Just installed some on the females Mazda 3. I'm a big fan of the tires so far.

 

I have a set of HRi's on the wifes MPV (215/60R16), They have almost 30K miles on them and a little stiffer than the Dunlop's they replaced. But not noisey. Guess it goes back to the car they are installed on. I have just about hit the half way mark on the tread. Been very happy with them for the most part.




I've got about 3K miles on the GT's (225/45R18) and they are excellent in dry and wet. I only had them in a small amount of snow and had no problems with them. They are a stiff tire, so if you are looking for a comfort tire, these are probably not for you.

 

How big of a difference in MPG's do you think the Assurance Fuel Max tires would make? 1-2 mpg maybe?

 

I agree with you that some cars magnify road noise more than others. I'm not sure if it was fixed in later models of the HHR but in my 2006 2LT, I have noticed that the engine bay amplifies road noise and due to little or no factory sound deadening on the firewall, it transfers into the cabin quite easily. Since the front wheel wells are right next to the engine bay (with a plastic cowling between the tires and the engine) it makes sense that any slight increase in road noise could be amplified by the engine bay.

 

I just replaced the Tripletreads on the wifes '07 today. The only complaint she had was the noise. They worked well in rain and snow for 56,000 miles. I went with Michelin Primacy MXMV's in an "H" rating for a few reasons; They are cheaper, quieter and less "stiff". The last point is important because when they took off the Goodyears they noticed that three of the rims were bent and one of them was cracked, all but one had the damage on the inboard portion of the rim so it wasn't from curbs. It kind of sucked having to buy a new set of cheapo rims when I really liked the stock "Black Chrome" ones.
The dealer actually had a set in stock for $572 a piece.
I've never had a set of Michelins, but I've heard good things.

Adam

 

If you take the wheel well apart, you'll see that there is insulation/sound deadener between the wheel well and engine bay.

 

It's been a year since I put a set of Goodyear Assurance TripleTreds on our HHR. In that time, we've driven the truck about 16,500 miles. I rotated the tires once, at about 10,000 miles into the test. Most of the time, I run them as 28-psi cold in the front and 26-psi cold in the rear. If I'm carrying a heavier load or intend to drive the truck hard, I bump those by 4-psi.

So far, the best feature of these tires is tread life. The TripleTreds show only modest wear at the 16,500 mile mark. Given rotation every 10,000 miles and only occasional performance driving, I won't be surprised if they go 60,000 miles. Anecdotal accounts on this thread and elsewhere on the Internet seem to indicate that tread life in the mid-50,000-mile range, for tires on vehicles with suspension and steering in good condition and driven normally, is not uncommon.

As for tire noise, I think The Assurance "3Ts" are incrementally more quiet than the Goodyear Eagle F1 ASes I took off but, I agree with "harleysshhr" that greatly affecting road noise inside HHRs are GM's choices in acoustic insulation. Actual tire noise is less of a concern.

In wet weather, the TripleTreds really work well. Since I put the tires on a year ago, I've driven the truck in several heavy rainstorms. Goodyear's so-called "Aquachannels" make this tire safer in the wet than some of its down-market, lower-pried competitors. Now, you can't go speeding through inch-deep water without hydroplaning, but the depth of water you might find on most highways during a rainstorm is much safer proposition with these tires. TripleTreds channel water away from the contact patch preserving steering and braking control. The "Ice Zone" with it's special pumice-and-glass-fiber-enhanced tread compound helps with grip on slushy and icy roads. For more on Aquachannels and Ice Zones see the first post in this thread.

As for dry traction, considering it's a premium broad-market replacement tire, the Assurance TripleTred does quite well when driven to the limit on dry roads as long as you up the pressure a bit. Its handling is a step above the tires most people put on HHRs and it's a quantum leap beyond the Firestones which come on HHRs with 17" wheels. At the limit, the tire is fairly predictable and its response to steering input is darn good–in reality, it may be better than I think because some of this tire's at-limit feel has to be affected by the truck's somewhat "numb" electric power steering. In comparison to ultra-performance tires, such as the Eagle F1 AS which I had on the car before, the TripleTred gives away a tiny bit of performance at the limit as a compromise for better tread life and lower cost.

Would I put another set of Goodyear Assurance TripleTreds on this car? Well...if it were only mine, probably not. I prefer to drive performance tires and I'd go back to the Goodyear Eagle F1 AS. I'd probably also lower the car a bit and put on some better springs and shocks, too.

That said, it's my Wife, The Fairest Sandra the Red, who drives our HHR most of the time. She commutes to work and uses it around town. Occasionally, it's called upon to carry a load, either a trip to Lowes to pick-up home improvement or garden products or the two of us taking our Son and Sandy's elderly parents, who no longer can drive, out for dinner. For that kind of duty, the Goodyear Assurance TripleTred has proven an excellent choice which I would make again.

 

I've run these tires on several vehicles I've owned. 60K is average, and they are one of the 2 best handling tires I've ever owned. The other is the Michelin Hydro Edge @ $135 each + shipping ( 215/55/16) from The Tire Rack. Do your self a favor and try either of these tires. You will never go back to any other brand.

 

I hav e been getting around 50,000 miles of hard driving on the Goodyears on my GTP. They do everything very well.

To be fair you should not compare them to a Eagle. THey are not performance tires and Goodyear makes no claim. That is why they so not call them Eagles. But that aside they do perform as Touring Tires where they do everything well. With true performance they may handle better but often at the price of noise, ride or both.

I will buy these again the next time I replace my winter tires for the HHR. But for Summer I will opt for the Eagle GT's. For the money they are the bargin perfornce tire out there. I may even 86 the Pilots early as I really hate them.

The Assurance will be replaced with a updated tire Goodyear is now working on. Watch for it in the future. They will take this already good tire to the next level.

 

Hib, good luck with those TripleTreads tires!!!! I consider myself a rather relaxed driver and I only got 37,000 miles out of a supposedly 80,000 mile tire. Recently I had to get them replaced because the edges were feathering and causing excessive noise. Contacted Goodyear and took my HHR to the local Goodyear dealer. Was told my tires only had about 4/32 tread left and needed replaced. Dealer had stated that he was not impressed with the TripleTread either and would have suggested a different tire to start with. I wish you better luck with your set of TripleTreads. I might have gotten a bum set, don't know - my set was made around the time Goodyear employees were on strike. I will say this about the tire - they started off great and I really liked them. But put enough miles on them and you will think twice about them.