Goodyear Feedback (rant about Eagle GT/HR's)

[Brian P]

Okay,

 

I just changed all 4 of my tires today in favor of BFG Traction T/A V's. They're a great tire from what I've experienced and after installing them, they balance easy.

 

My last set of tires were Goodyear Eagle GT/HR's in size 235/55/16. I bought these in April 2006, the manufacture date on the tires was January 2006. I have driven about 50k since then (it might have been a little more) and the tires were done for. They have 3-4/32 of tread remaining. That was not what prompted me to change them.

 

The tread was dryrotting heavily, and to make things worse, the rubber started cracking HEAVILY between the tread blocks. Some cracks were large and deep enough that you could see the steel belts. In fact, some of the belts had shifted (though I didn't feel any significant vibration). I would expect this from tires that *may* have been sitting collecting dust on a shelf somewhere, but these tires were fresh off the lot.

 

My other problem was the balancing difficulty. To get these tires to balance, I needed a lot of weight. In some cases I used up to 3 oz on ONE side. The average was 1.5-2.25 oz per side. In addition, I had to frequently rebalance them, usually every 15k or so. In contrast, today the BFG's took an average of 0.5-0.75 oz per side.

 

Luckily all the tread wore evenly on each tire, I was happy with that. However the left tires wore about 1/32 more than the right side tires. I attribute this to the highway driving and constant use of right hand entrance/exit ramps. This small difference in tread depth DID cause the car to pull left on level roads.

 

Anyone else have opinions on Goodyears? Up until now I had strictly bought General and Goodyear. I had bought Goodyear Eagle HP's back in the beginning of this decade and they were excellent. WTF happened?

[White93z34]

CONSTANT bitch I hear about goodyears is that they always need a good deal of weight to make them ballance

[cutlassdude96]

I have the exact same tires in stock size and didnt have any problems like that but the front did wear kinda quick

[xtremerevolution]

Check this out.

 

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

 

Eagle GT II's are rated the lowest in this class. The Eagle GT and GT II's are rated pretty low in every class as a matter of fact.

[Crazy K]

I had a pair of goodyear eagles on one axle and a pair of BFG tires on the other axle on my first W body, 91 euro. 215/60R16. I've always heard that having mismatched tires front to rear is fine as long as they match across the axle, so, the tires were matched across the axle.

 

but.... the car handled fine with the BFGs on the front and GYs on the rear. Rotate the tires and you had an issue. The car was a total suicide death machine with the GYs on the front and the BFGs on the rear. The car would track like a MOFO and road crowns would kick and try to force the car off the road. I'd have to correct the wheel as much an 90 degrees left or right just the stay straight on the highway. changing lanes = DIE IN HELL.

 

so my question is WTF????

 

 

Remember GoodYear Invicticas? they were the factory tire on many cars 15-25 years ago? My dad had three blowout in about 2 months on his 72 lincoln. one while it was parked!

 

 

[5speedz34]

I like Goodyears alot especially since they are an American company. The cheap Goodyears as we all know generally suck ass pretty good. I have Fortera TripleTreds on my parents Sonoma and I know with like 30k those tires are cracking between the thread.

 

I would consider getting Goodyears again but it would be one of their higher-end tires. I do think they are overrated to an extent and I would have no problem getting different tires.

 

As for the Traction T/A's, I've heard nothing but good things about them on W's. Many members run them, the only thing for me is they are a little to aggressive for a daily driver and I would want something that performs better in snow.

[Brian P]

well I'll find out today how they perform in snow. Given the aggressive tread design, I don't think it'll be an issue.

 

The GTHR's were like a mid-grade for goodyear. These weren't like the bottom of the line T-rated plastic tires they sell at Walmart. I don't know if I would drop over $1k on some of the high priced goodyears, only to have something like this happen in a year or 2. I always try to buy USA made tires regardless, although the Generals on my Camaro are from Germany. Most BFG's are USA made.

 

To be fair, even though the GTII's were overall crappy, the GT+4's were an excellent tire. I had a set (used) a few years ago and the traction and handling (especially the handling) were superb. Many of the early high end w-bodies had these from the factory and I suspect they were the best choice with the FE3 suspension. Nothing I have bought since then even came close, although I do feel a nice improvement in handling with the new BFG's.

 

 

[ManicMechanic]

BFG Touring T/A Pro Series here...No complaints.

[Crazy K]

Yokohoma avids here!

 

Yoko AS430 works great too. I have a set that's been driven 80,000+ miles.

[88red4cyl]

I have a set of Goodyear Viva Tourings on the LTZ, and I absolutely love them... Very low road noise, they wear nice, and they were only about $100 a piece..

 

On my 95, I have a set of cheapy Hankook Mileage Plus GT's... I am thrilled with them as well... They wear a little faster than I'd like (their rating is 100,000 miles, and after about 15,000 they're at about 1/2 to 3/4 tread), but for $50, who can complain...

[Brian P]

I used to sell the Mileage Plus's (don't remember them being GT's) but IIRC they had a 85k mileage rating. Maybe you have a diff't set.

 

How long have you had, and how many miles on the Viva's? My GT/HR's were great for the first 30k.

[88red4cyl]

I used to sell the Mileage Plus's (don't remember them being GT's) but IIRC they had a 85k mileage rating.  Maybe you have a diff't set.

