Goodyear Assurance Comfortreads dreadful in winter

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^ Title says it all.
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Another Neon followed me home and these tires are on there... 2010 vintage, 7-8/32 remaining. Sleet, slush, ice, snow, it's a mixed bag here and they're sliding towards the ditch just from the road crown.

A PSA, skip these if you're north of the Mason-Dixon if you'll be on 'em come winter.

NB, there are various varieties of the Comfortread name, so let my experience sabotage half their lineup if they want to spread this tire's reputation like they do.
 
tires only tell 1/2 of the story on winter driving conditions; the other half has to do with whether your shocks/struts can keep them (tires) on the road.

Missing one of these 2, you'll be in the ditch sooner.

Q.
 
I concur these tires are awful in the snow, ok in rain, fine in dry weather but what isn't. They are quiet and smooth but handling is not so great. Belts break prematurely and I am told it is because they were designed to be quiet and no steel belts but nylon for quiet ride. I did not think they were that quiet but I would not buy them again. Just bought some GY Integrity's that are now discontinued and can be found at closeout prices. Seem to perform much better but only have 5,000 miles so far and limited light snow driving. Stick better in the rain.
 
I've had them on two different vehicles (a Park Avenue and a Town & Country), and they've done everything that I've expected them to do.

I liked the set on the Park Ave, so I put a set on the T&C. I'll probably put another set on the new T&C when the time comes.

And yes, I get snow, ice, sleet... everything. Just south of Chicago.
 
There was the "Assurance ComforTred" and now the "Assurance Comfortred Touring". Also, a new model called just "Assurance". The ACT is rated excellent in snow by Consumers Reports. In fact it is the highest rated tire for snow performance in its catagory. Tire Rack reviews also also indicate good winter results. If you have the original non Touring version, it is probably old enough that the rubber is getting harder and cold performance is dropping.

To the guy who bought the GY Integrity, good luck with that. It has to be one of the most universally hated tires in modern history!
 
Ummmm my family members and my experience begs to differ. We had/have 3 sets of GY ACT in our family, including my car. I never once felt not confident in inclement weather, I have driven on icy hwys, deep snow, light snow and slush. These tires have kept plugging through when 4wd trucks were spinning off roads. They lack a bit of wet traction but snow is phenomenal for an all season tire.
 
Originally Posted By: spk2000
I concur these tires are awful in the snow, ok in rain, fine in dry weather but what isn't. They are quiet and smooth but handling is not so great. Belts break prematurely and I am told it is because they were designed to be quiet and no steel belts but nylon for quiet ride. I did not think they were that quiet but I would not buy them again. Just bought some GY Integrity's that are now discontinued and can be found at closeout prices. Seem to perform much better but only have 5,000 miles so far and limited light snow driving. Stick better in the rain.


Hmmmmm! I had just the opposite experience with these two tires you mentioned.

Of course, the vehicle we had these two tires on is an AWD but, the Integrity's came as OE and sucked in foul weather conditions. Then I changed to the 1st gen-G/Y ACT(non touring) and it was night & day way better in all weather conditions.

The G/Y ACT's were equally as smooth, quiet & good riding as the Integ's but added, better hiwy stability, cornering(marginal) and overall comfort and confidence. A very heavy tire.

I now have General AltiMAX RT43's and we'll see how they do this winter. I am reviewing them now!
 
Got a set on the wifes Mountaineer. She got caught in a lake effect snow storm driving home from Toledo 180 miles. By the time she got home there was several inches of heavy wet snow on her car, and she never stopped from the time she left Toledo. She feels comfortable in them, and that's saying something coming from someone who is easily intimidated in bad weather driving.
 
PS they have a treadwear rating of 700. So at least they'll be around forever to really, really, hate.

They seem to have a thin film of frosty ice on them. I recall reading about rubber compounds having an affinity for water vs being scared of them, but forget which is better for winter.
 
