“a consumer reports for the cheap” — the new york times
In this review:
  1. Cheap Tires
  2. Tire Tread Wear, Tire Traction
  3. Tire Speed Rating, Studded Snow Tires
  4. Tire Reviews, Best All-Season Tires
  1. Best Snow Tires
  2. Tire Deals
  3. Discount Cheap Tires Features Comparison Table
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Tires Performance

The most important aspects of tire performance are those that contribute to the safety of a vehicle. We looked first and foremost at what tire reviews have to say about traction in both dry and wet weather.
The best all-season tires and winter tires on our list also offer a smooth, quiet ride.

All-Season Tires: Overall Performance and Traction.

The General Altimax RT has the best grip of any all-season tire ever owned by a user who posted a review at retail site Treadepot.com. Other users posting tire reviews on the retail site admire the traction of the General Altimax RT, especially on dry pavement. Falken SN211 tires stick to the ground and keep the car very steady when turning, according to a user review at Vulcan Tire Sales. A driver at Tyre Reviews is sufficiently wowed by the Falken SN211 tires and how they handle curves to buy the same tires again whenever they need replacing.

Users posting tire reviews on many sites pan the Goodyear Wrangler ST, calling it risky or dangerous. According to a user who posted a review on Tire Rack, the tire can't handle abrupt turns or acceleration, much less rain or winter weather. Drivers posting tire reviews on Epinions report blowouts with no indication of wear on the tires.

All-Season Tires: Wet Weather Traction.

General Altimax RT tires, the best all-season tires on our list, perform well in the rain, according to tire reviews at Treadepot.com. They topped household names with their handling and grip on wet roads in a test of standard all-season tires by Tire Rack. At 1010tires.com, which compiles user reviews, a driver says the tires have no trouble gripping the road even in a downpour. Another user cautions that's not the case on icy roads; however, drivers posting tire reviews at Tire Rack say the General Altimax RT performs well in all types of winter driving conditions.

Review continues below

The almost entirely positive reviews of the Falken SN211, also among the best all-season tires we researched, don't often mention how it handles in wet weather. A driver comments in a review at AudioKarma.org, however, that Falken SN211 tires maintain a solid grip on the road in light rain. The Nankang XR-611 wins praise for performing well even in the snow from a driver at retail site Discounttires.com.

The Goodyear Wrangler ST, on the other hand, is panned in tire reviews for its performance in rain and snow. A driver comments on Tire Rack that the tire feels unsafe in the rain and a driver who posted a review at 1010tires.com reports that it's worse in the winter than any other tire the user has had.

by Kara Reinhardt (Google+ Profile)

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Filed in: Autos, Cars, SUVs, Tires, Trucks, Winter

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Goodyear Wrangler ST

Many consumers pan the all-season Goodyear Wrangler ST, describing it as risky or flat-out unsafe. Users especially warn against driving in the rain with these tires. The Wrangler ST has a UTQG rating of 340-B-B (340-A-B on some sizes). It is commonly sold as original equipment on light trucks and SUVs. Read more »

Hankook Icebear W300

While some drivers are impressed with the performance of the Hankook Icebear W300, many others are disappointed and some consider the tire dangerous. This studless winter tire is designed for high-performance cars, with a speed capacity of 130 mph. Read more »

 
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