Any feedback from the Folks running these Vredstein or Continental Front Tires?

[Elqueso2]

I need new tires. My stock Kenda rear is almost gone and I decided to go with the General Altimax RT45 205 /60 R15 91H SL BSW. I live in Southern California and ride all year round on freeways and Canyons. This tire is great for the winter riding and our hot summer ones too. With that said, I hate my stock Kenda front tires on Calif roads/canyons and going to change those too. I’m going with the Vredestein Quatrac or the Continental ContiProContact and my question is for you guys/gals is about the 2 different sizes. I am also presently running a Baja Ron’s Performance Sway bar.

I’m looking at the Factory Stock Sizing (165/60R15 77H) vs sizing up to the (175/55R15 77T).

Here is my thinking rational in all the research I did and need some advice/thoughts:
My exact match for the Spyder’s rear tire is the General Altimax RT45 (Size: 205/60R15) and the Vredestein Quatrac (165/60R15 77H). Sizing up to the Vredestein Quatrac or the Continental ContiProContact 175/55R15 front tire gives me a slightly wider contact patch and a marginally shorter sidewall compared to the stock 165/60R15 tire.

What the 175/55R15 gives me over the 165:

• Enhanced Cornering Stability: The wider tread footprint puts more rubber on the road. This yields a more planted feel when entering canyon turns, increasing lateral grip.
• Sharper Steering Response: Because the 55-series aspect ratio means a slightly shorter sidewall than the stock 60-series, there is less rubber flex under load with the turn-in will feel immediate and crisp.
• Aggressive Stance: Visually, the slightly wider profile fills out the front fender lines nicely.
• Ride and Comfort: The difference in the side wall is so minimal and the ride smoothness is the same on roads.​

Vehicle Stability System (VSS) - Compatibility: the 175/55R15 size will not cause VSS issues on the Spyder.
The Can-Am VSS calculates computer interventions based on the rolling height (outer diameter) ratio between the front wheels and the rear wheel.
• Stock 165/60R15 Diameter: ~22.8 inches
• Sized Up 175/55R15 Diameter: ~22.6 inches (which is actually sized down)

Because the overall height difference is less than 1%, the wheel speed variance stays well within the factory electronic tolerance window. The computer reads this setup completely normally and will not throw fault codes or trigger premature braking in a curve. Furthermore, since I have a Baja Ron’s anti-sway bar mechanically limits body roll and keeps both front tire patches flat on the pavement in canyons, the VSS is even less likely to intervene under normal riding conditions.

So, I am leaning towards either the Vredestein Quatrac 175 tires vs the Continental ContiProContact 175 tire. I know about the Vredestein but curious to hear about the Continental too. For me the Vredestein Quatrac are a little harder to purchase.

One other thing, Does the 175/55R15 rub the inside fenders? I'd hear a few complain about that, maybe on the earlier bikes?

This sounds like a no brainer but I wanted to hear from the folks who are using them before pulling the trigger.
Thank you in advance. Mike

 

[jjc54]

I am on my 2nd set of Vred 175/55R15's. I have a 2016 RTL. I got 47,100 miles on the first set. You have to try really hard to get the VSS warning light to come on. Love them.

 

[JKMSPYDER]

I have no experience with the Continental front tires but love my Vredestein 175/55/R15 tires on the front. I have the General Altimax on the rear.

 

[Deanna777]

I have had experience with Continental Conti Pro Contacts on my previous Spyder (a 2014 RTS-SE6) on the front. I changed the OEM tires on my 2014 RTS-SE6 at 16,000 miles. I got roughly 14,000 miles on the Continental Pro Contacts. I did not have any problems with those tires. They pushed the water away from the tires.

I had a General Altimax RT 43 on the rear tire on my previous Spyder (a 2014 RTS-SE6 Sold/Traded) I installed the General Altimax RT 43 tire at 5,824 miles. I did not have any problems with the General Altimax RT 43 on the rear. I got about 24,176 miles on the General Altimax RT 43.

