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Review 5 of 26
Price Paid:
$48.00
from Sam's Club Year / Model Reviewed:
2004 Advantage Plus - 205/70/15 Strengths:
Extremely good in the snow, both handling and braking. Very good wet and dry breaking. Grips as well on dry, better on snow or wet roads than my original Michelin XG4's that came with my Subaru Outback. Extremely good value. Weaknesses:
None, except its looks are as plain as a tire can get (but on a station wagon, who cares?) Summary:
Excellent in snow, outstanding value. This tire is sold exclusively through Sam's Club. I called BF Goodrich's tech support line to ask about it and the rep told me it's a Control TA M80, with a different name on the sidewall and a lesser warranty (65,000 mi. vs. 80,000 on the M80). Control TA M80's are very highly reviewed both on this website and on tirerack.com's reviews section, which is another good internet resource for tire research.
I paid $47.99 per tire at Sam's Club for a 205/70/15, which totalled $244 out the door for four tires, tax and mounting (includes unlimited free balancing and rotating at any Sam's Club in the country) - one heck of a good deal. I easily saved $100 on this set of tires.
My original Michelins (I believe they are the XG4 model - they were standard on my Subaru Outback) would have cost well over $100 a tire to replace, not counting tax or mounting. These Advantage Plus tires are not quite as smooth as the Michelins over large bumps, are probably just as smooth over regular road surfaces (too many reviewers forget that new tires will always ride a bit more rough than old, bald tires), handle just as well on dry roads and are substantially better than the Michelins at both handling and braking on wet roads and on snow. I drove through a blizzard here in Wisconsin two weeks ago and have never felt safer with any tire, the handling was so good in the snow.
I was giving some thought to getting a more performance-oriented touring tire, but I'm very glad I did not. On my old BMW, the tires made a very substantial difference in how the car performed and the extra $$ I spent on Yokohama and Bridgestone performance tires was well worth it, compared with a cheaper, inferior set of BF Goodrich Touring TA's I bought. With my Outback wagon, I doubt there would be much difference between the Advantage Plus and a more expensive, performance tire in dry handling and probably the Advantage Plus would have a big advantage in wet or snowy conditions. Going around corners at speed in the Advantage Pluses leaves me feeling secure and confident. I was also considering the Yokohama Avid Touring, which is supposed to be an outstanding tire and outstanding value (although probably $15/tire more expensive, altogether), and I was having some second thoughts on the BF Goodriches until I started driving them. Absolutely no regrets.
I hope it's as durable as the warranty would suggest. I cannot comment on this issue, given that I've only put 2,000 miles on my Advantage Pluses, but otherwise, I very highly recommend this tire. Similar Products Used:
Michelin XG-4
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