Whenever you are looking for a new set of tires, a few names probably come to mind right away. One of those has to be, of course, Goodyear tires. They are so ingrained in our culture, our racing, and on the roads that they just have to. In the event you don’t know much about them or just want more information, today’s review will look at what you need to know about them!
Goodyear Tire Company Background & Information
Goodyear has been around a really, really long time. So long, in fact, that they can trace their roots back as far as 100 years. Actually, nearly 200 years as Charles Goodyear first discovered the ‘vulcanization’ process in 1839. The company did not form properly until 1898, beginning with a humble loan that has since turned into a conglomerate of epic proportions.
In 1907, they had a breakthrough of sorts as Henry Ford bought 1,200 sets of Goodyear tires to equip to his Model T car. That led them to becoming the world’s #1 tire company in less than a decade, expanding its operations across the Canadian border in that time as well. They then got involved in the blimp business, of which they are still famous for today.
If you are a racing fan, you won’t be surprised to see they are a big part of it. They began their work in racing in 1956, and today they remain a big player in NASCAR and NHRA as well as some other organizations as well. They even won the Indy 500 in 1987, supplying the winning car of Al Unser, Sr. In 1999, nearly a century after first becoming the biggest tire company in the world, they once again ascended that throne through the $1 billion dollar alliance forged with Japanese company Sumitomo Rubber. From there, they continue to grow and remain a major force all over the world, easily being one of the first names that come to mind when you discuss tires.
Goodyear Tire Cost and Pricing
As you can probably guess from the fact that Goodyear is so widely known throughout the country and world that the price of them is going to naturally be a bit higher than with other tires out there. The level of commitment that they have shown to developing tires for all sorts of uses and then transferring that to you on the road also means that the price does goes up.
If you are on a budget, you most likely can find tires that will be a better fit for you in that regard. However, you do get what you pay for, as your grandparents or parents might tell you. You are getting a lot in this ‘package’ from Goodyear. They offer a ton of warranties, and they have pushed the limits of technology down the years, and they have been proven to be superb at both performance and durability. It’s hard to tell you to not seriously consider them, even if you do pay a bit more than what you would have normally paid or wanted to pay.
Goodyear Tire Warranty
One of the biggest things that differentiates Goodyear from the rest of the ‘pack,’ so to speak is the fact that they have a tried and true genuine warranty program that outdoes virtually every single one of their competitors. Goodyear offers an absolutely extensive warranty program, helping to serve your needs and improve the consumer’s confidence greatly. It begins, in our opinion, with the ‘Goodyear Pledge.’ For up to 30 days, they will stand by any set of tires, allowing you to basically go on a trial run with them to figure out if you want to keep them or not.
If you do decide for whatever reason that you don’t want to keep them within that time frame, then you can return them along with your original receipt. Not all of their tires are covered by this, but the vast majority are. On top of that, they’ve also got other warranty proposals to help you get by. Most of them will cover you in the event of defects for up to 24,000 miles or a period of two years.
Of course, you do have to make sure you are operating them properly, so if you have been running on a flat tire for months, you’re out of luck. There all kinds of warranty programs that they offer on top of these, so if you are interested in those, you can ask the dealer or search for them online.
Tire Options
One of big calling cards with Goodyear tires is that they are able to bring you a ton of different types of tires to the table. If you are just looking for good, cozy, and safe ride, then their assurance line of tires is going to provide that. If you are looking to get a bit more performance, then there are Eagles and the like that are there to meet your needs.
There are all-season tires and ones made with harsh winters in mind as well, such is the vast array of options available to you. As such a big company, they also are able to offer you a ton of sizes as well, making sure that you get a fit for virtually every car or light truck that is on the road, and even some trailers you could be pulling, too!
Goodyear Tire Technologies and Features
One of the main things that comes along with being involved in racing is that they are able to find things that work in the most extreme of conditions. Whenever this is the case, it means that it translates very well to the ‘normal’ road. When you hit the road and you find your car slipping where perhaps it shouldn’t, your mind might wander to whether or not a Goodyear tire would be able to grip better.
The answer is probably a yes because they have been forged in fire, if you will, via that long racing tradition. One of their latest technology advancements came in the form of the Air Maintenance technology. This figured out a way for the tire to maintain its air much better than they could previously, cutting down on the chances of them driving less optimally- and providing you with less gas mileage as well.
In 2005, a big one that still plays a massive role is the Duraseal commercial tire technology that repairs punctures when they occur, meaning you don’t have to pull off to the side of the road and sit there for ages while waiting- or fixing it yourself by switching out the spare with the normal tire. Others like their TripleTred and ComfortTred have created new, positive advancements, helping them stay on top of the food chain.
Goodyear Tire Durability
One of the things that comes along with Goodyear is impressive durability. These tires last much, much longer than many tires out there. There are a few reasons for this. Being around as long as they have certainly helps this, as does their level of technology development that they do.
By being so open to pushing that envelope, they are able to make sure that their tires last longer than others that are found on the market. Plus, with the Duraseal technology, as discussed beforehand, it really helps to extract as much life as possible from your set of tires. Yes, you may indeed have to pay more for Goodyear, but you do make up for it in other ways.
Summary & Final Recommendations
Goodyear has been, is, and will be one of the leading forces in tires for many years to come due to its reliability and consistency at which they deliver tires to you. They bring you tires that will last you a long time, all the while being safe and performing at an above average level at the same time. While not being the most affordable tires out there, the fact that they put so much money in to racing, R&D, and serving their customers through warranties certainly makes up for it. If you have the extra money to spend, it’s really worth your time to give them a consideration, as they really are that good!
Goodyear Tire Models
Goodyear Assurance Tires
- Assurance All-Season
- Assurance Comfortred
- Assurance ComforTred Touring
- Assurance CS Fuel Max
- Assurance Fuel Max
- Assurance MaxLife
- Assurance WeatherReady
Goodyear All-Season Tires
* some of the above are also in this section *
- Eagle Exhilarate
- Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season
- Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season SoundComfort Technology
- Eagle F1 Asymmetric SUV AT
- Eagle GT II
- Eagle LS
- Eagle LS-2
- Eagle LS-2 ROF
- Eagle RS-A
- Eagle RS-A EMT
- Eagle RS-A2
- Eagle Sport All-Season
- Eagle Sport All-Season ROF
- Eagle Sport All-Season SoundComfort Technology
- Eagle Touring
- Eagle Touring SoundComfort Technology
- Fierce Attitude M/T
- Fortera HL
- Fortera SL
- Integrity
Goodyear Wrangler Tires
- Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure With Kevlar
- Wrangler AT
- Wrangler AT/S
- Wrangler DuraTrac
- Wrangler Fortitude HT
- Wrangler Fortitude HT (Light Trucks)
- Wrangler Fortitude HT C-Type
- Wrangler HP
- Wrangler HT
- Wrangler MT/R With Kevlar
- Wrangler Radial
- Wrangler SilentArmor
- Wrangler SR-A
- Wrangler ST
- Wrangler TrailRunner AT
- Wrangler TrailRunner AT (Light Trucks)
Goodyear Trailer Tires
- Endurance Trailer Tire