Beyond the 400m timing point, at the top end of Sydney Dragway’s strip, lays asphalt free of sticky surface prep. It’s the perfect venue for our first discipline: the slalom test.

A test which is the most telling for dry, real-world agility and grip under severe change of direction. A key indicator, then, for ‘performance’.

Mercedes -Benz -A45-AMG-Slalom -left -turn

The frequency of the cones is somewhat ‘tuned’ to the AMG so that, from a 50km/h flying start, even the grippiest competitor tyre won’t allow the hot hatch to hit its rev-limiter in the held second gear, a practice that removes potential variables of gear-changing from the timed result.

Mercedes -Benz -A45-AMG-Slalom _front _view

Feedback-wise, Luff focuses on three key areas: initial turn-in, loaded front-end grip and lateral rear-end load. And there was one tyre conspiring a superior combination of all three to record an untouchable 8.2sec: the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2. It was a full 0.3sec quicker than any rival.

Mercedes -Benz -A45-AMG-Slalom _front _left _turn

It was an extremely close battle between the second-quickest competitors. The Continental ContiSportContact 5P clocked a quick 8.5sec, while the Bridgestone RE050A nailed an impressive 8.53sec time.

Mercedes -Benz -A45-AMG-Slalom -turning

The Toyo Proxes T1 Sport, with its 8.63sec, was no slouch either. Luff was moved to praise the Toyo’s all-round consistency in the dry cut-and-thrust.

Mercedes -Benz -A45-AMG-Slalom

Not quite as happy with the Slalom’s fierce direction changes was the Dunlop Direzza DZ102 – its 8.8sec time reflected as much. “It just feels ‘harder’ than most,” Luff explains. Indeed, its extremely durable 460 tread wear rating was the highest of the field.

Mercedes -Benz -A45-AMG-Slalom _end

“The Winrun really can’t match the outright grip levels of most of the field,” was Luff’s initial take on the Chinese tyre’s performance.

MOTOR-Tyre -Test -2015-Slalom -Results
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THANKS TO: SYDNEY MOTORSPORT PARK AND SYDNEY DRAGWAY These truly are the best facilities in Australia to do a real-world tyre test and we’re grateful we get invited back each year. The Australian Racing Driver’s Club offers plenty of sharply-priced opportunities to track your street car, which should be a regular must for every MOTOR reader. Check out ardc.com.au.

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