Goodyear Viva 3 Tire Review

‍Overview

Goodyear has been producing high-quality tires and other rubber products for more than 100 years. Originally launched in 1898 in Akron, Ohio, it has grown to become one of the most renowned tire brands. Today, Goodyear has international subsidiaries in more than 60 countries across the globe.

Goodyear manufactures a wide range of tires for different types of vehicles and applications. It provides tires for passenger vehicles like SUVs, crossovers, and coupes as well as tires for commercial trucks and vans.

Also, it produces tires for various other applications such as tires for airplanes, racing cars, farm equipment, and motorcycles, just to name a few. Goodyear also specializes in manufacturing tires for different conditions and terrains such as all-season tires, performance tires, winter tires, highway terrain tires and off-roading tires, among others.

The Goodyear Viva 3 is one of this company’s passenger all-season tires. Launched in 2010, this tire is specifically designed for tire shoppers who are on a tight budget.

About the Goodyear Viva 3

The Viva 3 is yet another great tire from the Goodyear portfolio. As its name suggests, the Viva 3 is the third iteration of the Goodyear Viva tires. It’s designed for passenger vehicles like sedans, crossovers, SUVs and coupes.

According to Goodyear, the Viva 3 is a dependable all-season tire, which combines decent traction with a budget-friendly price. It’s also designed to deliver long-lasting treadwear.

Design Features and Technologies

Similar to other all-season tires, the Goodyear Viva 3 is designed to deliver adequate traction, steering responsiveness, and decent handling all year around. It’s also designed to deliver a comfortable, smooth and ride, resulting in a pleasant driving experience.

And, Goodyear has provisioned this tire with a couple of features and technologies, so that it can meet these goals. So, what are these design features and technologies? Well, let’s take a closer look.

Wide Circumferential Grooves

The most notable feature of this tire is the wide circumferential grooves. These four deep and wide grooves help to disperse water from the tire, resulting in enhanced aquaplaning resistance. As a result, the tire will be able to grip the road surface better, resulting in more traction and better control in wet conditions.

Also, these deep grooves can help to channel mud and slush away from the tread blocks. So, if you happen to find yourself driving in light muddy conditions, this tire will deliver adequate traction to get your vehicle through safely and confidently.

Multiple Zigzag Sipes

Goodyear has also furnished the Viva 3 with multiple zigzag sipes. These zigzag sipes provide extra biting edges, thus enabling the tire to dig deep in snow. Therefore, they will come in handy when driving in snowy conditions.

Furthermore, the multiple zigzag sipes help to minimize road noise and vibrations. According to the manufacturer, these sipes also help to promote uniform treadwear, resulting in longer tread life.

Shoulder Blocks

Unlike other all-season tires, the Goodyear Viva 3 comes with shoulder blocks. These shoulder blocks will provide continuous contact with the road surface, especially when you are cornering. Therefore, you should feel confident whenever you are cornering with this tire.

Performance in Different Conditions

All-season tires are expected to deliver adequate traction and grip on dry roads and wet surfaces. Also, they are expected to provide drivers with usable traction when driving in light snowy conditions.

So, does the Goodyear Viva 3 deliver according to these expectations? Is it a dependable all-season tire? Well, there’s only one way to answer these questions. And that’s by putting this tire through its paces, which is exactly what we did.

We purchased a set of Viva 3 16-inch tires and mounted them on a 2019 Honda Civic. From there, we put the tires through different weather conditions and terrains. And we observed the following:

Dry Performance

The Viva 3 performed according to expectations on dry tarmac. It delivered reliable and adequate traction and grip all through. Acceleration traction was great, as was the case with braking. The braking distances were short, meaning you can expect to drive safely with these tires. Also, we never experienced any handling issues. The tires responded to driving inputs well.

However, one issue we observed with this tire is that it tends to lose some grip and traction, especially if you push your vehicle too hard. So, if you push your vehicle too hard, especially during cornering, you may experience some understeer.

But, considering the Viva 3 is a budget tire and designed for the everyday driver, then this issue may not be a deal breaker in any way. On the other hand, if you are into spirited driving, then this tire will disappoint you. And, it will be advisable to go for a high-performance all-season tire.

Wet Performance

After assessing this tire’s dry performance, we then proceeded to examine its performance in wet and slippery surfaces. And, we were surprised at how good this tire was in these conditions, considering its affordable price point.

The Goodyear Viva 3 performed exceptionally well in wet and slippery conditions. The traction and grip levels were sufficient, the handling was great while steering responsiveness was prompt and timely.

Again, things became worse when we started driving at higher speeds. We encountered stability issues when we decided to push the Civic harder. Also, steering responsiveness was poor, which negatively affected the vehicle’s handling.

While the tire’s braking distances in dry conditions were okay, we can’t say the same about wet surfaces. The braking distances were longer than we had expected. But we don’t expect anyone to be driving at high speeds in wet conditions.

So, as long as you maintain slow to moderate speeds in wet and slippery conditions, then you shouldn’t experience any issues with this tire. It will get you to your destination safely.

