Vredestein Quatrac 5 tires are affordable tires manufactured in the Netherlands that provide all-season performance and good handling on dry surfaces.
Because of their popularity, many customers buy them without looking into the details and seeing if they’re actually any good.
We’ve come up with this extensive Vredestein Quatrac 5 Review to help you make an informed decision. It details the pros and cons of this product, but if you’re strapped for time, here’s a quick overview:
- Great on dry surfaces.
- Average snow performance, but long braking distance.
- High noise level.
- High resistance and poor fuel efficiency.
- Affordable and durable.
Before we get into the Quatrac 5’s detail, work your way through the below guide on features to look for when deciding if this tire is for you.
What to Look for in a Tire
Tire Type
Tire types differ in their intended use and what weather conditions you’ll use them in.
For example, off-road tires have a tougher grip than city tires. And, winter tires offer better performance in snow than all-season tires.
The most common types of tires are:
- All-season: These provide all-year traction with sizes ranging from 15 to 20 inches. Expect a mileage of 40,000 to 80,000.
- Ultra-High Performance (UHP): Three-season tires and offer great traction in wet weather. They’re best for high-speed driving.
- Off-Road Tires: These will keep you safe on all terrains. They’re very durable but slow when city driving. Only get these types if you have a genuine off-roader.
- Ultra-High Performance Winter Tires: Offer similar performance found in regular UHP tires but on snow.
If you’re driving in the city with a passenger vehicle, the cheapest option is all-season tires, as per the Quatrac 5. These ensure you only have to buy one tire type and get a decent amount of mileage from them.
In contrast, those with sports cars will prefer UHP tires. The sizes are slightly larger all-season tires, ranging from 17 to 22 inches.
Fuel Economy and Low Rolling Resistance
In 2006, the National Academy of Science published a report that concluded that low-resistance tires improved fuel efficiency by nearly 10%.
Tires are the only point of contact your car has with the ground, so if they easily roll with little friction, your engine will use less energy to move the car forward.
Manufacturers usually mention if their tires feature low rolling resistance. If they don’t explicitly state this, the chances are that they don’t have this feature.
Noise Level
All tires have some level of noise due to a variety of reasons. Most have to do with the shape and width of the tire. Low profile tires create more noise because there’s little rubber on the sidewall to absorb the noise, despite this tire type’s increased traction.
Wide tires generate more noise than narrow ones because there’s more rubber in contact with the ground, creating more fiction and more noise.
If you’re buying an all-season tire, run-flat tires usually generate more noise than non-run flat tires.
If you like a particular tire but discover that it’s noisy, consider the environments you’ll be driving the tire in. When driving in the city at low speeds, the noise levels won’t be much of a bother. But, at high speeds, the noise becomes more noticeable and can make your journey unpleasant.
Price and Warranty
Usually, the more you pay for tires, the better quality you receive. But this doesn’t mean you can’t get a good quality, high-performing tire at a reasonable price.
Good-quality, affordable tires are more available than ever before, and you should look at the performance offered by a tire before the price. Most people can easily have their tire needs fulfilled by affordably priced products.
In addition, you should look at the warranty offered by the manufacturer. The two most popular types are tread and defect protection warranty, but the best brands on the market will offer both. These warranties show the confidence the manufacturer has that its product will last many years.
UTQG Code
The uniform tire quality grade (UTQG) indicates the tire’s properties and estimates the tire’s quality.
This code is usually found on the sidewall and has the form Treadwear/Traction/Heat resistance, so: 200/A/AA, as an example.
Characteristics described by the code are:
- Treadwear: This is a three-digit number usually ranging from 100 to 200. The number indicates how long the tire will tread when compared to a control tire. So, if the control tire tread value is 100, then a tread value of 200 means the tire will wear twice as long.
- Traction: Letters indicate how good the traction is on a tire. These values start from AA (the best) to C (the worst).
- Heat Resistance: Also indicated with letters. These values show how much heat the tire can safely dissipate. The best rating is A, and the worst is C. The C rating represents the minimum performance required by federal law.
In general, you want a tire that has a high treadwear number and has AA or A values for traction and heat resistance.
Manufacturer
In the tire business, the manufacturer and location of production facilities matter. Companies based in developed countries, like European nations or America, usually have reputable production facilities.
They’re also more likely to have disposable income for research and development than companies based elsewhere. This is why you find the best-known tire brands—Michelin, Goodyear and Continental—in these areas.
Try getting a tire from a reputable brand found in developed nations. They’ll offer good after-sales service and are more trustworthy with warranties.
Review of the Vredestein Quatrac 5
Armed with the above guide on what to look for in tires, let’s go through the Vredestein Quatrac 5 review and see how it aligns with the important points.