Deanna

 

[Snoking1127]

Given that some have had rubbing issues, I would stay with the 165 Vredesteins. I love my Vredestein Quatracs up front and the General Altimax out back. I run the 175's on my wider PPA Orb wheels.

 

[Jackhartjr]

I went with the Vredesteins on the front and realized a 100 percent improvement in ride, handling, and especially in the wet weather riding!

 

[JayBros]

I have 2 years and 12.5K miles on my Quatrac 165/60R15 front tires and they are the best I've ever had on my Spyder. They're a perfect match for the General Altimax RT45 215/60R 94T rear tire.

 

[Elqueso2]

I have had experience with Continental Conti Pro Contacts on my previous Spyder (a 2014 RTS-SE6) on the front. I changed the OEM tires on my 2014 RTS-SE6 at 16,000 miles. I got roughly 14,000 miles on the Continental Pro Contacts. I did not have any problems with those tires. They pushed the water away from the tires.

I had a General Altimax RT 43 on the rear tire on my previous Spyder (a 2014 RTS-SE6 Sold/Traded) I installed the General Altimax RT 43 tire at 5,824 miles. I did not have any problems with the General Altimax RT 43 on the rear. I got about 24,176 miles on the General Altimax RT 43.

Deanna

Thanks for getting back to me regarding the Conti's. The General Altimax RT 43 was replaced by the RT 45. I was leaning towards the 43 and found it to be discontinued.

Given that some have had rubbing issues I would stay with the 165 Vredestein. I love my Vredestein Quatracs up front and the General Altimax out back. I run the 175's on my wider PPA Orb wheels.

I'm having a hard time finding the 165's. This is what I'm typically finding in the pic below. 2 places I called said they replaced (now selling) the Vredesteins with the Conti's and said they are the same. The tread is totally different, even though they have good reviews from the Spyder community. I can find the Vredesteins in 175's for about $116 - $126. Regarding the rubbing, it's hit and miss in the reviews I've searched on.
I'm wondering if maybe the folks who are having the occasional rubbing aren't running a sway bar? It does mechanically lock your chassis flat and stops the vehicle from heavily rolling to one side and it drastically reduces the dynamic shifting forces on your front fenders, but who knows?
Thank you for getting back to me. I know the Vredesteins are great for wet weather, but here in So Cal, it's pretty dry and doesn't rain that much.

I have no experience with the Continental front tires but love my Vredestein 175/55/R15 tires on the front. I have the General Altimax on the rear.

I know we have the same 2020+ fenders, so do you have any experience with the side rubbing the fenders in turns? It seems like some have reported the rubbing while others say it's fine. I'm thinking maybe it's the year and their suspension?

 

[Knizar]

I know we have the same 2020+ fenders, so do you have any experience with the side rubbing the fenders in turns? It seems like some have reported the rubbing while others say it's fine. I'm thinking maybe it's the year and their suspension?

I have a 2020 RTL with 175/55R15 Kumho tires up front, and I experienced very slight rubbing when they were 1st mounted, so I had to hammer down the wire holders inside the fender to get a few more hairs of clearance - I didn't like that tight of a fit!
Now that they have 55+K miles on them, they are very close to the replacement bar with approx 2/32" tread left. I have a pair of Continental Pro Contact 165/60R15's to be mounted this winter - I'm NOT going to try that tight of a fit again!

I do have Ron's Ultra Sway Bar on, which has nothing to do with tire clearance.

A year ago, we replaced my brother's front tires on his 2021 RTL with Vredestein 165/60R15's, and had no clearance problems at all! He's happy with them.

Regards,
Bill

 

[Snoking1127]

I'm having a hard time finding the 165's. This is what I'm typically finding in the pic below. 2 places I called said they replaced (now selling) the Vredesteins with the Conti's and said they are the same. The tread is totally different, even though they have good reviews from the Spyder community. I can find the Vredesteins in 175's for about $116 - $126. Regarding the rubbing, it's hit and miss in the reviews I've searched on.
I'm wondering if maybe the folks who are having the occasional rubbing aren't running a sway bar? It does mechanically lock your chassis flat and stops the vehicle from heavily rolling to one side and it drastically reduces the dynamic shifting forces on your front fenders, but who knows?
Thank you for getting back to me. I know the Vredesteins are great for wet weather, but here in So Cal, it's pretty dry and doesn't rain that much.


