The Debate: Toughest Road Passenger Tire

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NewEnglander

NewEnglander

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I was having a debate with a colleague of mine and we got into tires. He drives for Uber and was commenting he picked up a few more nails/screws than usual the past couple months and was thinking about what to put on his car next time out. I didn't recommend my Nokian WRGs for the kind of driving he does, but it did raise an interesting set of questions:

What is the toughest road passenger tire on the market right now? Furthermore, in your own experience what tire have you found the most resistant to the screws and nails found on the road?

Obviously no tire is perfect or entirely resistant to damage or puncture but curious to gauge the view of the board.
 
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Maybe the Nokian eNTYRE 2.0 as long as he rotates them religiously. Seems to have a very stiff sidewall almost like a run-flat plus decent traction. And less expensive than the WRG4.
 
Originally Posted by SatinSilver
Maybe the Nokian eNTYRE 2.0 as long as he rotates them religiously. Seems to have a very stiff sidewall almost like a run-flat plus decent traction. And less expensive than the WRG4.

That was my thought too but curious to hear about everyones experiences regardless of brand/size etc.
 
For tractors atleast, I've read that older/hardened up tires do seem to avoid punctures better than new soft tires. So maybe a 10 year old set of tires from the wreckers would get the least punctures?
 
In Boston? The only thing holding up in that hole is tracks, missing children and lost pets are sometimes found in those pot holes.
 
For Uber, I usually recommend Prime Wells or Milestars for good reason - bad roads and they are cheap to replace in the case of a unrepairable puncture.

If he has GOOD TPMS(not indirect like older Toyotas and Lexi and new Hondas), maybe a Bridgestone DriveGard or Potenza RE960AS RFT. However, Bridgestones aren't known for treadlife.

If you look at most city fleets in area with bad roads, they'll get Goodyear or Michelin. My town has some pretty bad roads, and the city truck fleet are all wearing Michelins. The car fleet seems to be using Goodyear Assurance FuelMax on their Prius fleet and either Eagle RS-As or Firestone FR710s/Champions for everything else. The new Defender T+H(and the Costco/club store edition) seems to have fixed the treadlife issue of the original Defenders. I think my current set of Defender XTs got the compound update and so far, they have taken crappy roads in San Francisco and Oakland quite well.
 
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What car what size?

There's two ways i'd go. Cheap chinese tires (Primewell, GT Radial, Fuzion) that are dirt cheap to replace or some sort of LT or XL load range if available in that size.

But a lot of miles in a short time seems like it would be a good case for Michelin; they're usually long lived (mileage) tires and they won't have time to dryrot.
 
Originally Posted by nthach
However, Bridgestones aren't known for tread life..


Interesting??

I have had Bridgestone (touring?) tires dry-out and weather crack over 8 years.... but STILL had good tread!
 
Mini tire review, Firestone Destination LE2 on a Ford Ranger, run at 40 psi. A lot of rain driving (Florida). Haven't picked up any nails or debris.Very good in wet and stable at highway speeds.I must be close to 40k on these and maybe half worn. I will replace with the same tire.
 
Originally Posted by Linctex
Originally Posted by nthach
However, Bridgestones aren't known for tread life..


Interesting??

I have had Bridgestone (touring?) tires dry-out and weather crack over 8 years.... but STILL had good tread!

The Potenzas I've used seem to not live a long life - and I don't drive like a maniac. Same story on a friend's old Accord with a set of RE950PPs and the Civic that replaced it with OEM Turanza EL400s.
 
Originally Posted by Traction
Under those conditions, I would give one of the "self-sealing" tires a look. https://tires.tirerack.com/tires/Self-sealing
Traction, the certified tire service instructor, does know. ( I guess "RunOut" and "FlatSpot" couldn't make it today. ).... I like this review of a 2-year experience with self-sealing Michelins which come OEM on the Bolt: .....
"Had these tires on my Chevy Bolt almost two years now. These are NOT run flat tires. These are self sealing tires. Tested this out the other day. Got email indicating my right front tire was losing air quickly. Took a look, saw a nail in it. Took out the nail, was hoping the self seal worked. Once the nail was pulled out, put air in the tire and ... two weeks later, the self sealing worked. Very nice. Since there is no spare tire in this car, this is a great feature. I will buy another set for sure." -- Tire Rack --
https://www.michelinman.com/US/en/why-michelin/michelin-selfseal-technology.html
https://www.continental-tires.com/car/tires/continental-tire-technologies/contiseal

Self-sealing is offered on some Continentals & Michelins (conti-Seal), and Uniroyal (owned by Michelin in the U.S, Continental in Europe) had "Nail Gaurd" in the old days. Sticky stuff. The patents must have been passed to the new split owners.

The only problem, besides the mass increase, is that small nails can actually go unnoticed, not always good.
 
"Tough tire" could be interpreted another way. The Michelin Defender might be (for the money) the "toughest tire per dollar per mile." It is not too expensive, has a 90,000 mile warranty (and Consumer Reports estimates it will last even longer than that if rotated properly). It is a pretty tough tire for bumps and stops (maybe not the most tough for certain kinds of abuse, but very tough for ubering). Per mile per dollar, it would be hard to find something better for an Uber.
 
Originally Posted by WillsYoda
"Tough tire" could be interpreted another way. .
I know, when I first read the title, I was going to discuss "general toughness", not puncture-resistance.
OK, general toughness is tested and measured by it's speed rating. For example, to get an H speed rating, they put it at full load and run it at 130 mph (IIRC). V or Z is even tougher. That means the tire is thick and solid.
Other thoughts about toughness are just guesses.
 
Originally Posted by SatinSilver
Maybe the Nokian eNTYRE 2.0 as long as he rotates them religiously. Seems to have a very stiff sidewall almost like a run-flat plus decent traction. And less expensive than the WRG4.

Stiff sidewall on regular tire (and on R2 they are very stiff too) is inability to achieve desired robustness using lighter materials. I do not see for example R2's being anymore robust than Michelin Xi2, but comfort levels are night and day.
 
So far I figured that Bridgestone is absolute magnet for nails. I have a feeling it will attract nail from 10ft away.
On other hand, I had Michelin PSS (which obviously is not for uber purposes) on VW CC when we moved into our newly built house in newly built neighborhood, A LOT of construction (I had to change HVAC filter like every 10 days). One tire had 4 nails in a span of a month. Still, did not require any additional balance weights after repairs.
 
Originally Posted by sloinker
Load range E trailer tires.


A reputable tire dealer would not install these on a car.
 
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