Vibe, Matrix, Corolla Tires: Help Me Choose

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My 2010 FWD Vibe needs tires. I have narrowed my search down to 2 tires, and I'd like to know about your experiences with them--especially if you have them on a Vibe, Corolla, or Matrix.

I'll be buying from a Goodyear shop that does my rotations and state inspections. I can get a discount as a returning customer, plus a rebate on the Goodyears.

1) Dunlop Signature II. A grand touring all-season that gets decent all-around reviews on Tirerack. 65,000 mile warranty.

2) Goodyear Assurance TripleTred All Season. Really good reviews, especially for traction and treadwear. They get comments and low marks for noise, though. The Vibe does not have what you would call premium sound deadening, so noise could be an issue. They also weigh 4 pounds more than the Dunlops, and I wonder if that would have an effect on gas mileage. On the plus side, the Goodyear rebate puts these within $30 of the Dunlops. 80,000 mile warranty.

Thanks for your comments.
 
I have a Corolla but I haven't run either of those tires.
Of the 2, I would go for the GYs based on reviews/warranty and I believe they are better in bad weather...
 
Both of those tires are good, might not be what I would buy but they are good models.

I'd go with the goodyears if you want maximum all season snow traction.

if you want quieter ride go for the dunlops.
 
I would go with the Dunlops, they are supposed to be a good mix of comfort and traction. The triple treds will have great grip but will groan the entire life of the tire.
 
I've owned both tires. If that is what you are looking at, I would chose the TT simply for the fact that winter traction is very good with them. The SII are just OK.

The TT did have more road noise at hwy speeds, but I wouldnt say they are by any means loud, but they do have more tread noise than some others.

Are you set on buying a GY product? There are some better options from other manufacturers.
 
I'm using a different size, but I'm looking at the Dunlop Signature IIs myself for our Honda CR-V. I think they're a bit of a "sleeper" tire in this segment; you don't hear much about them, but reviews are overwhelmingly positive. In fact, it's #2 of 19 tires in Tire Rack's user surveys for this segment (standard touring).

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ST

It's behind only the very well-reviewed (and brand new) General Altimax RT43. And in fact, the Dunlop's "buy it again" score is by far the best in that group (8.8), with the General (at 7.9) trailing the Michelin Defender (8.1).

The Dunlop appears to be a great value. I just turned 95,000 miles on our CR-V, and my goal is to buy tires at 100,000. The Dunlops are what I plan to buy at this point.
 
We had the Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread on our 2004 Vibe. They were on the car when I bought it and they were on it 3 years later when my step son totalled the car last year.

I don't think the tires were the cause of him putting it into a field one time and running into the back of a car, ultimately totalling it.

The tires were uneventful. Decent all around traction. Never really needed to worry about them.

Originally Posted By: Rhymingmechanic
My 2010 FWD Vibe needs tires. I have narrowed my search down to 2 tires, and I'd like to know about your experiences with them--especially if you have them on a Vibe, Corolla, or Matrix.

I'll be buying from a Goodyear shop that does my rotations and state inspections. I can get a discount as a returning customer, plus a rebate on the Goodyears.

1) Dunlop Signature II. A grand touring all-season that gets decent all-around reviews on Tirerack. 65,000 mile warranty.

2) Goodyear Assurance TripleTred All Season. Really good reviews, especially for traction and treadwear. They get comments and low marks for noise, though. The Vibe does not have what you would call premium sound deadening, so noise could be an issue. They also weigh 4 pounds more than the Dunlops, and I wonder if that would have an effect on gas mileage. On the plus side, the Goodyear rebate puts these within $30 of the Dunlops. 80,000 mile warranty.

Thanks for your comments.
 
Size is 205/55R16.

I'm looking at GY/Dunlop because the GY place is convenient to my house, and the rotation & balance is good nationwide. I might move during the life of the tires, so that matters. They wil also give me $10 or $15 off per tire, and a rebate brings the TT down another $60.

Johnny, without opening the floodgates, what do you recommend? I could ask if the balance package would apply to other brands. There's no Discount Tire around here,or I'd be shopping there.

Thanks for the helpful info so far.
 
How about the GY Assurance ComforTred Touring? $80 rebate, good overall reviews, very good in the snow according to Consumer Reports. The Tire Rack reviews are based on a lot on actual miles of use, so the honeymoon effect is not so much in play (RT43 and Defender come to mind as tires that had high scores initially but are dropping as time goes on.) Might actually be less expensive than the Dunlop after rebate.
 
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Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
H rated?
Look at the Kelly Charger GT...



Matt, what is your experience with the Kelly Charger GT? A lot of reviews say it's not very good in wet and snow and gets really noisy as it wears.
 
Don't own it, but if your at a Goodyear shop, they may sell Kelly's too...

To me, a tire is a tire.
I go first by price divided by treadwear, then by M/S rating, UTQG (treadwear rating), speed rating, traction, and temperature.
Secondary is directional or not...

I buy M/S rated all season with "A" traction, "A" temp, with a good treadwear number, with the right speed rating, that's the cheapest price/treadwear...
 
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I had Defenders on my 09 vibe before I got rid of it. Good tires. Have Defenders on another vehicle now, not quite a year yet, no probs. However, I most recently got Cooper CS5 Grand Touring...QUIET!!! Impressive. 80k rated. So far excellent in dry sunny weather. Did awesome in the one rainstorm I drove through too. Will definitely look at the Coopers for upcoming tire purchases. STill waiting on my rebate...
 
Having owned a lot of GY products, and managing a company owned GY store, my recommendation would be GY ACT instead of Tripletred. Comfortreds provide nearly the same traction in inclement weather as Tripletreds without the noise penalty. I drove my GY ACT in rain, snow, sun and blizzard and they never ever let me down. Or the new Assurance All Season if you like Dunlop price point better. They outperform Sig II in every category and with the current rebate are the same if not cheaper price than the Dunlop tire.
 
Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
Don't own it, but if your at a Goodyear shop, they may sell Kelly's too...

To me, a tire is a tire.
I go first by price divided by treadwear, then by M/S rating, UTQG (treadwear rating), speed rating, traction, and temperature.
Secondary is directional or not...

I buy M/S rated all season with "A" traction, "A" temp, with a good treadwear number, with the right speed rating, that's the cheapest price/treadwear...


So if an unheard of manufacturer presented you a tire with all the right numbers (some of which are self generated) that would be the one you would go with?
 
Do your free rotations include remounting for directional tires? If not, then stay away from directional tires like the Tripletred. So my choice out of those two would be the Signature II.

I have the Dunlop SP Sport Signtaure on my Camry and they are awesome. 60k warranty on H/V-rated versions.

The Comfortred thatothers have mentioned are also worth looking at.

If gas mileage is important, check out the Fuel Max.
 
Most if not all BF Goodrich tires sold at the "buyer'clubs" are Michelin products with cosmetic changes. I was never a Michelin fan, thinking them overpriced, but at Sam's Club or BJ's Wholesale they are not a bad deal.
 
I've been through two sets of Goodyear Eagles on my matrix.

Did not like either set.

Actually ended up buying two tires when I had an emergency on a Sunday, and ended up with a NTB house brand tire that has higher tread rating, higher speed rating, and better traction ratings.

They were cheap also.
 
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