COLCHESTER, Conn.—The Vredestein Wintrac Pro and Quatrac Pro were among Consumer Reports' top tire picks in 2019, ranking with tires from much larger companies such as Michelin, Goodyear and Continental.
The Wintrac Pro tied for first among performance winter/snow tires, offering "outstanding snow traction and ice braking," according to the report written by CR staff writer Jeff S. Bartlett.
The other top-ranked tire in that category, the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4, has "a good balance of handling and winter grip on snowy, dry, and wet roads," CR said.
The report said both tires retail at $190.
The Vredestein Quatrac Pro, listed at $151, ranked highly among all-season UHP tires. CR described the Quatrac Pro as "an all-weather tire capable of meeting the snow traction limits of a winter/snow tire."
The magazine recommended the Quatrac Pro as an alternative to the BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 A/S, retailing at $139.99-$233, which scored poorly for noise despite its "impressive" snow traction and performance on cleared roads.
Most highly ranked in the all-season UHP category was the Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate, listed at $159. The Eagle Exhilarate, CR said, "delivered impressive performance in most tests, although its tread life is estimated to be just 45,000 miles—a bit short of its rivals, which look to provide 55,000 to 65,000 miles of service."
The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ ($175), the General G-MAX AS-05 ($112), the g-Force COMP-2 A/S and the Quatrac Pro were "in a virtual four-way tie" in the all-season category, CR said.
Among UHP summer tires, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4s ($193.99) took first place, offering "excellent handling and high levels of grip," CR said.
Other recommendations in the summer category included the Continental ExtremeContract Sport ($162.99) and the General G-Max RS ($112,99), the report said. The ExtremeContact Sport offers excellent handling, but the G-Max RS offers slightly longer tread life, it said.
Every year CR chooses several categories of consumer tires and tests them for various performance characteristics at its auto test center in Colchester.
This year, concentrating on UHP tires, it purchased 520 tires for its full test program, covering 51 models, CR said. It tested for wet and dry braking and handling, ride comfort and quietness, and resistance to hydroplaning.
"A car's performance is only as good as the tires, because they are the only contact with the road," said CR Tire Program Manager Gene Petersen in this year's report.
The current rankings appear in the December 2019 issue of CR.