Goodyear Assurance All-Season Review: Capable Tire for Daily Driving

Passenger all-season tires literally own public roads today. From small compact cars to mid-size sedans, and even on crossovers and SUVs, what you’ll mostly find is passenger all-season tires. There is a reason for that. These products are cheap, yet last for a very long time. And, when it comes to performance, they satisfy the needs of the casual daily driver.

For those reasons, absolutely every tire manufacturer competes in the touring category. Here, you can find premium tires, budget tires, very cheap tires, etc. Goodyear, of course, competes in the premium category with its Assurance All-Season tire, which was released in 2014. Even though this tire falls in the premium category, it’s still less expensive than some rivals, such as those from Bridgestone and Michelin.

That said, passenger all-season tires also compete with touring all-season tires. The difference between the both is mostly down to speed ratings, with touring tires usually being available for faster vehicles. However, given the fact that Goodyear offers the Assurance All-Season in larger sizes and higher speed ratings, one can say that it’s a touring tire.

But who cares how we call the tire as long as it works well? And, if we learned anything from our past experience with Goodyear, the Assurance All-Season should work excellently across all conditions. The American company invests a lot into research and development, which certainly makes its products stand out from the crowd.

Now, I know, some enthusiast drivers might say that there is nothing interesting about a passenger all-season tire. And, if you come from that background, sure. However, these tires are deserving of keeping our roads safe, regardless of the conditions outside. And, that’s especially true for premium products, such as the Assurance All Season.

So, is the Goodyear Assurance All-Season any good? Well, that’s what I’ll try to uncover in my detailed review of the tire. To answer that question in the best manner, I’ll give you my thoughts on dry and wet traction, snow performance, comfort, and treadlife. In the end, you can find my verdict on the tire.

Before we do that, though, let’s see what the features of the Goodyear Assurance All-Season are.

What are the features of the Goodyear Assurance All-Season?

According to Goodyear, the Assurance All-Season is a “practical tire for confident all-season traction in wet, dry, and snowy conditions, with long treadwear.” The tire starts at $72 for the 185/65R14 size, which is a good price for a tire that comes from a premium manufacturer.

Moreover, Goodyear offers the Assurance All-Season in many popular sizes, ranging from 14-inch wheel diameter and up to 20-inch wheel diameter. For a passenger all-season tire, that’s a very comprehensive range and one that covers most of the vehicles on the road today.

More accurately, the smaller sizes are a great fit for urban compact cars, such as Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, and Toyota Yaris. Then, sizes ranging from 16-inch to 18-inch wheel diameter are a great choice for compact cars, such as Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, and Honda Civic.

Sizes in that range can also be installed on mid-size sedans, such as Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, and also minivans. Furthermore, the largest sizes can be installed on more powerful sedans and even some crossovers.

When it comes to the design of the tire, Goodyear utilized an all-season tread compound. The rubber compound in this tire should stay pliable in the winter, yet still, be responsive in the summer. The tread pattern is symmetric, which means that you can rotate the tires side-to-side to extract more miles from them. Also, Goodyear optimized the tread pattern to minimize noise for a quieter ride.

The tread pattern features stable, independent shoulder blocks for better stability, and confident dry and wet handling. Meanwhile, the four wide circumferential grooves channel water out of the contact patch of the tire for better hydroplaning resistance, which helps in heavy rain, but also when driving over slush.

Goodyear also utilized multiple waved sipes on the tread blocks of the Assurance All Season. These sipes create more biting edges for increased traction over snow and shorter braking distances.

The internal structure of the Assurance All-Season is standard for a passenger and touring all-season tires. It consists of twin steel belts, strengthened by a polyester cord body for added highway capabilities, and improved ride comfort.

What are the maintenance indicators?

Goodyear utilized the standard tread wear indicators (TWI’s) on the Assurance All Season. These indicators are narrow rubber bars built into the grooves of the tire. The bars are recessed when the tire is new, but you can still see them upon close inspection.

However, as the tread wears down, the rubber bars will become more visible. As soon as the tread depth falls to 2/32-inch, the TWI’s will be completely flush with the surface. When this happens, you should immediately replace the tires.

Otherwise, you risk driving on tires with severely depleted hydroplaning resistance and overall worse traction on wet and snowy surfaces. Naturally, I recommend replacing the tires even sooner – the less tread depth you have, the worse the wet and snow performance becomes. Use the TWI’s to your advantage!

Fortunately, Goodyear provides a 65,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is very solid for the price and the passenger all-season category. However, some owners of the tire report that they aren’t very satisfied with the tread life. Sure, this is something that we can’t confirm, but the tire should still last for 4-5 years.

How does it behave on a dry tarmac?

There is nothing extraordinary about the way this tire drives on dry roads. Even in the larger 19-inch and 20-inch dimensions, you shouldn’t expect responsiveness and steering feel like on a grand-touring or performance tire.

Still, for daily driving, the Assurance All-Season handles just fine. The cornering grip is sufficiently good for safe and stable driving, and the braking distances are sufficiently short. Traction for quick acceleration is also sufficient, provided your vehicle doesn’t have over 200-hp.

In fact, the Assurance All-Season is among the best passenger all-season tires on dry roads. So, if you don’t drive like a maniac, you should be completely satisfied with the performance of the tire.

How is it over wet and slippery roads?

The Goodyear Assurance All-Season has all the features needed for safe driving in wet conditions. And it mostly delivers. The hydroplaning resistance is very good, on par with the best tires in this category.

Nevertheless, the traction levels on wet roads, and especially damp roads, are lower than the best tires in this category. The braking distances are also slightly longer than I expected.

Now, this doesn’t mean that the Assurance All-Season is unsafe in wet conditions. In fact, most tires perform even worse. However, compared to other premium tires, Goodyear’s competitor lags behind.

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

The average wet traction led me to believe that the Assurance All-Season won’t handle snow-covered roads very well. However, to my surprise, the opposite is true.

Now, sure, this is not a winter tire, which means that it won’t be able to provide you with sufficient traction in harsh wintry conditions. So, if you live in areas with a lot of snow and ice in the winter, you should install winter tires.

Still, in a pinch, the Assurance All-Season is one of the best tires for driving over snow in this category. Traction should be sufficient for safe cornering on light snow, and the braking distances shouldn’t be very long. Not a lot of passenger all-season tires fare better on snow.

Is it suitable for off-road driving?

The Assurance All-Season isn’t designed for off-roading. It might provide you with some traction on hardpacked surfaces, sure, but you can easily damage the tread of the tire. So, yes, you can use it in a pinch, but don’t plan on driving longer than a few miles.

Is it comfortable and refined?

Goodyear’s engineers made a great effort to make the tire comfortable, and they definitely succeeded. The Assurance All-Season is among the most comfortable tires in its category, and also one of the quietest. Your family will certainly be satisfied.

You can see more Goodyear Assurance All-Season Review here: Video created by Auto Repair, Auto Service, Car Repair in Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Should I buy the Goodyear Assurance All-Season?

Well, if you’re in a market for a budget-friendly premium all-season tire, you should put the Assurance All-Season on your shortlist. Goodyear’s entry-level tire performs well across various surfaces, with wet traction being slightly worse than the best in the category.

Still, the tire has enough qualities to provide you with a safe, comfortable, and quiet daily driving experience. And, honestly, the competition is also not perfect. For that reason, it gets a “recommended” badge from me.