Goodyear Assurance Comfortread Review

[ArmyofOne]

As of 9am this morning, I had a flat. After 31,000 Miles, the Bridgestone Turanza EL-400's from the factory on my 2006 Honda Civic EX were SHOT. They were noisy, bumpy, wobbly, harsh in every way and balder than a babies ass, one was even showing cords.

Goodyear Assurance ComforTread in 205/55/16H...quite possibly the best tire I have ever had, hands down, period. 205/55/16 + quiet/comfortable ride + 80,000 mile treadlife + all season capability + reasonable price = Impossible? Not anymore...read on.

Road Noise: There isnt any...I mean I wish i could say i could hear something....but I cant. They are silent as the dead. I would say if my Civic had more sound deadening, it would be purely silent.

Grip Wet: Have not tested cause i have only had the tires since 3pm...but i tested them in a puddle at a light...sure footed (no hydroplaning) and from a stop on the wet they do OK, but my 140HP Civic was able to break them loose in the rain at WOT No problem...but as long as you drive like a normal person in rainy weather, I see no trouble arising.

Grip Dry: Well, once again, these are not a high performance tire. The performance these tires concetrate on is a smooth, quiet comfortable ride (more on that later). On straight line acceleration at WOT in the 140hp 1.8L Auto Civic, I could not break them loose. However, making a right or left turn from a stop accelerating at WOT, I could....thru second gear and into third. Keep in mind, this car was NOT designed for burnouts...but for fuel economy. In the twisties, these tires rule till about 80mph...at which point i didnt have the balls to test them further (fear of tickets in NY). Dry Grip in the twisties is the $h!t

Grip Snow/Ice:Obviously cannot comment till snow and ice comes...but there will be a snow and ice review, rest assured. We get plenty of both up here (14 feet on avg per year!)

Ride Comfort: on a scale of 1 to 10....15045938721906.4 These tires are fantastic. Even in a somewhat lower profile (205/55/16) the ride is comfortable and smooth. No more harsh bumps, vibrations, or bump steer. By having the tires absorb more of the road harshness, it will drastically reduce the number of times I have to have an alignment done due to the pothole filled roads of upstate NY. The Civic's ride is now on par with the accord or higher end cars of its day...what a relief.

Install service: I had my tires installed at my local goodyear store...and i must say, while the service reps were polite and nice, they ROYALLY *****ED my factory Honda wheels...I'm a little perturbed about that.

205/55/16H Goodyear Assurance ComforTread:
$136x$4
$544-$80 ($20 in store rebate per tire coupon)
$464+$100 ($25 per tire for mt/balance/valvestems)
$564-25% (military discount)
$423+$25 (sales tax)
-----------------------------------------------------
Total: $448.xx

Thats out the door, Mounted and Balanced. Apparently I have 2 bent rims that they managed to balance...and they ride just fine so screw it. LOL.

Just for the sake of argument, lets price a set of tires I would have bought instead...the only tires i would consider other than the Assurance line.

Falken Ziex ZE-512 in 205/55/16= $80 per tire
$80x4
$320-$40 ($10 per tire in store rebate coupon)
$280+$100 ($25 per tire mt/balance/valvestems)
$380-%25 (Military Discount)
$295+$25 (sales tax)
----------------------------------------------------
$320.xx Out-the-door for the Falken Ziex ZE-512...a more than capable all season with the quietest/smoothest ride i have ever experienced...only one problem...multiply $320x5=$1,600.xx, because during the lifetime of 1 set of Assurance ComforTreads, I would have to replace the Falkens a minimum of 5x...and thats being generous, I never got more than 15,000 miles out of a set...and my mom is on 83,000 on her comfortreads in her camry...and just now needing replacements.


Questions, Comments, Concerns?

All in all, for 80,000 miles of silent tire life and decent all season traction, I wouldnt complain about the $150 per tire retail price...though they can be found for $102 online at Discounttiredirect.com. Unfortunately, I had to search for a wicked retail deal because I was in a bind. I wasnt gonna make my wife drive to work on a donut.

[Strate L O S S]

thanks, this is really helpfull. the road noise my car emits really gets to me at times, i may do this

[ArmyofOne]

remember, there is alot of sidewall roll in these tires, so while grip in the twisties is excellent, be ready for the sidewall of the tire to roll upon turn in. The sidewall is very very soft.

This is seriously a tire everyone should have on their EX/LX. I wouldnt put it on the Si, i would get the Goodyear Assurance TripleTread for that. its a more sporty/aggressive tire application...but they are too noisy for my liking on the EX. the EX is my cruiser.

