Douglas Tires Review: Is The Brand Any Good?

‍About Douglas Tires

When it comes to purchasing a set of replacement tires for your vehicle, most people would advise you against going for budget tires. The reason behind this is that most of the budget tires are poorly made, using low-quality materials. Hence, they can considerably compromise your vehicle’s safety and performance.

Also, their poor construction usually leads to premature wear and tear. Therefore, budget tires are usually a temporary solution for most people, since they don’t last for long.

But, there are a few tire brands out there, which offer high-quality but affordable tires, which won’t compromise your vehicle’s safety and performance. Also, tires from these brands are durable, meaning they can serve you well for long. And Douglas tires fall in this category.

Douglas is a U.S-based budget tire brand. It runs under the Kelly Springfield Tire Company, which is a sub-brand of Goodyear. It has been producing tires since 1992. Goodyear has an exclusive deal with Walmart. Hence, if you want to purchase these tires, you can only find them in Walmart stores, and not anywhere else.

Most Popular Douglas Tires

Douglas has two tire models currently. These are the Douglas All-Season and the Douglas Performance. These two tire models are designed and specifically built to handle certain conditions. Let’s take an in-depth look at these two Douglas tires and see what they offer.

Douglas All-Season

As its name suggests, the Douglas All-Season is an all-season touring tire, built for various types of vehicles such as mid-size sedans, compacts, crossovers and minivans, just to name a few.

It’s designed for drivers who are looking for an affordable but capable all-season tire. It’s currently one of the cheapest all-season tires on the market. It’s cheaper when you compared it to most of the tires sold by other budget brands like Kumho, Riken, Uniroyal and General Tire. And, the price difference is significant.

Performance and Features

Douglas and Walmart haven’t provided any details regarding this tire’s features. If you visit the company website, you won’t find much information about the rubber used or the features the tire comes with. And, the situation is also similar to the product page on Walmart.

But according to drivers who have used this tire, the Douglas All-Season is a highly dependable and capable tire. It delivers solid traction on dry roads. Also, its cornering grip in these conditions is equally stellar. Its steering response is above average while its handling on dry roads is equally top-notch.

You can also expect great performances from this tire on wet roads. According to the available customer reviews, this tire delivers solid grip and traction in wet conditions.

Also, aquaplaning issues won’t be a bother when you are using this tire. It comes equipped with four longitudinal grooves. These circumferential grooves help the tire to get rid of water, thus ensuring you won’t experience any aquaplaning challenges. But as you may expect, premium all-season touring tires will deliver much better performances than this tire.

As you may expect, its performance in wintry conditions is poor. Traction on snow-covered roads is below average. The situation is even worse when it comes to ice-covered roads. But considering that this is a budget all-season tire, you can’t expect it to deliver solid performances in wintry conditions. After all, it’s built for areas that experience fair weather conditions throughout. So, if your area experiences severe and long winters, then the Douglas All-Season may not be the right choice for your vehicle during those months.

All-season touring tires are famous for their quality ride. So, is this also the case with the Douglas All-Season? Well, according to drivers who have been using this tire, the ride quality is great. There are no issues of excessive vibrations or road-noise, even when you encounter rough surfaces.

Sizes and Fitment

There are more than 35 different sizes available for this tire. The different available sizes run between 13 inches and 18 inches.

Price Range

Walmart is currently selling this tire for around $50 to $115. Hence, mounting a set of four Douglas All-Season tires to your vehicle will cost you around $200 to $460. As you can see, a whole set will cost you less than $500, making the Douglas All-Season one of the most affordable tires today.

Pros

• Reliable grip and traction on dry roads
• Comfortable and quiet ride
• Unmatched affordability
• Stable during high-speed cornering

Cons

• Average performance in wet conditions
• Poor traction on snow-covered and icy roads

Verdict

If you are looking to replace the tires on your vehicle with an affordable but reliable set, then the Douglas All-Season will be a smart choice. This tire offers dependable performances without costing too much. But like is usually the case with budget tires, the Douglas All-Season also falls short in certain areas. Overall, you can expect to get value for your money with this tire.