View attachment 257542

Try these:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...=66HR5QT&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

 

[Knizar]

Try these:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...=66HR5QT&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

Tire Rack has always come thru for me, usually a late model fresh tire that you receive in a couple of days.

General Altimax RT45, Vredestein, and Continental Pro Contact - DON'T tell them what you want to put them on!

 

[CloverHillCrawler]

Tire Rack has always come thru for me, usually a late model fresh tire that you receive in a couple of days.

General Altimax RT45, Vredestein, and Continental Pro Contact - DON'T tell them what you want to put them on!

I made that mistake of telling them but they have continued to sell them to me, I then made the mistake of mentioning it on here and boy did I get it... LOL.

I have almost 30K on my rear Quatrac, even though it was bare in the middle it still did well with me driving through the downpours a couple of weeks ago on the highway.

I will put my 3rd one on with my winter maintenance coming up. The life on the first one was cut short when it sacrificed itself as a big airbag when I was rear ended at a red light.

The front Quatracs have almost 20K on them now and almost look brand new. Once Brooks replaced my pitman arm after the accident repair missed it I haven't had any wear or alignment issues.

I have had both the 165's and currently the 175's on the front. In order to remedy the rubbing in the curves, I loosened but didn't remove the fender bracket bolts, then put some tension on the fender, pulling it away from the tire, then retightened the bolts under tension. This took care of the rubbing for me.

 

[Elqueso2]

Try these:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...=66HR5QT&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

Thank you sir! 2 Question: How are they in Canyons? I'm a bit agressive in the curves and hated the relatively weak sidewall going into turns on the front Kendas. I have the swaybar which keeps the front end flat going into the turns, and from what I've read, the Quatrac seem to handle the curves and bumps in the road much better. How are they on the freeway with tracking, wandering, and pulling into pavement rain grooves, cracks, and road crowns? The roads here in Calif just suck and I have struggled with most if these... I had a Dunlop front tire on my Harley that tracked all the rain grooves on the freeway, drove me crazy. Thank you for your input! Appreciate it.

 

[Snoking1127]

Thank you sir! 2 Question: How are they in Canyons? I'm a bit agressive in the curves and hated the relatively weak sidewall going into turns on the front Kendas. I have the swaybar which keeps the front end flat going into the turns, and from what I've read, the Quatrac seem to handle the curves and bumps in the road much better. How are they on the freeway with tracking, wandering, and pulling into pavement rain grooves, cracks, and road crowns? The roads here in Calif just suck and I have struggled with most if these... I had a Dunlop front tire on my Harley that tracked all the rain grooves on the freeway, drove me crazy. Thank you for your input! Appreciate it.

You will not be disappointed! Here is a video on Bush Highway. Starts out at 35MPH and hits 55 most of the way and 65 near the end. I love these dips and sweeping curves.

 

[UtahPete]

You will not be disappointed! Here is a video on Bush Highway. Starts out at 35MPH and hits 55 most of the way and 65 near the end. I love these dips and sweeping curves.

No cops out that way?

 

[BajaRon]

Tires and oil. It never ends. But they are the life blood of forums like this.

Tires vary in size with the same specifications, even within the same tire. Tires are rubber and steel/fiber formed in a mold under heat and pressure. There are going to be slight differences. Spyder builds also have slight differences in fender clearance. Plus, you have wiring and tiedowns incorporated on the inside of the fenders. When things get tight, all of these relatively small variables add up to some 175’s rub and some don’t.

The 175/55R15 will give you somewhat better handling than the 165/60R15. But this depends on how hard you ride. An average or conservative rider isn’t going to see any improvement here. But if you ride the twisties hard, you will.

