Vredestein Hypertrac All Season is a great ultra high performance all-season tire, which offers offers a solid combination of performance and durability. Let’s see how capable this tire really is.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
Overall, the Vredestein Hypertrac All Season excels in:
- Dry braking and handling, thanks to its well engineered tread design.
- Wet performance, with effective water displacement and responsive steering.
- Winter traction, performing well on various terrains.
- Ride comfort, offering effective bump absorption and controlled handling.
Yet, there’s room for improvement in certain areas, notably in:
- Wet braking, where it slightly lags behind top performers.
- Noise reduction, as it creates a lot of in-groove resonance.
- Fuel efficiency, impacted by its more adhering softer rubber composition, which generates greater rolling resistance.
Tread Structure
The Vredestein Hypertrac AS comes with an asymmetric tread pattern distinguished by five distinct ribs or block columns.
The central rib features a continuous design, enhanced with sharp, longitudinal notches and lateral siping for improved grip. This rib is unique for its bidirectional notches.
Adjacent to this are two ribs with slightly varying designs.
Here, one rib mirrors the siping pattern of the central rib and is characterized by squared-off lugs.
While, the other rib stands out with its offset edges and wave-like siping, offering a different traction profile.
Moving towards shoulders, the lugs here also exhibit similar variation in siping design, though they share a densely packed arrangement.
I mean see how their lateral grooves have ridges in between, connecting all blocks longitudinally.
Find all the tires compared with Vredestein Hypertrac All Season.
Info on Sizes
The tire comes in 16 to 20 inches rims. And these sizes have following specs.
- Speed ratings: W and Y only.
- Load ratings: SL and XL.
- Tread depth: 10.7/32″ on all.
- Weight: 20 to 40 lbs.
- UTQG: 500 AA A.
- Treadwear warranty: 50k miles.
Internally, the tire offers 2 ply polyester casing with twin steel belts, reinforced by a single ply polyamide layer on very top.
Overall Dry Performance
When assessing the dry performance of tires, it’s crucial to focus on three fundamental aspects: directional grip, steering responsiveness, and lateral traction. Let’s take a look at each of these.
Directional Grip
Directional grip refers to a tire’s ability to maintain effective contact and traction while moving in a straight line.
This aspect of performance is affected by the tire’s construction, including its weight, material composition, and, most significantly, the design of the tread’s central region.
Now, considering all, it can be seen why the Vredestein Hypertrac All Season, is excelling here, providing superb braking (a test which directly measures this grip).
Its exceptional performance is largely due to its silica-rich rubber composition and a densely packed central region of the tread.
The tire features a continuous central-most rib, surrounded by closely arranged neighboring ones, enhancing its braking capabilities (a key measure of longitudinal grip).
Additionally, the biters on these ribs, (like the longitudinal in-groove notches on the central most rib, and off-set edges on adjacent ribs) together, add further to overall tire’s traction, and stability as it moves linearly.
That’s why during my comparative analysis with HyperTrac, the tire closely matched the Michelin Pilot Sport AS4, a top-rated tire in my list of ultra-high performance all-season (UHPAS) category, falling short by only about a foot in average braking distance tests.
Overall Handling
Understanding the overall handling of a tire involves considering its performance across the three phases of cornering: entry, mid-cornering, and exiting.
Each phase plays a critical role in determining the tire’s handling characteristics.
- Entry Phase: This is the initial phase of cornering, where slowing down and downshifting are common.
- Mid-Cornering Phase: This is at the apex of the corner, and here the feedback becomes very crucial.
- Exiting Phase: As the vehicle straightens and begins to accelerate, the tire’s ability to quickly stabilize is key.
Now, in the entry phase, where effective braking is paramount, the Vredestein providing superb stopping distances, allow for quicker deceleration, contributing to shorter lap times during testing.
Similarly, with one of the leading directional grip, the tire excelled in the exiting phase too, providing with above-average acceleration and on-center feel.
Though the tire’s mid cornering is a slightly different story, where the tire’s slightly greater weight causes some issues. I mean it puts the HyperTrac AS leaning towards slight understeering.
Though overall, the tire’s overall performance still remains competitive. To give you an idea, in handling lap time tests, it trails the fastest tire in its category by only less than half a second on average, showcasing its robust handling capabilities across all phases of cornering.
Winter Performance
When evaluating winter tire performance, it’s important to consider the specific demands of different road conditions. For instance, icy surfaces require tires with numerous biting edges for grip, while deep snow needs lugs or biters that can effectively scoop and remove snow.
In this scenario, the Vredestein Hypertrac All Season tire distinguishes itself indeed, despite not having the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) rating.
And here, several factors contribute to its overall performance.
First off, the tire’s tread is crafted with a complex arrangement of interlocking and linear sipes, oriented in multiple directions. This design ensures the tread remains flexible even in freezing temperatures, preventing it from becoming too hard.
Moreover, the tire incorporates slanted biters, notches, and off-set and chamfered edges, all of which enhance grip on icy and slushy surfaces, with ease as well.
And yes, although it doesn’t offer the 3PMSF rating, it still provides significant snow acceleration.
That’s why in my comparative testing, the tire offered notable results. I mean, when measured against the Bridgestone Potenza 980+, it lagged by only a foot in snow braking and three feet on ice.
This is significant, as the Potenza is one of the best tires in its category. Though its not absolute best. If you want that, you should check out, the the Nokian WRG4 (review).
About 3PMSF rating: This certification is given to tires that offer 10% better acceleration compared to standard touring tires. I talked about it here in greater details.
Overall Ride Comfort
Overall ride quality comes form two key areas. One, how well the tire dampens road noise, and two, how smooth it is on different types of surfaces. Let’s discuss how the tire performed in each of these.