Snow and Ice Performance

Considering this tire is an all-season one, it should perform well in light snowy conditions. And, it performed according to expectations. The traction and grip levels were great, it responded well to driving inputs and the overall handling was decent.

Its decent performance in light snowy conditions can be attributed to the multiple zigzag sipes. As highlighted earlier, these zigzag sipes act as additional biting edges, thus helping the tire grip the surface confidently.

However, we can’t say the same for deep, packed snow. During our test rides, we noticed that this tire struggled to grip the surface in deep, packed snow. It will provide you with almost zero traction in deep, packed snow. This was also the situation when driving on ice-covered surfaces.

As much as this tire may provide you with some dependable traction on light snowy roads, you can’t rely on it in deep snow. So, if your area receives heavy snowing during the cold months, or if you frequently drive through areas with severe wintry conditions, then you should consider replacing your set of Goodyear Viva 3 with proper winter tires.

Off-roading Performance

The Goodyear Viva 3 is not designed for off-road driving. With this in mind, we didn’t bother checking how this tire can handle these conditions. It lacks robust tread blocks among other off-roading features, needed to handle off-road conditions like thick mud, loose sand, and gravel.

Furthermore, it comes with soft rubber, which can be easily damaged by elements found in rugged off-road terrains. So, if you were to use this tire for off-road driving, there’s a high chance you will get a puncture, even before you get too far. With that in mind, you should completely avoid using this tire for off-road driving. Instead, you should use a set of tires specifically built for off-roading. And, you have numerous available options on the market.

Ride Quality

According to Goodyear, the Viva 3 should provide a comfortable ride. But, judging from our experience, we can say that the ride quality is average. This tire doesn’t absorb uneven surfaces, potholes and bumps as well as you would want. Also, noise levels and vibrations can disrupt your ride, especially when you are moving at highway speeds.

However, if you are moving at slow to moderate speeds, then the situation is not that bad. The ride will be tolerable. Also, if you are driving on paved roads, then these issues will be minimal. For short, daily commuting trips, then the Viva 3 will be perfectly suitable.

Warranties and Guarantees

The Goodyear Viva 3 only comes with a single warranty. And this is the Walmart limited 60,000-mile treadwear warranty. This warranty is designed to protect against premature treadwear. So, if your Viva 3 wears out across its tread without attaining the mileage promised under this warranty, then you are eligible for a replacement.

The replacement offered under this warranty is done on a pro-rata arrangement. And this means Walmart will not offer you a free tire replacement. Instead, you will be required to contribute a certain amount during the tire’s replacement.

The amount of money you will contribute during the tire’s replacement is dependent on the percentage of the promised mileage the Viva 3 has delivered. This percentage will then be multiplied by the tire’s selling price at Walmart.

For instance, you may have purchased a set of 15-inch Viva 3 tires at Walmart. But after only delivering 45,000 miles, your set of tires may wear out uniformly across their tread, down to their inbuilt tread indicators.

At this point, your set of Viva 3 tires has delivered approximately 75% of the mileage promised by Walmart. Assuming you had purchased each tire at $70, your contribution during the replacement will be $52.50.

Price Range

The prices for the Goodyear Viva 3 range between $65 and $140 per tire. Therefore, if you buy a set of four for your vehicle, then the total cost will come to around $260 to $560. The actual price that you will pay for your set of Viva 3 tires will depend on the size and speed rating.

Compared to the other Goodyear tires, you can see that the Viva 3 is currently the cheapest from this brand. The Viva 3 is exclusively sold at Walmart. So, if you would like to get yourself a set of this tire for your vehicle, you are limited to shopping at Walmart.

But, with close to 5,000 stores across all the states, finding one near you shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, Walmart also has an online shopping platform, where you can conveniently purchase your set of Goodyear Viva 3 tires. And they will be delivered to your location.

Sizes and Fitment

Goodyear produces this tire in a variety of sizes, ranging between 14 inches and 18 inches. So, the majority of medium-size passenger vehicles that come with these wheel sizes are compatible with this tire. Here are some of the vehicles suited for the Viva 3.

• Honda Civic, Accord, and CR-V
• Toyota Corolla, Yaris and RAV4
• Ford Ka, Taurus, Focus and Fiesta
• Nissan Altima and Micra
• Chevrolet Malibu
• Mazda2 and Mazda3
• BMW 1 Series
• Volkswagen Golf

Goodyear Viva 3 Pros

• Reliable dry traction
• Decent wet traction
• Usable traction on light snowy surfaces
• Affordable price point

Goodyear Viva 3 Cons

• Poor traction at higher speeds
• Average ride quality

Verdict

So, should you buy the Goodyear Viva 3? Well, the decision of whether to purchase this tire or not, will depend on what you are looking for. If you are in the market for a premium, feature-packed all-season tire, then you should stay away from this tire, as you will be disappointed. But, if you are looking for a budget-friendly, no-frills, Goodyear tire for your everyday driving needs, then you should buy the Viva 3.