Monthly Archives: February 2013

Vredestein Wintrac Xtreme

Vredestein Wintrac Xtreme

23 Comments

vredestein-wintrac-xtremeVredestein Wintrac Xtreme, I love these tyres, but I’ll get to that in a moment let’s start with the basics.

Sizes available: 16″ – 20″ diameter

Speed ratings: H (136 mph) all the way up to W (168 mph)

Suitable for: medium sized cars, saloons, executive, SUV & high performance sports

When I first got involved with selling winter tyres Vredestein was the first company that we dealt with. Based in Holland they are one of the original winter tyre manufacturers and considered by many to be one of the best in the business. I’ve sold this product for a number of years and the customer feedback is outstanding, We’ve fitted them to a wide range of vehicles from Golf’s to Aston Martin and everything in between. In terms of test data there is very little out there as Vredestein don’t tend to put this tyre forward for testing so we have had to convince customers that it’s a great product. All I can say is that people come back for them again and again and I’ve heard many stories about them being used in a range of conditions and they always perform outstandingly.

In addition to great all round winter performance the Wintrac Xtreme has the added benefit of offering great longevity, they offer fantastic mileage. I remember our Vredestein rep using them over 2 years and got close to 40.000 miles out of them! Many people think that winter tyres wear out quickly and that is rarely the case, especially with these. Even when used out of season they work and last well, I personally ran them year round on a 1 series and loved them. Fuel efficiency was still really good, there was no increased noise and after removing them at around 20,000 miles they were hardly touched in terms of tread wear.

Finally a bit more on my personal experience; I was really happy with them on my BMW 1 series a few years back. This year I used the 17″ runflat version on a 3 series and they have really performed. We had a reasonable amount of snow and ice over the 2012/13 winter up in Yorkshire and this tyre allowed me to keep mobile, safe and confident out on the roads – a top tyre!

Looking to buy? Tyremen are major stockists of the Wintrac Xtreme and offer great prices.

Vredestein-Snowtrac-3
Vredestein Snowtrac 3

Vredestein Snowtrac 3

8 Comments

vredestein-snowtrac-3Vredestein were one of the first tyre manufacturers to start producing winter tyres, they are well known in the rest of Europe and for those in the know here are regarded as a well respected manufacturer.

With our partner, Tyremen, we are going to look at this product

This Snowtrac 3 was launched in 2008 and has remain unchanged ever since. Upon release this tyre received a great deal of praise from the tyre press, motoring magazines and independent tyre tests. At this time it was leaps and bounds ahead of the competition and claimed a string of tyre test winning performances over a 3 year reign at the top. These test winning performances were over a range of sizes but for some reason has consistently rated especially well in smaller sizes such as 185/60R14. Even as recent as 2012 this tyre received a which best buy in this size and must be seriously considered if you need a small winter tyre.

Sizes available – 13″ – 16″, call for more information 08456 807808

Speed ratings – T (118 mph), H (136 mph) & V (149 mph)

Suitable for – small & medium sized cars

The Snowtrac 3 has a directional pattern with good spacing between the tread blocks for fantastic snow clearing properties and this tyre is often praised for its pure snow performance. This pattern does tend to increase the rolling resistance so the Snowtrac 3 doesn’t tend to offer the best fuel efficiency.

It’s also praised for excellent dry performance, although more recently released tyres tend to offer better wet grip. There is no doubting that the Snowtrac 3 is a great winter tyre, upon it’s release it was the best, these days it’s more truthfully a mid table performer but it’s safe, great in the snow and excellent value.

Customer feedback is consistently good for this tyre, it’s very popular in the Scottish Highlands and with those driving to the Alps. The only real negative that I’ve heard is that they can wear quite quickly when used in the summer months.

Vredestein do make fantastic winter tyres that you can leave on the vehicle all year, however, as this is one of the first, this isn’t one of them. This is purely a winter tyre, have them fitted with another set of wheels, alloys keep the look of your car, but steels are an option in smaller sizes.

We still love this tyre, it’s one that we first took notice of and you can kit your car out, with just the tyres, from as little as £200 plus fitting, we think is great value for a great tyre and keeps you safe and on budget!

Looking to buy or need any more help or advice? Tyremen offer great prices on the Snowtrac 3. Or call the team on 08456 807808

Used this tyre? Let us know, join in the blog and leave your views.

The Winter Tyres Review Team

Continental-TS850
Continental TS850

Continental TS850

3 Comments

 

Update August 2015,

Since the launch of the TS850, these seem to be unstoppable winning the Auto Express best winter tyre buy 2014 & 2015.

pr_240615_axcwct850_460-en-onlineData

 

continental-ts850Launched for the winter 2012/13 season the Continental TS850 has caused quite a stir, lets start with the basics:

Without doubt this was the most in demand winter tyre of the 2012/13 winter season, and that hasn’t relented in following years. With a string of fantastic tyre test reports, this tyre hasn’t failed to please those who have fitted it to their vehicles.

This tyre replaced the TS830 which was only released a year previous and was a multi test winner upon it’s release. It’s unusual for tyre companies to switch a winning product so quickly but they have managed this with the launch of the TS850 which has been improved further.

So, what are the basic’s of this tyre?

Sizes available – from 14″ to 17″ (limited 17″ sizes)

Speed ratings – T (118 mph), H (136 mph) & V (149 mph)

Suitable for – small cars, family cars, hot hatches & a range of estate cars & executive saloons if part of wheel & tyre package. Sometimes for winter tyres on vehicles with quite a large tread placement, it’s best to drop a wheel size.

A directional tread pattern which is ideal for clearing snow, slush and water from the road surface keeping the tyre in contact with the tarmac more effectively reducing the risk of aquaplaning.

Tyre tests usually need to be taken with a pinch of salt as results can vary widely. But this tyre won them all this year in size 205/55R16, We’ve never seen anything like it the TS850 claimed 1st place in the following tests; Auto Express 2012, Evo magazine 2012, Auto Bild, Auto Zeitung & European winter tyre test 2012.

When the results are this consistent then you know that the product is good. The results praise this tyre in all winter conditions, wet, dry & snowy so it’s fair to say that whatever the application this tyre is a good option.

With the tyre being so new we haven’t had that much customer feedback yet so I look forward to your comments. Again we haven’t heard back from people that have worn these out yet so I don’t know for sure how long they will last. Continental as a company don’t tend to value longevity so I’d be surprised if they lasted a long time, but in terms of winter performance you wont go far wrong.

Update October 2014

Well, now we have had some feedback from customers, and we have to say, its very positive. Mileage is good, fuel economy proving competitive with other brands and great performance in winter conditions.

Looking to buy? Tyremen have large stocks, cheap prices & free delivery or nationwide fitting on the TS850.

Need more advice? Call the Tyremen team on 08456 807808

Join in the review process, leave your thoughts on the TS850 below

Thanks

The Winter Tyres Review Team