Vredestein Quatrac 5 Review: a Legitimate All-Weather Tire

All-season tires are pretty much the standard for passenger cars today. And why wouldn’t they be – all-season tires promise excellent traction, grip, and braking in most weather conditions, including scorching-hot summers and snowy winters.

However, many experienced drivers view these tires as a compromise, and rightfully so. All-season tires are nowhere near summer tires in hot conditions, both on dry and wet pavement, but they are at least completely safe and reliable for everyday driving.

Moreover, even the best all-season tires on the market lack enough traction or proper braking over snow, and aren’t very useful over ice.

Sadly, not many drivers know this and continue to use their all-season tires in harsh wintry conditions. That can be a costly mistake – braking distances with all-season tires over snow are much longer than with winter tires, and the handling is highly unpredictable.

Fortunately, there are all-season tires that fare better in those conditions. We, and several other publications, call them all-weather tires. They still belong to the all-season category, but with several improvements made for better snow and ice traction.

Essentially, all-weather tires, such as the Vredestein Quatrac 5, are made of a softer and more pliable tread compound, which fares much better in cold temperatures. On top of that, the compound is molded into a more aggressive tread pattern with a larger number of sipes, which helps with traction in snow. In other words, all-weather tires are halfway between normal all-season tires and winter tires.

Not a lot of manufacturers today offer all-weather tires, though. That’s why we recommend doing your homework before buying tires if you live in areas with snowy winters. Our website has information on many all-weather tires, including the best in the business.

Today we will cover one of our favorite all-weather tires, the Vredestein Quatrac 5. The Dutch Vredestein might be a manufacturer that you don’t hear about often, but trust us – they are legit. Almost every product in their portfolio we tested performed admirably, on par with the best premium tires.

The Vredestein Quatrac 5 comes in a variety of sizes, ranging from 13-inches to 20-inches. This covers a lot of vehicles, starting from ultra-small urban vehicles and up to mid-size and full-size sedans. Some sizes might even fit compact crossovers and SUVs, but we always recommend checking before buying.

So, why is the Quatrac 5 one of our favorite all-weather tires? You have to read our Vredestein Quatrac 5 review to find out. The review is divided into several segments, from dry and wet performance to snow traction and braking. Let’s dig in!

What are the features of the Vredestein Quatrac 5?

According to Vredestein, the Quatrac 5 “gives you the luxury of one tire for all weather conditions without compromising on safety or steering precision.” That’s a very confident statement, but in this case, it comes from a reputable and well-known manufacturer.

The tire is designed for drivers of coupes, sedans, station wagons, and crossovers that seek confident handling on dry and wet pavement, as well as premium light snow traction. The last part is covered with the 3PMSF (three-peak mountain snowflake) symbol, which verifies that the tire is ready for severe snow conditions.

In other words, the Quatrac 5 is a tire designed to be a one-tire solution for drivers in environments that experience all four seasons, excluding places with very harsh wintry conditions. So, it won’t replace a proper winter tire for places with very heavy snow, but it will fare better than most all-season tires in lighter snow.

To achieve these claims, Vredestein decided to use a high-silica tread compound, molded into multiple condition-focused asymmetric patterns. Like most all-season tires, the Quatrac 5 features outboard shoulders and circumferential grooves for better traction and handling on wet tarmac, as well as large, stiff tread blocks for better steering precision and stability on dry surfaces.

The tire is also equipped with inboard ribs and inside shoulders tuned to provide the driver with confident performance on wet and wintry conditions. Moreover, the lateral notches and circumferential grooves help with water evacuation, making the tire usable in heavy rain or slush. Ultimately, the tread pattern is loaded with high-density, winter-focused zig-zag sipes, which help with snow traction.

The internal construction of the Quatrac 5 is standard for the category. It consists of a single-ply polyester casing, supported by two steel belts. The rigidity of the tire is additionally improved with the use of a polyamide reinforcement, which should help with responsiveness, handling, and high-speed stability.

