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Head-to-head Updated

Sumitomo Encounter AT vs Vredestein Quatrac 3 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 0 road tests and 26 + 58 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Encounter AT and Quatrac 3 are level at 71.

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Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 73

    Dry

    Encounter AT +5
    68
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATQuatrac 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7569

    Encounter AT: 60% × 70.7 (est.) + 40% × 75.2 = 73

    Quatrac 3: 60% × 68.1 (est.) + 40% × 68.6 = 68

    No road tests of dry for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

    No road tests of dry for Quatrac 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 75

    Wet

    Level
    75
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATQuatrac 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 74 (est.)≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online7778

    Encounter AT: 60% × 73.6 (est.) + 40% × 76.5 = 75

    Quatrac 3: 60% × 74.1 (est.) + 40% × 77.5 = 75

    No road tests of wet for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

    No road tests of wet for Quatrac 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 69

    Snow

    Quatrac 3 +7
    76
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATQuatrac 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online6880

    Encounter AT: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 67.8 = 69

    Quatrac 3: 60% × 73.3 (est.) + 40% × 80.1 = 76

    No road tests of snow for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).

    No road tests of snow for Quatrac 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).

  4. 69

    Comfort

    Level
    69
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATQuatrac 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6969

    Encounter AT: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 68.7 = 69

    Quatrac 3: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 69 = 69

    No road tests of comfort for Encounter AT or Quatrac 3. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 68

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATQuatrac 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online70–

    Encounter AT: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 68

    No road tests of noise for Encounter AT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 66

    Treadwear

    Level
    66
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATQuatrac 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6666

    Encounter AT: 60% × 65.7 (est.) + 40% × 65.9 = 66

    Quatrac 3: 60% × 65.7 (est.) + 40% × 65.8 = 66

    No road tests of treadwear for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

    No road tests of treadwear for Quatrac 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  7. 71

    Handling (owners)

    Level
    71
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATQuatrac 3
    Reviews found online7171
Scores at a glance
CategorySumitomo Encounter ATVredestein Quatrac 3
Relative Score 71 71
Dry 73 68
Wet 75 75
Snow 69 76
Comfort 69 69
Noise 68 –
Treadwear 66 66
Handling (owners) 71 71

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Encounter AT

Quatrac 3

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Encounter AT

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B Quatrac 3

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and confidence in snow, ice, and slush
  • Strong wet-weather performance and hydroplaning resistance
  • Predictable and progressive handling limits

Cons

  • Develops significant road noise or rhythmic droning as tread wears down
  • Accelerated tread wear reported by some users, particularly on heavier vehicles
  • Slightly reduced dry-pavement grip and sharper cornering response compared to dedicated summer tires
All owner themes in the Quatrac 3 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Sumitomo Encounter AT B · Vredestein Quatrac 3
CategoryAll-Terrain tireAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available15—
Rim diameters16″ – 20″—
Tread depth13/32″—
UTQG660 A B—
Treadwear warranty60,000 mi—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Sumitomo Encounter AT

Vredestein Quatrac 3

Too close to call: Sumitomo Encounter AT and Vredestein Quatrac 3 are within 2 points overall. Sumitomo Encounter AT is stronger on dry. Vredestein Quatrac 3 is stronger on snow.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Vredestein Quatrac 3 scores 76 vs 69 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 73 vs 68 on dry.

Tire A · Sumitomo Encounter AT
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Tire B · Vredestein Quatrac 3
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Encounter AT or Quatrac 3?

Which is better in the wet, Encounter AT or Quatrac 3?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 75 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Encounter AT or Quatrac 3?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 73 vs 68 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Encounter AT or Quatrac 3?

Vredestein Quatrac 3, 76 vs 69 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Encounter AT or Quatrac 3?

Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 69 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Encounter AT or Quatrac 3?

Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 66 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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