Type and Best Tire Conditions
The Vredestein Quatrac 5 is an all-season tire. The manufacturer claims this product has all-weather performance and features extra grip to ensure you get decent traction on various roads.
But, despite this, customers complain about how the Vredestein has its worst traction on snow, which isn’t what you’d expect from an all-weather tire. Most customers find this model suitable for light snowfall, but those who live in areas that enjoy several weeks of snow may want to buy dedicated snow tires.
High Rolling Resistance in the Vredestein Quatrac 5
Our Vredestein Quatrac 5 review shows that the tire, unfortunately, has a high rolling resistance, making it inefficient with fuel.
Vredestein has added more grip on the tire that creates more friction when driven in dry conditions to make the tire more sturdy in wet weather. This added friction means your engine uses more energy to move the car forward, making your fuel economy really poor.
The inefficient fuel consumption makes this product suitable for cars that already feature low fuel consumption. So, those with hybrid engines, which are more fuel-efficient than combustion cars, can find some value in this tire.
How Loud is the Vredestein Quatrac 5?
Unfortunately, the Vredestein Quatrac 5 produces a high noise level that’s very noticeable during high-speed drives on the highway. This is due to the tire’s uneven tread surface, which creates more friction, and therefore more noise.
Air is also trapped between the tread’s grooves, which means the grooves have a larger volume and produce more noise. This is, again, a result of Vredestein focusing too much on durability and grip that it compromised performance in other aspects.
People who regularly travel at low speeds in an urban city will find more value in the tire because it produces less noise at such speeds.
Price and Warranty
You get both defect protection and mileage warranty with the Quatrac 5. The mileage warranty is up to 40,000, which is standard in the industry. To be more impressive, Vredestein could have offered a warranty of over 70,000 miles, as it does in its Hitrac model.
At the time of writing, around $60 per tire is quite affordable than the competition and is a suitable price for the average performance you get from the Quatrac 5.
Vredestein Quatrac 5’s UTQG Code
The UTQ5 ratings on this tire are quite impressive: 400/A/A
Treadwear: 400
The treadwear number of 400 means it treads four times longer than the control tire used in experiments. This value indicates how durable the tire is, ensuring you don’t have to replace the tire after a few months.
Traction Value: A
Being an all-season tire, you’d expect the tire to have good traction. It has a value of A in this regard, which is the second-best value a tire can get. This should reassure you of the manufacturer’s claims that the tire enjoys steady traction in most conditions.
Temperature Resistance Rating: A
The temperature resistance value is also A, which shows that the tire functions safely at high temperatures. This means you can trust the tire to be safe and sturdy, even when traveling at high speeds.
Where Is the Quatrac 5 Made?
Vredestein uses its manufacturing plant in Enschede, a city in the east of the Netherlands, close to Germany. The company has nearly all its operations in the Netherlands and invests heavily into research and development.
This is great for potential customers because they get decent-performing tires at a reasonable cost. In addition, Vredestein offers great after-sale service and is always on call to repair your tire.
The company has multiple points of sale in the US, which you can find here.
Alternatives
The Quatrac 5 is an outdated model that preceded the latest model in this range: the Quatrac Pro. The Pro is better in nearly all respects when compared to the Quatrac 5.
Vredestein even offers a better mileage warranty at 50,000. The only downside is that the tire costs around $140, which is over twice as much as the Quatrac 5.
FAQs
How Can I Change My Tires at Home?
The safest way to change tires at home is using a tire change machine. This isn’t only easy to use but ensures you protect your old and new tire from damage. If you aren’t willing to buy a tire changer, you can use a more primitive approach and use household tools.
When Should I Buy a New Set of Tires?
Don’t wait to reach the maximum mileage. It’s important you regularly take your car for service; here, your mechanic can judge whether or not you need a tire change. If you invest in a premium set of tires, you’ll get much longer use from them than you would from budget-friendly tires.
How Many Sets of Tires Should I Have?
There isn’t a reason to have several sets of tires if you already have a set of genuine all-season tires. But make sure your set has a spare or two in case of emergency.
What Temperature Is Too Warm or Too Cold for All-Season Tires?
Most all-season tires harden and lose their grip at 45 degrees Fahrenheit, making handling and braking very difficult in the snow. In contrast, most all-season tires can withstand warm climates.
If you live in a particularly hot climate and prefer buying all-season tires, get tires that have an “A” heat-resistance rating. These can safely operate at higher temperatures than other models with lower ratings.
Conclusion
Vredestein is a reputable brand with great products, but the Quatrac 5 is a bit outdated and doesn’t suit the standards of modern times in fuel efficiency and noise levels. It’s still a decent purchase, but you’re better off spending your money elsewhere.
The extensive buying guide from our Vredestein Quatrac 5 Review has hopefully also shown how you can best identify a good quality tire and which consideration you should make before buying one.