BFGoodrich Advantage T/A Sport LT Review: Leans Towards Comfort Rather than Sport

The word “Sport” has become so popular nowadays that you’ll see it on various types of products, from clothing to footwear and from motorcycles to cars. Companies use this word because it makes people think that the product will perform at a higher level. For instance, if you bought a car with a “sport” moniker, it will be faster than regular cars.

“Sport” became so ubiquitous nowadays, though, that manufacturers put it in all sorts of products. Take the BFGoodrich Advantage T/A Sport LT Review, for example. It’s an all-season touring tire for SUVs, crossovers, and trucks. And, from what we’ve learned thus far, touring tires aren’t especially sporty. That’s also true with the all-season tread compound, which won’t give you the best possible traction or grip.

Moreover, the last time I checked, Sport tires should give you precisely more grip and traction in dry, but also wet conditions. At least on paper, the BFGoodrich Advantage T/A Sport LT delivers. The American manufacturer designed this tire to perform in various conditions on a very high level. Besides, they also priced it lower than the premium competition, which is always welcome.

Now, we had some excellent experiences with BFGoodrich tires in the past. The all-terrain and mud-terrain products from the American tiremaker are simply outstanding, often best-in-class. Meanwhile, the road-focused models utilize technology and materials from the mother-company Michelin. As a result, BFGoodrich’s tires perform very well for the price.

Which brings us to the question – is the Advantage T/A Sport LT sporty? That’s precisely the question I’ll try to answer in my detailed review of the tire. Down below, we will discuss every aspect of the tire, including comfort, handling, and braking on various surfaces, snow performance, and even off-road traction. I’ll also cover treadlife, as it’s very important in this category.

The BFGoodrich Advantage T/A Sport LT is a tire designed to fit various vehicles, including compact and large crossovers, compact and large SUVs, and trucks. BFGoodrich offers the tire in various sizes, ranging from 15-inch wheel diameter to 22-inch wheel diameter.

However, you can only purchase the Advantage T/A Sport LT in P-metric sizes, despite the “LT” moniker of the tire. This means that you won’t be able to use it for hauling very heavy cargo or towing very large trailers. Still, the maximum load ratings on the tire are fine for most drivers. Moreover, BFGoodrich offers T, H, and V-Speed rated sizes.

With that said, let’s see what the features of the BF Goodrich Advantage T/A Sport LT are, and then jump to our thoughts.

What are the features of the BFGoodrich Advantage T/A Sport LT?

According to BFGoodrich, the Advantage T/A Sport LT is a light truck, SUV, and CUV tire with severe snow rating, exceptional mileage, agile handling, and a long mileage warranty. We often read these things in marketing materials, so nothing out of the ordinary here.

To achieve those things, the tiremaker utilized an advanced all-season tread compound infused with silica. As a result, the compound provides the driver with good traction in wide temperature conditions, while also improving treadwear.

BFGoodrich molded the compound in a very modern and pleasing (to the eye) tread pattern. The design is symmetrical, which means that you can easily rotate these tires in a cross pattern. That’s important for improving treadlife, as it ensures that your tires wear evenly.

The tread pattern features a solid continuous center rib that creates constant contact patch with the road. This improves stability and steering response. The engineers further optimized the footprint with the Next Generation ETEC (Equal TEnsion Containment) System. According to BFGoodrich, this technology delivers confident handling and high-speed stability.

Meanwhile, the tread pattern features full-depth grooves, including four wide circumferential grooves. These improve the ability of the tire to channel water out of the tread, thus reducing hydroplaning and improving traction on wet surfaces.

BFGoodrich also utilized the 3D Sipe Active Technology, which provides an increased number of biting edges. These sipes help in the water, but they also give the tire a 3PMSF rating or Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake.

This means that the Advantage T/A Sport LT is rated for harsh wintry conditions, unlike normal M+S all-season touring tires. Still, even with the 3PMSF rating, this tire can’t properly replace a winter tire in deep snow, ice, or slush.

The internal construction of the BFGoodrich Advantage T/A Sport LT Review consists of a two-ply polyester casing, aided by two wide steel belts, and spirally-wrapped nylon for increased stability and high-speed capability.

