Tests 73 · 4 tests Owners 64 · 119 reviews
Best test result: #7 of 20 in 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test (dry braking)
Head-to-head
Updated
Continental Premium Contact 5 vs Vredestein Sportrac 5 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.
Sportrac 5 leads, 73–69 Narrow edge
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Tests 72 · 2 tests Owners 74 · 335 reviews
Best test result: #2 of 20 in 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test (noise)
“Ending up getting Vredestein SPORTRAC 5s. Got a great price. After chatting with tyre guys I think it was a decent choice in the end.”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
71
Dry
Sportrac 5 +273Why this score
Source Premium Contact 5 Sportrac 5 Professional tests (TWG score) 71 71 Reviews found online 70 75 Dry Braking (% of best) 95% 93% Dry Handling (% of best) 98% 98% -
76
Wet
Premium Contact 5 +274Why this score
Source Premium Contact 5 Sportrac 5 Professional tests (TWG score) 78 73 Reviews found online 73 77 Wet Braking (% of best) 89% 95% Wet Handling (% of best) 99% 98% -
71
Comfort
Level71Why this score
Source Premium Contact 5 Sportrac 5 Professional tests (TWG score) 75 – Reviews found online 66 73 -
69
Noise
Sportrac 5 +170Why this score
Source Premium Contact 5 Sportrac 5 Professional tests (TWG score) 70 74 Reviews found online – 64 -
61
Treadwear
Sportrac 5 +1172Why this score
Source Premium Contact 5 Sportrac 5 Professional tests (TWG score) 69 71 Reviews found online 48 72 -
66
Handling
Sportrac 5 +975Why this score
Source Premium Contact 5 Sportrac 5 Reviews found online 66 75
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental Premium Contact 5 | Vredestein Sportrac 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 69 | 73 |
| Dry | 71 | 73 |
| Wet | 76 | 74 |
| Comfort | 71 | 71 |
| Noise | 69 | 70 |
| Treadwear | 61 | 72 |
| Handling | 66 | 75 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Weight the categories that matter to you
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Important
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Important
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Less important
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Less important
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Important
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Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score
69
/ 100
Premium Contact 5
73
/ 100
Sportrac 5
The professional test results behind the scores
Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.
| Discipline | Category | Premium Contact 5 | Sportrac 5 | Δ | Both? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 95% #7/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | 93% #9/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | +1.5 | Same test |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 98% #8/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | 98% #14/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | +0.6 | Same test |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 93% #6/11 · 2021 Sport Auto Summer Tyre Test | 85% #4/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | +7.6 | Different tests |
| Noise | Other | 96% #10/11 · 2019 AMS Summer SUV Tyre Test | 100% #2/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | −3.6 | Different tests |
| Price | Other | 79% #7/11 · 2021 Sport Auto Summer Tyre Test | 90% #5/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | −11.0 | Different tests |
| Value | Other | 60% #15/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | 81% #2/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | −21.0 | Same test |
| Wear | Other | 77% #11/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | 83% #7/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | −6.3 | Same test |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | 14% #7/14 · 2018 New and Worn Summer Tyre Test | 10% #10/15 · 2015 Test World Summer Tyre Test | +4.3 | Different tests |
| Straight Aqua | Straight | 94% #12/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | 93% #14/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | +1.0 | Same test |
| Subj. Dry Handling | Subj | 78% #8/11 · 2019 AMS Summer SUV Tyre Test | 80% #6/13 · 2019 Swedish Summer Tyre Test | −2.0 | Different tests |
| Subj. Wet Handling | Subj | 80% #5/11 · 2019 AMS Summer SUV Tyre Test | 70% #9/13 · 2019 Swedish Summer Tyre Test | +10.0 | Different tests |
