Best tires for Buick Enclave

1.Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady

Ride Quality: 7 Noise Comfort: 7 Handling: 9 Traction: 9

The Goodyear WeatherReady’s are built to handle a variety of conditions, from frigid winter roads to wet asphalt of spring rain. Most drivers and tests rate these all-weathers very high, praising their ability to offer a good balance between year-round traction and reasonable tread life.

Talking about the all-around capabilities, we come to mention the soybean oil-infused rubber compound that molds the Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady. The main benefit that comes with this type of compound is the extra pliability in colder weather, hence extra traction. Some extra proof of its performance in the winter is its 3PMSF certification. The tread life warranty supplied by Goodyear is 60,000 miles, amongst the best you could get.

The performance it offers on rainy surfaces is assisted and mainly given by the tread design. The asymmetric pattern inlaid grooves offer better traction against hydroplaning, while its many sipes assist in the wet. The Assurance WeatherReady’s dry performance is overall balanced for an all-weather tire thanks to the decently sized contact patch they have. Most tests concluded that they are top of the pack when it comes to responsiveness and handling.

Of course, boasting good performance and an excellent treadwear warranty comes with slight caveats. Some of the reasonably small downsides of the tire come from the slightly annoying tread noise that the reviews report. It also isn’t amongst the cheaper tires. In fact, coming from the fact that Goodyear is a premium tire manufacturer. The ride is also somewhat harsh, owners reporting that bump absorption could be improved slightly.

1.Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3

Ride Quality: 9 Noise Comfort: 9 Handling: 9 Traction: 9

If you live in a mild climate and you are looking for some tires that can make the 200-mile trips to work easier, the Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 are for you. The engineers over at Pirelli built the perfect tire for smooth and comfortable rides while making sure it’s also capable to handle wet highways. The longevity that those tires offer is amongst the best, making sure you’re getting the most for your buck while also having confidence on the road.

The sidewalls are inclined towards the softer side, making a very comfortable ride and experience throughout the day. The performance is quite good, even though it is nothing to boast about since they are made for SUVs, not for sport coupes. Pirelli offers a 70,000 miles tread-life warranty, which should make you feel confident about the quality of your tires for many seasons. Also, worth mentioning is the quiet manner in which those tires perform, being amongst the best in this category.

 The tread pattern is very interesting on the Scorpion AS Plus 3. Pirelli claims that the tread is revolutionary, having specialized polymers designed for higher levels of traction and longer mileage. Also, the tread pattern boasts a 3D sipe technology that improves the handling on dry and wet surfaces.  Part of the treadwear rating comes from the full-depth tread sipes, which doesn't damage the ride quality. The tire’s behavior is also improved by the sequence-tuned shoulder blocks, optimized for a quiet and comfortable trip through the states.

At a glance, it’s seemingly perfect. However, each tire has certain weaknesses. One of those is, as expected, the price. The other one is its performance on snowy days, which is certainly obvious, since it’s not built for winter, nor does it present a 3PMSF certification.  Some people find it hard to find the on-center feel.

2.Firestone Destination LE3

Ride Quality: 9 Noise Comfort: 8 Handling: 9 Traction: 10

Firestone has a strong contender for this category, the Destination LE3 offers a very good balance of traction, durability, and ride quality. A sizeable number of people that have bought those tires are very satisfied and would surely buy another set. It’s not a surprise though, Firestone has invested a lot of engineering time and know-how to deliver just the perfect touring tires for your luxury SUV.

Starting with the sidewall, we’re seeing a relatively soft construction. This ensures quietness and ride quality, one of the most desirable qualities in an all-season touring tire. Another important trait is, of course, longevity. Firestone ensures you 70,000 miles of fuel-efficient and good-performing driving, which will surely keep your adventure going no matter the destination.

Looking at the Destination LE3’s tread pattern we are pleasantly surprised. They feature a symmetrically designed tread pattern that delivers good on-center feel. The internal structure is made of a single highly durable ply that helps with the handling, a critical component seeing how your Buick Enclave is already quite compliant and soft.  This fact was proved in multiple tests made in various conditions, ensuring you will have a comfortable and competent ride.

Looking at the overall performance of the tires, we can say they are very good, but not excellent. The performance in harsher conditions really shows why this tire is a touring one, not all-weather. The price is very fair for such a good quality tire and makes it very recommendable.

2.Michelin Defender LTX

Ride Quality: 9 Noise Comfort: 9 Handling: 7 Traction: 7

One of the most dependable tires on the market. The Michelin Defender LTX is an all-season touring tire built for the people who just want one of the best tires in its class. Durability and performance are impressive, while the quality is apparent.

The new Defender LTX’s are designed for balanced conditions but won’t back down when you need them the most. It is made for heavier vehicles mainly, so you shouldn’t be worried about most conditions. Michelin can also proudly boast with the Defender LTX's fuel efficiency and low rolling resistance, tests proving that it can save up to 65 gallons of fuel over the life of the tire when compared to other tires in the same category. It is worth mentioning though, this is not a winter tire, so it’s not branded with the 3PMSF symbol. 

