Vredstein Quatrac 3 On Rear Only?

[npuk]

My car has got two new Bridgestone RE050 on the rear and two used Bridgestone RE050 on the front. Wheels are not staggered.

Would it be worth putting the new rears on to the front and having two new Vredstein Quatrac 3 on the rears for the winter? Would the different tread patterns be a problem?

VREDESTEIN TYRES / WINTER SNOW CAR / VREDESTEIN QUATRAC 3 - 215/45R17 91V XL TL :: £92.30 :: Winter Tyres - Snow Tyres - Mud and Snow Tyres - M&S Tyres - Town & Country Tyres :: R17" - 215/45/17, 215/45 R 17 ::

 

[JerryC200Cdi]

Some manufacturers websites state to put new tyres on the rear irrespective of whether the car is RWD or FWD. In this mornings snow my normal tyres performed quite well overall, but at times the driving wheels (rear on most Mercs) would have benefitted from having the extra grip. Ideally fit 4 winter tyres all round if you can.

 

[x332race]

My car has got two new Bridgestone RE050 on the rear and two used Bridgestone RE050 on the front. Wheels are not staggered.

Would it be worth putting the new rears on to the front and having two new Vredstein Quatrac 3 on the rears for the winter? Would the different tread patterns be a problem?

VREDESTEIN TYRES / WINTER SNOW CAR / VREDESTEIN QUATRAC 3 - 215/45R17 91V XL TL :: £92.30 :: Winter Tyres - Snow Tyres - Mud and Snow Tyres - M&S Tyres - Town & Country Tyres :: R17" - 215/45/17, 215/45 R 17 ::

I am running Quatrac 3s on the rear and "normal" tyres on the fornt at the moment.....Seem to have plenty of tractin in the snow this morning...in fact I was the only non 4x4 driving arund our village! Def had more traction than I did in the last snow with "normal" tryes on the rear and did not fee the need to put chains on this time.

 

[JerryC200Cdi]

I'm looking into getting some Vredesteins as I have 75 mile round trip each day and once you get snow like today it's nice to have some added confidence in the grip levels.

I'm trying to source some local to the Leeds?Wakefield area, so if anyone knows a tyre fitter/stockist in this area I'll try and source some this weekend.

 

[x332race]

Camskill stock them next day delivery....just get local fitter to fit...should charge £10-£15 per wheel for fitting.

 

[Chattonmill]

I ran Vredstein Wintrac Extremes on the E320, they were so good I am having some put on the E55 today.
They had to order them in as there weren't any in the country though.

 

[raymont]

Winter tyres on the rear ( driven) only will lead to a badly handling car.

Give you traction to go. But what about stopping and steering? Just as, if not more, important surely. The rears will be writing cheques the fronts can’t cash.

 

[npuk]

In the case of the a-class its fwd.

 

[raymont]

In the case of the a-class its fwd.

So you're driving along around a slight bend on a snow covered slippery road. You need to brake because of some incident, your winter tyre equipped front wheels grip nicely, unfortunately you summer equipped rears don't have much traction so they try to overtake the front wheels. You get very sideways or possibly spin.

To maintain control the car needs to be reasonably balanced with similar grip at each end.

 

[Sp!ke]

Personally I wouldnt even attempt to brake round a snow covered bend, snow tyres or not.

I understand your theory Raymont but have you tried two snow tyres on a FWD car for yourself?

I know I have.

 

[x332race]

So you're driving along around a slight bend on a snow covered slippery road. You need to brake because of some incident, your winter tyre equipped front wheels grip nicely, unfortunately you summer equipped rears don't have much traction so they try to overtake the front wheels. You get very sideways or possibly spin.

To maintain control the car needs to be reasonably balanced with similar grip at each end.

