Tests 85 · 10 tests Owners 71 · 40 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test (abrasion)
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Primacy 4+ vs Vredestein Ultrac — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 10 + 14 road tests and 40 + 419 owner reviews. How we score
Primacy 4+ is ahead, 78–61
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Tests 63 · 14 tests Owners 59 · 419 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2024 AutoBild Summer Tyre Test (wet handling)
“Are budget tyres closing the gap to premium? I changed a set of tyres on my daily pd130 winter bash about and managed to get a set of vredestein ultrac for £80 a tyre fitted which I thought was a pretty good price. The tyre fitting service was saying to me that the gap between budgets and premium is much smaller in the last 10 years and that taxis tend to opt for budget tyres all the time and have no issues. Any thoughts on this? I’ve always gone for medium to higher end tyres. Leer más”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
Key facts
- In 8 tests that measured dry braking for both, Primacy 4+ won 4 and Ultrac won 3 (average 95% vs 95% of the best).
- In 8 tests that measured wet braking for both, Primacy 4+ won 3 and Ultrac won 4 (average 91% vs 91% of the best).
- In 7 tests that measured straight aquaplaning for both, Primacy 4+ won 1 and Ultrac won 6 (average 94% vs 99% of the best).
- In 6 tests that measured dry handling for both, Primacy 4+ won 2 and Ultrac won 2 (average 97% vs 97% of the best).
- In 6 tests that measured wet handling for both, Primacy 4+ won 1 and Ultrac won 4 (average 85% vs 87% of the best).
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78
Dry
Primacy 4+ +375Why this score
Source Primacy 4+ Ultrac Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / 13 tests 82 84 Reviews found online 71 60 Dry Braking (% of best) · 8 shared tests · wins 4–3 95% 95% Dry Handling (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 2–2 97% 97% Dry Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–0 92% 92% Primacy 4+: 60% × 82.4 + 40% × 71 = 78
Ultrac: 60% × 84.3 + 40% × 60.3 = 75
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79
Wet
Ultrac +382Why this score
Source Primacy 4+ Ultrac Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / 13 tests 82 92 Reviews found online 75 66 Curved Aquaplaning (% of best) · 5 shared tests · wins 0–5 83% 99% Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 7 shared tests · wins 1–6 94% 99% Wet Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–0 88% 88% Wet Braking (% of best) · 8 shared tests · wins 3–4 91% 91% Wet Braking (concrete) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 86% 88% Wet Circle (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 0–2 95% 98% Wet Handling (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 1–4 85% 87% Primacy 4+: 60% × 82 + 40% × 74.6 = 79
Ultrac: 60% × 92 + 40% × 66.4 = 82
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71
Comfort
Primacy 4+ +863Why this score
Source Primacy 4+ Ultrac Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 73 ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 69 60 Primacy 4+: 40% × 72.9 + 60% × 69.4 = 71
Ultrac: 40% × 67 (est.) + 60% × 60.3 = 63
No road tests of comfort for Ultrac. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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72
Noise
Primacy 4+ +567Why this score
Source Primacy 4+ Ultrac Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / 11 tests 76 67 Reviews found online ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Noise (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 4–2 99% 99% Exterior Noise (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 83% 100% Primacy 4+: 60% × 76.4 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 72
Ultrac: 60% × 66.9 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 67
No owner ratings of noise for Primacy 4+ or Ultrac. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
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85
Treadwear
Primacy 4+ +6025Why this score
Source Primacy 4+ Ultrac Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / 3 tests 95 10 Reviews found online 70 48 Abrasion (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 100% 47% Wear (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–0 87% 37% Primacy 4+: 60% × 94.9 + 40% × 69.7 = 85
Ultrac: 60% × 10 + 40% × 48.3 = 25
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67
Handling (owners)
Primacy 4+ +760Why this score
Source Primacy 4+ Ultrac Reviews found online 67 60 -
78
Efficiency
Primacy 4+ +672Why this score
Source Primacy 4+ Ultrac Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 11 tests 78 72 Fuel Consumption (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 98% 97% Rolling Resistance (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 5–1 91% 87%
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Primacy 4+ | Vredestein Ultrac |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 78 | 61 |
| Dry | 78 | 75 |
| Wet | 79 | 82 |
| Comfort | 71 | 63 |
| Noise | 72 | 67 |
| Treadwear | 85 | 25 |
| Handling (owners) | 67 | 60 |
| Efficiency | 78 | 72 |
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.
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Recomputed
Headline score
78
/ 100
Primacy 4+
61
/ 100
Ultrac
The professional test results behind the scores
Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.
