Compare
Free shipping
Best price guarantee
Special pricing
Financing with Resolve
Easy returns
Last updated 12/24/2024 - Originally published 12/24/2024
Written by SimpleTire
A subsidiary of American Omni Trading, Vercelli Tire has been around for some time, catering to the demands of the replacement tire market with its highly affordable and decent tire lines. Its advanced tread design and decent quality make it a great option for SUVs, CUVS, luxury sedans, and minivans. On the other hand, Mastercraft Tire, a sub-brand of Goodyear Tires, produces quality tires that offer reliable performance in different driving conditions. Both manufacture decent all-season tires that offer adequate traction, grip, and handling in dry, wet, and light snow throughout the year. The II from Vercelli and the Stratus A/S from Mastercraft are the best all-season tires available on a budget.
Designed for coupes, sedans, and CUVs, the Vercelli II and Mastercraft Stratus A/S offer decent grip, traction, handling, stability, and tread life in different driving conditions. The advanced rubber compound of these tires helps them adapt to the changing weather conditions of warm, rainy, or light snow. Despite falling in the budget category, they come with strong limited manufacturer tread life warranties for complete peace of mind. So, which is the one you should go for? Let’s compare the Vercelli II vs. Mastercraft Stratus A/S based on our SimpleScore system to know which one is a better option.
Vercelli II tires
With a directional tread pattern, the Vercelli II offers a twin-type center rib design for reduced braking distance, solid handling, and great stability at high speed. The optimized tread pattern ensures increased grip, along with a balanced pitch sequence for reduced noise and vibration levels that ensure improved ride comfort. While the four circumferential grooves allow quick water evacuation from the tread to mitigate the risk of hydroplaning and boost wet traction, the Vercelli II’s advanced rubber compound returns year-round performance in dry, wet, and light wintry conditions. The solid center rib and shoulders with lateral grooves ensure that the tire handles well during high-speed drives on paved roads. The Vercelli all-season tire is backed by a 45,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty and a No Questions Asked, 25/365 Free Replacement Limited Protection Policy.
With an 8.1 average score, the Vercelli II returns great handling, grip, and longevity throughout the year.
Mastercraft Stratus A/S tires
A perfect fit for SUVs and sedans, the Mastercraft Stratus A/S features an advanced rubber compound that delivers consistent grip, traction, and handling in dry, wet, and light wintry weather alongside thousands of miles. While the deep sipes on the shoulders and intermediate tread rows of the Stratus A/S provide extra biting edges for increased grip and handling, the computer-optimized variable pitch tread lowers noise and vibration for a quiet and comfortable ride. With deep, lateral shoulder slots and a strong center rib, the Mastercraft all-season tire ensures improved traction throughout its tread life while returning a smooth, well-controlled steering response. Thanks to the spiral nylon overwrap, the Stratus A/S maintains dimensional stability and handling at higher speeds. With a 45-day test drive option, the Mastercraft Stratus A/S is covered with a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
Boasting a modest 7.8, the Mastercraft tire assures adequate year-round grip, traction, steering response, stability, and tread life.
Vercelli II vs Mastercraft Stratus A/S tires on traction
Good tire traction allows you to stay grounded and not skid even in slippery conditions. All-season tires are designed to deliver consistent grip and traction in dry, wet, and light snow around the year. Let’s check the average traction scores from these two tires.
The Vercelli II achieves 7.8 in traction thanks to its twin-type center rib design that improves grip and traction in dry, wet, and light snow. The four longitudinal grooves and directional tread pattern allow enhanced wet and snow traction and expels water out of the tread to reduce hydroplaning risks.
Scoring 7.6, the Mastercraft Stratus A/S features deep sipes on intermediate ribs and shoulder blocks that boost grip and traction as they create extra biting edges for effective wet and snow performance. The circumferential grooves also aid in the quick removal of water to boost wet performance and bring down the risk of hydroplaning.
With a better score, the Vercelli II wins the traction race.
ADVANTAGE: Vercelli II
Vercelli II vs Mastercraft Stratus A/S tires on handling
The drive is fun when you have total control of the steering and the vehicle ‘listens’ to your commands. Better the handling and stability from a tire, the more fun and safer it becomes to drive.
Achieving an outstanding handling score of 8.6 out of 10, the Vercelli II features a directional tread pattern for effective grip and handling along with twin center ribs for high-speed stability. Essentially an all-season tire, the Vercelli II is a must-have for people wanting spirited performances from their vehicles.
Riding on the solid center rib and lateral shoulder grooves of the Stratus A/S, you are bound to experience smooth and controlled ride quality. Furthermore, the spiral nylon overwrap also aids in maintaining handling and dimensional stability during high-speed runs. It scores an 8 in handling.
The Vercelli tire wins in the handling department, with the ‘II’ comprehensively beating the Stratus A/S.
ADVANTAGE: Vercelli II
Vercelli II vs Mastercraft Stratus A/S tires on longevity
All-season tires are preferred for their excellent durability and longer service life. The Vercelli and the Mastercraft all-season tires promise the same along with solid warranties to back their claims.
With a fantastic 8.1 longevity score, the Vercelli II features a special all-season rubber compound and tread design that allows consistent performance and limits uneven wear for a longer tread life. It is backed by a 45,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
Scoring the same, the Mastercraft all-season tire comes with a special tread pattern and unique rubber compound that negates uneven wear while promoting uniform tread wear throughout the tire’s lifecycle. It is backed with a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
With the same longevity scores, the Vercelli II and the Mastercraft Stratus A/S will have to settle for a tie.
ADVANTAGE: Tie
When to use each
All-season tires are designed to return great performance for handling, grip, stability, and traction in dry, wet, and light wintry conditions. They are great year-round companions owing to their all-season rubber compound that promotes consistent traction in changing weather conditions except for moderate to extreme winter conditions.
You can choose all-weather tires if the weather in your region is unpredictable as they offer all the traits of an all-season, but with increased traction and grip in moderate to severe snow. However, if the weather conditions consistently remain below 45 degrees Fahrenheit you should choose winter tires as they are engineered to resist freezing temperatures without losing their flexibility for effective control and grip on ice and snow.
Which one should you choose?
To sum up, the Vercelli II beats the Mastercraft Stratus A/S in traction and handling while leveling scores for longevity. Interestingly, the Mastercraft Stratus A/S offers a longer limited manufacturer tread life warranty than the Vercelli II. Let’s check their price to know which is the real deal.
The Vercelli II’s price starts from $62 per tire, while the Mastercraft Stratus A/S has an initial tagging of $53 per tire.
Based on SimpleScores, you can choose the Vercelli II if you:
- Drive vehicles like Mercedes-Benz E350, Kia Optima, and Dodge Challenger
- Want better traction (7.8 vs 7.6)
- Prefer increased control and handling (8.6 vs 8)
You can go for the Mastercraft Stratus AS if you:
- Drive vehicles like Buick Park Avenue, Toyota Corolla, and Pontiac Vibe
- Prefer a more affordable option for your passenger car
- Prefer tires with higher mileage warranties (50,000 vs 45,000 miles)
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents will be more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.