Best Mid-Price Summer Tires R17 for SUVs

Finnish tire makers from Nokian know how to make not only high-quality winter tires - they produce the summer model Nokian Wetproof SUV especially for small and medium-sized SUV cars.

The asymmetrical tread of the tire was created using Dual Zone Safety technology — in fact, it is divided into two functional zones. The outer part of the tread is covered by the stability zone, which is responsible for the stability of the car when maneuvering and ensures responsive control. On the inner side of the tread is the safety zone — it guarantees reliable grip on wet roads and deals with water drainage issues.

Additional safety on wet roads is provided by the Responsive Lock blocking elements. They support the central ribs of the tread while driving, allowing water to flow freely from the tire. And as a bonus, the model received a rubber compound with an increased silica content. The wet grip rank of the Nokian Waterproof SUV is the highest in its class and is designated by the A index.

The tire uses the Silent Groove vibration-absorbing principle, supported by a soft and quiet ride. Bad roads and curbs are also no problem for the tire - its sidewalls are reinforced with Aramid Sidewalls. The only thing the model lacks is a shorter braking distance on dry asphalt. However, this is the only minor flaw of the rubber, which certainly does not play a significant role.

To meet the demanding needs of owners of all-wheel drive crossovers and relatively small SUVs, Yokohama's range includes the remarkable Geolandar G98 summer tire.

The model is designed for use on hard asphalt surfaces. Its tread pattern is non-directional and symmetrical — tire installation does not depend on the rotation vector of the wheels. As a result, tires can be rearranged as desired to maintain uniform tread wear. This design has average driving characteristics. Its strengths include good wear resistance, low noise, and responsive steering response, while its weaknesses include mediocre maneuverability at high speeds.

The medial zone of the tire's tread contains a trio of continuous block-structure stiffening ribs. Their work is aimed at providing excellent directional stability and reduced rolling resistance, thereby achieving fuel economy. The model is also optimally balanced in terms of water drainage - wide drainage channels in a longitudinal arrangement quickly remove excess water masses from the contact patch.

Yokohama Geolandar G98 is one of the options for the original equipment tires for the popular Mazda CX-5 crossovers. However, the model is also suitable for other SUV class cars. In addition, eco-friendly BluEarth technologies are used in the production of the tire, with concern for reducing the amount of harmful exhaust emissions into the atmosphere.

Summer tires Toyo Open Country U/T meet the needs of owners of off-road vehicles, heavy crossovers and pickups.

In the development, Japanese tire makers gave preference to a non-directional tread pattern of symmetrical structure. This design guarantees excellent traction, not only on dry or wet asphalt, but also when conquering lung off-road. The reliability of the tire's grip properties is provided by wave-shaped sipes in the tread blocks together with highly dispersed silica in the rubber compound.

The walls of the tire's circumferential drainage channels have a saw-tooth texture to reduce the noise level when rolling. The Silent Wall technology, which relies on special teeth in the structure of the longitudinal groove walls, is also aimed at suppressing noise. The high level of acoustic comfort is supported by the smoothness and softness of the tire's ride.

Toyo Open Country U/T is characterized by consistently easy handling, low fuel consumption and good wear resistance. The tire will not let you down either in the hot summer heat or in the rainy off-season. It copes well with any quality of road surface and does not depend on the weather vagaries of the warm season.

Summer tires Goodyear EfficientGrip SUV have proven themselves to be extremely positive among owners of cars with a high center of gravity. However, this model was released back in 2011. Ten years later, it was replaced by the second version of the tire.

The tire borrowed its tread pattern from its passenger car counterpart , the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2. The only difference is that the model for crossovers and SUVs features Dry Stability Plus technology, aimed at high driving safety on dry asphalt. The backbone of the technology is formed by wide ribs in the central section of the tread, working together with a rubber compound that can withstand high temperatures of a hot road surface.

In wet conditions, another Goodyear technological development, Wet Braking Technology, is designed to reduce the braking distance of the tire. The soft rubber of the tread blocks allows them to bend to increase the contact patch and accelerate the outflow of water. The model provides complete control over the road situation on wet surfaces. The tire also has improved traction on gravel roads.

The elasticity of the tire tread, coupled with the flexibility of the functional blocks, is a direct path to reducing wear and reducing the likelihood of rubber cracking. In terms of operational life, the model has a mileage of a good quarter more than its predecessor. In addition, the rubber has low rolling resistance, which allows saving fuel and reducing harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

Highway Terrain class tires, which include the Continental CrossContact H/T summer model, are designed for comfortable driving on paved roads with occasional forays into lung off-road conditions.

The Continental rubber is designed for use on asphalt and dirt roads in a ratio of 80/20. That is, the vast majority of the time it is supposed to be used on hard road surfaces. The sidewalls of the model are reinforced with aramid fibers for resistance to mechanical damage and driving on broken streets that have not seen repairs for a long time.

The tire protector is made in a symmetrical design and contains a large number of sipes. The sharp edges of the cuts provide stable grip properties on gravel surfaces and when driving on wet asphalt. The rubber can boast confident traction and braking characteristics, sensitive and responsive handling.

The optimized arrangement of the functional blocks of the tread is designed to reduce the level of road noise. The model also has everything in order with the removal of excess water masses from the contact patch. Finally, the tire's resource has been increased by about 20% compared to its predecessor , the Continental ContiCrossContact LX2. The only thing that is not pleasing is the high cost of the rubber, but you have to pay accordingly for a premium product.