Goodyear - Viva2 Tires Review

My 1995 Subaru Legacy wagon needed a new set of tires and I may not have this car much longer, so I wanted something reasonably priced. The old tires on this car were a low-end performance model that were a bit sporty if I pushed them. These old tires had a performance rating of "H," which I consider to be the lowest of the true performance ratings for tires.

When I started looking, tires that fit the Legacy (185-70/14) were no longer available with an H-rating -- only T-rated and S-rated tires were available in my car's size and these are not what I consider to be performance tires. T- and S-rated tires are ordinary passenger car tires. I ended up buying Goodyear Viva2 tires, as they were cheap ($55 each) and readily available. I got them at a Wal-Mart auto center and they have a "T" performance rating. Although "T" is higher in the alphabet, H-rated tires are built to significantly higher performance standards than T-rated tires are.

The Goodyear Viva2 has a pretty agressive-looking tread that I hope will be decent in the snow. I expected that such an agressive-looking tread would make some noise on the pavement and I do get a little humming from the tires, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. The Viva2 is fine in the rain and on dry pavement, and I have not yet experienced any traction problems. I did once have to do an emergency swerve and the car handled very sloppily, much worse than with the old H-rated tires. In fact, it was downright scary for a moment, as the tail of the car wagged crazily. I checked the tire pressure and it was a little low at 26 pounds per square inch (PSI). I pumped them up to 33 psi and the tires are better, but still a little loose feeling.

The Viva2 tires have more flexible sidewalls than the old H-rated tires --handling in general is a little sloppier but it's hard to feel in routine driving. As soon as I push the car with the Viva2s, I can feel that the tires are not as stiff as the old H-rated tires were. However, I can't cry over this particular spilled milk, as H-rated tires are no longer available in a size that fits my car.

The bottom line is that the Goodyear Viva2 is a competent tire that is fine in normal driving conditions. They make a little noise but not too bad, and they produce a comfortable ride. They are also inexpensive. However, they are not sharp-handling tires and are generally not inspiring. The Goodyear Viva2 is an average passenger car tire.

July 2, 2008 Update:

I now have 10,000 miles on these tires and they are doing fine. There is plenty of tread and the tires still have good grip and comfort. They still feel a bit loose compared with a performance tire but that is to be expected. However, after 10,000 miles, I have no regrets with the Viva2 tire.