The criteria were silence, softness, and brakes that were no worse than those of Conti; however, I can't say anything about aquaplaning just yet because I haven't tested it. I'm as happy as an elephant. To sum it up, this is a tire designed for comfort and quietness on the road, not for racing. Has pros: When compared to the old Conti contact 3 rubber, the Michelin rubber is softer; this does not mean that it is extremely quiet, but it has become noticeably quieter. The Toyota brand is e (no noise), and the rubber in both cases is 225 45 17 inches. Cons: I would prefer it to be less expensive in comparison to conti contact 3, and the control on the bear is not as precise as I would like.