Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 Reviews - Page 2

Given 78% while driving a SEAT Exeo ST (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 49,000 easy going miles
I bought these tyres after watching a test by Tyre Reviews, to replace both my previous winter and summer set ups so I don't need to change and store wheels, and they have not disappointed. To me they feel like a winter tyre that has been adapted to work in summer, with a slightly soft, but comfortable and quiet feel in the dry. In the wet they gave me plenty of confidence that I had enough grip, even when worn, and resisted aquaplaning well in downpours. I was most surprised with their performance in the snow however, which was nearly on par with my old winter Nokians in deep snow, which was highlighted as I easily drove around a stuck Insignia estate (similar type of car to my Exeo ST, and yes I did help push!) in a snowy carpark in the Cairngorms, more importantly braking was predictable in snow / slush conditions. I had the tyres on the car for approx. 49,000 miles, and they still had 3mm tread left when I changed them due to slight vibration / possible slow puncture / leaking valve. I was so impressed with the Vector 4Season Gen 2, that I went for the 4Season Gen 3 as their replacement.
Helpful 28 - tyre reviewed on January 25, 2021
Given 78% while driving a Ford Mondeo MK4 2.0L TCDI (140) Zetec Estate (215/55 R16 V) on mostly motorways for 35,000 easy going miles
Dry grip- As my previous review during the summer they aren't that great at high speed driving and cornering. However, during the winter they are fantastic. Steering is still numb but better the colder it gets. Braking seems good again the colder the better it seems to be. Wet grip- Same as above really still great at roughly 5.5 mm but still feel confident in driving with these in heavy rain. Road feedback and handling- Already covered above. Wear- They have been on the fronts now for 7000 miles after having 30,000 on the rear. So good going for a tyre. Comfort- Really good but as they are a winter oriented winter tyre you would expect the softer compound and the sidewalls and tread can be squeezed easily by hand. Buy again- For winter use only yes but I would look at the Cross Climate Plus or Vredestien symmetrical A/S tyre before going for these or the Gen 3 that have come out. Snow grip- Always been really good but recently in the UK we had a lot of snow fall and at roughly 5.5 mm left they griped really well. Cannot fault them. Ice grip- Not as good as snow grip but they can get going but do slip a little if more on polished ice but good enough otherwise you would need studded tyres or chains if it is that bad.
Helpful 19 - tyre reviewed on January 16, 2021
Given 81% while driving a Mazda 3 1.6 Takuya (205/50 R17 V) on a combination of roads for 8,000 easy going miles
If this was a one word review, that word would be "Comfortable". As a year round commuting tyre they are great, low noise, decent rolling resistance and drama free. The slight softness of the tyre also means they round off small imperfections and rough surfaces. Main downsides would be the previously mentioned softness gives small issues on warmer days (25 degrees + especially). So if you're someone who enjoys back road blasting in the summer, get something else you will be disappointed with the lack of absolute feedback and slight wooly feeling these tyres provide. Also they don't like suddenly heavy braking on hot days either, quite likely you'll activate ABS. However summer wet weather handling is very good, the deep grooves for snow mean aquaplaning isn't really a thing and braking is good. Provide extremely stable performance in extreme weather. Moving to cold weather more of the same, stable drama free performance. Travelled round on frosty mornings with ice before dawn with no scrabbling for grip or issues at all which the summer tyres I had (Also Goodyear but EfficientGrip Performance) used to. Only really travelled in my street on snow..so can't give full write up though I've been stuck in my street on summer tyres and again it just moved without drama. If you just want to get from point A to B, year round without drama they are a great tyre.
Helpful 27 - tyre reviewed on August 23, 2020
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Given 84% while driving a Ford Mondeo MK4 2.0L TCDI (140) Zetec Estate (215/55 R16 V) on mostly motorways for 30 easy going miles
I found the tyres to be excellent in dry and wet handling when temperatures were below 5 degrees c. They are fantastic. Snow grip is great and not tested on ice. However, they are winter all seasons because once the temperature starts to go upwards of 20+degrees C they handling poorly especially at speed. Dry braking is worse and it understeers quite easily. I’d recommend this tyre for winter use but too much of a compromise for summer for me. It’s ok for city driving at low speeds but highway speeds or twisty roads during the summer you’d be better of with either summer tyres or a more summer focuses all season. If you use this as a winter tyre that you put on in October and take off in Easter then I can happily recommend it for the colder months. Comfort wise they are really good but that’s because of the softer compound. My cars suspension is comfortable anyway but you do get the boaty feeling more as the temperature increases. Noise wise very little road noise in my car. Not much more to say on that. Wear front set that were on the back are around 30,000 miles with rotation and are down to 3mm. That includes a summer runs as well. So not bad for price paid. Snow and ice. Snow is very good. It gets you home and can cope with a sizeable amount as per German magazine ratings. Ice, I’ve not tested on so cannot comment on that.
Helpful 22 - tyre reviewed on July 7, 2020
Given 76% while driving a Land Rover Freelander 2 (225/45 R17 V) on a combination of roads for 11,000 average miles
Replaced Goodyear All Weather factory fit. Now at11k miles in.
These tyres are very good indeed. Planted, secure, quiet. Can handle the weight near 2 tons and 233hp. Very good in the wet. Good on snow in the mountains. Not bad on ice either. Not a racer but even in 40+ degrees in Southern Spain drives well enough for me. So if you have a car over 1.5 tons and horse power over 150+ and you drive in the wet /cold conditions occasionally snow perhaps worthwhile considering. Wear ? Seems good despite the soft mix and heavy load.
Helpful 25 - tyre reviewed on December 31, 2019
Given 89% while driving a SEAT ALhambra TDi (225/50 R17) on a combination of roads for 4,000 average miles
Extremely positive experience in colder weather dry-wet normal driving and huge grip on snow, even deep snow in UK (north of Scotland and South of England). Huge confidence in the tyre. And far, far more confident grip and handling during winter. Still better in warm weather to flip back to summer tyres given braking and handling trade-offs once above 20 DegC. Love these tyres, strongly recommend ...
Helpful 36 - tyre reviewed on November 22, 2019
Given 68% while driving a Renault Laguna Phase II (205/55 R16 V) on mostly country roads for 5,000 average miles
These replaced Bridgestone A001's on my car,they do nothing as well as the discontinued Bridgestones did,they aquaplane badly and understeer a lot earlier than the bridges did.I won't be buying again.
Helpful 35 - tyre reviewed on October 4, 2019
Given 77% while driving a Mercedes Benz A180 CDI W176 (205/55 R16 V) on a combination of roads for 13,750 spirited miles
I am living in Athens Greece, and I am using these tyres on a set of wheels for the winter only.

