Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company introduced the Assurance line of passenger car tires 20 years ago, and since that time, more than 80 million have been put on the road as OEM and replacement tires. Just last month, a brand-new version of the Assurance WeatherReady model rolled out onto U.S. roadways.
According to Goodyear’s internal testing, the second-generation WeatherReady 2 is the best “all-season” commuter/passenger car tire to date, surpassing the wet/dry handling and wet braking of Its competitors, which include the Michelin CrossClimate2, Bridgestone WeatherPeak, and Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActive.
I was fortunate enough to get a set of WeatherReady 2s a month before they started arriving at dealers. The new all-season treads, in 235/55R19, replaced 3.5-year-old Yokohama Geolander A/Ts under my 2018 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD.
Since that time, those Assurance WeathreReady 2s have been subjected to more than 1,500 miles of city streets, freeways, chip-sealed rural roads, gravel roads, twisty mountain and coastal highways, and a variety of weather conditions typical of summer/fall in the Pacific Northwest.
In short: My early observations are that Goodyear’s claim that the WeatherReady 2 is the best all-season SUV/Crossover tire is hard to debate.
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady 2
Specs
- Design All-season all-weather AquaTread Technology features an enhanced tread pattern with sweeping grooves to help move out water and slush for better handling and performance. Evolving TractionGrooves help displace water on the road for the life of the tire, maintaining grip.
- Approved rim width 6.5”-8.5”
- Designation Mountain 3-Peak
- Mileage warranty 60,000 mi.
- Price $205-280 depending on size
- As tested Size 235/55R19, Load Range XL, Speed Rating V, Diameter 29.17”, MSRP $265
Pros
- Excellent handling in rain
- Excellent handling on dry pavement
- Long tread life
- Quieter than OEM tires
- Meets severe snow service-related requirements (3PMSF)
Cons
- High price
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady 2 Review
“The Goodyear WeatherReady 2 delivers excellent handling in wet weather thanks in large part to the sweeping groove tread design and biting edges in the tread blocks,” said Anne Johnson, Director, Category Strategy & Planning at Goodyear.
The WeatherReady 2s have a very distinct tread pattern that evokes that of racing tires. But they are truly an all-weather, all-season tire well-suited for everyday commuting.
It wasn’t until the wipers could barely keep up with the heavy rain and chunks of ice pinging off the windshield that I realized just how good the tires were at keeping my AWD Mazda CX-5 connected to the pavement despite the quickly deepening water covering the freeway. The late summer thunderstorm just north of Seattle hit suddenly, catching drivers by surprise.
If it weren’t for the new Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady 2s under my crossover, I’d probably been a little shaken by the drastic change in driving conditions as well. Rain and then hail covering the road has a tendency to reduce traction in a hurry and raise one’s adrenaline level.
But those are some of the very conditions the tire design experts at Goodyear used in the development of these second-generation WeatherReady tires. The long, narrow, sharply angled, directional tread across the the face of these WeatherReady 2s looks very different from the more traditional square/rectangular tread patterns that have dominated street tire design for decades.
However, it’s not a new look.
Old AquaTred Technology Reimagined
“As you may know, Goodyear has been designing directional treads for a long time, all the way back to the AquaTred of the ’90s,” says Anne Johnson, Director, Category Strategy & Planning At Goodyear. “This tire was truly iconic, and we heard comments about this tire long after it had been discontinued. In fact, we refer to the directional, sweeping grooves in the Assurance WeatherReady 2 as our AquaTred Technology because the directional grooves expel water and help provide traction in wet conditions.”
Johnson went on to explain that this new generation of all-season, all-weather tires under my all-wheel-drive CX-5 have a number of other design characteristics that help reduce the chances of hydroplaning and yet feel glued to the road when the pavement is dry, the speed is up, and the corners are twisty.
Modern Refinements in Tread Design
“This tire features 3D Tredlock Technology, which allows the tread to lock together while cornering and open up for more biting edges for enhanced wet traction,” Johnson explained. “The tread also features our Evolving Traction Grooves, which are grooves that widen as they wear to provide more area for water to flow out from under the tire.
The “V” tread design is made up of six tread blocks that channel water away from the tread face to enhance traction in wet conditions. They are also designed to reduce road noise.
“The sharply angled tread that you referred to is actually six unique tread blocks as you follow the “V” shape from one shoulder of the tire to the other. Those tread blocks vary in size around the circumference of the tire which also helps to keep the tire quiet,” said Johnson.
I noticed they are a little quieter than the Yokohamas that they replaced, which were quieter than the OEM tires that came on my vehicle when it was new. Road noise over some 100 miles of chip-sealed pavement was less than I expected, while noise from rougher asphalt/concrete road surfaces was the same as the Geolanders.
As for how the WeatherReady 2s feel when you hit bumps, cracks, expansion joints, and so forth, they do a decent job of keeping those types of jolts and vibrations minimized. The new generation is a step up in improving overall ride quality.
“The WeatherReady 2 has ComfortFlex Technology in the sidewall to reduce bumps and vibrations while enhancing steering control for smooth transitions when changing lanes,” explains Johnson. “ ComfortFlex Technology is new to this generation of WeatherReady and we’re proud to offer this new innovation.”
Long-Lived Tread Life
WeatherReady 2 does not use Cryo-Adaptive Compound, rather the WeatherReady2 features a soybean-oil tread cap that helps tread stay pliable in a wide temperature range but is robust enough to offer a 60,000-mile treadlife warranty. The WeatherReady 2 also comes with Goodyear’s 60-day satisfaction guarantee.
Goodyear WeatherReady 2 Review Wrapup
The WeatherReady 2 is truly an all-season, all-weather tire that’s well-suited for use on passenger cars, SUVs, and Crossovers.
The tires are also a viable choice for those who may encounter light snow on occasion. They have passed the basic Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake test, which means they are better at acceleration and stopping in snow than tires that do not meet this standard — but they are not up to the level of traction performance as dedicated snow tires.
I’ll have a lot better feel about these new tires as winter approaches and they are put to the test handling some of the winter driving conditions over the mountain passes of the Oregon Coast and Cascade ranges. Stay tuned for a long-term report on the Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady 2s down the road.