Usually, any rubbing will be minor and can be mitigated with a bit of effort as alluded to in the posts above. Sometimes the hold-down ties are not oriented ideally. After all, they are installed with the tires removed. Sometimes, reorienting these are all that is needed.

The sway bar has nothing to do with fender clearance. So, you can discard that aspect.

In my opinion, the Vredestein Quatrac is the current gold standard for the Spyder fronts. The Continental ContiProContact is a good tire. Especially if you don’t want a directional tire. But they are a step down from the Vredestein.

I also have had good service from the Kenda Kanine (which I am running now). I have not tried the new XPS tires.

 

[Snoking1127]

UtahPete said: No cops out that way?


There was this day.

 

[Elqueso2]

Tires and oil. It never ends. But they are the life blood of forums like this.

Tires vary in size with the same specifications, even within the same tire. Tires are rubber and steel/fiber formed in a mold under heat and pressure. There are going to be slight differences. Spyder builds also have slight differences in fender clearance. Plus, you have wiring and tiedowns incorporated on the inside of the fenders. When things get tight, all of these relatively small variables add up to some 175’s rub and some don’t.

The 175/55R15 will give you somewhat better handling than the 165/60R15. But this depends on how hard you ride. An average or conservative rider isn’t going to see any improvement here. But if you ride the twisties hard, you will.

Usually, any rubbing will be minor and can be mitigated with a bit of effort as alluded to in posts above. Sometimes the hold-down tires are not oriented ideally. After all, they are installed with the tires removed. Sometimes, reorienting these are all that is needed.

The sway bar has nothing to do with fender clearance. So, you can discard that aspect.

In my opinion, the Vredestein Quatrack is the current gold standard for the Spyder fronts. The Continental ContiProContact is a good tire. Especially if you don’t want a directional tire. But they are a step down from the Vredestein.

I also have had good service from the Kenda Kanine (which I am running now). I have not tried the new XPS tires.

You're right, they never end and before I posted this, I thought, yep, yet another tire post, but I looked everywhere for this information and got what I was looking for here in this forum and no where else. My thought behind the swaybar and rubbing was that without the bar, I felt that the Spyder front end allows for significant body roll into turns and with some tires might get more sidewall flex resulting in some fender rubbing. I do have your swaybar installed. Might have been a stupid thought. I appreciate yours and everyone else's valued input and thank you for getting back to me. I'm going to roll with the Vredestein Quatracs and the General Atimax RT 45. I promise I won't post any Oil questions... lol

 

[EdMat]

UtahPete said: No cops out that way?


There was this day.

I've seen lot of ghost cop vehicles, that one earns first place.

 

[Deanna777]

Thanks for getting back to me regarding the Conti's. The General Altimax RT 43 was replaced by the RT 45. I was leaning towards the 43 and found it to be discontinued.



I'm having a hard time finding the 165's. This is what I'm typically finding in the pic below. 2 places I called said they replaced (now selling) the Vredesteins with the Conti's and said they are the same. The tread is totally different, even though they have good reviews from the Spyder community. I can find the Vredesteins in 175's for about $116 - $126. Regarding the rubbing, it's hit and miss in the reviews I've searched on.
I'm wondering if maybe the folks who are having the occasional rubbing aren't running a sway bar? It does mechanically lock your chassis flat and stops the vehicle from heavily rolling to one side and it drastically reduces the dynamic shifting forces on your front fenders, but who knows?
Thank you for getting back to me. I know the Vredesteins are great for wet weather, but here in So Cal, it's pretty dry and doesn't rain that much.


View attachment 257542


I know we have the same 2020+ fenders, so do you have any experience with the side rubbing the fenders in turns? It seems like some have reported the rubbing while others say it's fine. I'm thinking maybe it's the year and their suspension?

Hi @Elqueso2,

You are Welcome!

When I had my 2014 RTS-SE6, I had an upgraded sway bar.

When I had the Conti's on the front of my/then Spyder, I had a thumbs width gap between the tire and the top of the fender inside. See "MY Album" for pictures of the Conti's.

Deanna