One tiny aspect people are (perhaps) overlooking here is that when your summer tyres are on the car the winter tyres are not putting miles on and vice verca. Thus the only short term cost is that of four steel wheels and your two sets will last far longer. You also get tyres perfect for the summer and perfect for the winter and not something that might be half baked at either...

One tiny aspect people are (perhaps) overlooking here is that when your summer tyres are on the car the winter tyres are not putting miles on and vice verca. Thus the only short term cost is that of four steel wheels and your two sets will last far longer. You also get tyres perfect for the summer and perfect for the winter and not something that might be half baked at either...

On 4000 miles a year I think they'd get too old before they were half worn...

That was part of the reason we went for All-Seasons.

On 4000 miles a year I think they'd get too old before they were half worn...

That was part of the reason we went for All-Seasons.

On that point I certainly can't argue! But on your average 12,000 a year mileage I'd wager to say a set of steel wheels will pay for itself pretty quick.

I assume the testers push the cars beyond normal driving styles to test the tyres to their limits. Would you as a driver drive like that?

More to the point is this: Can you as a driver guarantee that you will never hit deep standing water unexpectedly? Can you as a driver guarantee that a child will never run out in front of you on a wet road? If the answer is yes, then by all means settle for tyres that are known to be weak performers in the wet.

More to the point is this: Can you as a driver guarantee that you will never hit deep standing water unexpectedly? Can you as a driver guarantee that a child will never run out in front of you on a wet road? If the answer is yes, then by all means settle for tyres that are known to be weak performers in the wet.

I understand your point but you can apply that to each part of testing, performance on snow and ice, performance in the dry, performance on corners etc. No one tyre is number one in every aspect. The best performer at breaking in the wet maybe number 3 in the dry. Which do you then go for? Do we drive in the dry or wet more? As with most things in life there is an element of compromise in there.

As with most things in life there is an element of compromise in there.

And even more so when you try to get one tyre than can handle 30 degree summer heat AND wet winter roads with temperatures below 7 degrees... Get the right tool for the task I say and get two sets. I might sound the expensive option but it is not in real terms.

I understand your point but you can apply that to each part of testing, performance on snow and ice, performance in the dry, performance on corners etc. No one tyre is number one in every aspect.... As with most things in life there is an element of compromise in there.

I take your point about compromise but it does not apply in this case.

Did you look at the test? The Quatrac was tested with 7 other tyres, six winter, one summer. It came 2nd-bottom for rolling resistance, bottom for aquaplaning on the straight, bottom for aquaplaning in bends, bottom for handling on wet roads, bottom for braking on wet roads, bottom for snow traction (except for the summer tyre), and bottom for snow braking (except for the summer tyre). That is not a compromise. It's a liability on all except dry roads.

I just had 4 Vector 4Seasons fitted today on the Scout.

On the 50 mile drive home, mostly motorway with some A and B roads for the last leg, they impressed. Ride and handling seem to be a slight improvement over the factory fitted Pirellis and cornering feels smoother. I'd say that noise levels were also down too over the pirellis.

So, just got to wait for the white stuff to appear now for that part of the test.

Not good at shifting standing water, full stop.

See this test: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/total_tyre_guide/259453/aquaplaning.html

Note that that page is one of many in the test. Also, rather confusingly, the 'Vredestein' which comes second from top in both the aqua tests is the Snowtrac 3, a winter tyre. The tyre called 'All-season' in the tables is the Quatrac, and it's right at the bottom of the performance charts for aquaplaning, far below both summer and winter tyres.

As we have more wet than anything else in the winter, that alone is a compelling reason for me to avoid all-season tyres.

Thanks for that - it's exactly what I was asking!

The main reason I switched to directional tyres a long time ago was because of my experience of non-directional ones on standing water and wet ground and the primary fact that wet weather performance to me is a higher priority in this country than ultimate dry weather performance.

I've used Vredestein for years but one the basis of the above, when it comes to all-seasons I think I'll go wth the Vectors. Summer I'll stick with the Sportrac3's!

Thanks!

I drive moderately and so as long as the tyre does not bomb completely in a test I would tend to trust the brand and the fact that they would not produce a bad tyre.

Don't you beleive it! I have an acquantance who works for a major french tyre manufacturer develoing compounds and treads and some of the stories she tells are frightening. Like the one about ne of thier major sellers that they were having real problems with as it's performance was well below par and they couldn't work out why. It was even being beaten in thier own testing labs by some of the budget brands and thier own in-house budget brand.

Also my own experience tells me that Goodyear NCT's are cr*p but the Goodyear Eagle Ventura / Hydragrip is a great tyre.

So it just goes to show that you cannot just 'trust the brand and the fact that they would not produce a bad tyre'. They do - so do your homework!

Skomaz - Fair point but the Quatracs, Vector All Seasons and Nokian Entyres, three all season tyres, have all been used by forum members on here, all with positive results. If you google those three tyres as well they also get positive results from other drivers who use them on a range of cars. I appreciate I was probably being a bit general in my comments that you highlighted.

That is not a compromise. It's a liability on all except dry roads.

Did you see the conclusion? AutoExpress wrote "We were impressed with Vredestein’s Quatrac, which performed admirably in nearly every category."