In the overall rankings of 9 tests that ran both, Michelin Primacy 4+ finished ahead 5 times and Vredestein Ultrac 4 times.
| Discipline | Category | Primacy 4+ | Ultrac | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 95% | 95% | −0.3 | 4–3 in 8 shared tests Newest: 2024 Summer Tyre Market Overview · 205/55 R16 |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 97% | 97% | 0.0 | 2–2 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2024 ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ Summer Tire Test R17 · 225/45R17 |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | Dry | 92% | 92% | 0.0 | 0–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ Summer Tire Test R17 · 225/45R17 |
| Curved Aquaplaning | Wet | 83% | 99% | −16.5 | 0–5 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2024 ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ Summer Tire Test R17 · 225/45R17 |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 94% | 99% | −4.8 | 1–6 in 7 shared tests Newest: 2024 ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ Summer Tire Test R17 · 225/45R17 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 91% | 91% | +0.1 | 3–4 in 8 shared tests Newest: 2024 Summer Tyre Market Overview · 205/55 R16 |
| Wet Braking (concrete) | Wet | 86% | 88% | −1.9 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17 |
| Wet Circle | Wet | 95% | 98% | −3.0 | 0–2 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2024 AZ Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R17 |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 85% | 87% | −1.2 | 1–4 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2024 ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ Summer Tire Test R17 · 225/45R17 |
| Wet Handling (tester's mark) | Wet | 88% | 88% | 0.0 | 0–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ Summer Tire Test R17 · 225/45R17 |
| Exterior Noise | Noise | 83% | 100% | −16.7 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ Summer Tire Test R17 · 225/45R17 |
| Noise | Noise | 99% | 99% | +0.7 | 4–2 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17 |
| Abrasion | Treadwear | 100% | 47% | +53.2 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17 |
| Wear | Treadwear | 87% | 37% | +49.9 | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17 |
| Fuel Consumption | Efficiency | 98% | 97% | +1.7 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17 |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 91% | 87% | +3.4 | 5–1 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2024 ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ Summer Tire Test R17 · 225/45R17 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Price | Cost | 72% | 84% | −11.8 | 0–2 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17 |
| Total Cost of Ownership | Cost | #9/20 | #20/20 | – | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 AutoBild Summer Tyre Test · 205/55 R16 |
| Value | Cost | 62% | 36% | +26.1 | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17 |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #5/55 | #3/55 | – | 5–4 in 9 shared tests Newest: 2024 Summer Tyre Market Overview · 205/55 R16 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Primacy 4+
Pros
- Strong wet and dry grip and braking confidence, often cited as a big improvement over Bridgestone, Dunlop and Nexen tyres, including on powerful cars and PHEVs that previously spun their tyres
- Comfortable, compliant ride with soft sidewalls that suits softly sprung and family cars
- Low and even tread wear, with several owners reporting little visible wear after 5,000–10,000 miles and one reporting about 60,000 km in hot climates
Cons
- Road noise and drone, especially on rough asphalt, was described as severe by several owners (Skoda Yeti, Lexus), contradicting other reports of quiet running
- Reduced grip and confidence in cold, damp conditions, with two UK owners saying the tyre behaves like a budget tyre
- Premium pricing, with some owners questioning value when life fell short of expectations
Tire B Ultrac
Pros
- Exceptional grip and confidence in wet weather conditions
- High level of ride comfort and ability to absorb road bumps
- Low road noise and quiet operation
Cons
- Rapid tread wear reported by several drivers
- Softer sidewalls leading to less initial steering feedback or stability
- Occasional complaints of tramlining or tracking narrow road repairs
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Michelin Primacy 4+
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Positive
Vredestein Ultrac
Community members generally view the Vredestein Ultrac favorably, recommending it as offering the best of both worlds at a good price point. While drivers appreciate its appearance and value on daily vehicles, prospective buyers express inquiries regarding noise levels and potential fast tread wear.
Top themes
#good price point#best of both worlds#tread wear concerns#tire recommendation#wide tire appearance#budget versus premium
Based on 8 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Primacy 4+ | B · Vredestein Ultrac |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 66 | 65 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 21″ | 15″ – 21″ |
| UTQG | — | 280 AA A |
| Sizes in common | 40 | 40 |
Which one should you actually buy?
78
/ 100
Michelin Primacy 4+
61
/ 100
Vredestein Ultrac
Winner: Michelin Primacy 4+ — better treadwear, comfort and handling. Pick the Vredestein Ultrac if wet matters most to you.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 85 vs 25 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 71 vs 63 on comfort.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 67 vs 60 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want lower fuel or energy use
Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 78 vs 72 on efficiency.
Pick tire B
Your priority is curved aquaplaning
Vredestein Ultrac won 5 of 5 shared curved aquaplaning tests.
Tire A · Michelin Primacy 4+
Tire B · Vredestein Ultrac
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Primacy 4+ or Ultrac?
Which is better in the wet, Primacy 4+ or Ultrac?
Vredestein Ultrac, 82 vs 79 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Primacy 4+ or Ultrac?
Michelin Primacy 4+, 78 vs 75 on our dry score.
Which is quieter, Primacy 4+ or Ultrac?
Michelin Primacy 4+, 72 vs 67 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, Primacy 4+ or Ultrac?
Michelin Primacy 4+, 71 vs 63 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Primacy 4+ or Ultrac?
Michelin Primacy 4+, 85 vs 25 on our treadwear score.
Which rolls more easily, Primacy 4+ or Ultrac?
Michelin Primacy 4+, 78 vs 72 on our efficiency score.
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.
Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology