My new OEM-size tires: Vredestein Quatrac 5

[Space Wolf]

Mark, I browsed the Vredestein website and wondered if their warranty info was for the European market or for North America as well.

Actually it's North America only. The 'complete warranty policy' starts with

This Warranty only applies to the original retail purchaser, from an authorized Vredestein dealer located in the 50 United States or the District of
Columbia or any province or territory of Canada, of a new replacement Vredestein-brand tire that was installed on a vehicle used for personal, family
or household purposes, and that remain on the same vehicle on which they were originally installed.

That 'warranty' page is not available if you choose another country than USA or Canada in the dropdown box at the bottom of the page.

[Top_Fuel]

I found this mention of the Quatrac 5 on moderntiredealer.com...

Long tread life is dead to some consumers

Date: June 26, 2014

Sometimes tread wear is the most important feature of a tire to a consumer. Sometimes it is not.

Take the new Vredestein Quatrac 5, for example. It is an all-season tire without a tread wear warranty.

Does that make it unsellable in the United States and Canada? Of course not. That doesn't mean dealers selling all-season tires with tread wear warranties won't bring it up as a comparison point.

It makes perfect sense why the Quatrac 5 doesn't have a tread wear warranty. To find out why, read the latest blog from Modern Tire Dealer Editor Bob Ulrich, "Why the importance of a tread wear warranty is relative."

How important do you think tread wear is in North America? Not counting dedicated winter tires, do you sell tires without one? How often does the consumer ask about a tread wear warranty? Read the blog, then let us know what you think by leaving a comment!

And to read more about the new Quatrac 5, check out Ulrich's report from Scotland:

"Vredestein covers 4 seasons with Quatrac 5"


Source: Modern Tire Dealer

Apparently this tire didn't have a treadwear warranty when it was first introduced in the US. But that doesn't seem to be the case now as the Tire Rack lists a 45,000 mile treadlife...

[Mark]

Actually it's North America only. The 'complete warranty policy' starts with That 'warranty' page is not available if you choose another country than USA or Canada in the dropdown box at the bottom of the page.

From some of the things I have read, Americans may focus on tread-wear warranty more than other countries. Thus, Vredestein may have felt compelled to do this for the U.S. market. Tread-warranty isn't the sole reason to buy a tire, especially if you have special needs like dealing with snow & ice. Likewise, a deep tread depth isn't going to guarantee a tire handles snow/ice better, nor does it indicate a long lasting tire.

A tire vendor (tires-easy.com) gives this description –

"The Vredestein Quatrac 5 tire is an all-season passenger car tire with an edgy design and new tire technologies for long tread-life, safety, grip and a smooth ride.

The Vredestein Quatrac 5 tire offers low rolling resistance, short braking distances on wet roads and an exceptionally quiet ride. The 3D grip claws in the tread deliver higher levels of grip when cornering and accelerating on snow and ice. You get greater stability and improved handling on dry surfaces from the innovative tread design thanks to the asymmetric outer longitudinal grooves. This tire is very wear resistant and offers a long tread life from the full silica compound."

Personally, I have never used an asymmetrical tire. Unlike a directional tire, I like the fact that most asymmetrical tires can still be rotated to both sides of the car. The lack of 165/65-14 tire choices in the U.S is the main reason we are discussing this tire. I appreciate tirerack.com stocking this 165/65-14 tire. If someone wants to stick with factory-sized tires, the Quatrac 5 may be a nice mid-priced all-season tire to consider.

[Mark]

Seems like more than a few people have reported sidewall failures on Enasaves lately. If you ever have an Enasave in your hand (unmounted from the wheel) the sidewalls do seem very thin.

Due to a sidewall blow out @ 15,000 miles with a Dunlop Enasave tire, I am currently running a pair of original Dunlop tires along with a newer pair of Federal SS-657 tires.

I went this direction, because I didn’t want to toss the remaining Dunlop tires (they seem to have a lot of tread life left). I also didn’t want to mix tire sizes on my Mirage. As I use up my Dunlop tires, I am experimenting with the Federal tires at the same time. This also gave me a spare tire. Given the odd tire size, I don’t mind having an extra around. I could have search for a used Dunlop, but the new Federal tires were shipped to my home in 2-days for free. For a $20 bill my local mechanic mounted/balanced them for me. My time is valuable, too.


