Vredestein Ultrac Tyre Review: 5,000 Kilometres Later

Improved Stance

The Ultracs you see here are 195/55 R16 size. Compared to the stock tyres, the contact patch is wider by 20mm, and the profile is 6.5mm lower, so when I first fitted them, the upgrade was obvious just standing a few feet away from the car. The wider tyres immediately gave the Ignis a nicer, more planted stance. It no longer looked like a small hatch on skinny economy tyres. Unsurprisingly, these tyres filled out my car’s wheel arches quite nicely. It isn't an aggressive transformation, but it's enough to make me look back every time I park it. It’s been almost a year, and that visual upgrade hasn't lost its charm.

The Good Things

But let me tell you, looks were never the real reason behind this change.

Mumbai's roads have a remarkable ability to expose weaknesses in any car. Between broken tarmac, patched-up flyovers, expansion joints and monsoon-ravaged potholes, every drive has become an endurance test. Add standing water into the mix, and grip becomes far more valuable than outright performance.

This is where these tyres have genuinely transformed the Ignis. So the stock tyres would allow the Ignis to dart eagerly into a corner, and the car always felt keen to change direction. But immediately after that sharp initial turn-in, the front tyres would begin protesting. Push just a little harder, and you could feel the nose starting to wash wide, forcing you to unwind the steering and wait for the grip to return. This lack of front-end bite never inspired confidence in me, if I am honest.

That handling trait has almost disappeared. Now, the front simply bites as the steering and the front axle finally seem to be speaking the same language. Chunk it into a corner, and the Ignis just follows through without hesitation. The initial response remains as sharp as ever, but what happens afterwards is what has changed completely. Instead of gradual understeer, the front-end digs in, and this thing hangs onto the tarmac surprisingly well.

Maybe all of this is why I have found myself taking the car out more often just for the sake of driving. The roads haven't become any better. The traffic certainly hasn't become any lighter. But the Ignis feels so much more fun at legal speeds.

Wet weather performance has been equally impressive, too. I have been taking the car out almost every day for the last couple of weeks, and if you are from Mumbai, you know that the monsoon is finally here and trundling down on us. The roads are wet, unpredictable, and yet, the car is barely unfazed. The grip is just there, no matter how slippery the surface is or even if there is standing water.

One pleasant surprise has been refinement and noise. I will admit I expected the opposite. A wider contact patch usually brings with it the penalty of additional road noise. That's the compromise many enthusiasts accept in exchange for extra grip. Yet that hasn't been the case here. Road noise has remained broadly the same despite the increase in width. If anything, these tyres seem quieter on wet roads than stock. During heavy rain, there is noticeably less background roar entering the cabin.

The Not-So-Good Things

Unfortunately, not every change has been positive.

The first compromise hit me immediately as I left the tyre shop after installing the Ultracs on my car. It’s the steering effort that has definitely increased. With the wider contact patch, the steering now requires noticeably more muscle, particularly at lower speeds. The difference isn't dramatic once you are moving, but during parking or when making three-point turns, it's impossible to ignore.

On the Ignis, this issue is magnified by the car itself. The steering has never been happy about returning to centre after a turn, and the additional effort from the wider tyres only exaggerates that lack of self-centring. It isn't entirely the tyres' fault, but they are certainly exposing one of the Ignis' existing weaknesses.

Ride quality has also taken a small step backwards. The Ignis now feels firmer at lower speeds. There is a subtle tautness in the suspension, especially when it compresses. I have noticed it the most when driving over poorly re-layered surfaces that would send noticeably sharper thuds into the cabin. This wasn’t there before.

Then there's this thing that every owner eventually notices. Fuel efficiency.

Before making the switch, the Ignis comfortably returned over 15kmpl. However, that figure has consistently settled into the low 13kmpl range. The biggest impact is seen in city traffic, where repeated acceleration and stop-start driving amplify the effects of the larger contact patch. I am not that bothered about highway mileage because I don’t do long-distance trips in this car, but around town there's no escaping the penalty.

Verdict

All things considered, I have realised that changing your car’s tyres is a commitment rather than an upgrade without consequences. When you are upsizing, you end up with a car that looks way better every time you walk towards it. You gain front-end grip that transforms it in the corners. In my case, the steering feel has become sharper, the chassis seems more alive, but in return, the steering has also become heavier, and fuel efficiency has dropped by a bit.

Whether that's worthwhile depends entirely on what you value. For me, it absolutely is because the improvement in handling, grip and steering feel is nothing short of remarkable. Yes, some compromises cannot be ignored. But if your ultimate goal is to make your car more engaging to drive, make it quieter and improve the stance while you are at it, then switching to Vredestein’s Ultrac range of tyres is something I would positively recommend.

You can purchase Vredestein’s Ultrac range of tyres directly through the Apollo Tyres website, where they are listed as 'luxury, tubeless' tyres. On a side note, Apollo India’s website also allows you to locate nearby authorised dealers offering their entire catalogue in multiple sizes. You can check them out by clicking here.

Product Details

Make: Vredestein

Type: Tubeless Car Tyres

Model: Ultrac

Size: 195/55 R16

Price: Rs. 10,400 per tyre

Availability: Apollo Tyres' Website

Photography by: Kaustubh Gandhi