Are Tire Reviews Worthless?

Tire mgs have part of the blame, selling like-named but different tires year after year. Angry (or grateful) consumers show up, click the closest thing their faulty memory allows, and leave totally irrelevant reviews. I flagged a few pointing out problems, for example the reviewed tire could not have been their OEM from 5 years ago because it was introduced last year... all of those reviews are still there.

I agree with the large number of reviews sentiment, but have to throw in a caveat on low mileage reviews. I think many would find my Continental experience of getting a free tire at less than 2K due to their free road hazard warranty to be very relevant.

And what's a BITOG tire thread without mr silv showing up to [censored] on Michelins with his one experience with otherwise unidentified tires somewhere in the considerable LTX lineup?

Just like Tire Rack, you gotta filter out the noise.
 
Originally Posted by artbuc
Starting to think reading tire reviews is a waste of time. You know the drill. Reviewer A says tire is quiet as a church mouse and Reviewer B says had to get rid of exact same tires because they were too noisy, etc, etc. How do you go about selecting new tires? Do you pay any attention at all to reviews such as those found on Tirerack?

I asked for suggestions on another thread and got some terrific feedback. So, I am not asking for a specific recommendation, I am just interested in how you select tires. Thanks.


I have found tire-rack's ratings and reviews to be absolutely spot-on across all tires I've purchased from them. Literally down to the smallest nuance of handling and other aspects of tires, their observations have perfectly mirrored mine.
 
"Consumer reviews are unfortunately useless."

"User reviews are pretty useless."

LOL!! They might be for some, but I do not subscribe to that paradigm.

Some are useful by themselves, and others are only useful when factored in as part of a larger data set.

Either way, making the blanket statement that all are useless is incorrect and unnecessary...
 
I trust comments made by people here combined with previous experience.

Actual reviews in general can be annoying, but anything with an 80% or above rating should be pretty dang good. Key word: should
 
I only rear reviews by actual tire professionals, not the average Joe. Most people have only driven on one or two sets of tires in years, sorry, but you just can't know how it compares to other tires.
 
I like the tirerack professional reviews because they are comparing same size tires on the same car.

For the consumer sectiin of tire rack, i look for reviewers with the same car as i will be outfitting.

I have had good luck with a particular tire on one car and then not cared for it on another car (although different size and aspect ratio has something to do with it).

Best bet is recommendations from fellow enthusiasts that have the same car you do; who knows if some forum recommendations are manufacturer "plants" or whatever.
 
Even vehicle-specific forums will have a wide range of opinions - or they will slowly jump from trend to trend.

Most tires on offer by brand name manufacturers within your desired usage envelope are going to be FINE - much like oil.
 
Starting to think reading tire reviews is a waste of time. You know the drill. Reviewer A says tire is quiet as a church mouse and Reviewer B says had to get rid of exact same tires because they were too noisy, etc, etc. How do you go about selecting new tires? Do you pay any attention at all to reviews such as those found on Tirerack?

I asked for suggestions on another thread and got some terrific feedback. So, I am not asking for a specific recommendation, I am just interested in how you select tires. Thanks.
Lots of variables to sift through. Type of vehicle ,FWD AWD RWD climate, region of country midwest , desert, mountains ,etc. city vs hiway miles road surface, dirt roads, gravel roads vs pavement . tire review sites make for an interesting read, but I just stick with the OE recommended tires and call it a day and of course living in NE and the winters we get here I swap the all seasons for actual winter tires from about early Dec to mid April.
 
[Do you pay any attention at all to reviews such as those found on Tirerack?

Instrumented tire testing can produce useful information.

What that means is criterion dependent. TireRack is performance-oriented, Consumer Reports weights long mileage higher, and the usefulness of either depends on what car you're going to put the tires on.

User ratings to me are meaningless.
 
Lots of variables. Some of them are unrepeatable. In the end I think you have to buy a set with the knowledge you might throw them away--at best, hope to get half the life you wanted, and be happy with that. When you find something that works, just keep repeating that--until it too fails.
 
Pretty much...

Old tires to new always ride and make different noise even of the same brand and model.

Without the vehicle and rotational schedule being identical wear comparisons are almost meaningless.

UD
 
I hated Generals back in the day and adored Goodyear. I now love General's and hate Goodyear. I think the target is forever changing on brands and individual model tires. I have had repeated good luck with Michelin's and Pirelli's but don't like paying extra for the name. Been all Generals for the last decade plus for me.
 
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