I changed over from the oe contis to vredstein t-trak 2s in the original dimensions 165/80R15 and have been amazed and delighted by the improvement wet and dry. The sprint classics do have a more traditional looking tread pattern, so you might prefer them on aesthetic grounds, and I believe their performance is perfectly satisfactory - but have never tried them myself.
I paid a visit to my tyre dealer, Janot Pneus, half an hour's drive away, yesterday. I have been a client for 15 years and it was the old proprietor who introduced me to Vredesteins, which I have used on various cars, including my current Honda Civic, with satisfactory results.
Monsieur Janot retired a few years ago and the joint is is now run by his son of and his son's brother-in-law, both in their thirties. They were amazed to see the 4/4, having previously seen this old grey-haired guy only in more everyday cars.
I explained the problem to the brother-in-law, in French, and he replied in English, because he likes to do that. I told him that the Contis were no good. He looked at them, ran his hands over them and protested that they were almost new.
I said, yes, but they are no good. Grip on a dry surface is acceptable, I said, but on a wet road, you go immediately from low grip to no grip.
I said, I am thinking of the T-Trac 2, same size, 165/80 R15.
He looked horrified and began speaking in French. "Mais ce n'est pas bon..."
I asked why not and he led me back inside, to the tyre racks, pulled out a T-Trac 2, not of the same size, but of course the same pattern, and expected me to be horrified.
I asked what was wrong with that. It turned out that he was concerned about the aesthetics. He said it wouldn't look right on the car. He seemed surprised when I started laughing.
I think I shall take it easy through the rest of the winter and switch to T-Trac 2 next Autumn.
