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Thread: My new OEM-size tires: Vredestein Quatrac 5

  1. #61
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pryme View Post
    I think you're confused about what I said Mark.

    If you drive your mirage into discount and ask for a non stock size, they will say no. Like others have said, you would have to bring in all your wheels and tires without your car. What a complete PITA. I'm okay with the stock size though.
    We may be on a different wavelength with this discussion, but that's ok. I am not talking about non-stock size tires at all. The main reason we are discussing the Vredestein Quatrac 5 is because it comes in a 165/65-14 stock size.

    This isn't a tire where you have to ask someone to put on a non-stock size tire. This is WHY we are discussing this tire. I've been owning/driving different vehicles for over 35 years, & I have never had a tire that wasn't stock size on any of them.

    Thus, I wouldn't be buying my tires from Discount Tires, because the last time I checked they only carried one stock sized tire (Bridgestone Potenza). My money & business would be going elsewhere. Thus, I was sharing how to buy a tire like the Vredestein Quatrac 5. Tire rack carries this tire & has installers all over the place. My local mechanic would put them on whether the rims are on my car or not. In all honesty, he's probably not going to have any alternative tires to sell me anyways.

    This is a thread about the Vredestein Quatrac 5. Although I haven't tried them yet, I am of the opinion that they may be the best all-weather/season 165/65-14 option. I am not saying this is the best all-season/weather tire, but in this size it may be?

    I am using 165/65-14 Nokian Nordman 7 on the front of my Mirage this winter. Dunlop WinterMaxx snow tires are another 165/65-14 option, & I wish I had a pair to compare with. I can usually tell how good a tire is in the snow quite fast.

    As soon as I leave my driveway, I am instantly climbing a small hill. It took me three tries to make it to the top of this small hill today. I had to literally back down the hill and take another run at it twice. After the third try with more speed & momentum built up, I made it to the top without spinning out. I had been plowing my driveway out prior to this, & I watched the lady who delivers my mail in a Nissan Cube fly up the same hill with no issue a half-hour before me. I live on a dead end road. Thus, I saw her travel both down and back up the same hill with her Cube.

    I am not saying this hill isn't a challenge for everyone. I've had neighbors not make it up with 4WD pickups. I've pulled my dad/mom's Chevy Impala up to the top of it with my ATV with chains years ago. 10 minutes later the sand truck came through. Last winter I watched the county snow plow back down the hill two different times, because he couldn't keep his front wheels and heavy front end(with plow) on the road. Thus, he had to backed down while dropping sand, and this was a large dump truck with tire chains on the rear.

    Since I have to climb a much larger/steeper hill to get home, I turned around today & parked the Mirage. My Subaru Forester (manual) with Cooper Weather-Master S/T2 climbed the same hill in 1st gear with no spinning/slippage at all. I don't expect a Mirage to compete with a Subaru, but I drove a Ford Festiva for 14 years on the same roads. I don't ever remember having to back up and try again. I don't remember it ever not climbing a hill period, & that car never had snow tires. What it did have was very skinny/small 145SR12 tires. That car was unstoppable in snow! I don't mind stock size tires, and I am not interested in ever putting a wider tire on the Mirage. If anything, I wish I had a narrower snow tire for it.

    I have an interest in the Vredestein Quatrac 5, because traction is important to me in the winter. In my case, I don't have to rely solely on my Mirage. The Vredestein Quatrac 5 is accumulating some good reviews @ tirerack.com, & it is a tire I may try some day.


    Last edited by Mark; 09-03-2019 at 12:45 PM.

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    Thanks,, the reason i am following this thread is because i am also interested in purchasing a set of Vredestein Quatrac 5 tires..
    but not in my cars 165/65-r14 but in the "premium" g4 stock size of 175/55-r15
    my cars pillar sticker only lists the base model size so going to the premium size would be considered non oem by my local shops..
    some of my other vehicles list both base and premium tire sizes on the stickers , on these car they have no problem with installing premium sized tires on the base model or vise versa...
    i usually run narrower tires in winter and wider in summer.. hence base size winter premium summer.
    i find the Vredestein Quatrac 5 a good choice for me as a summer tire because of the weight, reviews, and traction.. i dont always stay on the paved roads
    as for your question on the dunlop winter maxx tires, i cannot say how they compare to your tires..
    only i have 4 165/65r14 mounted on mirage 14 alloy rims.. they were used by one owner before i purchased them used.
    previous owner wrecked her mirage and purchased a g4 with 15" wheels supposedly. tires purchased from her father..
    i live in a very hilly area..
    my home is located 1 block up a steep brick road you pretty much have make a sharp 90 to turn up my street. this limits speed that can be carried up the hill ..
    though i have often had the traction control functioning,, the car has successfully climbed the street and many other "notoriously bad" streets and i have not had to back down any..
    the car still has the narrow tire feel,, and light car feel but if i take those out of the equation i have been quite pleased with the car and dunlop winter maxx combo..
    other winter i have had to back down once or twice a winter .
    my other vehicle is a awd ford freestyle limited, equipped with snows.. a tank in the winter..
    i have not felt the need to take it out as compared to the g4 as of yet..
    on another note i have to say i have been quite impressed with dunlops sound.. much less than i had expected from winter tires.
    i have driven much noisier summers. hope some of this helps,

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    I’ve owned a set of Cooper Weathermaster ST’s on a different vehicle. They are beasts that get the job done. Excellent traction.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 automatic: 40.5 mpg (US) ... 17.2 km/L ... 5.8 L/100 km ... 48.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by inuvik View Post
    I’ve owned a set of Cooper Weathermaster ST’s on a different vehicle. They are beasts that get the job done. Excellent traction.
    Tires do make a big difference. The factory Bridgestone tires that came on Forester were useless in snow. It was by far one of the worst tires in the snow that I ever owned, and this was on an AWD vehicle. I bought a second set of Cooper CS4 tires years ago, & the vehicle became a totally different machine in snow. I used up the Bridgestone during the summer months, & now I am using up the Cooper CS4 tires during the summer months. Cooper replaced the CS4 with the CS5. The new tread pattern didn't appear as aggressive. Thus, I thought I would try the Weather-Master S/T2. They do the job!

