Best Tires for GMC Acadia

1.Michelin CrossClimate 2

Ride Quality: 9 Noise Comfort: 7 Handling: 8 Traction: 10

Now you may wonder: “Shouldn’t you have picked the Michelin CrossClimate SUV?” and while you aren’t wrong, the CrossClimate 2 in this case not only is better, but it also works, unlike most SUV cases. The GMC Acadia is quite light for a mid-sized SUV, which means that the load limit of the CrossClimate 2 is sufficient and you don’t need the extra load rating from the CrossClimate SUV. A perfect tire for the GMC Acadia owner who lives in a highly variable climate.

The Michelin CrossClimate 2 is a very balanced tire all across the board, and that includes sidewalls. They sport moderate toughness, enough to stay supple on hotter days but soft enough to get you out of a rut on colder days. When looking at the compound, we’re greeted with Michelin’s Thermal Adaptive all-season compound, which sports a greater temperature range than most tires out there. The tread is also quite resilient, Michelin affording to employ a 60.000 mi tread life warranty.

The tread pattern design is based on a V-type pattern, providing great winter performance and good grip in the summer. The contact patch is broad enough thanks to the perfectly symmetrical layout, while also having a very dense rubber block count. This translates into the fantastic traction briefly mentioned. Grip in the wet is also surprisingly good, on part of the zigzag sipe found on each tire block. Aquaplaning resistance is surprisingly decent too!

The faults are quite straightforward. The price is substantial, being one of the most expensive tires on the market. Another issue is noise generation, the tires being known for producing a soft yet persistent hum at highway speeds. According to tests, the tires also have an issue regarding braking traction in wet conditions, performing only averagely.

2.Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady

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

In a similar light, the Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady is an all-weather tire built initially for cars that ultimately suits the GMC Acadia. However, unlike the CrossClimate 2, the Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady is better suited for slightly colder temperatures. This makes the GMC Acadia a capable vehicle in climates that are slightly biased towards colder climates. 

The sidewalls are slightly stiffer than average, to equalize the characteristics employed by the compound. Talking about the compound, the rubber itself is on the softer side, otherwise, the tires would’ve turned into skis as soon as the cold hit. Despite its softness, Goodyear still provides a 60,000 mi tread life warranty. Indeed, quite impressive.

The tread pattern is completely asymmetrical, designed in an attempt to bring all kinds of traits to the table. 3 design choices can be found on the tire block, from a center rib to diagonally placed blocks. All of these are cut by a myriad of sipes and they are often cut across completely. All of these provide fantastic traction in the wet, dry, and more importantly snow. Grip levels should also be nothing short of spectacular, thanks to its significant contact patch, assisted by broad shoulders. 

A downside of theirs is a slight lack of comfort thanks to their stiffness. Another issue is price because, like all competent all-weather tires, they are indeed quite expensive. Lastly, the tire is generally noisy, which might deter some potential buyers away, but it isn’t all that bad. 

1.Goodyear Assurance MaxLife

Ride Quality: 9 Noise Comfort: 7 Handling: 8 Traction: 9

Some people don’t particularly care about all-year traction and all they want is a tire that lasts a long time that is also not a complete nuisance to own. For those people, we have the Goodyear Assurance MaxLife. A highly competent tire built specifically to be ridden a long time and in most conditions. The Goodyear Assurance MaxLife suits GMC Acadia owners who only care about dependability to a T and aren’t interested in the latest technologies.

You’re presented with a supple but soft sidewall behavior, fairing marvelously at absorbing all kinds of bumps and general roughness. The compound is built specifically to provide a fantastic wear characteristic, all without lacking traction. To attest to this resistance, Goodyear employed an 85,000 mi tread life warranty, one of the biggest on the market.

As briefly stated above, this tire isn’t trying to do anything fancy, and the tread pattern attests to that. There are 3 circumferential tire ribs, designed specifically to provide some on-center feel. The contact patch is quite substantial, thanks to the tire’s broad shoulders and averagely sized grooves that don’t steal a lot of surface area. There are quite a few small cuts and sipes here and there to give the tire some much-needed traction in wet conditions All these are strong points for a tire that performs marvelously on dry and wet asphalt, all while providing you with all the comfort you will ever need.

The downsides are quite straightforward. One definitely worth mentioning is the tire’s block size, which hampers the feel and makes the tire feel quite squishy. Its performance on snowy days is quite bad, having quite a bland contact patch with no real edges for snow to grip to. The last issue is the noise generated, seeing how the tire does quite a poor job at absorbing it.

2.Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3

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

Pirelli’s engineers really bested themselves by making a tire not only capable and comfortable but also quite durable. The Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 has a lot of strong points going for it, from fantastic traction on dry roads, copious amounts of grip on wet asphalt, and a decent rolling resistance figure to top it all off. As such, the Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 suits GMC Acadia owners who want to be safe and sound while driving out and about, while also being quite environmentally friendly and somewhat frugal.

Instead of going the classical route of making a comfortable tire by employing a one-ply sidewall, Pirelli’s design has two sidewalls that are somewhat softer which work in unison. There also are some polyamide plies just under the tread itself, added to supply some noise absorption properties while also making the tire better suited at handling higher speeds reliably. The tread life warranty is quite different than most manufacturers out there because they give buyers a lifetime warranty or 70,000 miles.

