The Consumer Reports Magazine Tested Winter Tires

Vredestein hits an exceptionally successful season.

List of models tested:

The Consumer Reports magazine that publishes comparative tests of various consumer goods, tests, among other things, tires as well, in a recent issue published the results of the test or performance-class tires with V and W speed indexes (maximum allowed speed 240 and 270 km/h respectively). The tires were tested on snow, ice, wet and dry pavement, and the experts also rated their noise emission and ride comfort.

The first place went to the tires of the Dutch brand Vredestein, which demonstrated excellent performance on snow and ice, their only weak side being slightly increased rolling resistance. Vredestein is followed with a large gap by a Michelin tire that lost its points due to high noise emission and less-than-perfect riding comfort. The third place was scored by Nexen that spoiled its ranking on dry and wet pavement. The Yokohama tire model came really close to the winners’ pedestal — the experts found it too rigid, yet this tire demonstrated an excellent braking performance on ice.

Vredestein Wintrac Pro
  • Vredestein Wintrac Pro

The fifth place was scored by Hankook with good traction on snow but average results on asphalt. This model is followed by Bridgestone that also demonstrated less-than-perfect performance on asphalt, as well as higher noise level than the Hankook model. The last places were shared by Toyo and Pirelli, the first model having been presented quite recently, while the Pirelli model is now approaching quite a venerable age. In terms of the ratings, Toyo was the only tire to score an unsatisfactory result in one of the disciplines, demonstrating weak braking performance on wet pavement, while the Pirelli model needs to be renewed because its overall performance falls short of that of the more recent models.

The ice braking was rated from 16 km/h (versus from 96 km/h on wet pavement), while the points for handling were given depending upon how the tires behaved during emergency lane switching. The snow traction was determined by calculating the average distance that was needed to accelerate the car from 8 to 32 km/h, while the cabin noise and the riding comfort were subjectively evaluated.

In this season, Vredestein Wintrac Pro also demonstrated outstanding performance in the tests conducted by the European motoring publications, getting, among other things, very high grades in Auto Bild and Auto Bild Sportscars tests. In the Auto Zeitung test, this tire scored the third place showing the best lap time on snow.

Vredestein Wintrac Pro tests

Citing Vredestein’s «rich history of winter tire development, dating back to 1965», Abhishek Bisht, global head of new markets and channels for Apollo, which currently owns the Dutch brand, said the results «are indicative of the investments we have made in designing the Vredestein Wintrac Pro for powerful cars».