Goodyear SUV Tires

In the first installment of my Goodyear versus Michelin comparison, I focused on car tires. Now, let's take a look at the truck and SUV tires offered by these two heavyweights of the tire industry.

Category: Crossover/SUV Touring All-Season

Contenders: Goodyear Assurance CS TripleTred All-Season vs. Michelin Latitude Tour

Verdict: Goodyear wins this close match-up with superior traction in wet and wintry weather. The same aggressive tread that helps it gain better traction in the worst weather conditions comes with a trade-off in ride and noise comfort. Customers who value a luxury ride and do most of their driving in moderate climates may find that the Michelin suits them better.

Category: Highway All-Season

Contenders: Goodyear Wrangler RT/S vs. Michelin LTX M/S2

Verdict: The Michelin LTX M/S2 wins this category by a wide margin. It's consistently rated near the top of the category for an excellent all-around combination of ride, traction and treadwear.

Category: On-/Off-Road All-Terrain

Contenders: Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor vs. Michelin LTX A/T2

Verdict: Michelin's LTX A/T2 squeaks ahead with better balancing, road manners and longevity with traction on loose surfaces. The Goodyear has a more aggressive tread and would be a more popular choice for those who spend more time off the pavement.

Category: Off-Road Maximum Traction

Contenders: Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar vs. Michelin (none)

Verdict: The highly capable Goodyear wins this one unopposed.

Roundup: In this very close match-up, Michelin wins two categories, while Goodyear also wins two. These categories were extremely close and selection often come down to a driver's preference.

There are many rivalries in today's competitive world: Chevy versus Ford, Coke versus Pepsi and Burger King versus McDonald's may come to mind when thinking of two prominent companies within an industry. When it comes to tires, Goodyear and Michelin is one of the most common rivalries.

In some categories, such as the Crossover/SUV Touring All-Season, the Goodyear Assurance CS TripleTred All-Season ranks just a bit higher than Michelin's competing tire, the Latitude Tour. In other categories that include performance tires, Michelin's tires often rank higher. For example, in the Max Performance Summer category, the Michelin Pilot Super Sport is on top. I was so impressed by this particular tire that I bought a set for my own car. My experiences with the tire can be found by reading, "Michelin Pilot Super Sport Tires Installed on My Car." The Pilot Super Sport also picked up a win against Goodyear's Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 last summer during our testing. You can see how well the Michelin tire performed by taking a look at "Testing Max Performance Summer Tires."

Michelin Pilot Super Sport

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2

So, who really has the better tires? When it comes to performance tires, Michelin is tough to beat right now. However, the tire market is fast paced and new technology is constantly pushing the performance envelope further. When changes are made, you can always count on us to provide you with the best tire options for your vehicle.

Not too long ago, finding a tire with a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty was not easy. Modern construction methods, advanced tread compounds and other technology has lead to tires that can wear for even longer. With treadwear warranties on some replacement tires approaching 100,000 miles, they may even outlast your car! 

Achieving long treadlife requires more work than simply installing the tires and driving. Proper maintenance of the tires' inflation pressures, tire rotation and keeping your vehicle aligned all play a role. In fact, manufacturers require that the tires are worn down evenly in order to qualify for treadwear warranty coverage. Find more information about this by reading "The Good, the Bad and the Impossible Regarding Treadlife Warranties."

Here are some of my top picks for tires that feature a long treadwear warranty, while still maintaining acceptable levels of grip and ride quality:

Michelin Defender

Hankook Optimo H727

Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring

Pirelli P4 Four Seasons

General AltiMAX RT

Dunlop Signature

To see if these tires are available for your car, SUV or crossover, shop by vehicle.

For over a decade, the Toyota Sienna has been a very popular minivan for American families. Toyota's dependability, comfortable ride and ample room has kept these vans on the road for years. Many owners have logged well over 100,000 miles on them and have purchased multiple sets of tires for their vehicle. Like most vans, these vehicles are charged with hauling families, groceries and sports equipment all over town. Families will also use the minivan to travel long distances while going on vacation. The drivers of these vans are typically looking for great all-season traction, long lasting treadlife and a comfortable ride.

