Nobody wants to have good tires more than car owners. It is an important vehicle part because it primarily enhances movement from one location to another.
With several tire brands on the market today, it is almost impossible to choose one. However, Goodyear tires and Continental tires are two of the world’s largest manufacturers and have been competitors for years.
The aim of this article is to differentiate between the two manufacturers, i.e., continental vs Goodyear tires.
Continental Tires
Continental tires are a German company that produces incredible automotive parts, such as car tyres. It is also called “Conti,” and was founded in 1871.
At the time of inception, this tire company released tires made of rubber; however, in 1898, it started manufacturing plain tread tires. By 1904, Conti had produced a wide range of tires and held the record of being the only brand to make grooved tires.
Currently, Continental is remarkably known to be the 4th largest tire company in the world today. It is a global brand with thousands of products on the market today.
This tire company owned by Schaeffler Group (Continental AG) has its headquarters in Hanover, Germany but its production plant is in Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA.
Goodyear Tires
Goodyear is also one of the world’s leading tire manufacturers. It started out by being called “The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company,” as it was named after the engineer and founder, Charles Goodyear.
Goodyear had its first factory established in Akron, Ohio, in 1898. This US tire company first produced rubber tires for bicycles, carriages; however, in 1901, it started making racing tires which were spearheaded by Frank Seiberling, the co-founder.
This tire brand’s biggest achievement is to have been the most successful supplier of Formula One’s tires. Over 2 decades ago, it was said to have won over 350 races for Formula One.
Currently, this company has several branches in different countries of the world (over 21), with 17 facilities in the USA only.
Goodyear and Continental tires are incredible tire manufacturers in the world today, and it is only important that great things be said about them. Both tire brands share certain qualities even as they are competitors.
First, the two tire companies are top brands in the world known to make durable tires that can survive different seasons and terrains.
The tire construction of each brand is incredible, as they spend money on rigorous testing, research, and development to manufacture quality tires for road use.
Also, both companies adopt innovative technologies to aid the working performance of their tires.
For instance, Continental utilizes ContiSense technology, Run-Flat technology, ContiAdapt technology, EcoPlus technology, and Anti-Vibration technology.
On the other hand, Goodyear integrates Air Maintenance technology, RunFlat technology, 3D-BIS technology, and Electric Drive Technology.
Additionally, they belong to the group of the best affordable tire companies like Michelin tires and Discount tire.
Although their prices range depending on the tire model and the technology integrated, it doesn’t change the fact that either brand has affordable tires for road use.
What Tires Models Continental Is Known For?
Having discussed a brief history of Continental Tires, it is only right to introduce some of the brand’s best tires. See below.
Continental CrossContact LX20
CrossContact LX20 is one of this manufacturer’s best products designed eco-friendly for crossovers, SUVs, and light-duty pickups.
The tire gives the best performance considering benefits such as fuel efficiency, and durability.
This tire model comes with Continental’s ecoplus technology to enhance a smooth ride.
It is constructed with an all-season tread compound that makes it safe to use on all kinds of roads, including slippery ones.
Continental CrossContact LX20 tire’s tread has a symmetric design and comes with notched outboard shoulders and other features such as independent intermediate tread blocks and continuous center ribs.
With these features, a car can maintain a unique level of straight-line stability, and gain a good on-road steering response.
Other features packed into this tyre include four circumferential grooves to enhance wet traction, even in light snow, as well as reinforced twin steel belts for a comfortable ride.
Continental ExtremeContact Sport
Another popular tire model from this manufacturer is the ExtremeContact Sport. It is often called the Max Performance Summer tire, and is designed solely for sports cars, sedans, and luxury vehicles.
This tire performs incredibly well on dry and wet roads because of its special SportPlus technology. It also delivers the best precise handling and ensures all-season use.
Continental ExtremeContact Sport has a patented Silane tread compound that levels to its durable and active performance.
The internal structure also has a polyester and two-ply construction for road comfort. The work of the casing ply is to handle two high-tensile steel belts for high-speed capability.
Furthermore, it has an outside shoulder that comes with wide tread blocks enhancing the lateral grip and improving high-speed handling.
There are also deep circumferential grooves that prevent hydroplaning risks.
Continental ContiProContact Radial Tire
One of the best all-season tires from Continental tires is the ContiProContact Radial. This grand touring all-season tire was designed to be suitable for all kinds of domestic cars.
It is packed with all-season versatility and PROactive Edge technology providing wet traction and delivering responsive handling, low noise for road comfort.
Continental ContiProContact has an advanced tread compound molded into a symmetric design to improve steering response. It also has an internal structure that comes with twin steel belts for uniformity and top speed durability.
Furthermore, it comes with low resistance technology depending on tire size.
Other top Continental tires are Continental Truecontact, PureContact LS, Terrain Contact H/T, and VikingContact 7.
What Tires Models Goodyear Is Known For?
Goodyear has some incredible options for car enthusiasts. They are:
Goodyear Eagle RS-A Radial Tire
One of the best tires from Goodyear is the Eagle RS-A Radial. It is a high-performance all-season tire mainly used as Original Equipment (O.E.) for sports coupes, sedans, and many law enforcement vehicles.
This tire, also acting as a replacement tire, has all-season traction. It is even deemed suitable in light snow.
Goodyear Eagle RS-A Tire has a high-performance tread compound with an asymmetric tread pattern to improve dry and wet traction.
It also has an outer shoulder consisting of tread blocks and wide lateral grooves to improve steering performance/response, and cornering grip.
Additionally, this all-season tire has four circumferential grooves with lateral grooves to reduce the risk of hydroplaning, and two nylon-reinforced steel belts for durability.
