Vredestein Quatrac 5 and Snowtrac 5 Released

Apollo Vredestein BV unveiled two new products – Quatrac 5 and Snowtrac 5 – at a media event in Edinburgh, Scotland.

“Vredestein is unveiling these products in Scotland for three reasons. First are the country’s beautiful, astonishing landscapes. The second is for the famous saying that you can experience four seasons in one day in Scotland. Lastly, this places serves as the setting for someone as stylish as our Vredestein brands: Sean Connery’s James Bond,” said Markus Korsten, chief marketing officer at Vredestein.

The Quatrac 5 is an all-season tire characterized by an asymmetrical tread design that features both a winter and summer profile. According to the company, Summer side of the tread design ensures excellent handling, superior steering precision and lateral grip on dry and wet road surfaces. The winter side ensures exceptional grip on cold or snowy surfaces.

The Quatrac 5 also features an asymmetrical outer longitudinal groove, which means that the edges of the groove are placed at different angles in the tire tread. The manufacturer notes that this design further optimizes the stiffness of the tire, resulting in greater stability and enhanced handling on dry road surfaces.

“The Quatrac 5 is very close to a winter tire but it is still an off-season tire. As typical with all-season tires, there is compromise. We did not compromise the aspects that affect performance and safety in the winter time,” said Peter Snel, Vredestein’s chief R&D of passenger vehicles.

The Quatrac 5 has received the Three Peak Snowflake symbol, which means that it complies with the guidelines in countries where winter tires are mandatory.

“The Quatrac 5 caters to applications all across the world. It is suitable for the European market, but of course it can be used in other parts of the world,” said Snel.

Vredestein’s second product released, the Snowtrac 5, is suitable for heavy snow conditions in European markets, noted Snel.

Featured on the Snowtrac 5 is ‘Stealth Design,’ a technique which Vredestein said was pioneered by the military to make vehicles as quiet as possible and therefore undetectable.

The sipes on the Snowtrac 5 has increased by 30% compared to the Vredestein Snowtrac 3. The sipes are all different shapes and depths and have been placed in varying directions.

“These two fantastic products are replacing already fantastic products,” said Luis Ceneviz, president of Apollo’s ESSAA region.

The Quatrac 5 is available in 15-17” sizes and speed indexes H and V. The Snowtrac 5 is available in 14-16” sizes and speed indexes H and T.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has named Ryan Waldron as president of the company's Americas business unit, reporting to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart. He succeeds Steven R. McClellan, who retired on April 1.

"At Goodyear, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and in Ryan Waldron, we have a customer-centric, execution-focused business leader with a deep understanding of both the marketplace and all aspects of our business, as well as a proven track record of delivering results," Stewart said. "I am thrilled to announce him as president of Goodyear's Americas business and have enormous confidence that under his leadership, both the company and our customers will reach even greater levels of success."