BF Goodrich Traction T/A H rated True High Performance All Season Radials
Written: Jan 24 '06 (Updated Jul 27 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very predictable and stable traction. Great feedback and cornering. Solid year round performance.
Cons: Somewhat bland looks for a performance tire.
The Bottom Line: Traction T/A’s are the best buy for the money for a full size car or minivan for all season driving.
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| christian921's Full Review: BFGoodrich Traction T/A H Tire |
Over the years I have learned a lot about what makes tires work well with cars. We have bought tires for our cars that were recommended by friends only to find out later that those tires did not fit our cars well. Several hundred dollars and some apologizes later I went on a quest to learn more about what makes a tire work. Armed with that knowledge and in need to get new rubber for our 2000 Honda Accord I went to task. I found the Traction T/A’s from BF Goodrich to be the answer for my family.
Understanding Tires
Without getting too far of the path here I wanted to briefly explain why I picked the Traction T/A H as understanding this may help you pick the right tire for your family. A lot more effort should be put into picking a tire than just price and praise. Knowing how a tire fits your given situation will assure your next tire purchase is a good one.
When a manufacturer produces a car they pick a tire that will not only compliment the car’s ability but it will also help the car work properly. This may sound a little odd at first but let me delve in a little more with my given situation. The Accord is a rather large and heavy car compared with our other car which is a Saturn. The factory tires on the Honda were H rated (Tire Track#1) but instead of buying another set of H rated tires we went with cheap tires that were S rated. S rated tires are only rated for 112mph compared to the H rated tires at 130mph. No big deal, the Accord is a family car and the Autobahn is in Germany. The truth is we should have stayed with an H rated tire because the tire is designed to work for a car that size. An S rated tire gave us a spongy feeling through the steering wheel and extended our stopping distance to a near dangerous level. The S rated tire had thinner and softer sidewalls that allowed the tire to squat under cornering and braking causing poor handling and an extremely soft brake pedal. Was it the tires fault? No. I simply picked the wrong tire rating for the size of car we have.
On the other side I picked a higher than needed rating for the Saturn thinking I could talk the economy car into the performance envelope by sporting some higher end tires. I ended up with a harsh ride due to the stiffer sidewalls of these performance rated tires.
You see, when a car company picks a tire they plan their entire suspension around that tire to give you the best possible ride and the safest braking conditions. The springs and shocks are all governed to match that given tire’s characteristics. Changing your tires could possibly lead to a drastic change in the feel of your car and potentially affect the safety of the car.
Am I advocating you sticking with your OEM (Tire Track#2) tires? No, not at all. There are plenty of valid reasons to change from OEM tires. I would strongly suggest that you stay with the same rated tire as your OEM though to avoid the same pitfalls I and many others have gone through. You can read review after review from people who bought tires and review them badly. Then you will come across one review that seems totally out of place when compared to the rest with nothing but positive things to say about the same exact tire everyone else is telling you to avoid. It has more to do with their car to tire match than their driving habits!
The Basics about the Traction T/A H rated
BF Goodrich is long established tire company with a loyal following on and off the race track. BF has made big inroads in the off road racing community as well as the autocross circuit. BF took the knowledge they learned from both venues to produce radials for regular folks like you and me.
One big advance in BF’s design was to use what they call Equal Tension Containment (ETEC) system. With the ETEC system they take the steel used to make the belts that make a radial (Tire Track #3). They take the steel and wrap it with nylon in a spiral pattern. This gives the Traction T/A a solid and stable footprint from the start to high speeds by stiffing the tire’s traction surface. The Traction T/A has a large point of contact throughout acceleration where most tire’s contact patches shrink due to centrifugal force. Along with this BF makes the Traction T/A with G-Wedge sidewall stabilizers that increase the sidewall’s strength giving better steering response and increases the tire’s handling capabilities.
BF Goodrich makes the Traction T/A with a large blocks of tread pleated with water channels. The large block tread gives the tire a stable and tacky surface. This style of tread also maximizes the amount of rubber actually touching the road and helps to give your car a sure stance when corning. The water channels pump water from the tire’s footprint to minimize hydroplaning. The Traction T/A’s also sport a treaded sidewall where it blends into the actual tread face of the tire. This helps with turns in snow by getting a bite into soft surface.
Sizes available for the Traction T/A
The BF Goodrich Traction T/A comes in H, V and T speed ratings. The H rated Traction T/A is available for tires that are 14 to 17 inches with sidewall heights starting at 45 to 70mm.
Personal Impressions
I have been very happy with the Traction T/A’s. The single biggest reason I have been so happy with them is because they fit my car and my needs. I can not stress that fact enough. These tires will feel better on larger cars and minivans then they would on smaller cars. The stiff sidewalls provide my Accord spirited handling and rock solid stopping power which both have been lacking with past tire purchases. The tread pattern gives my car a connected feeling whether I am stopping, cornering or pushing it down the interstate.
The Traction T/A has given me great traction in all conditions too. I drive mostly on highways and interstates but there are many gravel roads around where I live and the Traction T/A’s grab the loose stuff with just as much vigor as the paved surfaces. The T/A’s stiffness does not do well in these conditions as the tires does not give enough to form to the uneven surfaces but reduced speeds and more thoughtful driving cures the slight skating feeling you will get in your seat. In rain the Traction T/A’s do as well as any tire I have driven including the Goodyears that are designed specifically for those conditions. In the snow the T/A’s hold their own very well with the Accord. If the snow is deeper than the sidewall you start to feel a loss of traction under acceleration but cornering is very good in the white stuff compared to most tires.
I really like the tire’s aggressive tread pattern. It is both practical and attractive. The sidewall of the tire is not that appealing to the eye, however. The Traction T/A is void of all needless design enhancements with flat, smooth and black sidewalls. The bland looks are forgiven to tire’s exceptional all-season performance.
The Traction T/A H rated tire is slightly noisier than other tires in this market. The tire produces a slight hum that can be exaggerated by grooved concrete. The noise is far from overwhelming but it is notable. I have been told that the noise can increase over time but I have not noticed any discernable difference in the 15,000 miles of my ownership. There is little noticable tire wear on the Traction T/A's and the little that there has been is even. The tires maximum pressure is 45psi and I have been running them at 38psi all year round.
My verdict is in. I give the Traction T/A H rated tire very high marks. It is defiantly the best tire we have ever put on the Accord. BF Goodrich backs them with an outstanding 60,000 mile warranty too! These tires have not let me down in the wildly variable environments of Nebraska. If you have a large car or minivan and you are in the market for tires I would give the Traction T/A’s a very close look!
Tire Tracks
1~ A tire is rated for capable speeds. There are different speeds represented by a letter. They are not in alpha-numeric order so do not be fooled by that. A higher speed rated tire has more built into the tire to keep the tire intact at the rated speed. This usually means stiffer sidewalls.
2~ OEM is an industry term for Original Equipment of Manufacturer. An OEM part simply means that this is the part that originally came with the car. In this case an OEM tire is the exact same tire manufacturer and model.
3~ A radial tire is one that uses steel belts in the tire. Nearly every tire on the road today is a radial.
Warranty: 60,000 mile manufacture’s limited warranty (pro-rated)
Price Range: $70-$85 per tire
A final note: If you are unsure what tire rating your car should have check with either the dealer or a tire shop that you trust. They can provide you the best possible information.
Happy Driving,
© Christian Stanley 2005
Tires size used in review: 205/65 15 inches on a 2000 Honda Accord LX V6.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 62
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christian921
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Member: Christian Stanley
Location: A country mile north of Omaha, NE USA
Reviews written: 117
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