I've had the fortune (misfortune really...) of having quite a few different tires on my cars. I've also gotten to hear/see results from some friends, and figured my opinion and outcomes from those might be useful to some people looking to buy tires.
My first car came with Goodyear Eagle RS-As on it, my 1996 Grand Prix. They were at about half tread when I got the car...and I wasn't even remotely impressed by them. The noise! Holy [censored] the noise! It sounded like I had bad wheel bearings on all four corners. I have to admit the drive traction was pretty good, I could throw the car around turns and it wouldn't squeak at all. But thats about all that was good on those tires sadly. The wet traction was ok...had to be very careful in very heavy rain as they would slip and slide fairly easy. I maintained them properly, kept pressures on spec, and rotated on time. They didn't last a whole lot longer. They were pretty much done for after they had about 40-45k miles on them. I would NOT buy them.
Next set were BFGoodrich Traction T/As. They were great in the snow, they were quiet, didn't mind water. It was whole new world from the Eagles. It was comfortable to drive again. I should also note the car was aligned right after these were installed. I was very pleased with the traction. And the ability to go through snow was excellent. During one bad storm, I remember driving very slowly home through snow that was deep enough, my bumper was making a path. I made it home just fine. Again rotated on time. I rotated them at 6k miles and to my surprise, the inside was wearing out badly, like I pressures pumped to the max. I did not. I was very religious on checking tire pressures, using multiple gauges to be sure they were on spec (30PSI). I was very disappointed in treadlife. The centers were worn smooth in 12-15k miles. If it was just a track car I might buy them again, if they were super cheap or something, but otherwise, pass.
Next I decided to get alittle bit cheap and just buy two tires to replace the smooth TAs. My grandma just got a set of Bridgestone Insignia SE 200s and kept telling me how quiet they are, and how well they stuck to the road. My grandma being anywhere from average to spirited driver, I felt her opinion would be good to follow. They were great for about 3k miles. Then they wouldn't hold balance. Noisy as [censored]. They'd only hold balance for a short time, then go to [censored]. Wet traction was pathetic too. Bad choice for sure. I lived with them for about 5k miles or so then gave up. Sold them for 50 bucks. Her driving less had the same outcome as me. After 3k miles almost to the dot, they did the same thing. She figured it was time for a new car so just traded hers off for a new Impala. (She had a 97 Olds Cutlass Supreme...that thing was immaculate)
Now I needed 4 tires...and decided to do a little more research before having trouble again. This time my results were finally good. A set of 4 General Altimax RT tires were installed and my car was back to normal. Quiet, great dry traction, great wet traction (even in a pour down rain), no slips or skids. Snow traction was great too. I would say the dry traction was almost as good at the Traction TAs, which were better than the Eagles. These were my go to from then on when friends would ask for new tires on their car. No one came back disappointed. I have a set on my mom's car (If that shows how much I trust them). She is terrible on maintenance, so they have not been rotated like they should. She has 30k miles on them and they're still wearing very well. I drive more than her so mine were done for around 40-50k miles which I was perfectly happy with.
I put a couple Altimax HPs on the car to replace two worn out RTs and more of the same results. Very pleased. I'd say the best snow and dry traction out of the bunch with the same results as the RTs in the rain. Very good tires. They wore faster, which was to be expected. I got about 25k miles on them before I decided to replace all four tires again. They still had more life left for sure, but I wanted four new tires for going into winter.
I heard such good reviews on the Cooper CS4 Touring tire that I couldn't pass it up. Plus after rebate they came in cheaper than the RTs or HPs. This brings us to the present. I currently have a set of 4 of these on my car and I am very pleased. They show almost no wear after 8k miles. Perfectly holding balance. First rotate/balance at 6k miles showed they didn't even need to be rebalanced. They were right on the mark still. I would say these are as good or better than anything I've had in the rain and snow. Dry traction through turns is just a little less the HPs, but still quite good. These are the T rated version, so I would expect an H or higher to maybe feel a little more confident through the turns (less sidewall flex). If someone needs tires for awhile, these or the RTs are my go to. Again no complaints from either through the years.
I also have a set of the Altimax HPs on my 07 Grand Prix. They're doing quite well. I'm expecting to get about 35k miles on them from the way they're wearing, which doesn't disappoint me too much. The car had some loose tie rod ends they killed wear over the course of one rotate that I didn't notice. Had I noticed the excessive wear, I expect I would have had another 10k miles or so of life out of them.
