Quiet Ride at a Great Price!
Written: Sep 09 '06 (Updated Sep 22 '07)
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Pros: Highly rated, quiet, and comforting.
Cons: These have a stiffer side-wall, so they handle more like a truck tire.
The Bottom Line: These are great all-around tires. I recommend them with no hesitation.
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| tombeaman's Full Review: Goodyear Assurance TripleTred Tire |
Our 2002 Honda Odyssey needed new tires, so after checking with Consumer Reports and various sites on the internet, I went to America's Tire Company and bought the Triple Treds. We've had them for over 2000 miles now, and are very pleased.
The tread design is very aggressive, and it creates quite a profile up close. The tires are designed to be mounted with a particular rotation direction, so when they are rotated every 5,000 miles, you have to pay attention that it is done right. This is a service that America's Tire includes in the price. We paid for the mounting, balancing, and stems, for a package price of $540, and there was a $50 rebate offered by Goodyear on top of that. We did not buy the free replacement policy, which was offered at about $60 more; it would add to the warranty and replace the tires if there was an unrepairable puncture. After turning down the offer, the salesman pushed a bit, but I held firm, and am glad I did: he didn't mention that the policy expires after three years!!
On the road, these tires are a bit more firm than the original Michelin Symmetry tires. Despite this, they ride well and are quiet; the Michelins had grown very loud over time, making me think this was a designed effort to let the owner know the tire was wearing out.
With the Goodyears, cornering is quick and firm; these are all-season tires, not racing tires. They have extraordinarily deep treads, which are designed to funnel water away and resist hydroplaning. From the experiences we have had so far, on dry, wet, gravel, and hail-covered surfaces, these are great tires.
Our biggest trip so far was about 600 miles with an overloaded van. No problems in the slightest. I felt extremely confident at speeds over 80 MPH (and I had to catch myself before the police did!). Smooth and quiet on the freeway.
On the curvy mountain roads, they are very predictable. Stiff, as I mentioned, but not at all uncomfortable. An Odyssey is not a sports car, but for a van it does handle well. I have not noticed any loss of traction at any time, and I feel almost as comfortable taking corners as I did with the old tires.
We also took a 60 mile trip on an unpaved gravel Forest Service road. The traction was magnificent. Very steep grades (14%) with washboards, potholes, rain, and hail and I had no concerns about the tires. My teeth, yes, but not the tires.
UPDATE: As of September 2007, I have had these tires for over 15,000 miles, and they have been absolutely flawless. No flats, no problems at all. I like them so much I bought them for another car--our used '91 Chrysler LeBaron. For that car, they are much more tire than the car deserves, but again they have proven to be stable, quiet, and trustworthy. I am actually hoping to get our third car outfitted in the TripleTred before they change the design.
I'm still confident that these are the best all-season tires I have ever owned.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 490
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Epinions.com ID:
tombeaman
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Member: Tom Beaman
Location: Gresham, Oregon USA
Reviews written: 37
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
I'm a high school teacher who is a very careful consumer.
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