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The Vredestein Quatrac vs. Michelin CrossClimate 2 decision looks like a coin flip on paper. Both carry the three-peak mountain snowflake, both hold 4.5 stars with Tire Rack owners, and in the sizes they share the price gap is small and runs both ways. They are not the same tire. The Quatrac has the edge on wet pavement and ice, and Tire Rack's testers found it quieter. The CrossClimate 2 brakes shorter on dry roads, grips better in snow, wears longer, and fits far more wheels. If your car runs 15-inch wheels, the choice is already made, because Michelin does not sell the CrossClimate 2 in that diameter.
One thing worth knowing before you compare:
The two tires overlap in twelve sizes: seven on 16- and 17-inch wheels and five on 18- to 20-inch wheels. Beyond that the Quatrac nearly disappears, and the Vredestein built for bigger wheels is a different tire, the Quatrac Pro+, covered near the end. Check your size first, then read the test results.
Vredestein Quatrac vs. Michelin CrossClimate 2 at a Glance
The table below lists what Tire Rack shows for each tire, including its owner survey scores on a 10-point scale. The survey scores favor the Michelin in every category, which is worth keeping in mind when the test results below favor the Vredestein on wet roads and ice.
| Spec | Vredestein Quatrac | Michelin CrossClimate 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Treadwear warranty | 55,000 miles | 60,000 miles |
| Three-peak snowflake | Yes | Yes |
| Wheel sizes | About 41 sizes, 15" to 20" (only 3 in 17") | About 88 sizes, 16" to 22" |
| Tire Rack rating | 4.5 stars, 689 ratings, 95% recommend | 4.5 stars, 5,509 ratings, 100% recommend |
| Owner survey: wet / dry | 9.1 / 9.2 | 9.4 / 9.4 |
| Owner survey: winter / ice | 7.9 / 7.5 | 8.8 / 8.5 |
| Owner survey: comfort / treadwear | 8.7 / 8.5 | 8.9 / 9.1 |
| Price | Mixed: cheaper in 6 of 12 shared sizes, median about 1% lower | Baseline (lowest US listings, October 16) |
Where the Quatrac Wins: Wet Roads, Ice, and Quiet
Tire Rack's all-weather and winter testing provides robust US data on these two tires, conducted on a 2025 Toyota Camry in size 215/55R17 at near-freezing temperatures. The Quatrac demonstrated the strongest wet performance of any tire in the test, stopping from 50 mph in 93 feet against 99.6 feet for the CrossClimate 2, roughly 7 percent shorter. It also outperformed the Michelin on ice, while Tire Rack described its ride as nicely composed with unobtrusive noise, compared to the CrossClimate 2's noticeably elevated noise levels.
| Tire Rack Test (215/55R17) | Vredestein Quatrac | Michelin CrossClimate 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wet braking, 50 to 0 mph | 93 ft | 99.6 ft |
| Ice braking, 12 to 0 mph | 50.6 ft | 53 ft |
| Ice acceleration, 0 to 60 ft | 5.8 sec | 6.09 sec |
| Snow braking, 25 to 0 mph | 73 ft | 72.4 ft |
| Snow acceleration, 0 to 12 mph | 28.43 ft | 30 ft |
European testing mirrors these wet road advantages with a smaller margin. Across nine shared tests from 2021 to 2024, summarized by Tyre Reviews, the Quatrac stopped shorter on wet pavement in six of them by about 2 percent on average (~3 feet), and posted wet handling laps 3 to 4 percent faster. Tire Rack owners do not see it the same way, though: they score the Quatrac 9.1 for wet traction against 9.4 for the CrossClimate 2.
The Real Catch:
The wet and noise advantages are smaller than a single US test makes them appear. Across European tests, the wet braking gap averages around 2 percent, and the noise difference is under half a decibel. Furthermore, the Quatrac feels less secure when pushed to its limits: testers noted it requires careful throttle and entry speed on slick ice. Owners rate it lower for winter (7.9 vs. 8.8) and ice (7.5 vs. 8.5) despite the ice test results.
Where the CrossClimate 2 Wins: Dry Braking, Snow, and Tread Life
In European testing, Tyre Reviews credits the Michelin with six overall wins to the Vredestein's three. The clearest performance gap is dry braking, where the CrossClimate 2 stopped shorter in all nine tests by about 5 percent (roughly 7 feet on average). Snow braking, snow traction, and handling also favored the Michelin consistently.
| European Tests (2021 to 2024) | Vredestein Quatrac | Michelin CrossClimate 2 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry braking, average (9 tests) | 40.55 m | 38.41 m | Michelin (all 9, about 5% shorter) |
| Wet braking, average (9 tests) | 43.24 m | 44.14 m | Vredestein (6 of 9, about 2% shorter) |
| Snow braking, average (6 tests) | 20.81 m | 20.14 m | Michelin (all 6, about 3% shorter) |
| Snow traction, pulling force (4 tests) | 1,956 N | 2,066 N | Michelin (about 6% higher) |
| Rolling resistance (5 tests) | 8.11 kg/t | 7.54 kg/t | Michelin (all 5, about 7% lower) |
| Predicted tread life (4 tests) | 48,132 km | 51,892 km | Michelin (about 8% longer) |
| Exterior noise (5 tests) | 71.76 dB | 71.38 dB | Effectively tied |
The tread life numbers align with the manufacturer warranties (60,000 miles vs. 55,000) and owner scores (9.1 for treadwear vs. 8.5). Lower rolling resistance sounds like a fuel saving, but treat it as a small bonus. Snow also needs a caveat from the US test: in Tire Rack's snow braking the two were level, 72.4 feet for the Michelin and 73 for the Quatrac, and the Quatrac accelerated better in snow. The Michelin's snow advantage shows up more in traction, handling, and owner scores than in a straight-line stop. Its main advantages are dry braking, snow traction, and tread life.
