Autopia.org - View Single Post - Hey Europeans, tell me about Vredestein Snowtrac 2's

Setec Astronomy · 11-03-05, 07:33

I found this German tire test where the SnowTrac 2 was one of the three recommended tires, but I have two problems, 1) The Google translation leaves something to be desired as far as the reasoning behind the recommendation, and 2) The other tires in the test are not available here or are not comparable to the Blizzak WS-50 or the Michelin X-Ice, for instance. Any German speakers care to refine the Google translation a bit?

Vredestein doesn't really harp on the ice capability in their literature, but even their English literature seems to be a bit of a stilted translation. I notice that the SnoTrac 2 has a T speed rating, and they even now have an H version, versus the Q rating of the Blizzak and Ice-X. Since Vredestein USA is right here in NJ, I called them up (spoke to the President!) and asked a few questions, like if the SnowTrac 2 is comparable/marketed against the Blizzak and got more of a "sure" which surpised me because I expected "well, the Blizzak is a good tire, but the SnowTrac 2 is even better" or "it's at least the equal of the Blizzak, and has a better speed rating". I asked about the speed rating, and was told that there really was no difference in the snow/ice capability, only that the H-rated tire would cost a few bucks more. When I referred to the SnowTrac 2 as a "dual compound" tire (like the Blizzak) , the Vredestein rep told me it wasn't, even though their brochure says "Unique tread compound: Silica Nova 7*C for contact with the road, Hard 'base' compound for the foundation layer".

I got the new Car & Driver this week and they had a tire test....on performance tires...just in time for winter!

So now I'm more puzzled than ever...one could conclude from the above (marketing and speed ratings) that the SnowTrac 2 is not really a comparable tire to the Blizzak. If it's not, I'm just back to my original question of whether to recommend the Blizzak ice/handling compromise...or a different compromise. My target date for getting my friend outfitted is Thanksgiving/Dec. 1, so I have another week or two to agonize over this. Oh...if I wind up with the Blizzaks, it may be the new REVO 1, which gets slightly higher ratings overall at TireRack vs. the WS-50.

Murat: Thanks for the Nokian recommendation, my initial goal was to stay with this local dealer that I have a relationship with; I thought I could get the Blizzaks through him. If I wind up having to do an internet thing, I'll take another look at the Nokians.

Maxy: You have your Dunlops on yet?

11-03-05, 07:33	#6 (permalink)
Setec Astronomy Registered User Setec Astronomy is offline Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 9,890	I found this German tire test where the SnowTrac 2 was one of the three recommended tires, but I have two problems, 1) The Google translation leaves something to be desired as far as the reasoning behind the recommendation, and 2) The other tires in the test are not available here or are not comparable to the Blizzak WS-50 or the Michelin X-Ice, for instance. Any German speakers care to refine the Google translation a bit? Vredestein doesn't really harp on the ice capability in their literature, but even their English literature seems to be a bit of a stilted translation. I notice that the SnoTrac 2 has a T speed rating, and they even now have an H version, versus the Q rating of the Blizzak and Ice-X. Since Vredestein USA is right here in NJ, I called them up (spoke to the President!) and asked a few questions, like if the SnowTrac 2 is comparable/marketed against the Blizzak and got more of a "sure" which surpised me because I expected "well, the Blizzak is a good tire, but the SnowTrac 2 is even better" or "it's at least the equal of the Blizzak, and has a better speed rating". I asked about the speed rating, and was told that there really was no difference in the snow/ice capability, only that the H-rated tire would cost a few bucks more. When I referred to the SnowTrac 2 as a "dual compound" tire (like the Blizzak) , the Vredestein rep told me it wasn't, even though their brochure says "Unique tread compound: Silica Nova 7*C for contact with the road, Hard 'base' compound for the foundation layer". I got the new Car & Driver this week and they had a tire test....on performance tires...just in time for winter! So now I'm more puzzled than ever...one could conclude from the above (marketing and speed ratings) that the SnowTrac 2 is not really a comparable tire to the Blizzak. If it's not, I'm just back to my original question of whether to recommend the Blizzak ice/handling compromise...or a different compromise. My target date for getting my friend outfitted is Thanksgiving/Dec. 1, so I have another week or two to agonize over this. Oh...if I wind up with the Blizzaks, it may be the new REVO 1, which gets slightly higher ratings overall at TireRack vs. the WS-50. Murat: Thanks for the Nokian recommendation, my initial goal was to stay with this local dealer that I have a relationship with; I thought I could get the Blizzaks through him. If I wind up having to do an internet thing, I'll take another look at the Nokians. Maxy: You have your Dunlops on yet? __________________ Grumpy like Ketch... "Well, it certainly does!"