Talking about the technical part, this has a classically symmetric tread pattern that uses the Michelin-branded Evertread compound. The design gives it a confident behavior and great driving particularities. The four circumferential channels and the active sipes make it very capable on those rainy days. The contact patch features another one of the clever inventions developed by Michelin’s engineers, the MaxTouch Construction. It helps the tire regarding traction and wear. Talking about wear, Michelin guarantees a 70,000 miles tread life warranty for the T speed rating variant. Nothing but respectable.

We praised Michelin’s engineers and their intelligent inventions, but for such bright minds there is a price. The Defenders are by far the most expensive on this list. For all this price, you aren’t getting the best snow performance you could. The tires also aren’t all that good off the road

1.BF Goodrich Trail-Terrain T

Ride Quality: 7 Noise Comfort: 8 Handling: 8 Traction: 8

We mentioned that the Buick Enclave is a luxury SUV, however, the AWD version is capable of venturing off the road. The BF Goodrich Trail-Terrain T is fully capable in mild off-roading conditions, such as gravel, dirt, and a bit of mud, while also performing decently on paved roads too. As such, they strike a sensible balance between adventure and composure.

In typical all-terrain fashion, they are tougher than most tires on the market, made to resist chipping and tearing from gravel and rocks. The two-ply sidewall design strikes a good balance between on-the-road characteristics and off-road softness. Speaking of the sidewall, BF Goodrich also installed a simplistic tread pattern on the sidewall, to assist with deeper puddles. The producer offers a 60,000 miles tread life warranty, attesting to the tire’s wear resistance. And certifications don’t stop there, because the BF Goodrich Trail-Terrain T also sports a 3PMSF tag, highlighting good characteristics regarding snow.

The tread pattern is based on multiple variably shaped tire blocks. Each is split across by a few sipes or moderate channels. These dictate a decent wet characteristic along with commendable aquaplaning resistance. The shoulders are quite broad, which makes this tire feel as good as it does on regular asphalt. Not only that, but the same shoulders also help with noise absorption. Indeed, this tire would fit the Buick Enclave owner who likes delving into a small adventure marvelously.

The downsides are obvious, you won’t have a great time cruising on the highway with those, the fuel economy wouldn’t please you as much as those off-road adventures do. They are obviously not made for that. The tires won’t be the best in the wet either, but they’ll be enough if you’re patient with them.

1.Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2

Ride Quality: 9 Noise Comfort: 8 Handling: 9 Traction: 10

There are some unfortunate souls who must venture into snowstorms and icy roads, and that’s where the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 comes in. They are one of the best studless winter tires on the market. Generally, you won’t face any major problems during the harsher times of winter, such as miles of iced-up roads seemingly without end.

The Blizzak DM-V2 is designed with a focus on ice traction and braking, both of which are paramount to your safety. Considering those, the wide lateral and circumferential grooves offer the tire better performance during wet conditions and help with hydroplaning resistance, helping the water, slush and snow to be channeled away from the contact area. Being a tire specifically made for winter, it meets the 3PMSF conditions and is labeled accordingly.

The engineers over at Bridgestone managed to build the tire from two different compounds, the first 55% of the tread depth being built with NanoPro Tech Multicell Compound while the other 45% having Bridgestone’s best winter compound. This special compound features microscopic bite particles, improving grip and maintaining the flexibility of the tire in below-freezing conditions. With all that said, the tire has a depth indicator which shows then the special compound has been used up.

Unfortunately, Bridgestone doesn’t offer a mile-based warranty, which is also the point at which those tires don’t excel that much. Their performance anywhere apart from a tough winter leaves a bit to be desired. They are also on the pricier side, but winter tires are not something you should cheap out on.

2.Firestone WinterForce 2UV

Ride Quality: 8 Noise Comfort: 8 Handling: 9 Traction: 9

The Firestone WinterForce 2UV is designed for milder winters but is still a good alternative when it comes to choosing a tire for moderate winters. Opposed to the option from Bridgestone, those don’t offer such intricate designs or advanced technologies. They are more biased towards the classical “winter tire” most people are familiar with.

The tire’s internal structure is nothing to write home about, a single-ply construction, but it does its job reliably. The performance on dry roads is as expected, the softer compound performs decently well at absorbing all kinds of bumps. A significant upside of this tire is that it can be studded, allowing it to transform into an ice conqueror if you so desire.

The Firestone WinterForce 2UV presents a classic directional tread pattern with deep circumferential grooves and open shoulder slots. These help with evacuating the slush and standing water away from the contact patch. They also provide snow a lot of sides to which it can grip, creating that so-important snow-to-snow traction. The numerous sipes are hard to miss, which also help the tire flex and provide the grip it needs in wintery conditions.

When talking about faults, we have a few simple ones, but not major ones. On the one hand, its performance in really harsh winters starts to dwindle, while also losing grip as soon as warmer temperatures hit. Also, noise generated is quite significant, so don’t expect to have whisper-quiet wintery rides.