Vredestein Quatrac 5

[aka1004]

So much for getting quatratec all around.
When I mentioned tires were not exactly the same size, wider upfront and narrower in the rear when I was setting appointment at the dealer, they said they will only install tires that are same size as kenda, what’s embossed on tires not the actual size.
I didn’t wanna do it but now I will have to go with 2 different brands, front and back.

[PW2013STL]

So much for getting quatratec all around.
When I mentioned tires were not exactly the same size, wider upfront and narrower in the rear when I was setting appointment at the dealer, they said they will only install tires that are same size as kenda, what’s embossed on tires not the actual size.
I didn’t wanna do it but now I will have to go with 2 different brands, front and back.

Wow, but not surprised. I always take off my wheels and bring them to an independent tire shop with my tires where they mount them and no hassles.

[johnny canuck]

A dealer up here was the same.... must be an exact OEM size match. Ordered Toyo Proxes 4 for the rear and Fed. Formosa AZ01 fronts.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

So much for getting quatratec all around.
When I mentioned tires were not exactly the same size, wider upfront and narrower in the rear when I was setting appointment at the dealer, they said they will only install tires that are same size as kenda, what’s embossed on tires not the actual size.
I didn’t wanna do it but now I will have to go with 2 different brands, front and back.

I think your DEALER is really, really clue-less ….. because He doesn't even know the Kenda's are different sizes also ….. RUN from that Stealer ...….....Mike

[aka1004]

I think your DEALER is really, really clue-less ….. because He doesn't even know the Kenda's are different sizes also ….. RUN from that Stealer ...….....Mike

I was thinking about attending spyder Jam in Cuba but cowtown will not install ANY car tires in front.
May be I should expand my search area to Dallas...

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I was thinking about attending spyder Jam in Cuba but cowtown will not install ANY car tires in front.
May be I should expand my search area to Dallas...

99.8% of the folks here, take the front wheels/tires off themselves, and take their New Auto tires to any car repair or tire installation shop and have them switched ….. and Usually spun balanced also …… Only dealers will remove and replace wheels / tires from a Spyder …… Mike

[SteveandBelinda]

I took my front tires/rims to Discount Tire along with the new tires, and they didn't have a problem mounting the new ones.

99.8% of the folks here, take the front wheels/tires off themselves, and take their New Auto tires to any car repair or tire installation shop and have them switched ….. and Usually spun balanced also …… Only dealers will remove and replace wheels / tires from a Spyder …… Mike

[stmike 1800]

https://www.tiresandco.ca/Quatrac in Canada,shipping can be expensive unless you buy 4 then it is free.

[pegasus1300]

I was thinking about attending spyder Jam in Cuba but cowtown will not install ANY car tires in front.
May be I should expand my search area to Dallas...

I replaced my Kendas with car tires asap the Kendas wore out. I didn't even bother with a Spyder dealer. My local car tire vender was happy to do the fronts, remove wheels , mount tires and balance. This is in a very small town in rural Utah. Buy what you want then ask a local tire shop or independent motorcycle shop to change your tire. You can remove the rear wheel yourself if you have to, not that hard.

[aka1004]

Well, if I was home may be not a monumental challenge to do it myself although I just don’t wanna do it(done it once) but I’m currently in middle of nowhere Texas working, without much tools.
BUT it looks like I will have somehow do it as I can’t even find a suitable oem size tires(dealer would only install exact oem size).
Kumho in the rear is pretty much only choice now but I didn’t like the wet traction of it.
I shall go with quatratec all around with 165/60 and 205/50.

[Cleg]

So much for getting quatratec all around.
When I mentioned tires were not exactly the same size, wider upfront and narrower in the rear when I was setting appointment at the dealer, they said they will only install tires that are same size as kenda, what’s embossed on tires not the actual size.
I didn’t wanna do it but now I will have to go with 2 different brands, front and back.

From experience no issue with different brand tires front and rear. Currently Vredesteins in the front Kumho rear.. no issues at all AND what a difference with the Vs on the front...completely different and better ride! Just sayin...

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

From experience no issue with different brand tires front and rear. Currently Vredesteins in the front Kumho rear.. no issues at all AND what a difference with the Vs on the front...completely different and better ride! Just sayin...