One of my favorite tires for this vehicle is the Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring. First of all, this tire has fantastic all-season traction. Also, as the name suggests, it offers exceptionally good ride qualities, including a very smooth, quiet and comfortable ride. They are long lasting with an 80,000-mile treadlife warranty in the T- and H-speed rated versions, and a 70,000-mile treadlife warranty for the V-speed rated model. If this sounds like the tire for you, take advantage of our special offer. When you purchase a set of four Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring tires before May 31, 2013, you can receive an $80 mail-in rebate. View details here.

Another great option for the Sienna is the Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia. Although this tire is marketed as a Crossover/SUV Touring All-Season tire, Toyoto uses popular SUV sizes on their newer Siennas and this is definitely one of the best tires in the size. Like the Goodyear mentioned above, this tire also offers great all-season traction and comes with a 65,000-mile treadlife warranty. The advantage with this tire is that it is Bridgestone's low rolling resistance tire, which means it will provide you with optimum fuel economy.

If you're looking for a good value option, consider the Yokohama AVID Ascend. This Grand Touring All-Season tire features Yokohama's Orange Oil technology and is branded with their BluEarth eco-friendly identification. It's designed to blend long treadwear, low rolling resistance and all-season traction, even in light snow.

Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring

Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia

Yokohama AVID Ascend

Shop by vehicle to see all the tire options available for your Toyota Sienna.

If you ask a random person to name a few tire brands off the top of their head, odds are one of the first to come to their mind is Goodyear. Goodyear tires come as Original Equipment on many makes and models of cars, trucks, SUVs and crossover vehicles. In addition to being one of most well-known brands worldwide, Goodyear makes some of the top tires on the market in various categories.

An oldie but goodie, the Goodyear Eagle GT (V-Speed Rated) is still holding its own against the competition in the High Performance All-Season category. It's currently ranked fourth out of seventeen tires in our Tire Survey Results. During our in-house testing, we liked the tire's reasonable ride quality and good winter weather traction.

The Goodyear Eagle GT has an asymmetric tread pattern so you can rotate them for longer treadlife and help maintain an even treadwear for a quieter ride. To learn more about tire rotation, see my blog post titled "Should I Rotate My Tires?"

Take a look at what some of our customers are saying about the Goodyear Eagle GT (V-Speed Rated):

"These babies are sweet. I've got 20,000 on a set of four and it's like I'm riding on rails still. Treadwear looks normal for my "spirited" driving, probably 50-60% left and looks totally even. For my mom's Hyundai we ordered the Kumhos... On my Mustang I just couldn't do it. Goodyear Eagle GT's go a lot better on Sally."  -- Tire Rack Consumer Review, 2000 Ford Mustang Convertible.

"Good price, a great tire and good wet road and dry road ride." -- Tire Rack Consumer Review, 2004 Honda Accord Sedan EX V6.

"These are my second set of Goodyears. Old set went over 40,000 miles, much better than the Original Equipment which I only got about 12,000 miles out of. I also tried Yokohamas, which were good but extremely noisy and went about 30,000-35,000 miles; so the Goodyears are great and superior to the other two and I recommend them on your small car." -- Tire Rack Consumer Review, 2005 Suzuki Reno LX.

Shop by vehicle to see if the Goodyear Eagle GT is available for your application.

Dedicated winter / snow tires perform better than non-winter tires on snow- and ice-covered roads. The downside is that winter tires aren't designed for year-round use, therefore an additional set of tires is needed.  

In light of this, some light truck and SUV drivers choose to compromise and use one set of tires all 12 months of the year. Many will choose a tire from the Highway All-Season or Crossover/SUV Touring All-Season category because of their quiet ride and long wear. 

