Goodrich Tire Review

Brian, Thank you for the info. I saved this as a txt file for future use.

Friend of mine also give a thumbs up on the BFG's... his wore out unevenly and prematurely tho.... possibly something with his rear suspension tho (1998 Jetta GT)

Its not very surprising, as Nokian together with Gislaved are among the best winter tyres the money can buy. And WR's are the "mild" version for people which actually do not see the proper winter, Hakkapeliitta RSi (also studless) offers much more grip.

I agree the WR's are very good tires. One problem though, we left them on our '96 Jetta through the summer months (they are supposed to be "All Season", but wore through them in no time. Personally, the next time I would just buy Hakkapeliittas and just run them in the winter. The WR's lasted about 22,700 miles, with rotations.

Well, there is no such thing as "all season" tires, except you live somewhere where you have just one season :) Otherwise those tires are just a "spring-fall" tires, too slippery in winter and too soft/squeaky in summer. As a matter of principle, proper winter tire should be made from the soft rubber compound with a very fine treading. The summer heat will cause such a tire to wear prematurely.

I've had several sets of Michelins over the years. XZX 70s, MXL, MXV4 Energy, there must have been others. And they all created exactly the same impression on me -- they would be great tires for someone living in the Southwest US, where it stays warm and dry all the time. They wear well, and have good dry traction. Without exception, though, they are rough-riding, poor in rain, and just plain horrible in snow. They are just not good tires if you live in the northern US or Canada. Michelin just doesn't get what it takes to live in a cold, wet or snowy environment.

I have read that people are disappointed in the Traction T/A's lifespan. Only time will tell. So far, though, they are just head-and-shoulders superior to the Michelins they replaced.

Well, I'll disagree. I live in southern Ontario, and I don't believe there is such a thing as "all season" tires for this environment. On my last 4 VWs I have specified Michelin MXV4s. They stay on the car from late March until the end of October.

I had Michelin Arctic Alpins on my Jettas, and got Michelin X-Ice last fall for the Passat I got a few months before. Both have been superb in snow and ice. The Passat has ESP, which is a big plus in the winter. Anyway, I'd say Michelin gets cold and snow. It's just not MXV4s.

I'm in Wisconsin, so we have the same climate, Al. My Michelin experience is limited to four or five sets. Michelin probably does make some good-in-the-winter all-season tires, I've never run into them. And, I agree, there really isn't a true all-seasons tire for this climate -- but, there are some that come a lot closer than others. The Michelins I've had would not make it into that "closer" group. I prefer all-season tires that bias towards the "winter" end of the scale, not the "summer" end of the scale. I'll gladly give up 0.5 G of dry, warm-weather cornering for better winter starting and braking, so my criteria probably differ from most people's.

Having said that, it's my opinion that the Traction T/As are a better compromise than anything Michelin has out there. For what it's worth, others that have left a good impression on me were Pirelli P300s and Goodyear Arrivas. Other bad ones were Pirelli P77s.

I think pretty much hits the nail on the head for the MXV4+. I've been considering a replacement myself, for an '03 Passat. Any opinions on the P Zero Nero?

-- Mike Smith

Did fuel economy change between the OEM Michelin Energy MXV4+ (low rolling resistance) tires and the BF Goodrich Traction T/A tires?

Funny you should mention that -- yes, my gas mileage did decrease about the time I changed the tires. But, about the same time, my check-engine light came on, and it indicated the coolant-temperature sensor was bad, so for some time, I've presumed that the mileage decrease was due to that. Recently, I finally replaced the coolant-temperature sensor, and the engine performance noticeably improved -- so I'm hoping my mileage comes back. If it doesn't, there would be nothing else to blame but the tires -- and I will report back again to let you know.

The drop I noticed was from 28 mpg average to 24-25 mpg. Pretty big drop, so I sure as hell hope it was the sensor and not the tires. If it was the tires, well, I guess I'll have to take back some of the things I said about Michelin tires, won't I? ;-)