Now if you're on a budget, I've found the Starfire SF-340s to actually be a decent tire. They're responsibly quiet (not as quiet as CS4s or the HPs/RTs). They do not drone. They are decent in the dry and wet. Even snow/slush they do decent. Certainly not as good as a more expensive tire, but they're far from being unsafe. With proper rotates and pressure they do seem to last 30-40k miles which is pretty good in my opinion for as cheap as they are. I've driven several cars with these tires and even just put a set on my girlfriends car as she doesn't plan to have it for more than another year. Seemed wasteful to spent an extra ~150 bucks for tire life we'll never get to use.
Trucks tires. I've worked on a number of farmer/construction trucks and have gotten some opinions from them on preferred tires. I've also had some first hand experience with friends vehicles so I feel these opinions are fairly accurate.
Yokohama Geolander AT/S tires. They can be had for a decent price, especially when caught on sale. I've seen several farmers trucks and some road construction guys come in with these tires. These were also on my dads truck. They do very well in the snow, my dad rarely had to use 4x4 in the snow and ice. Once in 4x4, they're very good and get a good bite. Worked well to help pull people out of ditches. They were quiet even, did well in the mud from fields. Rain and dry traction were both great. The one thing these have a downfall on is if you don't rotate properly, they will wear badly. They will chop badly. 6k mile rotates and they will wear great, stay quiet, and give you 50-60k miles of good service. 12k mile rotates will leave you wishing you'd done it sooner. Noisy, poor wear, half the life. It's strange how quickly after 6k miles they will fall apart. Just rotate on time and no problems.
The Geolander HT/S tires are also good. Alittle quieter with a little less grip. I wouldn't use them in the mud ever, but on the highway, no problems. They're also a little more forgiving on lack of maintenance.
General Grabber AT2. From what I've seen, very close to the BFGoodrich AT tires. Similar wear, noise, and traction, just a bit cheaper. I would run a set on a truck if I had one (again).
I've seen others but these are the ones that stuck out in my mind. Hopefully my opinion can help some people out when looking for some new treads.
Some other notes for how to take my opinion on tires. I've fairly picky when it comes to tires. I don't like tire noise at all. I want a tire that will handle bad weather with ease and leave me feeling confident I can get somewhere even in poor conditions. Overall, I'm pretty picky on maintenance...as in I ran Mobil 1 5w-30 for 3k OCI for awhile just to be sure to clean out any gunk from my car before I even stretched it to 5-6k miles. My 96 Grand Prix's paint is still shiny enough to be used as a mirror too! Hopefully that gives an idea of the kind of person I am, and what it takes for me to give good praise.
My first car came with Goodyear Eagle RS-As on it, my 1996 Grand Prix. They were at about half tread when I got the car...and I wasn't even remotely impressed by them. The noise! Holy [censored] the noise! It sounded like I had bad wheel bearings on all four corners. I have to admit the drive traction was pretty good, I could throw the car around turns and it wouldn't squeak at all. But thats about all that was good on those tires sadly. The wet traction was ok...had to be very careful in very heavy rain as they would slip and slide fairly easy. I maintained them properly, kept pressures on spec, and rotated on time. They didn't last a whole lot longer. They were pretty much done for after they had about 40-45k miles on them. I would NOT buy them.
Next set were BFGoodrich Traction T/As. They were great in the snow, they were quiet, didn't mind water. It was whole new world from the Eagles. It was comfortable to drive again. I should also note the car was aligned right after these were installed. I was very pleased with the traction. And the ability to go through snow was excellent. During one bad storm, I remember driving very slowly home through snow that was deep enough, my bumper was making a path. I made it home just fine. Again rotated on time. I rotated them at 6k miles and to my surprise, the inside was wearing out badly, like I pressures pumped to the max. I did not. I was very religious on checking tire pressures, using multiple gauges to be sure they were on spec (30PSI). I was very disappointed in treadlife. The centers were worn smooth in 12-15k miles. If it was just a track car I might buy them again, if they were super cheap or something, but otherwise, pass.
Next I decided to get alittle bit cheap and just buy two tires to replace the smooth TAs. My grandma just got a set of Bridgestone Insignia SE 200s and kept telling me how quiet they are, and how well they stuck to the road. My grandma being anywhere from average to spirited driver, I felt her opinion would be good to follow. They were great for about 3k miles. Then they wouldn't hold balance. Noisy as [censored]. They'd only hold balance for a short time, then go to [censored]. Wet traction was pathetic too. Bad choice for sure. I lived with them for about 5k miles or so then gave up. Sold them for 50 bucks. Her driving less had the same outcome as me. After 3k miles almost to the dot, they did the same thing. She figured it was time for a new car so just traded hers off for a new Impala. (She had a 97 Olds Cutlass Supreme...that thing was immaculate)
Now I needed 4 tires...and decided to do a little more research before having trouble again. This time my results were finally good. A set of 4 General Altimax RT tires were installed and my car was back to normal. Quiet, great dry traction, great wet traction (even in a pour down rain), no slips or skids. Snow traction was great too. I would say the dry traction was almost as good at the Traction TAs, which were better than the Eagles. These were my go to from then on when friends would ask for new tires on their car. No one came back disappointed. I have a set on my mom's car (If that shows how much I trust them). She is terrible on maintenance, so they have not been rotated like they should. She has 30k miles on them and they're still wearing very well. I drive more than her so mine were done for around 40-50k miles which I was perfectly happy with.
