The all-season passenger touring category of the tire market is pretty crowded. Drivers have plenty of choices within the segment since all-season touring tires represent the most practical use of car tires. Every manufacturer already has a competitive offering in this market niche. But Aspen — a relatively lesser-known tire brand — has managed to make some waves through the Aspen Touring A/S.
There might be lots of choices in the passenger touring category of tires, but not at the price of the Aspen Touring A/S. The brand aims to undercut the price of some of the cheapest tires in this market segment.
In this review, we’ll look at its features and performance in different scenarios. Let’s see if you can get away with spending so little on a touring tire without sacrificing any significant performance traits. Let’s begin!
Dry Performance
Since the Touring A/S is a budget tire — that too, one of the cheapest ones out there — let’s start by keeping our expectations at the bare minimum.
Now, it doesn’t drive extraordinarily well on dry tarmac, but it doesn’t have to. The steering doesn’t have to feel thrilling for this tire to be competitive within its price bracket. Rather, it feels sufficiently stable and handles predictably well. It checks all the basic boxes of what you’d need for daily driving out of a touring tire.
For instance, the braking distances are short enough and there’s ample cornering grip even at higher speeds. You’ll also have enough traction to accelerate when there’s no traffic. With that said, you shouldn’t expect the tire to keep up with a sports car with 200+ horsepower. With this tire, you’ll be pleased as long as you expect it to be basic and functional — because it’s just that, and it works!
Wet Performance
The Aspen Touring A/S has enough hydroplaning resistance and wet braking performance packed into it for a safe drive on a rainy day. As long as you maintain safe speeds and drive carefully, the tire doesn’t fall short in any department on wet roads. Sure, all-season touring tires from brands like Michelin and Bridgestone would brake sharper and provide more cornering grip, but the Aspen Touring A/S does well for being less than half the price of those premium alternatives.
Snow Performance
Budget tires with mediocre wet performance tend to underperform in cold conditions. However, the Aspen Touring A/S successfully maintains its basic level of practicality and usability in the winter. It’s no winter tire, which means it doesn’t provide sufficient levels of traction and reliability in freezing cold temperatures. However, being an all-season tire at heart, it carries itself well on light snow.
Handling is responsive and sufficiently grippy, and braking distances aren’t too long either. But as soon as you get a significant drop in temperature and the snow starts to get thicker, the tire’s winter weaknesses expose themselves.
Unless you live in areas that get harsh winters and icy roads, you should be able to get through the season with the Aspen Touring A/S tires installed. But if you live in Northern areas, you’ll have to go for some dedicated winter tires.
Ride Quality
Like any other all-season touring tire, the Aspen Touring A/S prioritizes an optimal ride quality over all other performance departments. Aspen has achieved desirable levels of quietness and smoothness with the Touring A/S, especially if you keep its price in mind. Even though you’re only spending a fraction of the price of the tire’s premium alternatives, you won’t hear any complaints from your passengers regarding its comfort levels. That’s a win in our books!
Conclusion
If you’re looking for an all-season touring tire that’s practical, reliable, comfortable, and doesn’t break the bank — the Aspen Touring A/S deserves to get shortlisted. Considering its extremely low price, the tire doesn’t disappoint in dry, wet, and slightly snowy conditions.