My initial impression of the Federal SS-657 tires is very good. My local mechanic had no problem mounting/balancing the Federal tires on my steel rims. They have a UTQG of 420 A A, which is better than the Dunlop Enasave & Bridgestone Potenza tires. I've read enough to know these ratings aren't always accurate, but the $50 Federal tire is a much nicer tire than I expected. Even if all three tires were the same price, I would pick the Federal over the Dunlop & Bridgestone.


As long as I can find them, I really don’t mind sticking with 165/65-14 tires. It’s a small economy car to me. I presently have a mix of tires. If I could replace all of them with a good quality all-season tire that handle some snow, I would do that as time goes on. I am not totally opposed to jumping tire sizes, but I don't want to mix tire sizes either. Thus, the 165/65-14 Vredestein tire may be a good future option to consider.

[Space Wolf]

From some of the things I have read, Americans may focus on tread-wear warranty more than other countries. Thus, Vredestein may have felt compelled to do this for the U.S. market.

There might be a more pragmatic reason. In the EU there is vast consumer protection. You can expect a tire to last for a reasonable term/number of km, if not, the supplier is obliged to replace them.
So why bother to keep an intensive warranty register, if it's already stipulated by law?

[Eggman]

A tire vendor (tires-easy.com) gives this description –

"The Vredestein Quatrac 5 tire is an all-season passenger car tire with an edgy design and new tire technologies for long tread-life, safety, grip and a smooth ride.

The Vredestein Quatrac 5 tire offers low rolling resistance, short braking distances on wet roads and an exceptionally quiet ride. The 3D grip claws in the tread deliver higher levels of grip when cornering and accelerating on snow and ice. You get greater stability and improved handling on dry surfaces from the innovative tread design thanks to the asymmetric outer longitudinal grooves. This tire is very wear resistant and offers a long tread life from the full silica compound."

That is an advertisement - no objective data was provided. It's all subjective platitudes. All tire companies are going to say their tires give short braking distances, long tread live, quiet ride, stability, improved handling, etcetera. What exactly does an 'edgy design' offer anyway?

Funny thing is, the advertising works.

I would rather have some objective data for comparison.

[Mark]

I would rather have some objective data for comparison.

I have looked at some tire comparisons (tests), & the Vredestein Quatrac 5 is an average tire. It does ok with most things, but isn’t great at any one thing. I would sort of expect that from an asymmetrical tire that is trying to do it all. If there were a tire that did it all, we would all buy it. Overall, the consumer reviews for this tire are pretty good. That’s a plus!

If the Mirage came with 175/65-14 tires, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. The tire options are endless.

I am going to use another example to make my point. This past year Ford brought the Ford Ecosport to the U.S. The Ecosport is built in India, & the base model comes with 205/60r16 tires. Did a simple search of this tire -

Ecosport-205/60r16: Walmart = 233 tire options/simpletire.com = 385 tire options
vs.
Mirage-165/65r14: Walmart = 4 tires/simpletire.com = 17 tires

The Vredestein Quatrac 5 doesn’t have to win over Mirage owners with advertising. What’s the competition? Overpriced Dunlop Enasave tires from Thailand that many owners aren’t unhappy with. Bridgestone Potenza tire reviews surely haven’t won me over! Beyond that – what’s the competition for 165/65-14 tires? It’s a sad tire size choice by Mitsubishi for the U.S. market.

If Mirage came with 175/65r14 tires, Walmart tire options jump to 86 & simpletire.com jump to 231. That’s quite a difference! It’s also why several have jumped to this tire size.

[nickels]

Why the huge fuss over buying a tire that's under half an inch wider if it gives you 10x the options to choose from?

[Eggman]

Why the huge fuss over buying a tire that's under half an inch wider if it gives you 10x the options to choose from?

It's been a point of discussion here for a while now. Some folks want to keep their Mirage stock, and the options are limited. That, and switching to a wider tire often comes with increased fuel consumption, something some folks don't want.

[Mark]

Why the huge fuss over buying a tire that's under half an inch wider if it gives you 10x the options to choose from?

You can't just say a 175/65-14 tire is just under a half inch wider than a 165/65-14. It's not that simple with tire sizes. The width is not even the main issue here. A 175/65-14 tire has a diameter of 23". The factory tire is 22.4". Once again the difference isn't much, but those numbers do impact speedometer/odometer readings. Many just live with it.

It's just a very odd tire choice for the U.S. It has nothing to do with it being a 14" tire vs. a 15" tire either. Even the two tire sizes they use on the Mirage don't match perfectly. They could have picked two that did match perfectly like a 175/65-14 & a 185/55-15 (both have 23" outside diameters).