Full review
This article reviews the Goodyear WinterCommand, designed to help you decide if these tires are for your vehicle.
We have researched Goodyear’s manufacturer specs and taken a deeper look at how the Goodyear WinterCommand performed in a variety of tests. We also looked at customer reviews to compile a full-spectrum look at the tire’s capabilities.
Don’t have time to read everything? Here’s a quick summary of our review as well as pros & cons listed.
To learn more about how we reached our conclusion, please read the rest of the article as we break down the Goodyear WinterCommand into three categories:
- Overview
- Performance Breakdown
- Recommendations & Conclusions
Now strap yourself in as we take a look at the Goodyear WinterCommand to decide if it’s the right tire for you.
Goodyear WinterCommand Overview
The Goodyear WinterCommand is a studded snow tire designed for safe driving in winter conditions for your family van, sedan, or crossover. The tire was designed with high performance in the snow and ice in low temperatures in mind.
The WinterCommand is an averagely-priced tire for this category.
Goodyear has a reputation as the lead tire manufacturer in the United States due to durability, variety of tire options, and positive customer review—the WinterCommand tire backs that reputation.
The tires are also sold in sets of four, which is typical of the snow tire class. The reason that snow tires are sold in fours is that the snow treads need to be equivalent to function properly at their highest level.
Goodyear WinterCommand Performance Breakdown
Now, let’s dive into a comprehensive breakdown of the Goodyear WinterCommand to evaluate these tires based on their performance, noise, durability, and price.
Performance
The Goodyear WinterCommand offers impressive performance in wet or dry conditions and its specialty, freezing temperatures.
Wet
According to TireRack.com, the WinterCommand held its own in wet conditions for a winter tire. Goodyear molded the tire compound into a directional tread pattern which includes deep circumferential grooves, wide lateral notches, and open shoulder slots to help channel slush and standing water away from the traction points of the tire.
Though it is important to note that these tires are not designed for wet conditions and customers reported that in those wet conditions, the tires were less responsive than they would be in the ice and snow.
Dry
The Goodyear WinterCommand also holds up in dry conditions for a winter tire. The tire’s “winter-focused” compound was designed with flexibility in mind, including moving from ice to dry pavement.
Some customers reported that the tires were impressive in dry, even at highway speeds, though the noise became a factor in these environments.
Snow
This is where the WinterCommand shines from light to deep snow traction, and on ice, the WinterCommand can hold its own in winter environments.
The WinterCommands molds include TSMI #12 silver-colored metallic winter studs, which means they are designed for maximum grip in the ice and snow, even at low temperatures.
The tire directional tread pattern features deep circumferential grooves, wide lateral notches, and open shoulder slots to pass slush from the traction points. The high sipes density pattern utilizes full-depth, zigzag sipes to utilize thousands of biting edges for max traction in snow and ice.
The Goodyear WinterCommand tires are branded with the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol. This is because they meet the industry’s standards for severe snow. The (3PMSF) symbol signifies that the tires have been tested thoroughly in snowy and icy conditions for acceleration and traction.
Snow tires also need to be equivalent in all four positions to work, so these tires come in sets of four only.
User reviews confirm that these tires perform as intended in Winter conditions.
Handling
The handling of the Goodyear WinterCommand is what it’s all about. The manufacturer designed every element of the tire for winter condition handling.
From the specialized, winter-focused compound designed to maintain flexibility to increase confident traction, to the directional tread pattern with deep circumferential grooves, wide lateral notches, and open shoulder slots to keep snow, water, and slush away from the tires traction points.
Customer satisfaction with the WinterCommand’s handling was high, and in many cases, the users felt a lot of trust in the tires handling abilities.
Noise and comfort
Noise
For a snow tire, the Goodyear WinterCommand produces an average amount of noise. In general, it is important to note that snow tires are louder than your average all-season or summer tires on dry roads, which is the case for the WinterCommand as well.
User reviews reflected these sentiments.
Comfort
The WinterCommand performed well in ride quality also.
The tire’s internal structure is fastened with twin steel belts on top of a polyester casing to combine strength with ride quality.
Customer reviews described a smooth transition from snow to dry road, despite the noise difference.
Durability
The Goodyear WinterCommand comes with a 6-year limited warranty, which is high by winter tire standards.
Users reviewed that the WinterCommand lasted as long as expected, and there were no reports of the tires expiring prematurely.
Price
The price point on the Goodyear WinterCommand is average but performs as a top-quality snow tire without having to pay top-dollar. and with its ratings and reviewed performance, there aren’t many options to compete.
As well, the durability of the tires is sufficient and long-lasting for a snow tire’s sticker price.
Recommendations & Conclusions
Recommendations
Overall, the Goodyear WinterCommand is a very good snow tire that we highly recommend. For its price, performance, longevity, and user recommendations, we don’t think there’s a better tire on the market for your van, sedan, or crossover without paying more.
If there are any variables about the WinterCommand that you are not convinced by, we recommend looking at any of these competitor models from the same class:
- Continental WinterContact TS 870
- Dunlop Winter Response 2
- Yokohama BluEarth Winter V905
- Vredestein Wintrac Pro
- Toyo Snowprox S954
- Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
- Uniroyal MS+ 77
- BFGoodrich gForce Winter 2
It is also important to note that the WinterCommand has since been replaced by the WinterCommand Ultra, which offers improved braking and performance modifications from the original WinterCommand. The WinterCommand ultra also decreased tire noise.
Conclusions
Based on the research of performance data and user reviews, we believe that the Goodyear WinterCommand is a suitable snow and winter tire for the market.
There are cheaper or similarly priced options that are good (as mentioned above), but for its fantastic grip, solid drive quality, and unmatched comfort, the WinterCommand is a tire we think you’ll be happy and feel safe with.
Its shortcomings are few, with noise increasing on dry roads as the tire ages. But take into account that this tire is designed for snow, and will typically last you longer than a set of all-season tires. We hope you enjoyed this review of the Goodyear WinterCommand and happy driving.
References