Recently bought a used 320 CLK and it has Continental tires on it about half worn. It has a brand new spare, a Goodyear R SA. So I thought that when I have to purchase new tires I would just buy 3 new Goodyears and put one of the old tires as a spare. The reviews for these Goodyears on the TIRE RACK consist of equally bad and good . What is the consensis here about Goodyear O.E. tires?? Thanks in advance....Johnny

 

to me they are stiffer and a harsher ride than continentals or michelins

 

Tyres are a compromise. You can't have top marks for each sector of performance.
Life (wear rate) Ride suppleness, Wet grip, Dry grip, Noise, Appearance etc.

Different tyres (and manufacturers) use different compounds (rubber) and sometimes construction techniques and this gives different characteristics.

IMHO Goodyear give good grip but poor life. Mich give good life with less good grip etc. Its whatever YOU like the compromise to be.
Marketing tends to focus on one characteristic. i.e. In 100 independent tests XXX has been shown to reduce STOPPING DISTANCE in the WET by 30%. No mention is made of other parameters!!
OE selection (Manufacturer and EXACT type) is likely to be the best compromise but there are many tyres which are not even considered by the manufacturer for a number of reasons (e.g. OE Price) which may perform well otherwise.

NB. Do not mix tyre types across an axle or better still anywhere on the car.

In general Low profile tyres give harsher ride but better grip due to reduced flex in the sidewall.
Winter tyres give a different set of results to summer tyres since the compromise is required to deliver different results. i.e. Cold / wet grip needs to be good at the expense of wear (softer rubber used() and noise (different "cog type" tread pattern in some M & S cases).

IMHO There is no simple answer to your question. Go with the manufacturer recommendation.

Stuart

 

That is the best, most honest answer I can imagine. It cannot be topped.

Blue

 

If we assume the spare is the original equipment tire you may want to consider the age of the tire. Most tire manufacturers recommend a "best before date" of 10 years. If we assume your spare is 8 years old (date is part of code on tire) and you drive a normal number of miles/yr the spare may not be as safe as the three new replacement tires you plan to buy. Plus the spare could have been a year old when it wasoriginally put in the car.
Just a thought in the interest of your safety.