This is Mandatory when mounting tires : " Tires on the SAME axel must be the SAME " ……" NEVER mix Radials with Bias Ply ", " NEVER mix Different types of tires with each other " ….. Mike

[h0gr1der]

Mike,

Pulling on your knowledge here. How about widely divergent UTQG ratings? The Vredesteins I've got are all UTQG 400 rated, which usually means 2 rears for every front replacement. How about the safety of a UTQG 700+ (hard compound) tire mixed with the softer fronts? Maybe get to swap all at once?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Mike,

Pulling on your knowledge here. How about widely divergent UTQG ratings? The Vredesteins I've got are all UTQG 400 rated, which usually means 2 rears for every front replacement. How about the safety of a UTQG 700+ (hard compound) tire mixed with the softer fronts? Maybe get to swap all at once?

UTQG - doesn't matter - it doesn't have meaning in relation to the Rule " same tires on same axel ", The real life meaning for the UTQG rating varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, because THEY decide what Rating they are going to PUT on their tires …… Awhile back I Tried the Toyo Proxes T1r …. that was a damn STICKY tire , it had a low UTQG , however I did get good mileage from them ( they were front tires for my 2014 RT ……..I wouldn't have any real concerns about the timing on the switch …. Mike

[teninospyder]

Hi Blueknight911, I told you I would post about my experience with these tires (all around) as soon as I had a few miles on them. I am now approaching my first 1,000 miles on them and in a week we are leaving on an "out of town" 1,000 mile trip in WA state and Idaho.

As you know, I was one of a few owners who actually had very few issues with the original front tires. 26,000 miles and still close to a third of the tread left when I decided to "make the move" to your recommended tires. The back had been replaced once (as it turned out Long before it needed to be, because I was planning our very first "long" trip on the Spyder), and the rear I just replaced had 15,000 on it with a "fair" amount of tread left. My only personal concern was I did notice a slight vibration in the fronts, but it wasn't enough to make me get them balanced. I'm just stating MY experience here, not making any judgement about others experiences or beliefs.

OK....Now to my experience since swapping to the Quatrac5 tire...…………...I (WE) have been extremely surprised and impressed with the difference in ride smoothness and steering response. I DO push the "posted limits" once in a while and I have noticed for one thing on these tires I have immediate positive response in changes to speed and direction while the ride continues to "feel" softer and more consistent throughout these changes. (I'm not Emerson F. or Lewis H so don't take my seat of the pants reference TOO seriously please ) I also have not seen or noted ANY vibration in the fronts, and even the installer was impressed with how little he need to balance and stated it may even have been the rims needing it not the tires.

Ok, I've said enough Thanks again (as always) Mike for continuing to bring up these tires.

PS: 15 in the front, 17 in the rear 175/55/R15 frts, 206/60/r15 back (PS I was the guy who bought their last one a while back and they had to show out of stock for a few days )

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Hi Blueknight911, I told you I would post about my experience with these tires (all around) as soon as I had a few miles on them. I am now approaching my first 1,000 miles on them and in a week we are leaving on an "out of town" 1,000 mile trip in WA state and Idaho.

As you know, I was one of a few owners who actually had very few issues with the original front tires. 26,000 miles and still close to a third of the tread left when I decided to "make the move" to your recommended tires. The back had been replaced once (as it turned out Long before it needed to be, because I was planning our very first "long" trip on the Spyder), and the rear I just replaced had 15,000 on it with a "fair" amount of tread left. My only personal concern was I did notice a slight vibration in the fronts, but it wasn't enough to make me get them balanced. I'm just stating MY experience here, not making any judgement about others experiences or beliefs.

OK....Now to my experience since swapping to the Quatrac5 tire...…………...I (WE) have been extremely surprised and impressed with the difference in ride smoothness and steering response. I DO push the "posted limits" once in a while and I have noticed for one thing on these tires I have immediate positive response in changes to speed and direction while the ride continues to "feel" softer and more consistent throughout these changes. (I'm not Emerson F. or Lewis H so don't take my seat of the pants reference TOO seriously please ) I also have not seen or noted ANY vibration in the fronts, and even the installer was impressed with how little he need to balance and stated it may even have been the rims needing it not the tires.