The Real Catch:
Road manners and wet braking. Testers noted the CrossClimate 2 is precise on the road but noisier than the Quatrac, with understeer that can feel harsh once grip limits are reached. It was also the longer stop in wet testing across most evaluations.
Sizes Decide This for Many Drivers
Wheel availability splits the market between these two tires. The Quatrac leans toward smaller diameters (13 sizes in 15", 20 in 16", and only 8 across 17" to 20"), making it the primary all-weather option for compact cars on 15-inch wheels. Meanwhile, the CrossClimate 2 covers 16" to 22" wheels with extensive fitments for crossovers and larger vehicles.
The two tires overlap in these twelve common sizes:
| Size | Vredestein Quatrac (Load / Speed) | Michelin CrossClimate 2 (Load / Speed) |
|---|---|---|
| 205/55R16 | 94V | 91H |
| 205/60R16 | 96V | 92V |
| 215/55R16 | 97V | 97H |
| 215/60R16 | 99V | 95V |
| 215/55R17 | 98V | 94V |
| 225/45R17 | 94V | 91V |
| 225/50R17 | 98V | 98V |
| 245/55R18 | 103V | 103V |
| 245/60R18 | 105V | 109V |
| 245/55R19 | 103V | 107V |
| 235/55R20 | 102V | 102V |
| 245/50R20 | 102V | 105V |
The Real Catch:
The same size isn't always identical in load index. In 16- and 17-inch sizes, the Quatrac often features reinforced XL construction where the Michelin is standard load, whereas the reverse is true in larger 18- to 20-inch sizes. Only four specific sizes match on load index: 215/55R16, 225/50R17, 245/55R18, and 235/55R20. Always verify your vehicle's door placard requirements.
Price: A Wash for the Quatrac, a Modest Edge for the Pro+
In European listings the Vredestein was about 23 percent cheaper than the Michelin on average, which is why it keeps showing up as the value pick in magazine write-ups. US pricing does not follow that pattern. We compared the lowest retailer prices in TreadCompass's own listings on October 16 across the twelve sizes the two tires share. The Quatrac was cheaper in six and more expensive in six, with a median difference of about 1 percent in its favor, and a spread from 26 percent less (215/60R16, $128.70 against $174.58) to 25 percent more (245/50R20). Its real price advantage is in the 15-inch sizes Michelin does not make, which ran about $118 to $138 per tire.
The Quatrac Pro+ has a larger sample. Across 63 sizes it shares with the CrossClimate 2, it was cheaper in 43, with a median price about 10 percent lower. In the 17-inch sizes alone the median gap shrinks to about 1.5 percent, and at 225/65R17 the Pro+ at $188.77 was 7 percent higher than the Michelin's $175.99.
The Real Catch:
These comparisons tilt toward the Michelin. Each Vredestein price is the best of one retailer, while each CrossClimate 2 price is the best of seven to nine, and the Michelin's lowest listings sit well below the $219 to $225 we saw from August through early October, which suggests a current promotion. Compare matching load indexes at the same retailer on the same day before you decide.
What About the Quatrac Pro and Pro+?
For crossovers and cars on 17-inch or larger wheels, the relevant Vredestein model is the Quatrac Pro+, available in 108 sizes from 17 to 22 inches with a 55,000-mile warranty and 3PMSF certification. Apollo, Vredestein's parent company, says it improves on the older Pro with 5 percent more snow grip and 5 percent lower rolling resistance. Tire Rack owners give it 4.5 stars, though from a still-small pool of about 900 survey ratings.
Independent head-to-head data against the CrossClimate 2 is thin. The one shared test we found, Auto Bild's 2025 test in 245/45R18, scored the two level on wet braking and put the Michelin well ahead on dry braking and snow. That is a single test, so it shows the Pro+ is not a free upgrade over the Michelin, not that the Michelin always wins.
How We Checked This
Warranty terms, snowflake status, ratings, owner survey scores, and size lists come from each tire's Tire Rack page in October 2026. US braking, ice, and snow figures are from Tire Rack's all-weather versus winter test, which used one size (215/55R17) on one car. The European comparison is Tyre Reviews' aggregation of nine shared tests from 2021 to 2024, expressed as averages, so braking distances are shown in meters and percentages (the roughly three and seven foot figures are conversions of the average difference). Prices are the lowest retailer prices in TreadCompass's own listings on October 16, 2026: one retailer per size for the Quatrac and Pro+, and seven to nine for the CrossClimate 2. They move daily. We left out listings that look like errors, a Quatrac in 225/65R17 at $90.85 (a size Tire Rack does not list for it), a Pro+ in 245/45R19 at $100.00, and a CrossClimate 2 in 235/60R18 at $125.00. We left out UTQG treadwear grades because we could not source consistent figures for both tires.
Who Should Buy What
- ✓ For Most Shared Sizes & Dry/Snow Performance: Choose the Michelin CrossClimate 2 for superior dry braking, snow grip, treadwear, and size availability.
- ✓ For Compact Cars (15" Wheels) & Wet Weather: Choose the Vredestein Quatrac if you need 15-inch fitments or prioritize wet-pavement braking and cabin quietness.
- ✓ For Larger Crossovers & Value: Look at the Quatrac Pro+ for expanded sizing and a lower median price on larger wheels, and expect the same trade of wet grip for dry braking and snow. Independent test data on it is still thin.
