Tyres, one of the crucial components of any vehicle, serve as the sole contact between the car and the road. It plays a vital role in the braking, traction, handling, and steering of a vehicle, alongside various electronic aids in modern vehicles. Choices for tyres, especially on SUVs, are limited, and only a handful of brands produce tyres that fulfil everyone's needs.
Vredestein Tyres – the premium arm of Apollo Tyres – has expanded its offerings in the Indian market with the introduction of Pinza HT and Ultrac Vorti i tyres for premium and luxury SUVs. And I recently got the opportunity to experience both. The former, I tested on an off-road trail in Ooty, while the latter was pushed to its limits on the newly developed CoASTT track in Coimbatore. Here is how my experience was with these fresh, made-in-India tyres from Vredestein.
I experienced the Pinza HT tyres on the Isuzu D-max V-Cross and Toyota Hilux pickup trucks.
Day 1 was for the Pinza HT (Highway Terrain) tyres, designed primarily for normal road and highway use. It also had the marking (M+S) on the sidewalls indicating that it can be used in mild snow and sand conditions as well. However, Vredestein claimed these tyres could also tackle light off-roading and to demonstrate its claim, the brand curated an off-road trail in Ooty, complete with rocks, mud, and as ragged terrain as one could expect from a forest.
The Pinza HTs didn't lose traction or momentum, be it with tackling muck while ascending or passing through a water flow while descending.
Road-biassed tyres on an off-road trail, yeah, that sounds unreal, but we tested these tyres on the Isuzu V-Cross and the Toyota Hilux, both equipped with 4x4 drivetrains. The trail included steep descents and ascents, accompanied by tight hairpin bends, requiring the use of low and high 4x4 settings. While going down the path, the tyres offered good grip, which was quite confidence-inspiring for me, and the same was the case on loose soil and rocky terrains. On wet and extremely rugged patches and at slow speeds, we did not experience any wheel spin which was kind of startling looking at the nature of the path.
The Pinza HTs seemed to be underestimated at first for handling such terrain.
The Pinza HT tyres in the 235/70 R16 size shod onto the V-cross helped navigate trails laden with branches, rocks, pits, and muck with ease. Frankly, it is more than adequate for the “light off-road” tag it bears. No punctures marked a joy for the Vredestein team despite pushing the tyres constantly up and down the turbulent terrain.
Where it is meant to be driven – on regular road conditions – the Pinza HTs performed quite well, with minimal tyre noise seeping into the cabin even at higher speeds. The on-road stint was quite short, but the tyres showcased good stability on the Fortuner that we drove.
The Pinza HT range is available in sizes ranging from 16 to 18 inches, fitting SUVs like the Mahindra Scorpio, Tata Safari and Harrier, Toyota Fortuner and Hilux, and Isuzu V-Cross.
The Ultrac Vorti i tyres were tested on the newly developed CoASTT Track in Coimbatore.
Day 2 was for the Ultrac Vorti i range, designed for luxury and performance vehicles such as the BMW X5 and X7, Mercedes-Benz GLS, Lamborghini Urus, Range Rover Sport, Porsche Macan, and Mercedes-Benz G-Class. These tyres were fitted on the G-Class and X5, and I tested the former on the newly developed CoASTT track in Coimbatore. A Mercedes-Benz GLS 400, also equipped with Ultrac Vorti i tyres, served as the lead car.
The G63 was equipped with 22-inch Ultrac Vorti i tyres.
The G63 was equipped with 22-inch Ultrac Vorti i tyres, while the X5 used 21-inch tyres. Unfortunately, the X5's brakes burned out, limiting my testing to three laps in the G63. We were advised to stick behind the lead vehicle, which somewhat restricted from pushing the car to its full potential and drawing a bigger picture of the assessment. With the three convoyed laps, I figured out that despite the weight of the Wagon, the larger 285/40 R22 tyres carried the heft with ease on twisties and straights. It certainly impressed with its grips on assertive cornering with the breaking performance being meritorious.
The Ultrac Vorti i series now includes 21 and 22-inch sizes, a first for Vredestein’s Indian production.
To end the experience, here is how to read the sidewalls of a tyre and understand what the numeric markings denote.