However, for drivers who are willing to deal with more road road noise and slightly reduced road handling, On-/Off-Road All-Terrain tires are worth considering for their better snow traction. On-/Off-Road All-Terrain tires (commonly referred to as A/T tires) typically have snow and ice traction that's better than street all-season tires but fall short of the winter performance of a dedicated winter / snow tire. 

Which of the On-/Off-Road All-Terrain tires have the best snow traction? The following are my top three choices:

BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO

General Grabber AT 2

Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor

As you can see, all three tires have a fairly aggressive tread pattern with many small tread blocks and multiple sipes for better snow, ice and off-road traction. Based on our extensive customer survey data, the General Grabber AT 2 has higher ratings for deep snow traction, light snow traction and ice traction, while being a bit louder and slightly stiffer riding than the other two options. However, these differences were separated by very few points, so it's hard to go wrong with any one of these tires. 

Take a look at what some of our customers are saying about their experiences with the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO, General Grabber AT 2 and Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor:

"I bought these to replace my Original Equipment which honestly were horrible in snow. I slid everywhere, even in the rain. Bought these (BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO) and it is like a whole different truck. I love these tires and will buy them for every truck I ever own as long as they stay this good. Have had them on for about 10,000 miles and they still look new, and I am what they call an aggressive driver. I really love these tires. If they made them to fit all my vehicles, I would buy them for all of them. Best tires I have come across for my truck hands down! Buy them, you won't be disappointed." -- Tire Rack Consumer Review, 2008 Ford F150 XLT Super Cab 4wd (BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO)

"These tires are amazing! i just put a new set on my truck because I was so happy with the performance of the last set. I live in rural North Dakota, so they get plenty of time to play in the mud, gravel and snow. My tire size is mountain/snowflake rated and I see why. They go through deep snow. When it starts snowing in town and you see all the other cars unable to get traction, I can keep it in two-wheel drive and go like it's dry pavement. Even blizzards can't slow them down!" -- Tire Rack Consumer Review, 1999 Nissan Frontier XE 4wd (General Grabber AT 2)

"Best tires I have ever bought! Awesome traction in any condition: wet, dry, snow and even ice. Goodyear hit a home run with this design. 5 stars. I can't say enough good about this tire." -- Tire Rack Consumer Review (Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor)

Shop by vehicle today and upgrade your vehicle's snow and ice traction!

Qualified winter / snow tires have the mountain/snowflake marking on their sidewall. In short, it indicates a higher level of winter capabilities, including traction in snow and on ice compared to an all-season tire. The spirit of the marking is intended for dedicated winter solutions, however there are a few models out there that meet or exceed the threshold and sport the severe snow mountain/snowflake symbol.

Listed below are the non-dedicated winter / snow tire options that meet the severe snow service requirements with the mountain/snowflake symbol. Currently, the only options are for SUVs and light trucks. The following tires can be great solutions if you want a higher level of winter element traction without swapping tires back and forth twice a year. Certain sizes of the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO and General Grabber AT 2 do not have the mountain/snowflake symbol and those sizes can be found under the "Specs" tab.

On/Off Road All-Terrain

• BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO (Specs)
• General Grabber AT 2 (Specs)
• Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor
• Kumho Road Venture SAT KL61

On/Off Road Commercial Traction

• Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac

I am a firm believer in the dedicated winter solution, and have been installing winter tires on my personal vehicles for years. There is one exception to that, and that is the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac on our pick-up. It's as close to a winter tire that I have used.

To find the right tire for your vehicle and how you drive, shop by vehicle.

While the new Dodge Journey has been well received, one thing that hasn't been popular is the optional 19" tire size that comes equipped on many of the vehicles. While the Original Equipment options have done well, many Journey owners have been left wanting more. 

In the 225/55R19 size, we recently added the Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max. It's designed to provide year-round, all-season traction in dry, wet and wintry conditions, including light snow, as well as offer reduced rolling resistance to enhance vehicle fuel economy over the tire's lifetime. The tire comes with a 65,000 mile treadlife warranty.