BFGoodrich also utilized the Next Generation g-Wedge Sidewall Stabilizer inserts, which increase distortion control during cornering.

What are the maintenance indicators?

BFGoodrich utilizes the regular TWI’s (Tread Wear Indicators) in its tires. Naturally, the Advantage T/A Sport LT also has them. These indicators help the driver monitor the tread depth more easily, without using measuring devices.

Nonetheless, the TWI’s can only tell you when your tread is at the minimum depth. Some all-season tires have indicators that can show you how much tread you have left, not just when it’s at the minimum. Still, the TWI’s should be fine for most people.

The TWI’s are essentially narrow rubber bars built into the circumferential grooves of the tire. These bars are recessed when the tire is new, but you can still see them upon close inspection. As the tread wears down, the indicators become more visible. When your tread reaches 2/32-inch, the indicators will be completely flush with the surface.

As soon as your tread is 2/32-inch deep, you need to replace your tires immediately. Without sufficient depth, the tread won’t be able to channel water out of the surface, and the wet performance will be severely worsened. Moreover, the tires won’t work on snow anymore.

Fortunately, the Advantage T/A Sport LT comes with a 65,000-mile treadwear warranty on T-speed, and H-speed rated models, and 60,000-miles on V-speed rated models. And, while these warranties aren’t class-leading, they are outstanding for the price.

Besides, owners of this tire report excellent treadlife – the Advantage T/A Sport LT will easily last you for 3-4 years. For a crossover/SUV tire, that’s excellent.

How does it behave on a dry tarmac?

Despite the “Sport” moniker, the tire doesn’t possess any sporty characteristics. You can feel that from the first few miles. This tire misses the responsive nature of the sportiest touring tires. It simply doesn’t react fast to the driver’s inputs.

Moreover, while it’s completely safe to drive in dry conditions, it trails behind the competition in terms of traction. The cornering speeds will be lower than most premium competitors, and the braking distances longer. Moreover, the soft nature of the tire makes it uncontrollable during very fast cornering.

Overall, I wasn’t impressed with the driving experience. The Advantage T/A Sport LT is safe, sure, but it lacks sportiness for sure.

How is it over wet and slippery roads?

I thought that the Advantage T/A Sport LT would redeem itself on wet surfaces, but I was wrong. The hydroplaning resistance is good, but not exceptional. Also, the tire doesn’t have the traction of the best all-season touring tires.

Consequently, cornering doesn’t feel as natural, and you might experience understeer quite early. The braking distances are also longer than the best tires in this category.

The Advantage T/A Sport LT is simply a significant step back in wet handling and braking compared to premium competitors. I think it needs big improvements to compete with the best all-season touring tires in wet conditions. It’s not unsafe, sure, but BFGoodrich must do better.

With that being said, how is it on snowy roads?

Curiously, the Advantage T/A Sport LT does handle snow better than most all-season touring tires. Traction is very good for an all-season tire, and the braking distances are short enough. Sure, a winter tire will perform even better, but as far as all-season tires go, the Advantage T/A Sport LT is excellent.

Is it suitable for off-road driving?

The tread of the tire should give you some traction on slippery surfaces. However, I would only trust the Advantage T/A Sport LT on dirt and gravel. Mud-terrain might be asking too much. Also, the tire doesn’t have any protection from cuts and chipping, which means that prolonged off-road driving might completely destroy it.

Is it comfortable and refined?

Comfort is the best aspect of this tire. The ride quality is superb – the tire glides over smaller and larger undulations on the road. The road noise is well-suppressed as well. There is some on the highway, but it’s not overly distracting.

You can see more BFGoodrich Advantage T/A Sport LT review here: videos created by Distribution Stox

BFGoodrich Advantage T/A Sport LT Review – Should I buy?

In terms of pure performance, the Advantage T/A Sport LT trails behind the best all-season touring tires in dry and wet conditions. It’s not unsafe, but you can have a better tire for the same money.

For instance, the Vredestein Quatrac 5 works better on almost every surface, yet it costs less. The only area where the BFGoodrich excels is in treadlife.

Still, if you only care about longevity and comfort, the Advantage T/A Sport LT might be the tire for you. The ride quality is superb, and the tire provides a leisure driving experience.