| Total Cost of Ownership | Total | 0% #17/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | 0% #3/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | 0.0 | Same test |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 89% #7/14 · 2018 New and Worn Summer Tyre Test | 95% #10/13 · 2019 Swedish Summer Tyre Test | −6.3 | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 99% #5/11 · 2021 Sport Auto Summer Tyre Test | 98% #5/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test | +1.3 | Different tests |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Premium Contact 5
Pros
- Exceptional grip in both wet and dry road conditions
- High levels of ride comfort and low cabin noise
- Predictable and safe handling characteristics
Cons
- Rapid and premature tread wear
- Soft sidewalls leading to vague steering feedback and body roll
- Performance degradation as the tread depth decreases
Tire B Sportrac 5
Pros
- Excellent dry and wet grip for daily driving
- Quiet and comfortable ride quality
- Strong wear resistance and long tread life
Cons
- Soft sidewalls can feel vague or cause a 'floating' sensation on true sports cars
- Reduced stability and increased risk of hydroplaning in heavy standing water or deep puddles
- Some users reported a harsher ride due to stiffer compounds depending on the tire size
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Continental Premium Contact 5
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Positive
Vredestein Sportrac 5
Community sentiment toward the Vredestein Sportrac 5 is overwhelmingly positive, particularly among drivers of classic and older European or enthusiast cars. Users praise its strong wet and dry grip, sidewall stability, and compliant ride, frequently recommending it as one of the few high-quality summer performance tires still offered in rare 14-inch and 15-inch sizes.
bobistheoilguy.com
·2020-06-28
“Originally Posted by artbuc Anyone have direct experience with Vredestein? Thanks. Just bought a set of Vredestein Sportrac 5's in 195/65/14's for the BMW below. They are very new (still have the nubs on the side walls) and are surprisingly VERY stable, yet compliant with potholes etc. Despite having taller side walls, they don't readily roll over when going for "spirited" drives around corners. Overall, they are one of only a few who make that size. Considering they are a summer tire, I find them very good overall. Not sure how they'll do over the years, but considering I drive that car about 200miles per year I'll probably have them for a while”
vintage-mustang.com
·2019-04-04
“Kind of an oddly skinny selection, if that's a complete list. The widest 15" they have is 225 and that's ONLY on 60 series. Widest 50 is a 205? No big deal. Just caught my eye. I'm used to seeing more wider (and lower) tires listed with V ratings I guess. They look to be good stuff with V-ratings though. Fair selection of 14"s there too, but also on the narrow side and only rated to H. What do the autocrossers think of them?”
r/TyreReviews
·1 upvote ·2026-04-10
“185/70R14 recommendations Hi - I'm looking for a recommendation in a rather uncommon tyre size, because a lot of the "good" ones in that size (185/70R14 or 195/70R14 to be precise) are not produced anymore. T005's are gone, ZE310 in 195/70 too, Sportrac 5 gone and it basically feels like the only tyres left are for 50HP city boxes. The problem is I need them for an old RWD, non-ABS big sedan with a 2.4L, so a bit of extra grip and feel would be greatly appreciated, wear doesn't matter as it's a weekend car. The choices are limited, but from what I see in the not-that-bad department there are: Yokohama ES32 Uniroyal RainExpert 5 Continental UltraContact and PremiumContact 5 Potentially I could just go with 185/65R14, but the choices there aren't that great either, although there are some Sportrac 5 and ZE310's left in that size Any recommendations in the tiny wheel department? Read more”
Top themes
#wet and dry grip#rare vintage wheel sizes#value and pricing#ride comfort and stability#classic car fitment#grand touring summer performance
Based on 26 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental Premium Contact 5 | B · Vredestein Sportrac 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 23 | 35 |
| Rim diameters | 14″ – 17″ | 14″ – 17″ |
Which one should you actually buy?
69
/ 100
Continental Premium Contact 5
73
/ 100
Vredestein Sportrac 5
Winner: Vredestein Sportrac 5 — better treadwear and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Vredestein Sportrac 5 scores 72 vs 61 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Vredestein Sportrac 5 scores 75 vs 66 on handling.
Tire A · Continental Premium Contact 5
Tire B · Vredestein Sportrac 5
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How do we compare tires?
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.