What are the maintenance indicators?

Like most all-season tires, the Quatrac 5 is equipped with indicator bars built into the tread of the tire. Vredestein calls these bars Tread Wear Indicators (TWI), but they are the same as in other tires.

Essentially, they are small rubber inserts built into the tread, which can only be seen by a close inspection of the tire. As the tread wears down, the bars will become more visible.

Like most tires, the minimum tread on Quatrac 5 tires is 2/32 inch. When the tread is worn-down to this value, the TWI’s will be completely flush with the surface of the tread.

When the tread wears down to that value, you should immediately replace the tires. Otherwise, you risk driving with tires that have severely limited wet and snow traction.

That said, we recommend replacing the tires several thousand miles before the tread completely wears down for safety reasons.

Vredestein offers a 45,000-mile treadwear warranty on the Quatrac 5. That’s much lower than normal all-season grand-touring tires, which usually come with a 70,000 to 80,000-mile treadwear warranty.

Compared to other all-weather tires, the Quatrac 5 fares still lags behind. Its main competitor, the Michelin CrossClimate+, comes with a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty, while the Goodyear WeatherReady comes with a 60,000-miles treadwear warranty.

On the positive side, Vredestein’s warranty lasts eight years, compared to six years of its main competitors.

How does it behave on dry tarmac?

All-weather tires are usually worse in dry handling, but that is simply not the case with this tire. In our Vredestein Quatrac 5 review, we found that the tire is very responsive for an all-weather tire, performing almost on the level of normal all-season tires.

More importantly, the Quatrac 5 provides the driver with a lot of grip in the corners. The tire is also very predictable, even at the limit, something that surprised us. Ultimately, the tire possesses excellent traction during hard acceleration and has very short braking distances.

Overall, the Quatrac 5 performed almost on the level of the Michelin CrossClimate+ in our dry testing. That is impressive when you take the price into account – the Michelin costs 30% more.

How is it over wet and slippery roads?

The Quatrac 5 impressed us with handling and braking in wet conditions. When it comes to wet handling, it is possibly the best all-weather tire we tested by far. The Quatrac 5 is very predictable and safe to drive on wet pavement, providing the driver with a lot of confidence.

Moreover, the braking distances this tire provided in wet conditions were among the best in the category, which is impressive given the price. When it comes to hydroplaning resistance, though, Quatrac 5 lacks behind the best, but it still completely safe for everyday driving.

With that being said, how is it on snowy roads?

As far as all-weather tires go, the Quatrac 5 is among the best for driving over snow and slush. In terms of braking, the tire provides distances that are shorter than most all-weather tires, and only slightly longer than the best in the category.

The tire impressed in the handling department. With a set of these tires, driving over snow feels safe and predictable, unlike all-season tires, which just wander around. Traction is also excellent – you certainly won’t be stuck in light snow with these tires.

Overall, the Quatrac 5 is a great solution for drivers that live in areas with frequent light snow in the winter. However, they are still not the best choice for deep snow or very harsh wintry conditions.

Is it comfortable and refined?

Due to the additional siping and more aggressive tread pattern, all-weather tires are usually louder than all-season tires. Sadly, the Quatrac 5 suffers from added noise on the street.

In our Vredestein Quatrac 5 review on the highway, we found that the tire produces much more noise than the closest competitors. It’s not loud, but the rivals are much quieter.

On the other hand, the ride quality is very plush, even when driving on broken pavement.

You can see more Vredestein Quatrac 5 Review here: videos created by Vredestein Official

Should I buy the Vredestein Quatrac 5?

If you can live with a little added noise on the highway, the Vredestein Quatrac 5 is one of the best all-weather tires on the market right now. This tire works outstandingly well on dry, wet, and snowy surfaces, almost on the level of the best premium tires.

The best thing about the Quatrac 5 is that it costs much less than the premium alternatives, up to 30%. That was enough for Vredestein’s all-weather tire to receive a “highly recommended” rating in our books.