I have a car, but unlike most people it is a company car. And this particular leasing company has made a rather stupid decision in my opinion, to fit my car with Goodyear Eagle NCT 5.
Let me tell you why.
From the factory the car came equipped with Bridgestone Potenza 001’s which lasted an astonishing 40,000 miles (miles!). A truly unbelievable feet of strength from the Italians, which truth be told when it comes to cars they don’t really have the best track record in reliability.
Over the 2 years I had them, absolutely no issues and at the same time with good overall performance in terms of handling, noise, wet and dry braking. Maybe one of the most important things was the way the car felt at high speeds, around 100 mph, planted giving you a sense of control.
Unfortunately all of this was discovered after I had been given the chance to try the “mighty” Goodyear Eagle NCT 5. Been forced to fit them on the car by the leasing company. I have lodged a complaint with them to no avail. Cést La Vie.
Right off the bat I could feel the loss of stability at high speeds manifesting in a float like sensation, with a slight side to side wobble. That is what you want in a car! As the weeks went past the Eagle NCT has managed to amaze me with its stubbornness to fail at every possible category:
- Loss of traction on the slightest touch of rain, traction control kicked in more then I would have expected, plus if you approach a roundabout with more than snail like speed the whole car slides
- Totally useless in any kind of snow, as we had in the UK last year. Any kind of uphill absolutely no traction with the tires feeling like stone to touch.
- They just don’t last. 55k miles in 2 years/three brand new sets.
- Loud, but not bad
- I have had 3 punctures, this is not really relevant as it could have happen to any tire.
- 3 tires out of the 12 total have developed bulges, 2 on the sidewall and one on the thread. (I’m disappointed in myself for not having more pictures but hey, you can take my word for it or not, whichever way you go it’s fine by me)
I DID NOT HIT ANY POTHOLES, SIDEWALKS OR ANY KIND OF OBSTRUCTIONS TO CAUSE THIS.
There you have it, Goodyear NCT 5 one of the worst tires I have had the pleasure of using. I’m not saying this is the absolute truth and I’m sure some of you have had a good experience with this tire but there are other options out there that have a more positive feedback than NCT 5.
In closing, obviously do your research and choose whatever tire you think is right, but…
not this one :)/