Ok, I've said enough Thanks again (as always) Mike for continuing to bring up these tires.

PS: 15 in the front, 17 in the rear 175/55/R15 frts, 206/60/r15 back (PS I was the guy who bought their last one a while back and they had to show out of stock for a few days )

………… I love it when I can help someone to be happy ….. your narrative was Spot -on ….. I'm glad you have tried the lower psi's I recommended …. and even more glad you are happy with them ……. Years ago I introduced this community to the General Altimax RT 43 " T " rated ….. it took awhile but, when more and more folks tried them, and liked them, they became very popular ( and still are ) ….. However tire technology doesn't remain Static, and the Altimax is no longer " the best " ( great tho ) …. the Vredestein Quatrac 5 is now the best …...imho ….. Mike

[h0gr1der]

Just finished up installing my rear Vredestein 205/60R15 91V tire. I'm whipped out, too old for this manual tire breaking stuff. Happy I got the Cycle Hill tire changer, it works reasonably well with a couple of caveats. Got the tire back on, alignment and belt tension set. Ready to continue tire testing tomorrow. For some reason Vulcan tire takes a month to ship, even though they say they're in stock. Wish there was a different source for the rear.

[Bill]

Ok Mike I ordered them and seemed like I just closed my tablet and I herd a thump on the back porch.
Then pressto chango they were on my Spyder @ 16 psi cold I just had to go for a ride.
Conditions were not conducive for a long ride, cool and very windy so I stayed local and the back windy roads.
I should also mention I have the BaJaRon sway bar and shock spring adjusters installed. Shock spring tension set @ 1 turn up from bottom.


Wait for it.

Wait for it

yup I’m a happy camper!

Like I said it was a short ride but I could tell the difference, I had to overcome the old habits but that didn’t take long.
I will go up one more turn on the shock spring because I’ll be doing 2 up riding.
More to follow.

Bill

[teninospyder]

Blueknight911, just a short update on my Quatrac5 tire experience. Today we travelled from Yakima, Wa. to a town called Dayton, Wa. on the way to Lewiston, ID tomorrow. Didn't expect a lot of excitement but today it was a first for us - 150 mostly aggravating, lonely, deserted, farmland "hills and dales" plains miles of heavy rain and high crosswinds. Normal good paved roads, but with no place to hide or get out of the weather until we were at Dayton, it wasn't fun. Even with varying speed limits it is a 3 hour drive. The one thing I didn't have to worry about though, was our new Quatrac5 tires. I have NEVER felt as comfortable about tire traction and continuous response when wanted or needed as I did today. No indication ever of any hydroplaning, or other loss of traction. This was the ONLY, but well appreciated, highlight of this leg of our trip. As before, THANKS AGAIN Mike for providing info on these tires.

[PW2013STL]

Blueknight911, just a short update on my Quatrac5 tire experience. Today we travelled from Yakima, Wa. to a town called Dayton, Wa. on the way to Lewiston, ID tomorrow. Didn't expect a lot of excitement but today it was a first for us - 150 mostly aggravating, lonely, deserted, farmland "hills and dales" plains miles of heavy rain and high crosswinds. Normal good paved roads, but with no place to hide or get out of the weather until we were at Dayton, it wasn't fun. Even with varying speed limits it is a 3 hour drive. The one thing I didn't have to worry about though, was our new Quatrac5 tires. I have NEVER felt as comfortable about tire traction and continuous response when wanted or needed as I did today. No indication ever of any hydroplaning, or other loss of traction. This was the ONLY, but well appreciated, highlight of this leg of our trip. As before, THANKS AGAIN Mike for providing info on these tires.