Are the tires or the car 4 years old? Brakes, suspension, and drivers competence all play a big part in winter weather driving. A co worker owns a 4 wheel drive Tundra and runs studded snow tires in the winter. Last year during a bad snow storm he still managed to put it in the ditch. Being I own one of the heaviest trucks in the company and we all are on the road at the same time in the morning, I tend to be the first one people call in these situations. My commute to work is about 25 miles and I made the entire trip in 2 wheel drive no problem and only needed 4 dig to pull him out. The best tires in the world won't save your arse if you don't have the experience and common sense to go with them. It's kind of difficult to judge a tires abilities simply by watching one vehicle in one situation.
 
The tires are 4 years old, and managed to wear off 2 or 3/32 in that much time. I have an identical neon (well it might not have a rear sway bar) on General Altimax Arctics which are night and day better. I also had some hankook 727 all-seasons on a buick century that were pretty pretty good.

Driver skill doesn't have much to do as I never broke 15 MPH just putzing around my neighborhood-- a place I've driven since 2002, usually in FWD crackerboxes, and usually on snow tires.

Lest we all think I'm bashing Goodyear, I also had some rock-hard "Sonar" tires that were miserable.
 
I had them on my Corolla way back when they first came out; I thought they are decent in snow until, like you, they got down into the 7/32 range. Beyond that? Bricks. Couldn't get anywhere. They even had the aftermarket siping from Discount Tire. I ditched them at 5/32s for BFG Precept Tourings that next winter and it was night and day better.
 
"The tires are 4 years old, and managed to wear off 2 or 3/32 in that much time. I have an identical neon (well it might not have a rear sway bar) on General Altimax Arctics which are night and day better"

So maybe your point really is that winter tires like the Altimax Arctics are superior to all season tires.
 
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I suppose my point is if hankook can make their 727 value tire good in the snow, that sets the bar for all season snow performance.

These round black lemons don't meet that bar.

Onward and upward. Oh, and here's a cute video of rubber liking water:
 
I have the Goodyear ACT Touring on my Lexus ES, and they perform great in the snow, have absolutely zero issues. I've driven them in over a foot of unplowed snow, and I had no problems. I have about 33k miles on the tires, and there is nearly no noticeable wear. The car is perfectly aligned, and I've been rotating them every 7,500 miles.
 
I have the touring version and at least everything but snow (haven't tried them in the snow yet) they seems to do well on my van.
 
I had the Goodyear Assurance Comfrotread Touring tires on my Subaru through two Central NY winters and they were excellent in the snow. I even made it up I-81(VA to Syracuse, NY) through the worst of "Winter Storm Nemo" with them and didn't have any issues.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
The tires are 4 years old, and managed to wear off 2 or 3/32 in that much time. I have an identical neon (well it might not have a rear sway bar) on General Altimax Arctics which are night and day better. I also had some hankook 727 all-seasons on a buick century that were pretty pretty good.

Driver skill doesn't have much to do as I never broke 15 MPH just putzing around my neighborhood-- a place I've driven since 2002, usually in FWD crackerboxes, and usually on snow tires.

Lest we all think I'm bashing Goodyear, I also had some rock-hard "Sonar" tires that were miserable.


Well, it's obvious that your particular car doesn't work well in the winter with those particular G/Y ACTs. No car works the exact same with all tires. This is where customer tire reviews come in handy when I am looking for tires on a certain vehicle.

I have seen tires test & review well overall but, I have also seen them do poorly on a certain vehicle or type of vehicle(van, suv, sedan) and this is what I look for in tire reviews.

When I read tire reviews on a model that I am considering, I search for the most reviews on like/similar vehicle in the like/similar climate. We'll never know peoples exact driving style unless they specify, aggressive or normal(it's difficult to define).

I already know that all tires are black & round and work OK on a great day in good weather. It's how the tire performs under emergency situations, foul weather and just overall nice ability of everydayness(good feel/confidence).
 
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