Goodyear Unisteel G614 RST Radial Tire
Another fantastic option from Goodyear is the Unisteel G614 RST Radial. It is a durable choice considering its entire construction and body features.
This sturdy tire is designed solely for trailers, light trucks, and RVs. It is also an all-season tire that would get through various weather conditions smoothly.
Goodyear Unisteel G614 RST has a shallow tread design that provides even wear and makes sure the running temperature is minimized to improve performance and fuel efficiency.
This tire also has rib edge sipes to improve traction, and lateral grooves to get through wet roads with the risk of hydroplaning.
Furthermore, rib stability is enhanced in this tire with the help of its unique rounded shoulders. Overall, re-treadability is a thing with this tire model.
Goodyear Endurance
Goodyear Endurance is one of the special tires by the company because it was designed primarily for purpose trailers – it cannot be used on light trucks or cars.
It is self-descriptive, i.e., can get through any condition. Hence, it is an all-terrain tire with tough body construction and features.
This special-purpose trailer tire has a rounded profile with a symmetric tread design and closely spaced ribs to improve performance, even with highway speeds.
It also has long-lasting wear and an internal structure consisting of twin steel belts and a two-ply nylon reinforcement for tread stability, improved traction, and durability.
One more unique feature of this tire is the molded scuff guard in the sidewall for extra durability.
Other incredible Goodyear tires are Goodyear Assurance ComforTred & MaxLife, Wrangler RS-A, and Fortera SL.
Design Features and Technologies – Features face to face
While these two tire manufacturers show how incredible they can be with their products, it is only important to differentiate them using certain factors.
Below are design features, and technologies that set each tire brand apart.
Quality
Before buying continental tires or Goodyear tires, one of the things you will need to consider is quality. The importance of quality cannot be overemphasized – it is a factor that determines usability.
Without a doubt, both brands produce quality tires but at some point, one supersedes the other, depending on the features and technology integrated.
From everything listed in the production of these tires, and the modern technologies available, Goodyear wins.
Continental tires are not any less but if you want something with better quality and outstanding usability, Goodyear is the right choice to go for.
Besides, Goodyear has different tires suitable for different kinds of cars – there are summer and winter tires for passenger vehicles, light trucks, trailers, sedans, coupes, etc.
Who’s More Durable
One of the many factors considered when choosing tires from top companies like Goodyear, Continental, Michelin tires, Discount tire, etc., is Durability.
No car owner wants a tire that they cannot use for a long time. More so, the purpose of patronizing top tire brands is because they believe their products last longer.
Well, when it comes to durability between these two brands, only one shows better levels – Goodyear.
This brand constructs its tires with an advanced tread compound that will make them suitable for dry and wet conditions.
Although both tire brands equally have all-season tires, Goodyear stays outstanding in producing the best summer or winter tires.
Most Affordable
Truthfully, the two brands belong to the industry’s most successful tire companies, but what makes them more incredible is that they make their tires affordable.
Goodyear and Continental tires have been in the industry for a long, and their shared goal is to provide affordable tires for car owners. So far, they’ve lived up to that expectation.
Although, different tire models suggest whether Goodyear is above the Continental in price or vice-versa. Thus, it is a bit difficult to compare using this factor.
However, one brand supersedes the other when it comes to affordability – Continental.
The average price of a continental tire is $70, while for a Goodyear tire, it is $115.
Ride Comfort/Road Noise
When it comes to riding comfort or quiet ride, one brand always takes the lead because of the integrated technology in the tire’s design.
That brand is Continental. It often comes with anti-vibration and other technology that reduce road noise when driving.
Goodyear, on the other hand, doesn’t state out its noise-canceling technology, but to a point, it finds a way to reduce noise and ensure a comfortable ride.
Handling
Every car’s handling performance is a measure or quality of how responsive the vehicle/tire is on the demands of a car owner. It could be when accelerating, braking, or steering.
Wide tires have an excellent grip, making them suitable for dry roads; narrow tires have a decent grip, making them suitable for wet roads.
Continental tires are wide, which means they have better handling on dry roads compared to Goodyear’s which are narrow but suitable for extreme conditions.
Tread life
Whether all-season tires or not, tread life is an important factor that determines the performance of a tire on a road surface over a period.
Tread life is defined as the expected time of wear. For instance, a tire with a treadwear of 300 means it will wear three times before disuse.
However, while checking out the tread life of a tire, tread depth is another important factor to consider in tire selection. It is the vertical measurement of a tire’s tread pattern, i.e., from where the rubber’s top to its bottom, even with deep grooves.
Most grooved tires have great tread depth, which automatically means good tread life.
From the comparison, Continental Tires manufactures tires with better tread life and excellent all-season traction than Goodyear tires with mainly winter traction.
Tire Warranty Cover
Apart from considering tread pattern and tread life, tire tread warranty is another factor that distinguishes the two brands. It is the quality that determines how long a driver can use a tire on the road.
Most new tires have a tire warranty between 70,000 to 90,000 mileage.
However, on average, a Continental tire has 60K mileage with a Road Hazard warranty, while Goodyear has 50K mileage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Goodyear better than Continental?
Goodyear and Continental are two brands that have always been at loggerheads when it comes to manufacturing the best tires for road use.
The truth is: the decision on which is better is always dependent on a car owner.
Goodyear may be able to provide exactly what you are looking for, while Continent may not, or vice-versa.
Conclusion
Are you looking for new tires for your family cars, SUVs, light trucks, or sedans and you are confused on who to choose between Goodyear and Continental?
This article has done so much to provide you with information about the two brands.
Also, this article is a review of different tire models from the two tire brands and their performance on varying road conditions. Choose what you think fits directly into what you are looking for from this list.
Remember, the decision on which is the best brand depends on you.
Tire Forge