Ride Smoothness
The ride comfort of a tire is significantly influenced by its capacity to absorb road irregularities, a characteristic largely dictated by the tire’s internal and external structure.
That’s why generally, tires crafted from softer materials are known to offer a smoother, less jittery driving experience.
Now, while the Vredestein All Season may have limitations in noise comfort, it excels in ride comfort due to its softer tread rubber composition, which includes a higher silica content.
This material/composition choice contributes to a more cushioned interaction with road surfaces, enhancing the tire’s ability to smoothen out bumps and irregularities.
Additionally, the HyperTrac features an internal nylon cap ply within its construction. This component of the tire’s structure, not only provides the necessary cushioning against bumps but also ensures stability during the absorption process.
As a result, the tire delivers both effective bump absorption and controlled handling, ensuring a comfortable and stable driving experience.
Side Note: Out of all tires I reviewed in UHPAS category, the General G MAX 07 (review) offers the best impact comfort performance.
Road Noise Reduction
Tire noise generation primarily occurs when air particles strike the tread walls, typically entering through gaps in the shoulder area.
And the Vredestein AS tackles this issue through an innovative design that incorporates connectors, (technically called ridges or tiebars), between the shoulder lugs.
These connectors serve as a barrier, effectively limiting the amount of air that can enter the tread area, thus reducing noise at its source.
However, despite this design feature, a small amount of air still manages to infiltrate the tread, though the tire still handles it really well, as its rubber isn’t so reflective of sound waves, keeping in-groove resonance at bay.
The term in-groove resonance, is the phenomenon, which is essentially the echoing of sound waves within the tread grooves.
So overall, the HyperTrac is one of the best tires in its category of quieter ride, as seen by its relatively much lower decibel readings (on tests).
Durability and Tread Life
The Vredestein Hypertrac AS is recognized for its robust construction and advanced design, contributing to its status as a durable and long-lasting option for drivers.
It features a standard dual-ply polyester internal structure, (where most UHP tires come with a single ply carcass). And it offers twin steel belts, with a sturdy nylon cap ply on top as well, all adding to the tire’s overall strength and durability.
And despite having robust construction, it still keeps its weight lower, which directly improves its tread longevity, as all lugs are pushed down (against the road) with less friction.
Moreover, the tire with impressive 10.7/32″ tread depth and reinforced foundations, allows for more miles (compared to most of its direct competitors), before the tire reaches down to 2/32″ replacement threshold, despite it’s relatively softer rubber composition.
So overall HyperTrac offers a great value, as its not overly expensive, and provides decent tread longevity, offering you with 50k miles treadwear warranty, on even Y speed rated sizes.
Though a side note, out of all UHP tires I reviewed, the Fuzion UHP Sport AS, turned out to be a better budget pick overall.
Recommended Read: What are different types of all-season tires, besides these over here?
Wet Performance
Achieving reliable wet traction is inherently more complex than securing dry grip, primarily due to the critical need for efficient water displacement.
I mean, since water cannot be compressed, it must be effectively removed from the tread path to prevent hydroplaning.
The Vredestein All Season tire stands out in this regard, showcasing outstanding performance in wet conditions and leading its category, especially among budget-friendly options.
While its wet braking capabilities may not top the charts, they are very notable of course, ranking above average and holding a middle position in comparisons.
For instance, when measured against the high-end Michelin PSAS4 (review) again, the Hypertrac’s wet stopping distance is only 1.4 feet longer, on average. (I said “only” because the Michelin’s tire here outperforms all, in terms of wet braking).
Moreover, the tire’s steering response in wet conditions is another strong point, where it offers sharp and precise handling, giving drivers enhanced confidence and control.
This level of performance is a result of the tire’s sophisticated siping structure, which includes a mix of rectilinear and interlocking biters, complemented by angled, wave-like siping.
This design effectively channels water away from the tread. How you ask?
Well, this is because sipes work by pushing water into their slits under the pressure, exerted between the tire rubber and the road surface.
Additionally, the tire’s design incorporates a variety of curved, lateral, and longitudinal grooves, which initially remove a significant amount of water, to begin with, leaving less for sipes to tackle.
And yes that also helps this tire achieve appreciable resistance to hydroplaning.
So, yes, overall, there are a lot of features which HyperTrac offers, making it a strong performer in wet conditions.
Fuel Efficiency
Fuel efficiency in tires is significantly influenced by their rolling resistance, which is primarily determined by factors such as the tire’s weight and tread composition.
These components basically affect how much the tire’s lugs are prone to flexing, a key element in rolling resistance.
Now, in the case of the Vredestein Hypertrac All Season, the tire delivers average performance in terms of fuel efficiency.
While it has the advantage of being relatively lightweight, which is generally beneficial for fuel efficiency, its softer rubber composition leads to some drawbacks, as it causes lugs to bend more.
This bending, then results in tread losing fuel energy, in the form of heat, lowering tire’s overall fuel economy.
Concluding Thoughts
So overall, the HyperTrac is a great pick, as the tire excels in a lot of areas. Though it also reveals areas needing improvement.
It offers superb dry braking and handling due to its silica-rich rubber composition and densely packed tread design.
Moreover, its wet performance is also very appreciable, where it offers efficient water displacement and responsive steering. Though its wet braking can be improved.
In winter conditions, the tire performs well on icy and slushy surfaces, though needs a tad bit more performance in terms of acceleration.
Other than this, the tire’s ride comfort is a strong point, with effective bump absorption. Though it’s very loud.
Durability and tread life are notable strengths, thanks to its robust construction. However, its fuel efficiency is average, as its rubber wastes a lot of energy in heat generation.