    I have had the Cooper CS5 put on my primary driver's ed. vehicle (2015 Chevy) and they haven't been terrible. Then again, I don't drive that car during terrible conditions. We did drive on some snow last weekend, however. Always fun with a 15.5 to 16 year old kids!

    Cooper tires (& MasterCraft made by them) are really popular in my area. My only complaint with Cooper in recent years is they have created to many options, & that just makes things very confusing for customers. Overall, they have been good tires for the money. In the spring and fall, they also run good rebates on tires. Most all small tire shops in my area deal with Cooper tires.
    Last edited by Mark; 01-25-2019 at 04:05 PM.

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    I have Quatracs since 3 weeks and 600km, and so far I'm impressed. On paper they are as fuel efficient as the stocks (Bridgestone Ecopia EP150), both a C rating. Don't know if it's obvious, A is best, and G is worst. There are no A's in this size, and I could find only one B.

    The mean fuel efficiency on the last 3 tanks on the Ecopia's was 25km/l, and now with the Quatracs I got 24.5km/l. Not bad!

    They seem more silent too (also on paper, 68dB vs 70). On the highway the sound is a bit lower (as in frequency, not level). Don't know if that is because there is less high sound, or more low sound.

    I am used to take roundabouts (there are a lot here) at the highest speed practically possible (not because of the speed, but because breaking costs fuel), and this tires handle better than the Ecopia's did. The Ecopia's felt as if they were wandering away, the Quatracs feel stiffer, better to handle.

    Of course I have no opinion yet on handling in snow. We are having the hottest summer in history.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2013 Space Star Cleartec Intense 1.0 manual: 55.7 mpg (US) ... 23.7 km/L ... 4.2 L/100 km ... 66.9 mpg (Imp)


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    I noticed NEXENŽ - N PRIZ AH5 more details on - https://www.carid.com/nexen-tires/n-...vehicle=125519 in 165/65 R14. I found this tire mentioned in another thread, but it was about a larger size.

    I would love to know if anyone tries this in OEM size.

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    Quote Originally Posted by kjmiller View Post
    I noticed NEXENŽ - N PRIZ AH5 more details on - https://www.carid.com/nexen-tires/n-...vehicle=125519 in 165/65 R14. I found this tire mentioned in another thread, but it was about a larger size.

    I would love to know if anyone tries this in OEM size.
    I have not tried them, but Nexen tires are made in Korea. Popular on KIA/Hyundai products. Reviews are quite good. I am thinking of buying a pair for when my last pair of Enasaves are finally done in. I've been sort of watching prices at a few places that sell them. Tires-easy.com seems to have the best deal that I have found lately. They were over $70/tire earlier this winter. $51/tire now for them seems like a good deal. I tend to believe they would be an upgrade from the 165/65-14 Federal SS-657 tires, & they have a better 50,000 warranty.

    https://www.tires-easy.com/tires/165-65-14

    I bought my 165/65-14 Nokian Nordman 7 tires from tires-easy.com over 2 years ago. Free shipping & got them in a few days. No complaints!

    Walmart has been selling them for $52/tire for over a month now.

    https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nexen-N-P...Tire/156516241

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    Good to know there a multiple sources and $51 sounds hard to beat. I am driving very little and do not expect to replace my tires soon. I hope these will still be an option when the time comes.

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    Quote Originally Posted by kjmiller View Post
    Good to know there a multiple sources and $51 sounds hard to beat. I am driving very little and do not expect to replace my tires soon. I hope these will still be an option when the time comes.
    If you are not in need of a dedicated snow tire, I feel the Federal & Nexen are two affordable 165/65-14 tire options. If snow is more of a concern, Nokian & Vredestein becomes a part of that 165/65-14 picture for someone like me.

    I like that the Nexen tires come with 51 psi rating, too. I use about 40 psi on my present Federal (44 maximum psi) tires. I may bump that up to 45 psi with the Nexen. That's personal preference, however. I tend to keep my tires between the recommended 35 psi rating & maximum rating of the tire. If you like your tires @ 35 psi, that difference wouldn't matter.

    If Nexen tires are within $10 of Federal tires & $20 less than Vredestein tires, they remain on my radar. I discovered these tires by looking at what White Bear Mitsubishi offers their Mirage customers. Their prices are quite high, however. I only use dealerships for warranty or recall work. I can get the same Nexen tire almost 50% less elsewhere. My local mechanic charges about $10 to mount/balance a tire for me.

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    Somebody post a link to light weight alloy wheels that costs $80 per. I've only found one source from Discount Tire. These are 14 x 5.5", not sure if 14 x 6" would work with a 175 65 14 tire? Offset is 38mm, hope that's cool?

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