For clarity they wrote admirably, not liability. Perhaps you are better at interpreting their results than they are?

when it comes to all-seasons I think I'll go wth the Vectors. Summer I'll stick with the Sportrac3's!

If you're going to the trouble of swapping twice a year why are you bothering with all season tyres in the winter?

There is the complicating factor that just because a tyre works well on one model of car, it may not do so on another; and you can't assume either that the tyre in one size performs just as well as in a different one. In the end you 'pays your money and makes your choice' ........ and hope for the best.

Did you see the conclusion? AutoExpress wrote "We were impressed with Vredestein’s Quatrac, which performed admirably in nearly every category."

For clarity they wrote admirably, not liability. Perhaps you are better at interpreting their results than they are?

Nope, but I can recognise an editing error when I see one, and I have actually read the test in full, which you still don't yet seem to have got round to. It was the Snowtrac that performed admirably in nearly every category, the Quatrac that performed very poorly, as you can see for yourself by looking at the detailed results for each category, and some clown inserted the wrong name in the section you quote.

I've ordered a little Hyundai i10 and they come with Kumho's as standard (17/60/14...a rare tyre size). The Yeti has Dunlop winters on steelies in storage so no further issues for me there, but I'm seriously thinking of getting Michelin Alpin A3 or A4 for the i10 and leaving them on all year round (will be low annual mileage). This, on the basis of obvious and well defined benefit in winter ( we like to park up and walk on Dartmoor all year round) and gentle summer use saves swapping tyres twice a year. The Michelin is reviewed as being acceptable in summer - perhaps a harder compound?...Michelins seem to last longer in the view of many.

The other option I'd consider is Goodyear Vector 4 seasons or Vredestein Quatrac all seasons (reviews and research suggests to me there isn't much between them) on the basis of some improved winter performance at the cost of slight summer sacrifice.

Those who have no wish to change to winters/all seasons on the basis of their superior skills and experience are clearly happy with their choice - and so be it. My view is that for average to high mileage users the cost and mild inconvenience of using W/T's (or all seasons, with less cost and inconvenience implications) is, for me, outweighed by the, hopefully, increased avoidance of mishap and the resultant expense in terms of accident related insurance costs and blotted copybook when applying for future insurance, not to mention reduced likelihood of injury.

If you're going to the trouble of swapping twice a year why are you bothering with all season tyres in the winter?

Sorry what I meant was if I ultimately decide to go the all season route I'll go for the Vectors but if I stick with summers I'll stick with the Sportracs :yes:

I can recognise an editing error when I see one [...] and some clown inserted the wrong name in the section you quote.

I trust you have informed AutoExpress of their error, and I hope you'll be kind enough to share their reply with us.

Just fitted vector 4seasons (165/70 R14 81T) to my sons Fabia I Classic HTP 54 and so far impressed. Noticeable improvement over the Federal budget tyres fitted by the garage we bought it from. Even though the tyres are new they were holding the road well in tonight's rain also noticed a lack of road/tyre noise on all but the roughest surface.

TP

Had Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons on the Scout for a few days now. Very impressed with performance in the wet compared to the OE dunlops. No increase in road noise, possible a slightly harder ride at first but feels fine now.

I'll keep you posted re winter performance.

Mark

I've swapped out the Dunlops on my Yeti for Goodyear Vector 4's. The Dunlops have done nearly 20k miles, with 4mm tread remaining all round. They were less than stellar on snow and ice with nearly full tread, and I didn't fancy risking it with half as much!

The Vectors have now done 500 miles, so should be scrubbed in.

So far they've been driven on dry warm roads, wet warm roads, dry cold roads and wet cold roads. No ice or snow, and the temperatures haven't been very warm or very cold. They haven't yet had to deal with very wet (eg: lots of standing water) roads either.

Initial impressions:

Dry handling very good. No noticeable difference to the summer Dunlops, except that they feel very marginally less sharp on tight "slalom" turns.

Wet handling very good. No noticeable difference to the summer Dunlops.

Cold roads. Feel more responsive than the Dunlops. Cornering and braking feel more confident.

Warm roads. No noticeable difference to the Dunlops - bar the slight variance mentioned on tight turns.

Noise. Seem perhaps slightly quieter on dry roads, especially cold dry roads. Not much in it on wet roads, but noticeable louder when ploughing through puddles - quite a roar!

Ride quality. Difficult to judge fairly, since they're new rather than part worn, but they feel perhaps a little better than the Dunlops.

Fuel consumption. No measurable difference.

So in conclusion, so far I'm very impressed. It's early days, but I've found no weaknesses at all yet. I will report again in a few thousand more miles, and perhaps after some grotty weather.

Incidentally, these were purchased through Oponeo - which (if I'm honest) felt like a bit of punt, as they seem to be a new company, are based in Poland etc etc. Ordered on Sunday morning, dispatched from the Goodyear factory in Germany (I think) on Monday and arrived on Friday. They were about £70 cheaper than the closest competitor, and I've no complaints whatsoever with them.

Cheers

Nick

+1 for Oponeo £14 a corner less than Mytyres for the 4 Seasons. Prices go up and down daily so keep an eye on them.

Mark