Our test tires come from my Chinese people at Sailun, who offered up the company’s Atrezzo ZS+. Prior to this story, I had never heard of Sailun before, but that isn’t a bad thing. There are so many tire brands around the world that make excellent products, and it takes people like us to spread the word for them.
The ZS+ tire that we went with is part of their Ultra High Performance line and is ideal for summertime driving. We went with sizing of 255/35R18 because Moe’s Evo X is still on the stock Enkei wheels, but old man Moe swears that he’s an aggressive driver and therefore needs something a little stickier. Also, he lets a lot of people borrow his car so he wanted something that could provide a stiffer bite when it comes to braking because not all magazine editors are good drivers.
Sailun uses an advanced synthetic tire rubber that ends up saving you money by lasting longer and reducing weight, which improves gas mileage. We didn’t get a chance to test the actual lifespan of the tires, but did notice a slight improvement on how far we could drive on a full tank of gas.It’s generally hard to tell if the grip level has improved an all-wheel drive car, but we could definitely feel the extra bite that the ZS+ provided on the few windy mountain roads we have access to. We also noticed that it significantly reduced road noise, which might not be good if you have a nagging spouse riding in the car with you on a regular basis.
Features:
Solid Center Rib
High angle v-shaped tread grooves
Grooved tread block walls
Taper tread edges
Shoulder tie bars
Angled micro-sipes to improve all weather traction
The Tire Labeling Ordinance specifies the information requirements on fuel efficiency, wet grip and external rolling noise from tires. In addition, reference is made to the winter properties of the product.
The EU 1222/2009 regulation that has been in force since November 1st, 2012 has been revised and will be replaced by regulation EU 2020/740 from May 1st, 2021; From this point on, new requirements apply. The rating classes for fuel efficiency, wet grip and exterior noise have been changed and the layout of the EU label has been adjusted. The manufacturer's product data sheets stored in the EU database can be downloaded via a QR code integrated into the label. Information on snow grip and ice grip is also newly included for tires that meet these criteria.
The following tires are exempt from the regulation: - tires that are designed exclusively for installation on vehicles that were first registered before October 1, 1990 - retreaded tires (until a corresponding extension of EU VO 2020/740 has taken place) - professional off - Road tires - Racing tires - Tires with additional devices to improve traction, eg studded tires - T-type emergency tires - Tires with a permissible speed below 80 km/h - Tires for rims with a nominal diameter ≤ 254 mm or ≥ 635 mm
The criteria and evaluation classes at a glance
fuel efficiency
The fuel consumption depends on the rolling resistance of the tyres, the vehicle itself, the driving conditions and the driving style of the driver. The measured rolling resistance (rolling resistance coefficient) of the tire is divided into classes A (highest efficiency) to E (lowest efficiency).
If a vehicle is completely equipped with class A tires, a consumption reduction of up to 7.5%* is possible compared to class E tyres. In the case of commercial vehicles, it can even be higher. (Source: European Commission Impact Assessment * when measured according to the test methods set out in Regulation (EU) 2020/740)
Please note: Fuel consumption depends to a large extent on your own driving style and can be significantly reduced by driving in an environmentally friendly manner. Tire pressure should be checked regularly to improve fuel efficiency.
wet grip
Wet grip is divided into classes A (shortest braking distance) - E (longest braking distance).
If a car is equipped with class A tires, compared to class E tires, a braking distance of up to 18 m can be reduced when braking from 80 km/h (on a road surface with average grip).* *Source: wdk Economic Association of the German Rubber Industry eV
Please note: Traffic safety depends to a large extent on your own driving style. The stopping distances must always be observed. Tire pressure should be checked regularly to improve wet grip.
External rolling noise
The noise emitted by a tire affects the overall volume of the vehicle and affects not only your own driving comfort, but also the noise pollution of the environment. In the EU tire label, the external rolling noise is divided into 3 classes from A (lowest rolling noise) - C (highest rolling noise), measured in decibels (dB) and compared with the European noise emission limit values for external tire rolling noise.
A The pictogram with the classification "A" indicates that the tire's external rolling noise is more than 3 dB below the EU limit value in force until 2016. B The "B" classification means that the tyre's external rolling noise is up to 3 dB below or equal to the EU limit value in force until 2016. C The classification "C" indicates that the specified limit value is exceeded.
E
B
74dB
