Tire Rack Customer Reviews

I read a couple of dozen customer reviews before making my purchase.  Was inclined to re-up (which I did), and was just grazing to see how my experience tallied with others', and what people had to say about a couple of possible alternatives.  The reviews were amusing--even hilarious--but not valuable in making a decision.  So of course I posted one of my own.  :-)

My review appears near another because they went up around the same time.  My tires had 30,000+ miles on them; his around 22,000.  I live in the upper Midwest; he lives outside San Francisco.  My self-reported driving style was "spirited."  His was "average."

I reported no issues with punctures, noise, or aquaplaning (other reviewers had).  He was bummed about wear and punctures.  I gave my o.e. tires an 8.50 average numerical score (out of a possible 10) in the "pick a number" multi-category rating section, and consider myself a hard grader.  His numerical score was 5.82.  You can find lots of 9+'s; it's hard to find a score lower than the low 5's.

San Francisco has more hills, and maybe more road hazards than my neighborhood.  But both cars are front-drivers from the same manufacturer.  He self-reports as a non-aggressive driver.  Could his tires really be worn 41% faster to a similar tread depth?  If they are, wouldn't he have an alignment issue?

This is just a snapshot of what I found again and again in the customer reviews.  Other things to ponder:  Who buys a performance-oriented car and expects to get 50-60,000 miles out of his high- performance tires?  Especially if he self-reports as a "spirited" driver?  How can the same tire be fine in monsoons for one driver but aquaplane "worst I've driven" for another?

The reviews are entertaining.  But the reader comes away asking "Are you guys talking about the same tire?"  You are much better off, in my opinion, comparing UTQG grades (even across manufacturers and between "summer only" and all-season, which Tire Rack cautions against), tread patterns, and weights, than in putting much stock in customer reviews.