Goodyear Eagle GTs

[808]

Wow, good write-up Matt42!

[CreepyPT]

Well, I'm a manager at a walmart, thats where I'll likely get them. Unfortunately for the Michelin tires, I can only get the PIlot Exalto AS, Primacy MXV4, or MX4 (H). I've been reading reviews on Tirerack, but they go back and forth. So, I'm not sure what the hell to get. The Eagle GTs are generally getting very good reviews, but Michelin has a much better reputation. Plus, the OEM Badyears I have have left me wary of that brand.

[Matt42]

Originally Posted by CreepyPT

Well, I'm a manager at a walmart, thats where I'll likely get them. Unfortunately for the Michelin tires, I can only get the PIlot Exalto AS, Primacy MXV4, or MX4 (H). I've been reading reviews on Tirerack, but they go back and forth. So, I'm not sure what the hell to get. The Eagle GTs are generally getting very good reviews, but Michelin has a much better reputation. Plus, the OEM Badyears I have have left me wary of that brand.

I know it's a tough choice. I also find that the Tire Rack reviews and reviews from other online sources are all over the place. First, they are from different sizes of tires on different cars. Then they are from people in different parts of the country. Does someone's good experience in Maine with a minivan mean you will have good experience with a PT Cruiser in California? Is the opposite true?

It used to be much easier years ago when very few manufacturers made tires made in segmented molds (several mold lines cross the treads; Michelin, Pirelli, a few others) and 99% of US brands made them in obsolete clamshell molds (one mold line around the circumference, in the center of the tread). Now most are made in segmented molds. For a long time, only the better brands (Michelin, Pirelli, high-dollar Goodyear, some Continental, a few others) made tires with B and A temperature ratings, and 90% of the US tires were the bare minimum of C. Now it's hard to find one with a C rating.

Until the middle 1970s, there was Federal Excise Tax (FET) charged on all tires. Congress repealed it on tires below a certain size and weight. That was a mixed blessing. Before there were uniform tire grading standards, the FET could be used to compare tires of a given size. The FET was computed on a tire's weight, so if the FET on brand B tire was higher than on brand X tire, it was safe to conclude that there was more material in Brand B, and it was probably sturdier.

The independent Goodyear store I worked at carried several brands including Atlas. An Atlas radial (which was a private label Firestone 500) that sold for $35 made more money for the store than a Michelin that sold for $45. THAT was a scary thought. What is the comparative profit margin on the Goodyear vs. the Michelin? We have Pilot Exalto tires on our 2001 PT, and they are excellent.

40 years of my own experience also include 40 years of watching other people have bad experiences. It colors my outlook. I buy Michelin. My brother buys his Michelin tires at Sam's Club. Having said that, I know that Goodyear is now making some really good tires. Still, I would avoid any made in China or any other other Far Eastern countries. I have seen slow-leak underinflation problems with inadequate butyl liner layers. There was a U.S. Supreme court case that danced around the issue about five years ago, I think it was Carmichael vs. Kumho Tire.