Vredestein Pinza HT, Ultrac Vorti I tyre review - comfortable and effective
Since its debut in India in 2021, Vredestein, Apollo's premium brand of tyres, has gained a steady foothold. The company has focused on the SUV tyre market so far, given the boom in this body style, and has now grown its presence with the Pinza HT and Ultrac Vorti I tyre ranges.
Vredestein Pinza HT tyre reviewWe found ourselves on a rocky inclined trail in the forests around Ooty to test the Pinza HT. These are available in 16 to 18-inch sizes and are largely meant for on-road use in SUVs like the Safari, Forturner and XUV700. But here, given the tricky conditions, they were fitted to some serious 4x4s like the Hilux and D-Max V-Cross, aside from the Fortuner.
Tackling this trail in 4x4 low range in the D-Max, we found progress to be tricky but secure. Sure these SUVs' drivetrain provided much of the grip on most of the challenging narrow rocky sections and the better suspension articulation in the roughest bits came into play too. But the tyres made a good first impression. They also seemed tough, taking some beaten on sharp rocks without suffering any damage.
We didn't notice the tyres scrabbling for grip often, even over smooth medium-sized rocks, impressive since these aren't off-road rated. Around tight wet turns too this wasn't an issue. Also good was how these tyres felt pliant, absorbing a fair deal of the impact over these surfaces. Over the less challenging stuff, these tyres again felt soft-edged and with a good deal of grip.
Vredestein also says that the Pinz HT will retain performance over its life with a three-dimensional tread pattern that makes for controlled tread deformation, aside from improving grip.
Vredestein Ultrac Vorti I tyre review
We also sampled Vredestein's new 21 and 22-inch Ultrac Vorti I tyres for the luxury segment. Notably, these are the first tyres in this range to be locally manufactured in India and with a wide service network to back this up. So finding one will probably be easier than competitors.
We did this at the Coastt performance centre near Coimbatore, driving a BMW X5 around the new track. At 3.8 km long, it's longer than MMRT but less technical. So you feel at home in a competent handling SUV on its open, flowing corners and reasonably fast sections.
In this high-speed driving, we found the Vredestein-equipped X5 to have noticeably better-controlled road noise than the OEM tyres it comes fitted with. There's also a pliant feel through the wheels here that may be because of the smooth surface but is also helped by the tyre's compound.
This hadn't come at the cost of handling, where you still push the BMW to its grip's limit and have a good idea of what the car was doing under you. Yes, we did notice some swaying and twitching coming out of a few faster corners but that was probably down to the heavy running both the car and tyres had been put through by the time we got behind the wheel.
These Ultrac Vorti tyres have been tested to 350 kmph with work done to improve cornering performance, aside from efforts put in to improve longevity and NVH. As a bonus, the patterns have been designed by Giugaro.
Vredestein Pinza HT Ultrac Vorti I tyre pricesPrices for the Vredestein Pinza HT start from Rs 11,700 and go up to Rs 23,000. Vredestein also offers these tyres in a range of sizes that offer a wider contact patch than OE tyres. Prices for the Ultrac Vorti I in these larger sizes aren't available yet, but these should cost upwards of Rs 28,000.
Also read,
Vredestein introduces new Pinza HT & Ultrac Vorti I tyres in India
Apollo launches Vredestein brand of premium tyres in India