[saiyan]

Do you have Comfortred installed on a sedan or coupe?

I had Comfortred tires installed on my old 2nd gen Camry before and road noise was reduced by anywhere from 10% to 30%, depending on road condition and driving speed, when compared to Goodyear Integrity tires.

Since my EX Coupe with Turanza EL-400 tires is about as noisy as my old Camry with integrity tires, I doubt I can reduce road noise to the near silience you described by installing Comfortred tires. Unless you have a EX sedan because a friend let me drove his EX sedan with stock Turanza tires and I think road noise of the sedan is about 10% to 15% less when compare to my Coupe.

[ArmyofOne]

I have a sedan bud...and you would be suprised.

if your coupe is manual, i would get a system, and say screw the noise. turn up the radio, get the TripleTred's and have a blast!

But as far as silence goes, absolutely, hands down, the most SILENT tire i have ever had:

Tire Details - Discount Tire Direct
The Falken Ziex ZE-512. Hands down best traction, wet or dry, and quietest ride of any tire i have had...and i have had alot...and they are cheap...

but be ready to buy a set a year or MORE, cause they wear very fast, and if you drive spirited, they wear stupid fast. A friend of mine had them on his Lexus IS300 manual, his set lasted 9 months...but for $65 a piece and a silent ride with that kind of traction, he wasnt complaining.

[poob_bubes]

I've been trying to decide between the Comfortread and Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S for my new LX-S Sedan. Does anyone have any experience with these Michelins?

[ArmyofOne]

Originally Posted by poob_bubes

I've been trying to decide between the Comfortread and Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S for my new LX-S Sedan. Does anyone have any experience with these Michelins?

Pilot exalto A/S? stay far away on a civic...the trad cups horribly to give you that "thwop thwop thwop" sound as your driving down the road.


Im tellin you...the Comfortread is cheaper...and better.

[av911]

I've actually just replaced my Comfortreds, 60K miles, with Falken ZE912.

It's definitely a quieter and softer ride. But the price is too much for me to get them again. I couldn't pass the price of $75 for the Falkens.

[ArmyofOne]

ZE-912 while a good tire, wont last as long...80,000 mile treadwear...and you replaced at 60k? hell even at 60k, you are complaining? usually for a tire this quiet and well performing, you get into the 30,000 mile range. So for me, this tire is a blessing from Heaven.

[pks17]

Hey nice write up, i can tell your excited, just the way i am when i get new tread.
Maybe do us another review in 6 months, and see if they are still as good as now.

Ive got falken 912 on right now, same as 512 but new design. Im not sure how long they last, but im pretty confident ill hit at least 30K miles, which ill be happy to get. They are cheap tires.

[ArmyofOne]

yeah i was looking for something with a smoother ride and longer lasting than the falkens. they have excellent grip in all weather and they are near as silent as can be...but they are just harsh. I was looking for that Lexus ride (as i used to have an LS400). The Assurance ComforTread's gave me that ride back.

there will be another review in 6 months, much more comprehensive and complete, with winter specs.

[asndragonboii]

Originally Posted by poob_bubes

I've been trying to decide between the Comfortread and Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S for my new LX-S Sedan. Does anyone have any experience with these Michelins?

I've got the Exalto A/S on my LX. Had them for about 4000 miles. They've been good so far I cant wait to test them out in the snow. I bought them because of the reviews on Tire Rack. What tires do you have now?

The Exaltos are softer than my stock Goodyear Eagle RSA. It might just be the new tread though. But i recently pumped them up to 40 PSI for better mileage and more even wear. So they are not as soft as the stock tires when i had them at 34 PSI



OP, What do you mean they have a lower profile? 205 55 16 is the same size as stock.

[ArmyofOne]

Originally Posted by asndragonboii

I've got the Exalto A/S on my LX. Had them for about 4000 miles. They've been good so far I cant wait to test them out in the snow. I bought them because of the reviews on Tire Rack. What tires do you have now?

The Exaltos are softer than my stock Goodyear Eagle RSA. It might just be the new tread though. But i recently pumped them up to 40 PSI for better mileage and more even wear. So they are not as soft as the stock tires when i had them at 34 PSI



OP, What do you mean they have a lower profile? 205 55 16 is the same size as stock.

what i mean is these tires are somewhat low profile...a 55 series sidewall isnt designed to give a nice smooth ride...a 60 or 65 is.

[Crzypillahead]

these are the exact same tires I had put on over the weekend.

How are you liking them after having them a few months?