The tread pattern is quite complex, built to tackle slightly rougher climates. The tread pattern is completely asymmetrical, seeing how each tire section is aimed at one thing in particular. The shoulders are expelling the water directly to the nearest side, while the center tire blocks help direct said water to one side or another. The center rib is split by a wavy channel, which assists at directing most of the free-flowing water away from the contact patch. One tire block belt is cut across by a couple of sipes per block, which assists traction in colder climates or on wet asphalt.

However, winter performance isn’t all that fantastic, because once winter starts and snowing commences, you can expect to lose some traction quickly. The tire is also quite pricy, but not as pricy as some of the all-weather tires we can find on the market. Another small issue is that they are quite hard to rotate, due to them being asymmetrical, but that’s something you’ll have to simply accept.

1.Continental CrossContact LX25

Ride Quality: 9 Noise Comfort: 8 Handling: 7 Traction: 9

One of the best all-season tires on the market, especially seeing how seemingly perfect they are. Performance-wise, they are quite close to an all-weather tire suited for warmer climates, but they don’t perform as well in snow as you expect them to. The Continental CrossContact LX25 suits GMC Acadia owners who seldom see wet and damp winters but warmer summers, who expect nothing but the best when tackling those climates.

Sidewall toughness is a fine balance between being cloudlike soft whilst hard enough to endure whatever kinds of harsh accelerations your Acadia will throw at it. The tire doesn’t feel all that squirmy, thanks to a polyamide reinforcement employed by Continental that stabilizes the tread, along with another noise absorption layer added on top of it. Durability is also one of its strong points regarding construction, sporting a 70,000 mi tread life warranty which is nothing short of impressive.

When we look at the tread pattern, we’re seeing an intricate design of sipes that seemingly looks like a web. All of these are highly functional, providing the tire with either fantastic performance in wet climates, needed flexibility in colder climates, and areas for snow to grip to. The center rib is substantial to the on-center feel, making the tire feel quite sporty despite how comfortable it is. There’s also the talk about contact patch, and we can say without worry that’s substantial, thanks to broad shoulders that will help the tire in turns, along with the cleverly placed grooves and channels that don’t subtract from the surface area too much.

As far as downsides are concerned, some owners will find the feeling to be somewhat mushy, similar to the Assurance MaxLife. Traction during wet braking isn’t the greatest, and its winter performance can only be classified as mild.

1.Continental VikingContact 7

Ride Quality: 7 Noise Comfort: 7 Handling: 8 Traction: 9

If you live in a climate that sees rough winters quite often, but dry ones are also a big possibility get a proper set of winter tires like the Continental VikingContact 7. They employed many technologies in an attempt to guard people against the worst that could happen during regular winter times, while still being capable just outside it. With these in mind, you can expect the Continental VikingContact 7 to be perfect for the GMC Acadia owner who has to make long trips during wintertime, especially if they’re cruising with their family.

When we look at the sidewalls, they are quite soft. Indeed, they are built and designed by Continental specifically to endure the harsh winters, by keeping the tire pliable in freezing temperatures, which is generally enough to make the tires provide traction and not turn your car into a sled. The compound produced with canola oil further improves winter characteristics. There isn’t a tread life warranty to talk about, however, owners have reported that this tire has a decent tread resistance and should last for quite some time. Despite all this, its dry performance isn’t a slouch either.

When looking at the tread pattern, we’re greeted with a typical winter design: a v-style pattern. This means that this tire should perform just as well in dry winters as it does in snowy ones. The diamond tread blocks cut across by a myriad of zigzag sipes improve winter traction even further, all while providing a decent amount of traction in wet conditions. This design will offer drivers good on-center feel and some balanced characteristics that make this winter tire a joy to drive.

There aren’t many faults to speak of. Its aquaplaning resistance isn’t the greatest, water usually gets stuck in the channel maze. Its performance in warm weather isn’t fantastic either. There’s also the common issue found in tires that seemingly do them all, and that is noise generation.

2.Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2

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

Some people are unfortunate enough to see winters for months without end. During those times, anything could happen, from snowstorms to miles of roads coated in ice. If you must drive during such times in your GMC Acadia, then the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 will protect you against the worst that could possibly happen.

These are extreme winter tires and have an equivalently soft sidewall. Otherwise, the tire wouldn’t be sufficient in the coldest of weather. This translates into decent traction in such brutal winters, because the tire keeps its flexibility and a substantial contact patch all while you’re keeping it inflated as the manufacturer prescribed. The rubber compound is special, Bridgestone employing many engineering hours into its creation.

It contains some microscopic bite particles that act like small studs in contact with ice, providing users with copious amounts of grip on icy roads. The compound coats the tire for 55% of its total tire depth, after which you’ll be greeted with the best winter compound Bridgestone can provide. The tread pattern is special in itself, being dense enough to provide users with decent characteristics in really cold weather, but sparse enough to trap a lot of snow and provide so much traction in the process. Its sipes also help massively, both with winter traction but also with a bit of wet traction.

As far as downsides are concerned, its performance in warmer environments is poor, being a squeaky slippery mess. Its wear characteristics aren’t the greatest, most owners report that the tire wears somewhat quickly. There’s also the obvious issue that is price, it being one of the most expensive winter tires on the market.