When it comes to the Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive tire, the name says it all. You have the assurance of year-round traction with an all-season tread pattern, long, even wear, durability, and a generous tread life warranty from the manufacturer. Then there’s the ComfortDrive part that you can expect, meaning luxurious, refined ride quality with low noise and quick, responsive handling on the highway or around town.

If there’s one thing that Goodyear has become known for over the decades, it’s quality. Okay, more than one thing – quality, workmanship, and innovation, that’s three things. That’s what’s made Goodyear the OEM tire of choice for so many vehicles for the last 100 years, and what keeps them up toward the top of the game today. So does the tire really live up to the hype? Let’s dive in for a closer look with this Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive review.

Features and Benefits

As an all-season tire, the Assurance ComfortDrive provides year-round traction and performance. Coupled with Goodyear’s ComfortDrive technology, this is a tire that’s meant to be seen, not heard or felt. Here’s what the tire has within it to achieve these goals:

• Advanced, eco-friendly tread compound is infused with soybean oil and rice husk silica and is engineered for great traction and long, even wear cycle
• Evolving Traction Grooves are designed to provide great traction, even as the tire’s tread depth wears down
• TreadLock technology enhances dry-road traction with tread blocks that are designed to work with each other to boost grip
• Dense network of sipes and “blades” provide hundreds of tiny biting edges to dig into snow, slush or standing water
• Goodyear’s ComfortFlex package delivers a supple ride over road irregularities, but keeps the tread stiff enough for outstanding steering response and handling
• Two-ply polyester layer with two wide steel belts and a spiral-wound nylon cap overlay for improved stability at high speeds, comfort
• Aquachannel grooves evacuate water from the tire’s contact patch to resist hydroplaning effect in standing water
• Tread pitch is randomized and computer tuned to keep road noise low, and tread grooves help muffle wind noise from the road
• Easy-to-see wear indicators molded into tread base to alert driver to tires that are almost ready for replacement
• Backed by a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty

Pros and Cons

So, is this the right tire for your ride and budget? Before you decide, let’s take a look at the tire’s strengths:

PROS:

• Very soft ride, great for long hours on the Interstate
• Tire noise is there, but unobtrusive even on grooved pavement
• Generous tread wear coverage from Goodyear
• Near-sporty levels of steering response and cornering ability
• Confident, predictable handling and road manners on wet or dry pavement
• Great straight-line stability and road manners with good feedback through the wheel

Unfortunately, no tire is perfect and that’s the case for the Assurance ComfortDrive too:

CONS:

• Not great in deep snow
• Steering response is a little sluggish
• Can be more expensive than some competitor’s tires

SimpleTire’s view on Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive tires

If you’ve got a coupe, sedan, minivan, CUV, or SUV that puts in a lot of highway miles, chances are ride comfort and low noise are going to be toward the top of your priorities, along with long wear and dependable traction year-round. If that sounds like you, the Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive is an excellent option for your vehicle.

Goodyear’s tread compound for the Assurance ComfortDrive uses sustainable, eco-friendly ingredients and is designed for great grip while also lowering rolling resistance. Cornering ability isn’t quite on par with summer or ultra-high-performance tires, but the Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive goes where you point it with confident, neutral handling that’s free of understeer and oversteer both. Steering response with this tire did have a little lag time, but to be honest that could also be the fault of the test vehicle.

The wear indicators on the Assurance ComfortDrive are designed to show themselves when the tread reaches minimum legal depth of 2/32”, unlike wear indicators on other Goodyear models that are stepped to show wear in increments. Where the Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive really shines, though, is in the quiet, forgiving ride that’s suitable for premium sedans and luxury crossovers, and with sizes ranging from 16” to 20” you can find a wide range of fitments for this tire. All in all, we think that the Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive presents a nice package of year-round traction, predictable handling, long wear, low rolling resistance and overall comfort.

Vehicles the Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive is a good replacement tire for

Looking for a new set of all-season tires for your ride? Consider the Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive as a replacement tire if you drive an:

• Acura ILX
• Audi Q5
• Buick Encore
• BMW 3 Series
• Cadillac CTS
• Chevrolet Cruze
• Ford Escape
• GMC Terrain
• Honda Civic
• Hyundai Sonata
• Jeep Compass
• Kia K5
• Mazda6
• Nissan Maxima
• Subaru Legacy
• Toyota RAV4
• Volkswagen Atlas