurations of sipes”.

US Patent

And , according to the initial "wave" tread, it seems that there are more...

The reason not characterized as m + s, always, is unknown to me. May be it is rather a legal and not a technical, construction, matter? Something like this?:

Pirelli P Zero Nero, which is a m + s tire with, almost, identical tread pattern.

Continental Crosscontact LX20, All weather, similar pattern.

But the testers insist to test xr611 as a summer tire:

, Auto Bild (03.2015)

German magazine "Auto Bild" has published the "Summer Tire Super Test 2015". The tested tire size was 185/60 R15, test vehicle a VW Polo.

This test is a special test with 53 participating products. The evaluation consists of 2 parts:
Part 1: dry and wet braking test, selection of the 18 best products, called "Finalists":

Autobild

N°	Brand	Model	Braking distance, m		Total, m
N°	Brand	Model	wet	dry	Total, m
1	Pirelli	Cinturato P1 Verde	47,5	37,0	84,5
2	Continental	PremiumContact 5	48,1	36,6	84,7
3	Dunlop	Sport BluResponse	49,5	35,9	85,4
4	Bridgestone	Turanza T001	49,8	36,4	86,2
5	Hankook	Kinergy Eco K425	50,2	36,3	86,5
6	Nexen	N'Blue HD Plus	51,2	35,7	86,9
7	Goodyear	EfficientGrip Performance	51,8	36,1	87,9
8	Fulda	EcoControl HP	52,6	36,1	88,7
9	Sava	Intensa HP	51,4	37,5	88,9
10	Vredestein	Sportrac 5	53,2	36,0	89,2
11	Falken	Ziex ZE914 Ecorun	53,3	36,0	89,3
12	Michelin	Energy Saver+	53,4	36,9	90,3
13	Zeetex	ZT1000	52,8	37,7	90,5
14	Kumho	Ecowing ES01 KH27	54,2	36,7	90,9
15	Roadstone	CP 661	52,7	39,3	92,0
16	Uniroyal	RainExpert	53,5	39,2	92,7
17	Apollo	Alnac 4G	56,2	37,6	93,8
18	Yokohama	BluEarth AE-01	56,8	37,9	94,7
19	Semperit	Comfort Life 2	55,4	39,7	95,1
20	Barum	Brillantis 2	55,2	40,0	95,2
21	Dayton	D210	58,6	36,6	95,2
22	Torque	TQ021	56,9	38,7	95,6
23	Nankang	XR611 Toursport	60,3	35,4	95,7
24	Hi Fly	HF201	58,2	38,2	96,4
25	Firestone	TZ300	57,6	39,5	97,1
26	Riken	Maystorm 2b²	60,3	37,2	97,5
27	Nokian	Line	60,0	37,8	97,8
28	Taurus	Touring 301	60,2	37,8	98,0
29	Petlas	Imperium PT515	58,6	39,5	98,1
30	GT Radial	Champiro 228	60,1	38,2	98,3
31	Viking	City Tech II	60,6	37,8	98,4
32	Evergreen	EH23	61,2	37,6	98,8
33	Maxxis	Victra 510	61,5	37,7	99,2
34	Starmaxx	Novaro ST532	61,7	37,7	99,4
35	Matador	MP16	59,2	40,5	99,7
36	Zeta	ZTR20	61,8	37,9	99,7
37	Marshal	Matrac MH11	61,5	38,6	100,1
38	Kleber	Dynaxer HP3	62,4	38,1	100,5
39	Tracmax	F-101	63,1	37,7	100,8
40	Gilsaved	Urban*Speed	62,2	39,1	101,3
41	Trazano	H550-A	64,5	37,7	102,2
42	General	Altimax Comfort	63,0	40,0	103,0
43	Cooper	CS2	63,8	39,4	103,2
44	King Meiler	Sport 1	66,0	37,7	103,7
45	Avon	ZT5	64,1	39,8	103,9
46	Sailun	Atrezzo SH402	71,2	38,6	109,8
47	Insa Turbo	Ecosaver-E	69,7	41,3	111,0
48	Tristar	F109 Ecopower 2	72,3	39,1	111,4
49	Autogrip	F101	71,9	39,7	111,6
50	Toyo	Nanoenergy 2	73,6	38,1	111,7
51	Silverstone	Synenergie M5	73,2	39,5	112,7
52	Rotalla	F109	74,1	39,3	113,4
53	Maxtrek	SU-830	85,6	39,1	124,7

Here seems that the Nankang xr611 takes the # 23 position.

But, as in many other matters, the azimuth of the visual angle, may blur the clear, at a first glance, picture.

Firstly, the #23 Nankang xr611 m+s tire, beats the #1 SUMMER tire Pirelli P1 Cinturato Verde FOR THE DRY BRAKING by 1.6 m! Mission impossible for an all weather m+s tire.

Secondly, if we compare the results to all weather tires, another reality is revealed. And, yes, the data are comparable, since the same tires have a similar behavior, independently of the size or the vehicle it is used, within some error limits.

No comments!

14 February 2021

Anyone to recommend the xr611?

Well, except those who trust it in sizes above 205, where the tread pattern is different in comparison to smaller sizes, in terms of analogies, seems to be difficult.

But just a moment! There is a very big and serious one! In fact, he is so enthusiastic about it, that he goes one step ahead and even produces the tire!

The Syncro Heresy

Tires are on!

A sneak peak on a wet surface road is my first 10 km course.

What an irony! Sharp turns on a narrow country side road, when wet! Exactly on the wild side, according to the reviewers, I felt in danger!

But I went from, (Bridgestone Adrenalin r002, 8.5 kgr), 205 55 r15 to, (Nankang xr611, 9.5 kgr), 225 50 r15, wider tires, with the same, 6J r15, oem Sebring, wheels. Is it a matter of the 4wd, 4wt, of the car? Or of the wider tires?

At 40 psi, (vs 38 psi for the Bridgestone), all around, Nankang works as a magic carpet, absorbing much better the road noise, and this is easily understood as a matter of a softer carcass.

The handling on the wet tarmac, on the other hand, is unexpected, as well as, the reaction through the standing waters.

But a 10 km.road is a very short distance...

17 February 2021

Fate brought it and my first impressions about my Nankangs are for the rare cases, in my region, of the wet tarmac, as well as, of snowy roads, not having the opportunity to drive under the normal circumstances, for me, yet.

Climbing on a snowy hill seems to be extremely easy for my Syncro g60 with the xr611 Nankangs. Much easier than with my Bridgestone Adrenalin, although the xr611 are wider. For a level road, they behave perfectly on the, fresh, snow. Driving on the snow remains, almost, unnoticed, (for low speed of course)!