Douglas Performance

The Douglas Performance is an all-season tire, built for drivers looking for more control and comfort on the road. When you compare it to the Douglas All-Season, you will notice that the Douglas Performance is more responsive. It delivers more handling and steering response, compared to the All-Season model. While the steering may not be as sharp or accurate as a premium performance tire, the levels it offers are decent for its price.

Features and Performance

As an all-season performance tire, drivers will expect the Douglas Performance to perform well on dry roads. But is this the case? According to customer reviews and testimonials posted about this tire, its performance on dry surfaces is great. Its grip and traction are superb, handling is great and steering response is sharp. But as you may expect, its dry performance cannot match that offered by premium performance tires.

Douglas Performance tends to struggle in wet conditions. As much as its aquaplaning resistance is decent, this tire doesn’t provide as much grip as you would want, especially if you happen to encounter extremely wet surfaces.

Also, its cornering grip is sub-par. Some drivers have also mentioned that its performance on damp surfaces is not great. Overall, you will get a safe ride with this tire when you encounter wet conditions. But, you must be extremely cautious with your driving if the surface is extremely wet and slippery.

Similar to the Douglas All-Season, the Douglas Performance’s tire in wintry conditions is poor. While it may provide some usable grip in light-snowy conditions, the situation is dire when it comes to roads covered with heavy layers of snow. The situation is even worse on snowy roads. But, considering this is a performance tire that’s mainly designed to be used on dry roads and moderately wet surfaces, its poor performance and handling in wintry conditions is expected.

Sizes and Fitment

There are approximately 15 sizes available for the Douglas Performance. These sizes range between 15 inches and 18 inches. Hence, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a tire that can fit your vehicle, if you drive a sedan, compact or crossover.

Price Range

The Douglas Performance is currently retailing at around $65 to $110 per tire on Walmart. Therefore, drivers can expect to spend around $260 to $440 for an entire set. As you can see, a whole set will not cost you more than $500. So, if you are shopping for performance tires and you are looking for an affordable tire, then you should consider adding the Douglas Performance to your list. And just like the Douglas All-Season, the Douglas Performance is only available at Walmart.

Pros

• Great handling and steering response on dry surfaces
• A decent cornering grip on dry surfaces
• Quiet and cozy ride
• Affordable pricing

Cons

• Sub-par wet performance
• Extremely poor performance in snowy conditions

Verdict

Douglas is renowned for producing affordable but top-quality tires, and this is also the case with the Douglas Performance. It delivers stellar performances on dry and moderately wet surfaces. And with its attractive price point, it’s easy to see why thousands of drivers prefer going for this tire.

So, if you drive a performance vehicle and you are looking for affordable tires that can complement your vehicle’s performance-oriented drivetrain, then you should go for the Douglas Performance. The majority of reviews for the Douglas Performance have been positive. Hence, it’s highly likely that your experience with this tire will also be a positive one.

Douglas Tires Warranties and Guarantees

Walmart stands behind Douglas tires with a treadwear warranty. Similar to other tires sold through Walmart, Douglas tires also come with a free 90-day return.

Treadwear Warranty

Both the Douglas All-Season and the Douglas Performance come with a 45,000-mile treadwear warranty. So, if you purchase a Douglas tire and it wears out uniformly down to the minimum legal threshold, Walmart will replace them with a brand-new set. However, Walmart will do the replacement on a prorated basis. And this means you will share the tire’s replacement costs with Walmart. The amount you will cover is entirely dependent on the mileage percentage this tire has delivered.

For instance, a 15-inch Douglas Performance goes for around $60 at Walmart. Assuming that it wears out evenly down to its tread maintenance indicators after only delivering 30,000 miles, then the mileage percentage that the Douglas Performance has delivered is around 67%.

So, you will cover 67% of the tire’s replacement costs, which translates to around $40 per tire. Walmart will take care of the remaining $20. Also, you will cover installation charges, mandated taxes and service charges.

