What is it?
The new Bridgestone Turanza 6 tyre is Bridgestone's flagship summer touring tyre that replaces the Bridgestone Turanza T005 tyre. It's a premium tyre designed to compete with the likes of the Michelin Primacy 4+ and Pirello Cinturato P7.
There are plenty of new features compared to the T005 including double angle 3D washboard sipes, an interlocking mechanism for increasing pattern stiffness and giving better grip. There's also a new shoulder lug designed to improve traction on wet surfaces by channelling water away from underneath of the tyre while also minimising aquaplaning.
What are they like?
We tested the Bridgestone Turanza 6 tyres on an Audi Q7. This big SUV weighs around 2.3 tonnes and we covered several thousand miles over a number of months in order to test the tyres in different conditions and on a variety of roads. The Turazna 6 tyres replaced a set of Pirelli P Zero tyres which were coming towards the end of their life.
The tyre performed well from the off with a drop in road noise immediately obvious. This was especially noticeable on poorer surface A-roads and concrete sections of the M25. The Turanza 6 is 2dB quieter than the T005 it replaces and it's certainly a quiet tyre - something you readily appreciate on a big car like the Audi Q7.
In terms of grip, the big Audi Q7 isn't the kind of car you want to be throwing around corners, but as SUVs go, it's one of the better handling models out there. The Turanza 6 tyres give you plenty of confidence in dry conditions feeling confidently grippy through low speed corners and reassuringly safe at higher speeds.
But what about all-important wet weather performance. According to tests carried out by German safety testing body TÜV SÜD, the Bridgestone Turanza 6 outperformed its competitors in wet performance. This included being the best in cornering manoeuvres.
That has certainly been borne out during our testing. Compared to our previous Pirelli P Zero tyres, the Turanza 6 tyres feel a touch more stable when tackling roundabouts in the wet. Similarly, they feel stable when slowing down on a wet motorway slip road.
But perhaps the biggest thing we noticed with the Turanza 6 tyres was an improvement in fuel economy. Our 3.0 TDI Audi Q7 saw a 5mpg improvement in fuel consumption over our 2500 miles of testing. Given that it usually only returns around 32mpg, that's a significant change and one that means a healthy saving in fuel costs.
We're not able to comment on the long term mileage of the Turanza 6 tyres just yet but we'll be able to make a more informed judgement after around 10,000 miles when we'll update our review.
Should I buy them?
With prices ranging from around £95 per tyre up to £345 for the biggest sizes, the Bridgestone Turanza 6 is competitive with rivals. The 295/40 R21 tyres we tested on the Audi Q7 cost £270 each including fitting. That's near identical in price to Pirelli P Zero tyres and £30 a tyre cheaper than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4.
The Turanza 6 certainly makes a strong case for itself. It's a significant upgrade on the Turanza T005 and in our test, we found them an improvement on the Pirelli P Zero tyres we had fitted previously in terms of noise levels and all round grip. But what really won us over was the considerable improvement in fuel economy we saw. That really is the clincher for us and what makes this an easy tyre to recommend.