We also know the slightly wider 235/55R19 to fit many of the Original Equipment wheels. 235/55R19 is 0.4" taller (overall) and 0.2" wider at the contact patch, for a mere 1.4% difference in diameter compared to the Original Equipment. 

The 235/55R19 size offers a full complement of all-season tires primarily for crossovers and SUVs that offer long life and a comfortable, quiet ride. Best sellers to consider are the Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia and Yokohama Parada Spec-X.

Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max

Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia

Yokohama Parada Spec-X

Like the Assurance CS Fuel Max, Bridgestone's Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia helps enhance fuel economy by reducing tire rolling resistance. Combining year-round traction, handing and comfort, the tire is also developed for drivers of sport utility vehicles. We tested the Bridgestone and Goodyear options against a third tire and the results can be found by reading "Testing Eco-Focused Crossover/SUV Touring All-Season Tires."

The Yokohama Parada Spec-X features a more aggressive directional tread design aimed at drivers that are willing to sacrifice some durability for enhanced wet traction at higher speeds. This Street/Sport Truck All-Season tire is currently ranked number one in our Tire Survey Results. Customers give the tire high marks in many categories, including dry traction, cornering stability and ride comfort.

To find all tire options that are a match for your Dodge Journey, shop by vehicle.

Most often, one of the biggest concerns when replacing tires is winter weather performance. If you're the owner of a light truck or SUV and need an On-/Off-Road All-Terrain tire that can perform to an exceptional level in winter conditions, then choosing a tire branded with the mountain/snowflake symbol will assure you have the very best winter traction offered.

In 1999, the U.S. Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the Rubber Association of Canada (RAC) agreed on a performance based standard to identify passenger and light truck tires that attain a traction index equal to, or greater than 110 (compared to a reference tire which is rated 100) during the specified American Society for Testing and Materials traction tests on packed snow. The new standard helps ensure that drivers can easily identify tires that provide a higher level of snow traction.

On-/Off-Road All-Terrain tires typically have as much capability off the road as they do on the road. These tires feature multifaceted tread blocks to help deliver traction in any direction on gravel roads and dirt trails, as well as are branded with the mountain/snowflake symbol indicating their ability to provide all-season versatility, including traction in snow.

Currently, three well-received options in this category include the General Grabber AT 2, Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor, and BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO. Certain sizes of these tires display the mountain/snowflake symbol for severe snow service requirements and will be suitable for all-season use.

General Grabber AT 2

Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor

BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO

The General Grabber AT 2 has a chip- and tear-resistant tread compound molded into an aggressive, symmetric tread design featuring five rows of independent tread blocks that blends on-road handling with off-road traction. Its internal structure includes twin steel belts on top of a two-ply polyester cord body to combine strength and durability with a quiet ride.

Wrangler SilentArmor tires feature Goodyear's Durawell rubber compound molded at the base of the tread grooves to increase resistance to stone/rock drilling. The tire's internal structure is designed with an Armor Zone that consists of twin, high-tensile steel belts that are reinforced by a layer of DuPont KEVLAR cord to combine strength with comfort.

BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO tires are designed to deliver go-anywhere traction along with outstanding durability and great wear. The tire is ranked in the top ten of our Tire Survey Results and our customers have great things to say about it, including the owner of a 2003 Ford F150 Super Crew 4wd who says "This is my fourth set of BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO tires. These tires are rugged. Despite the rugged tread design, they are quiet on the highway. They will get you anywhere you want to go: sand, mud, light snow, deep snow...bring it on!"

NOTE: While most General Grabber AT 2, Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor and BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO tires meet the industry's severe snow service requirements (and are branded with the mountain/snowflake symbol), selected tires do not. Specific tires/sizes not meeting the industry's severe snow service requirements are identified with a "Not Rated For Severe Snow" notation under the Sizes & Pricing, as well as the Specs tab.

To find the tire that's right for your on-road and off-road travels including snow-covered roads, view all On-/Off-Road All-Terrain tires.