But to qualify for this warranty, you should ensure the tires have been installed at Walmart stores. If you have them installed elsewhere, they will not be eligible for this warranty.

Free Return

Douglas tires are also eligible for Walmart’s 90-day free return. So, if you buy a set of Douglas tires but you decide against using them, you are free to return them to Walmart within 90 days. If you had purchased the tires from a store, then you can only return them to a store. But, if you had bought the tires using the Walmart online platform, you can return them either via mail or drop them at the nearest Walmart store.

After returning the tires, you can request a refund or a replacement with another set of Douglas tires, depending on your preferences. If you opt for the refund, it will be processed back to the original card that you used to make the purchase. In case you don’t have that original debit or credit card that you used to buy your set of tires, Walmart will process the refund onto a gift card or Walmart shopping card. Walmart will handle the entire returns process, hence you won’t incur any charges.

You should return the tires unmounted, new and unused. Tires that have been mounted or those with any issues that may have occurred when they were in your possession are not eligible for this guarantee.

Why Buy Douglas Tires

There are hundreds of tire brands serving the budget market segment. Some of them include Falken, Atturo, Federal, General Tire, Kumho, Ironman, Mastercraft, Nexen and Milestar, just to name a few. So, why buy Douglas tires instead of those sold by these other budget tire brands? Here are a couple of reasons why.

Quality and Dependable Tires

One of the main reasons why some drivers avoid budget tires is that most are of poor quality. Hence, their performance is poor. Also, your safety is not guaranteed when you are using low-budget tires. But, Douglas tires are quite different, when you compare them to the other budget tire options.

Tires from this brand go through rigorous testing, before being released onto the market. And during these tests, the manufacturer can identify any safety issues that may occur during real-life driving situations. These mistakes are then rectified. So, whenever you are using Douglas tires, you can rest assured they will take your destination safely.

Furthermore, Goodyear owns this brand. And Goodyear is famous for producing high-quality tires that last for long. As you may expect, Goodyear would like to protect its brand image. Therefore, it also makes sure that Douglas tires are produced in line with the highest standards, to keep Goodyear’s stellar reputation intact.

Affordable Pricing

Another reason why you should consider buying tires from this brand is their affordable pricing. On average, a set of four Douglas tires will only cost you a few hundred dollars. And if you were to purchase a set, you will not spend more than $500, regardless of the type or size that you choose. So, if you are looking for affordably-priced tires for your truck, SUV, crossover, sedan or compact, then Douglas tires are among the best. And while they may come with a friendly price point, Douglas doesn’t compromise on quality.

High Availability

As earlier mentioned, Douglas tires are exclusively sold through Walmart. Today, Walmart has approximately 4,743 stores in the U.S, spread across different cities and towns. So, if you are looking to purchase tires from this brand, you simply need to head over to a Walmart store near you. Also, you have the option of buying Douglas tires online, via the Walmart online store. Once you make your purchase, Walmart will ship your tires straight to your location.

Decent Warranties and Guarantees

Another reason why you should consider buying Douglas tires is that they are backed by a 45,000-mile limited treadwear warranty. So, if they were out completely down to their tread indicators and they have not reached this promised mileage, Walmart will replace the tire for you. You will only be required to cover the tire’s mounting and balancing costs, service charges as well as the various mandated taxes. As long as you have your set of tires installed at Walmart stores, then you should qualify for this warranty.

Furthermore, Douglas tires are also eligible for Walmart’s 90-day free return policy. So, you have the option of returning your set of tires within 90 days after buying them, in case you don’t want to keep them. Walmart’s 90-day free return guarantee is one of the longest when it comes to tires.

Wrapping It Up

Douglas tires have been around for more than 25 years. And this strong indication that this tire brand is doing something right. Its tires have been known to deliver great performances on dry and wet surfaces. Also, they provide a quiet and comfortable ride, making them a decent choice for daily commutes. So, if you are looking for a new set of affordable but high-quality replacement tires for your vehicle, then you should consider Douglas tires.