Its all about taking care and driving to the conditions.....sure if you want to go top speed in the snow, its best to have the right tyres on all corners....however, it is perfectly possible to drive carefully with winter tyres (or chains) on the driven wheels and summer tyres on the other. I have driven many miles with chains on in very deep snow and not ever felt out of control despite "summer" tyres on the other axel

 

[grober]

In my experience fitting 2 snow tyres on the rear of a rear wheel drive car conveys a significant advantage to both traction and stability. However the traction advantage will be lost in a front wheel drive car leaving only sideways stability. In the case of the front drive A class I would recommend fitting 4 winter/compound tyres. Despite dire warnings of premature wear and poor dry pavement performance I have run winter compound tyres all year round without significant problems other than a slight increase in noise. Taking account of that I would recommend a brand which has slightly better noise design at the expense of very slightly less traction. This would be the Michelin Pilot Premacy PA3 or Quatrac 3 . If you wish slightly increased traction then the Nokian WGR2 would also be a good bet.
You could run the safely run the Bridgestones on the rear in the summer if you wanted

 

[Apial]

If you wish slightly increased traction then the Nokian WGR2 would also be a good bet.
You could run the safely run the Bridgestones on the rear in the summer if you wanted

I have a full set of Nokian WR G2s if they are the same? Excellent tyres with lower noise and good fuel economy. The tread pattern is designed to prevent aquaplaning in slush.

The masses of sipes also assist braking. You can stop faster than the highway code says on dry roads even though you are on packed snow.

I think that if you didn't have a full set then the braking would be like having a full axle brake failure plus instability. When conditions get tough you don't really want to be driving on only half a set of tyres that actually do grip. You can swap them over in the summer and so you really won't be spending much more in the long term.

Would you buy half a lifejacket?

 

[Apial]

I am running Quatrac 3s on the rear and "normal" tyres on the fornt at the moment.....Seem to have plenty of tractin in the snow this morning...in fact I was the only non 4x4 driving arund our village! Def had more traction than I did in the last snow with "normal" tryes on the rear and did not fee the need to put chains on this time.

Put some on the front too, and you will not believe what they can do. Driving on snow will feel more like driving on sand, and the feel will be so stable you will initially be too scared to travel at anywhere near the maximum. It is almost as if someone is asking you to put your hand into a flame that will not burn you.

When you have driven on winter tyres you will no longer be concerned with simple traction to get you going. How fast you can travel safely becomes the issue.

 

[Apial]

Remember if the manufacturer says they do not recommend fitting only two winter tyres, or even that different brands of tyre should not be mixed, as Nokian do, then if you should have an accident caused by failure to adhere to the advice given, you will be responsible and possibly un-insured too.

 

[x332race]

Put some on the front too, and you will not believe what they can do. Driving on snow will feel more like driving on sand, and the feel will be so stable you will initially be too scared to travel at anywhere near the maximum. It is almost as if someone is asking you to put your hand into a flame that will not burn you.

When you have driven on winter tyres you will no longer be concerned with simple traction to get you going. How fast you can travel safely becomes the issue.

Have 2nd set on order for the front to be fitted before Christmas.....well used to winter tyres...lived in Chamonix for 2 years!

 

[Ronnie]

I would definitely recommend 4 winter tyres being fitted allround..."cashing cheques ect" mentioned earlier definitley applies in this instance...one axle stopping and the other slipping away to beat the band....probably more difficult to control than all-round summer tyes in the snow, especially on bends...
Also, the Quatrac is a "summer and winter in one"...so more of a all season tyre with the added advantages of the sipes on one side...good compromise, especially for the UK but not the finished product in terms of full blown out winter tyre irequired if travelling to the Alpine areas.....in which case definitely go for the wintracxtreme if going for Vredestein....or the the many other brands...many of which list availble on www.winter-tyres.info

 

[Smiley]

I too can recomend camskill; very fast delivery, competitive price and good comms. 10/10.

 

[raymont]

Bought mine ( Vredstein Wintrac 4 xtreme ) from Camskill winter 07, good price, quick delivery and good tyres.

Off to Bavaria tomorrow morning ( tunnel, ferry, strikes etc. permitting). Given the recent weather and the forecast for the route there is absolutely no way I would be doing this with summer tyres on one axle and winter tyres on the other. My family is worth more than that. It’s not just about traction, it’s about safety; my family if I have an accident, someone else’s if I crash into them.

The cost argument for two winter tyres is not that strong as you can only wear out one set of tyres at a time. OK you have to buy another set of wheels ( more expensive) or pay a few quid ( not much) to have the tyres swapped.

I think winter tyres are a marginal decision for south of England but a no brainer if you travel to colder climes.

 

[x332race]

All; I can say, is driving aroudn to day with Quatracs on the rear and normals on the front I felt very secure....had no problems with traction even when others were struggling and no problems slowing down (I was taking things carefully)