I put a couple Altimax HPs on the car to replace two worn out RTs and more of the same results. Very pleased. I'd say the best snow and dry traction out of the bunch with the same results as the RTs in the rain. Very good tires. They wore faster, which was to be expected. I got about 25k miles on them before I decided to replace all four tires again. They still had more life left for sure, but I wanted four new tires for going into winter.
I heard such good reviews on the Cooper CS4 Touring tire that I couldn't pass it up. Plus after rebate they came in cheaper than the RTs or HPs. This brings us to the present. I currently have a set of 4 of these on my car and I am very pleased. They show almost no wear after 8k miles. Perfectly holding balance. First rotate/balance at 6k miles showed they didn't even need to be rebalanced. They were right on the mark still. I would say these are as good or better than anything I've had in the rain and snow. Dry traction through turns is just a little less the HPs, but still quite good. These are the T rated version, so I would expect an H or higher to maybe feel a little more confident through the turns (less sidewall flex). If someone needs tires for awhile, these or the RTs are my go to. Again no complaints from either through the years.
I also have a set of the Altimax HPs on my 07 Grand Prix. They're doing quite well. I'm expecting to get about 35k miles on them from the way they're wearing, which doesn't disappoint me too much. The car had some loose tie rod ends they killed wear over the course of one rotate that I didn't notice. Had I noticed the excessive wear, I expect I would have had another 10k miles or so of life out of them.
Now if you're on a budget, I've found the Starfire SF-340s to actually be a decent tire. They're responsibly quiet (not as quiet as CS4s or the HPs/RTs). They do not drone. They are decent in the dry and wet. Even snow/slush they do decent. Certainly not as good as a more expensive tire, but they're far from being unsafe. With proper rotates and pressure they do seem to last 30-40k miles which is pretty good in my opinion for as cheap as they are. I've driven several cars with these tires and even just put a set on my girlfriends car as she doesn't plan to have it for more than another year. Seemed wasteful to spent an extra ~150 bucks for tire life we'll never get to use.
Trucks tires. I've worked on a number of farmer/construction trucks and have gotten some opinions from them on preferred tires. I've also had some first hand experience with friends vehicles so I feel these opinions are fairly accurate.
Yokohama Geolander AT/S tires. They can be had for a decent price, especially when caught on sale. I've seen several farmers trucks and some road construction guys come in with these tires. These were also on my dads truck. They do very well in the snow, my dad rarely had to use 4x4 in the snow and ice. Once in 4x4, they're very good and get a good bite. Worked well to help pull people out of ditches. They were quiet even, did well in the mud from fields. Rain and dry traction were both great. The one thing these have a downfall on is if you don't rotate properly, they will wear badly. They will chop badly. 6k mile rotates and they will wear great, stay quiet, and give you 50-60k miles of good service. 12k mile rotates will leave you wishing you'd done it sooner. Noisy, poor wear, half the life. It's strange how quickly after 6k miles they will fall apart. Just rotate on time and no problems.
The Geolander HT/S tires are also good. Alittle quieter with a little less grip. I wouldn't use them in the mud ever, but on the highway, no problems. They're also a little more forgiving on lack of maintenance.
General Grabber AT2. From what I've seen, very close to the BFGoodrich AT tires. Similar wear, noise, and traction, just a bit cheaper. I would run a set on a truck if I had one (again).
I've seen others but these are the ones that stuck out in my mind. Hopefully my opinion can help some people out when looking for some new treads.
Some other notes for how to take my opinion on tires. I've fairly picky when it comes to tires. I don't like tire noise at all. I want a tire that will handle bad weather with ease and leave me feeling confident I can get somewhere even in poor conditions. Overall, I'm pretty picky on maintenance...as in I ran Mobil 1 5w-30 for 3k OCI for awhile just to be sure to clean out any gunk from my car before I even stretched it to 5-6k miles. My 96 Grand Prix's paint is still shiny enough to be used as a mirror too! Hopefully that gives an idea of the kind of person I am, and what it takes for me to give good praise.
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