Table Of Contents
- 1 Features of the Goodyear Viva 3
- 2 Maintenance Indicators for the Viva 3
- 3 How the Viva 3 Tire Performs on a Dry Tarmac
- 4 How the Viva 3 Perform Over Wet and Slippery Roads
- 5 How the Viva 3 Performs On Snowy Roads
- 6 The Type of Vehicles That the Goodyear Viva 3
- 7 Is the Viva 3 suitable for off-road driving?
- 8 Comfort and refinement of the Viva 3
- 9 FAQs
- 10 Q. The Goodyear Viva 3 Tire Is For What Type of a Driver?
- 11 Recommendations
When most people look at the VIVA 3, they tend to ask, Is this a Goodyear Tire? Well, we are here to guide you in purchasing high-quality tires. So Yes, this is a Goodyear tire. Though they are a little bit expensive, they are a much safer option. The fact that you can’t buy life, the difference between expensive and cheap tires in this case is the difference between life and death. And it’s because of this reason that we strongly advise you buy tires from well-established manufacturers like Goodyear. So, if we are talking about a good tire deal, then the Viva 3 must come to mind. This Goodyear tire is a passenger all-season tire manufactured in the United States. It’s one of the few American made tires that come close to the Chinese tires in terms of price. Of course, going cheap with tires is not a good idea but this not too good to be the true product. We base this fact on a well-established manufacturer that designs and produces it.
Goodyear Viva 3
You will be caught by surprise with the price of the Viva 3. In Goodyear’s lineup, it’s by far the cheapest product. They come in a set of four and they cost as little as $65. You will be able to save a few dollars if you bought this class of Goodyear tires. Even though the Assurance All-Season is budget-friendly, it has not been designed with many modern Goodyear technologies. On Viva 3, the Goodyear Company made an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart to sell them in their stores. This means that the tire was engineered with Wal-Mart’s customers in mind.
Replacing tires every three to four years can be costly for people that are on a tight budget. This is why for most families, tires like the Viva 3 look very promising. The downside part of the Viva 3 is that in the long run, it will probably be more expensive. To make things easy, not only does the high-quality tread compound last longer but they also provide the driver with better performance, they last much longer than you might expect. The Viva 3 simply in another league in terms of handling, braking, and wear. In this Goodyear Viva 3 review, we will cover the overall performance of the Viva 3. This will include, dry and wet handling and braking, snow traction and braking, comfort levels, and tread life. But before we look into all this, let’s see what features Goodyear used in building the Viva 3.
Features of the Goodyear Viva 3
Goodyear designed the Viva 3 to be a passenger all-season tire. It was designed for those people who own compact cars, mid-size sedans, and minivans. These tires are offered in a wide range of sizes. They start from the range of 14-inch wheel diameter up to 18-inch wheel diameter. Many older vehicles are covered with these sizes. Viva 3 is a value all-season tire that provides comfort and control and this is according to Goodyear. On the other hand, if you took this tire for a test drive, you’ll find that it has excellent handling and a quiet ride. At an attractive price, this tire provides all-season traction and long-lasting treadwear.
Read also: Goodyear Assurance MaxLife Review
On the downside, Goodyear doesn’t specify the type of tread compound this tire holds. Tread compound is the single most important thing for traction, grip, and braking. Through research, we discovered this model has a tread pattern that features four wide circumferential grooves. This type of tread pattern has become the industry standard. These four wide circumferential grooves channel large amounts of water through the lateral grooves of the tire. These lateral grooves improve hydroplaning resistance. They also improve traction in rainy conditions.
Meanwhile, to improve cornering grip and stability on dry roads, this tread also features stable shoulder blocks. Another Interesting factor is that Goodyear used zigzag sipes on the tread blocks of this model. The function of these sipes is to increase the number of biting edges. They do this for better snow traction. These also help when driving on ice. And on most winter tires, you can find these same sipes.
For noise performance, the tread pattern on the Viva 3 is also optimized. Also, to improve the look of the tire, its sidewall is vertically serrated. In the all-season category, it looks better than most offerings from Goodyear, at least from the side.
Maintenance Indicators for the Viva 3
When designing the Viva 3, Goodyear used the industry-standard tread wear indicators (TWI’s). The function of these indicators is to help the driver monitor the tread depth more easily. They also notify him/her when the tires need to be replaced. The reason for this is that wet traction becomes worse with time. The grooves on the tire become shallower, as the tread wears down. This limits the capability of the tire’s hydroplaning.
The minimum tread depth for driving in wet conditions is considered 2/32-inch, or 1.6 mm, on passenger all-season tires. This is for metric sized cars. It is considered unsafe to drive on wet surfaces when the tread depth reaches that point. And when it does, you are advised to immediately replace the whole set.
