Best Tire Values Rated by Consumer Reports

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Here’s the latest on tires from all-season to all-terrain that deliver the best performance for your money.

Shopping to Meet Your Tire Budget Needs

Shopping to meet your tire budget needs and the needs of your vehicle at the same time is not something to take lightly. Tires can make a huge difference in your driving, riding experience, and safety. However, is it easy to spend $800 or more on a new set of tires.

According to a recent Consumer Reports analysis of tires and what customers want, “Replacing tires is costly, but our analysis shows that taking the time to consult tire test results can identify the models that excel in the areas that matter most to you and present a good value,” says Ryan Pszczolkowski, Consumer Reports’ tire project leader. He adds that it’s common to find rebates from tire manufacturers, often around $100 off per set, just by going to their websites,” stated CR analysts who found that consumers expect all-weather grip, good handling, a long treadwear warranty, and quietness for their hard-earned money spent on tires.

Fortunately, the good folks at CR did your homework for you through extensive testing of many brands of tires that were rated according to the best values in each major tire category, factoring price, predicted tread life based on their extensive tests, and calculated Overall Scores.

That said, here is a summary of CR’s choices of recommended tires they found to excel in grip, comfort, noise, treadwear, and snow traction (where applicable).

BEST VALUED ALL-SEASON TIRES

• General Altimax RT43: Price $140.97

• Michelin Defender T+H: Price $186.99

BEST VALUED ALL-SEASON SUV

• Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive: Price $232.99 - $240.99

• Kumho Crugen HP71: Price $139

BEST VALUED PERFORMANCE ALL-SEASON

• Continental PureContact LS: Price $176.99

• Michelin CrossClimate2: Price $205.99

BEST VALUED ULTRA-HIGH-PERFORMANCE ALL-SEASON

• BFGoodrich G-force Comp-2 A/S plus: Price $159

• Vredestein HyperTrac All Season: Price $146

BEST VALUED ULTRA-HIGH-PERFORMANCE SUMMER

• General G-Max RS: Price $162.99

• Michelin Pilot Sport 4s: Price $236.99

BEST VALUED ALL-TERRAIN TRUCK

• Michelin LTX A/T2: Price $289.96 - $309.16

• Vredestein Pinza AT: Price $202.13

BEST VALUED ALL-SEASON TRUCK

Continental TerrainContact H/T: Price $213.99

And finally…

For additional articles related to tires, here are a few for your consideration:

• Consumer Reports Treadwear Testing Reveals How Long Some Tire Types Really Do Last

• Consumer Reports Analysts Recommend Against Buying These Tires

• What You Need to Know About Mixing Car Tires

Timothy Boyer is a Torque News automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily new and used vehicle news.