That was my experience last week in the rain and wind as well. Kept expecting some wiggle, or hydoplaning as experienced with other tires. It was as if the roads were dry.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Blueknight911, just a short update on my Quatrac5 tire experience. Today we travelled from Yakima, Wa. to a town called Dayton, Wa. on the way to Lewiston, ID tomorrow. Didn't expect a lot of excitement but today it was a first for us - 150 mostly aggravating, lonely, deserted, farmland "hills and dales" plains miles of heavy rain and high crosswinds. Normal good paved roads, but with no place to hide or get out of the weather until we were at Dayton, it wasn't fun. Even with varying speed limits it is a 3 hour drive. The one thing I didn't have to worry about though, was our new Quatrac5 tires. I have NEVER felt as comfortable about tire traction and continuous response when wanted or needed as I did today. No indication ever of any hydroplaning, or other loss of traction. This was the ONLY, but well appreciated, highlight of this leg of our trip. As before, THANKS AGAIN Mike for providing info on these tires.

As usual Thanks for your update on your experiences with the new Quatrac 5 tire..... From what I learned about this tire prior to recommending it, I am very glad to hear that it is performing as I was sure it would …… Actual rider feedback is something that makes others feel confidant, in using a product.....especially one that has the Safety implications that a tire has …….. Reports on handling in really bad weather are priceless ….. Thanks again. …. Mike

[Jbax]

Okay I need somebody to tell me what size I need to put on the front and back of my rt and psi . I ride two and pull a trailer sometimes . I so confused people are posting different sizes. Please help

[Spyderlass]

Okay I need somebody to tell me what size I need to put on the front and back of my rt and psi . I ride two and pull a trailer sometimes . I so confused people are posting different sizes. Please help

Ideally you need the standard size of tyre, unfortunately there is very few manufacturers make our size of tyre and of them the tyres they make are often not so desirable. So, if you want to keep your bike's VSS and ABS within it's design parameters you will be best selecting a tyre with as near as possible the same rolling radius as the original tyre's rolling radius.

There will be some tolerance for the rolling radius because tyres wear out and get smaller so they need to do more revolutions per mile as they wear out. IMHO, if an exact match in rolling radius is not available it is therefore better to select a tyre with a smaller diameter rather than a larger diameter. That equates to more turns per mile. Here is a link to a tyre calculator, in line 1 put the original equipment tyre size, in line 2 put the tyre size you are checking and then click on compare. https://tiresize.com/comparison/

If you're not happy with alternative tyres you find in the correct size and you want to make a change of tyre, you need to start investigating alternatives of a different size. When you find a tyre you're interested in and it comes in sizes approximate to the original tyres, you can enter your chosen size into the calculator and check whether you deem it suitable.

So, as an example, for the rear tyre line 1 will be: 225 - 50 - 15 (original size)
If you put 205 - 55 - 15 into line two you'll find that to be an almost exact match in rolling radius. Other sizes will vary, of course. Only you can decide what tyre and what size you are happy to accept. Obviously you need to repeat this for the front tyres too.

Again, only you know what type of tyre you need, eg. do you ride in rainy conditions, do you ride in snow occasionally, are you a fair weather rider etc. Choosing a winter or all-weather tread pattern wouldn't make sense if you mainly ride in summer in Texas!

To assist with a tyre choice it just happens that in the EU it is a legal requirement that tyres are tested and labeled with certain characteristics so buyers can make a better assessment than simply guessing or choosing a tyre because it looks good or is just a recommendation. The main parameters on the label are: Fuel economy, tyre noise, wet grip and a snowflake symbol if the tyre is classed for winter use.

This can be useful to you because if your choice of tyre is available also in Europe, and many of them will be, you can go to a European website and view the tyre characteristics since it is a legal requirement that they be stated. Here is a link to one site which I use frequently, though they don't necessarily carry all makes of tyre. https://www.oponeo.co.uk/

I'll post a picture of an actual tyre label so you can get a better idea how it is done. The label is attached to the tyre tread.

However, the final choice is yours. Good luck with it!

Edit: Green, Grade A is good, red is bad.

[SteveandBelinda]

Got mine about a month or two ago for the front. Like the tires, but the steering is somewhat squirrelly compared to the stock tires. Running a 17.5 right now, may go back to 19.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Got mine about a month or two ago for the front. Like the tires, but the steering is somewhat squirrelly compared to the stock tires. Running a 17.5 right now, may go back to 19.

" squirrely "..... That has nothing to do with the Quatrac 5 tires.... More than 15 folks here have them and No one has reported this, I also doubt your 17.5 psi has anything to do with it either..... Mike