If you want to know when the tread reached the 2/32-inch threshold, you can always check the treadwear indicators; they will help you with it. These treadwear indicators are essentially narrow rubber bars that sit recessed in the circumferential grooves of the Viva 3 tire. The TWI’s will become more visible, as the tread wears down. The tread will be completely flush with the surface when they reach the 2/32-inch threshold. On this model of the tire, Goodyear provides a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty. That’s pretty amazing for the price. This is way better than the 30% more expensive Assurance All-Season has. In comparison, it’s only 5,000-mile longer than the treadwear warranty of the Viva 3 tire.
How the Viva 3 Tire Performs on a Dry Tarmac
If we are doing comparisons with some cheap Chinese tires that recently appeared on the market, then we can proudly say that the Viva 3 performs better. The handling of the Viva 3 isn’t that bad and the braking distances perform quite well. However, you can get superior performance by simply paying only $20 to $30 more for a tire. The Viva 3 will quickly understeer when pushed over the limit. Just like Goodyear’s own Assurance All-Season, the braking distances of the Viva 3 are still a step behind the competition.
How the Viva 3 Perform Over Wet and Slippery Roads
It’s on the wide wet pavement that the difference between the Viva 3 and the Assurance All-Season comes about. While the Viva 3 tire is good for dry roads, we can’t say the same thing for wet roads. In short, when it rains, the Goodyear Viva 3 doesn’t feel surefooted during driving. The tires slide more easily if you open the throttle which makes the handling dangerous at times. And for this model, the braking distances are way too long.
Read also: Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac Review
We wouldn’t recommend this model for safety on wet roads. There are other tires you can choose from the lineup of Goodyear, that are slightly more expensive, but yet offer much better-wet traction.
How the Viva 3 Performs On Snowy Roads
You will be surprised that the Goodyear Viva 3 is not very bad over snow. The reason for this might be the multiple zigzag sipes that it is designed with. For the price, the traction of this model is okay. And for an all-season tire, the braking distances aren’t very long. The Viva 3 is only good for the price. It isn’t class-leading. You can always get much better snow traction and braking from the lineup of Goodyear tires.
The Type of Vehicles That the Goodyear Viva 3
Take note that this is not a complete list of vehicles this tire will fit on
- Audi brand: a3, a6, all-road
- Chevy brand: Monte Carlo, HHR, impala, Malibu
- Chrysler brand: pt. cruiser, Sebring
- Dodger brand: charger, intrepid
- Ford Corp brand: flex, mustang, thunderbird, crown victoria, focus
- Honda brand: Accord, civic, fit
- Hyundai brand: sonata
- Infiniti brand: G35x, q45
- Mazda brand: protégé 5, mazda6, mazda3
- Mitsubishi brand. lancer
- Nissan brand: Altima, maxima
- Pontiac brand: grand am, grand Prix, vibe
- Saab brand: 9-3, 9-5, 900
- Subaru brand: legacy, Impreza
- Suzuki brand: Reno, Aerio, Forenza
- Toyota brand: matrix, Camry, Solara
- VW brand: Volkswagen Jetta, gti, Passat, golf gls
- Volvo brand: S40, S70
Is the Viva 3 suitable for off-road driving?
Goodyear didn’t design the Viva 3 for off-road driving. This model not only lacks enough traction on slippery surfaces, but the tread on the Viva 3 tire can also get damaged easily.
Comfort and refinement of the Viva 3
The Viva 3 doesn’t provide a very smooth ride quality. This is especially when your car hits a bump. Moreover, at highway speeds, the tire exhibits a lot of tread noise.
Pros
- The Goodyear Viva 3 is Safe to drive on dry roads
- the Goodyear Viva 3 also provides some traction on snow
- This model is also very cheap to buy
- The Goodyear Viva 3 has an excellent treadwear warranty for the price
Cons
- Dry handling and braking for this model are way behind the class average
- Wet handling of the Goodyear Viva 3 doesn’t feel surefooted and safe
- The Goodyear Viva 3 also has very long wet braking distances
- The tread life on this model is also very short
- Some people who have owned this tire have reported balancing issues
- The Goodyear Viva 3 is also Loud on the highway and not overly comfortable
FAQs
Q. The Goodyear Viva 3 Tire Is For What Type of a Driver?
A. This Goodyear Viva 3 Tire is engineered for drivers of crossover and small SUV. So if you want a comfortable drive with all-season traction on the most driving surface. But they work pretty well on dry surfaces than other surfaces.
Q. In What Season Can You Use the Goodyear Viva 3 Tire?
A. the Goodyear Viva 3 Tire is an all-season tire. It is built to provide a smooth ride and all-season traction. It does all this with good handling on dry driving surfaces only.
Recommendations
We hope you find our Goodyear Viva 3 Tire Review helpful; this model will power up your SUV or crossover. The Goodyear Viva 3 has proven to deliver a good deal of performance and it has remained consistent for some time now. This is because of excellence and success in both design and delivery. To get a conviction about its abilities and performance, we recommend this excellent Goodyear Tire.