I switch wheels from Summer to All Season in December and back to summers in April, so I am using the Vectors for four months a year, driving an average of 11.000 km during this period.

Temperatures usually run from 6 to 20 degrees Celsius these months in Athens, and I would not consider switching if I didn't have to drive to our winter house in the northern mountains a coupe of times each winter.

During these trips, the temperature in my destination goes down to minus fifteen degrees in extreme cases, but certainly stays below zero most of the time, definitely with snow , but even ice in seldom cases.

So, after being struck on the road on my summer tyres and messing with chains twice, I decided to get me a set of used wheels and fit these All Seasons in the winter so i don't get stuck again :-)

Winter tyres are probably an overkill and I would be complaining most of the time driving them in dry conditions.

Now, the Vectors are very good tyres. Much better than my summer tyres in temperatures below 5 degrees, both in braking and in handling.

On normal snow they are brilliant.

Ice, I have ran across only once, but driving conservatively I had no problem covering a distance of about 5 kilometres with no hiccups.

On dry, they are safe tyres but no match for my summer tyres (Goodyear Performance or Toyo CF2).

Especially when temperatures rise above the mid 20s, they don't drive too well and I need to slow down.

I will probably try the Michelin Cross Climate next time, just for the sake of comparison between Michelin and Goodyear.
Helpful 26 - tyre reviewed on September 17, 2019
Given 70% while driving a Renault Megane II 1.4 16V 98hp (175/65 R14 T) on a combination of roads for 8,000 average miles
Excellent balance between comfort and safety in all kind of weathers, all of it for a reasonable price.
They are very forgiving and give you plenty of margin once they started to squeal.
Thanks to their decent feedback, you can smoothly regain control once you've exceeded their capabilities.
They are quiet and smooth on the highway, but I am not sure how sturdy they are and if they could survive going through many potholes.

The two slight drawbacks are the bad lateral grip on ice or packed snow and the "floaty" feeling that comes with a not-so-good dry lateral grip when the tires are hot.

Compared to worn-out Michelin Alpin 4, they are much better in the rain/snow/ice, but have slightly less lateral grip on the dry.
Compared to Norauto Prevensys, they are better and safer in every aspect (and they don't brutally give-up with no warning), so don't cheap-out.
Helpful 28 - tyre reviewed on March 24, 2019
Given 86% while driving a Volkswagen Golf R estate (225/40 R18) on a combination of roads for 2,000 spirited miles
The tread is a little too soft to push hard in the dry and they complain a lot when pushing on dry round-a-bouts. But they have a lot of grip in the cold and wet! Standing water doesn't upset the balance - although this could be a result of 4motion doing its thing. I get a bit of 4-wheel drift on greasy (salted) bends if I'm pushing on, but they let you know what's happening at all times and breakaway is gradual, so no surprises. Great tyre, well suited for the relatively mild winter climate I live in.
Helpful 23 - tyre reviewed on December 16, 2018
Given 87% while driving a Suzuki Ignis 1.5 GLX VVT 4Grip (185/60 R15 H) on mostly country roads for 12,000 average miles
On my second set of Goodyear Vector 4 Season Gen 2 - previously had them on a Subaru Legacy Tourer. Found them to be great all-rounders so have got them now on a Suzuki Ignis 4Grip.

These tyres were excellent in the snow we had early in 2018 - obviously Subaru AWD cars are well-suited to snow but with these tyres it was invincible. I was using lanes that only snow ploughs could use and I was able to stop and start on compacted snow/icy hills without any issues.

Sadly my Subaru went to diesel Hell (expensive on-going DPF/EGR issues) and I'm relegated to the Ignis - so I'm hoping the same Goodyear tyres will help it punch above its weight in any snow as I have to care for my elderly parents in a hilly area.

First impressions - the steering in the dry is much lighter. (The Michelin Energy ones made it heavy). This might explain the comment others have made about "floaty" steering. On my Subaru it was the same - with Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 - I couldn't easily sense what the wheels were doing on the snow/ice. However, if you know how to drive on snow, it's not a problem.

They seem to wear well and although you can hear it's a grippier tyre, this isn't annoyingly loud - perhaps it sounds "meatier".

I'll keep buying these until Goodyear comes up with a new version. (Kwik Fit often offers discounts of 20% when ordered online so a set of 4 cost me £258 all in.)

Helpful 28 - tyre reviewed on November 27, 2018
Given 86% while driving a Volkswagen Polo 1.4 16v (195/50 R15) on a combination of roads for 8,000 average miles
Great tyre for the little Polo, which has now gone. They kept me moving when others struggled. Will now buy again for the winter months to fit my Golf R Variant.
Helpful 28 - tyre reviewed on September 24, 2018