 

How long have you had, and how many miles on the Viva's?  My GT/HR's were great for the first 30k.

 

They're a new addition to the series I guess..

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Hankook&tireModel=Mileage+Plus+GT+H707

 

I've had the Viva Tourings since November 2005... Couldn't tell ya how many miles I've put on them.. Probably 15-20k?

[xtremerevolution]

I used to sell the Mileage Plus's (don't remember them being GT's) but IIRC they had a 85k mileage rating.  Maybe you have a diff't set.

 

How long have you had, and how many miles on the Viva's?  My GT/HR's were great for the first 30k.

 

They're a new addition to the series I guess..

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Hankook&tireModel=Mileage+Plus+GT+H707

 

I've had the Viva Tourings since November 2005...  Couldn't tell ya how many miles I've put on them..  Probably 15-20k?

 

Seems like just your typical stiff compound summer tire, which will harden up to literal plastic in cold weather and have you ice skating around on the streets.

[88red4cyl]

I used to sell the Mileage Plus's (don't remember them being GT's) but IIRC they had a 85k mileage rating.  Maybe you have a diff't set.

 

How long have you had, and how many miles on the Viva's?  My GT/HR's were great for the first 30k.

 

They're a new addition to the series I guess..

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Hankook&tireModel=Mileage+Plus+GT+H707

 

I've had the Viva Tourings since November 2005...  Couldn't tell ya how many miles I've put on them..  Probably 15-20k?

 

Seems like just your typical stiff compound summer tire, which will harden up to literal plastic in cold weather and have you ice skating around on the streets.

 

Actually I haven't had problems with either tire in the snow.. I know how the car acts when there is snow/ice, and I drive within the limits of the car... Been doing it for the last 6 years, and I've never lost control of my car or gone off the road in the snow.. Having grown up with the snow and always having to drive in it helps a lot more than any tire could though..

[Regal_GS_1989]

I've got Eagle LS on my Regal LS and they are decent at the very best. Fine on dry pavement, but kinda crumby in the rain. I run winter tires for the winter so i could give 2 shits how well all seasons do in snow. As far as i'm concerned, they all suck. There is a sale on Traction T/A's right now and i'm very tempted to pick up a set for once the snow clears.

 

Yes, i know how to drive in the snow, and knowing the limits of your vehicle and not exceeding them helps greatly in the winter, but after driving with winter tires, i will never go back to all seasons in the winter. Its no fun seeing a vehicle sliding towards you on a slippery street behind you and not having the traction to accelerate out of the way. As long as your within the limits of your vehicle, everything will be fine, but should you ever need to exceed those limits, thats where things can get real hairy real quick. Its also nice to have tires that are actually pliable once the temperature dips into the -30C range and below, not stiff, flat spotted all seasons.

[Night Fury]

Heh. I stopped on our local business hwy because someone didn't know how to use the turning lane and I looked in my rear-view mirror and to my horror saw a city bus sliding right at me at about a 45* angle... I GTF outta the way!!

[88red4cyl]

Its also nice to have tires that are actually pliable once the temperature dips into the -30C range and below, not stiff, flat spotted all seasons.

 

Never gets that cold here, so I guess we're lucky.. That would also explain why I've never seen get hard like plastic like you guys are talking about..

[Regal_GS_1989]

Its also nice to have tires that are actually pliable once the temperature dips into the -30C range and below, not stiff, flat spotted all seasons.

 

Never gets that cold here, so I guess we're lucky.. That would also explain why I've never seen get hard like plastic like you guys are talking about..

 

I guess thats why i find that they are so poor out here for winter traction. They literally turn into hockey pucks in that weather.

[Brian P]

Yeah those Mileage Plus's are different than what I've seen.  These were the ones I knew about (Hankook MP 845's):

 

 

They had something like 13/32 of rubber on them. 85k warranty.

[19Cutlass94]

Thats why you should buy michelins if you have the money, All of mine took less than .5 oz per wheel and they last forever.

[Night Fury]

What kinda Michelins?

[19Cutlass94]

I have the michelin harmony

[Brian P]

I've seen Michelins dry rot well before their tread had worn down, though. To be fair, most of them were Michelin MXV4's which were OEM for many cars, and a set I bought for my sister's GP.

[Crazy K]

I've seen Michelins dry rot well before their tread had worn down, though. To be fair, most of them were Michelin MXV4's which were OEM for many cars, and a set I bought for my sister's GP.

 

I agree. Every J/Y michelin tire I have seen has had bad dryrot. ';ve bought 3 or 4 sets of tires from the J/Y. I've bought 7 avids there(still looking for the matching #8), some kuhmos, 2 kellys... and something else... and i took choice good or like new tires everytime.

 

for some reason I have several sets of 3 tires I cannot locate a match for. @%*$^!&

 

3 235/55R16 Cooper Cobras

3 225/60r16 Kelly Explorer (thank you brother for busted the fourth!)

3 225/60r16 Yokohoma Avids (actually, my brother rode one flat from my other set and damaged it. #@$^)

 

[Brian P]

hmm... do you want to buy a new Cooper Cobra in 235/55/16? I bought it as a "blem" since Cooper mislabeled it and sent it to Pepboys as a Futura GLS Super Sport. There's nothing wrong with it, it just had the wrong sticker stuck to it.