Hey Europeans, tell me about Vredestein Snowtrac 2's - Page 2

Setec Astronomy · 11-15-05, 11:06

Oops...it looks like that Swedish newpaper may have been reporting on Norwegian Motor Magazine's test here , but there apparently is also a newer (2005) test as well.

tom p. · 11-15-05, 11:26

Setec, I am getting some decent reports on the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice. I think that's the tire I am going to try this season. I've gone thru Vredestein (Euro Tire

), Michelins, Dunlops, Blizzaks, etc. I've had decent success with them all. Ice and hard packed snow our my primary concern. We rarely contend with deep snow.

I was going to try the Hakkas but they were getting $$$$.

MorBid · 11-15-05, 12:56

I have the Dunlop M3's on my A4 and for the first time since moving to this Winter wonderland I can laugh at the snow we get up here.

But the M3's are Winter Performance tires which give up a little snow and ice traction to gain some on dry pavement. The ride with them on a car with a sport tuned suspension is not as bad on dry pavement as well.

I looked at the Nokian Hakka's before getting the M3's. Thoose tires are snow and ice tires for real. I beleive they used them to drive on ice in Norway (something like that I saw on the website).

Personally for me I think when looking at a Winter Tire you have to look at what type of Winter you'll be driving in. What are the typical road conditions you'll be driving on and buy tires for that. If your in one of those places where you won't see a clear patch of ground till the thaw, then you need something different than someone in a area/climate where snow is sporadic and the roads (at least the main one's) are plowed frequently.

I drove through some pretty heavy/wet stuff last winter and alot of Lake Effect with those M3's and needed minimal assitance from the on-board electronics (traction control and the like) accept when I was gunning it through turns or just out having some fun and generally driving in a manner totally unsafe for wintery conditions.

Lasty true Snow/Ice tires wear quickly (esp when they see alot of dry pavement), I had mine on from November to late April and looking at the treads they look barely used

harry444 · 11-15-05, 01:42

Got a set of Dunlop M3 run flat snow tires they are the best I ever had they are Quiet and handle like a summer tire they are H rated so can get some speed on them check em out ...

ramp · 11-18-05, 07:06

Setec, At the risk of further complicating your decision there is another factor, which may or may not apply to your friend's car, that you should know about: When I went to buy my winter tires, from The Tire Rack, I had decided on the Blizzaks--a no-brainer I thought. But I was also buying summer tires and new wheels, so I called Luke at TTR, and he told me absolutely NOT to get the Blizzaks for my car.

As it turns out, my car (Mercedes S-500), like many cars today, is equipped w/ an Electronic Stability Program (ESP), which can bring the car to a stop when Blizzak tires start to spin on slick roads. The system apparently "thinks" the car is out of control. He said my car would "hate" Blizzaks, and recommended I get the less expensive, but more effective on my car, Micheline X-Ice--which I did. I have them mounted on my OEM 16" wheels and have not put them on my car yet, so cannot report on preformance.

This may not apply to your friend's car, but I'll bet a lot of people reading these threads will find it useful to know. This is something I have not seen mentioned in any of these posts to date.

Good luck and let us know what you, and she, decide.

Setec Astronomy · 11-22-05, 06:39

Well, we ordered a set of Nokian Hakkapeliita RSi's from a local chain (STS). I thought she would be better off starting with a studless snow and ice tire, and if it's too mushy, etc., she'll know that for the next time, and consider a more performance oriented tire. It came down to the Blizzaks, Michelin X-Ice, or the Hakka RSi...one of the deciding factors for me was that the Hakka has an R speed rating vs. Q for the others. My friend liked the name...so Nokians it was. Should have them installed on her factory steelies early next week and I'll report back on what she says. And yes, the Hakka's were much more expensive than the Blizzaks or X-Ice.

The other cool news was that we found a great ebay deal on the factory aluminum wheels for her car (1" bigger than the steelies), so now we get to go through this tire picking excercise again in the spring for summer or all-season tires!

4830Deuce · 11-22-05, 06:49

just get some studded snow tires and call it good...

...I really have no contribution to this thread sorry...

-Justin

White95Max · 11-23-05, 05:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

Well, we ordered a set of Nokian Hakkapeliita RSi's from a local chain (STS). I thought she would be better off starting with a studless snow and ice tire, and if it's too mushy, etc., she'll know that for the next time, and consider a more performance oriented tire. It came down to the Blizzaks, Michelin X-Ice, or the Hakka RSi...

Bah! No Dunlop M3s? Sheesh...

I'm sure she'll love any snow tire though, they are in a whole 'nother category compared to all-seasons.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

The other cool news was that we found a great ebay deal on the factory aluminum wheels for her car (1" bigger than the steelies), so now we get to go through this tire picking excercise again in the spring for summer or all-season tires!

SUMMER TIRES! You've got a set of snow tires, so why get the compromising all-seasons again? Summer tires are superior to all-seasons almost to the extent that snow tires are.

Make sure to clean up those wheels and seal them when you get them.

ramp · 11-23-05, 06:08

Anxious to hear how those Hakka's preform...

For summer, I recommend Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's. I have them on my car and really love them. Although, by March there may be whole new lines of great summer tires.

White95Max · 11-23-05, 06:18

LOL, while the Eagle F1s are great tires, they offer far more grip than Setec's friend needs. There's no way that her car could take advantage of the performance that those tires have to offer.

ramp · 11-23-05, 06:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by White95Max

LOL, while the Eagle F1s are great tires, they offer far more grip than Setec's friend needs. There's no way that her car could take advantage of the performance that those tires have to offer.

Point well taken. At this point in the thread I forgot what car we were trying to "help."

Setec Astronomy · 11-23-05, 04:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by White95Max

SUMMER TIRES! You've got a set of snow tires, so why get the compromising all-seasons again? Summer tires are superior to all-seasons almost to the extent that snow tires are.

Well, since Jr. doesn't change her own tires over, I don't want her to get caught in an early/late snow storm when she doesn't have her winter tires on. Actually been eyeing the Nokian WR's which, while being all-season tires, actually have the severe service rating. But we've got a lot of time to think about it.