Phantom Tires Review - Brand Guide

‍About Phantom Tires

At some point, your vehicle’s tires will need to be replaced. And when it’s time to replace the tires, you have the option of choosing premium tires or budget tires.

While premium tires can be quite expensive, they also tend to last for long. Most budget tires, on the other hand, tend to wear out prematurely. Therefore, you may be forced to replace your set of tires sooner than you had expected.

Phantom Tires were specifically launched to solve this problem. Launched in 1998, Phantom is a private label tire brand, whose tires are exclusively sold by Discount Tire.

Since it was established more than 20 years ago, this tire brand has continued producing highly dependable tires, which deliver a great blend of handling, performance and comfort.

As much as the tires from this brand fall in the budget category, they are well made and they don’t wear out prematurely. Also, they are backed by strong mileage warranties, to make sure you get your money’s worth.

Most Popular Phantom Tires

Phantom produces SUV tires, minivan tires, and truck tires. So, if you drive any of these vehicles, it’s highly likely that Phantom has a tire that can fit your vehicle. Currently, this brand has only two tire selections. These are the Phantom A/P and the Phantom C-Sport.

Phantom A/P

Specifically built for trucks, SUVs, and minivans, the Phantom A/P is designed to deliver reliable all-season performance, across different conditions, terrains and surfaces. According to the manufacturer, this tire will provide you with a dependable performance all-year-round. And, considering it’s a budget tire, it won’t cost you too much.

Key Features

The Phantom A/P comes with a solid center rib, designed to deliver great straight-line stability and tracking, for high-speed handling. It also comes with interlocking sipes, designed to deliver dependable all-season grip and traction. These interlocking sipes also help to provide fast and timely steering responses.

Phantom has also provisioned the Phantom A/P with four circumferential grooves. If you happen to encounter rainy conditions or wet surfaces when you are driving, these four circumferential grooves will help to channel water away from the tire’s tread, resulting in enhanced hydroplaning resistance.

The Phantom A/P features a 12/32-inch of tread. With such a generous tread depth, you can expect this tire to deliver great performance, solid grip and outstanding tread life.

Price Range

The Phantom A/P is currently priced at around $70 to $110 minus installation costs. Therefore, if you equip your vehicle with a whole set, then it will cost you around $280 to $440, depending on the size of your vehicle’s wheels. And just like other tires sold through Discount Tire, the Phantom A/P also comes with a 10% military discount. So, if you are actively serving or you are a veteran, then you may qualify for this discount.

Sizes and Fitment

This tire is available in five different sizes, running between 15 inches and 16 inches. It comes with a Y-speed rating, which means you can safely drive your vehicle up to speeds of around 118 mph, without experiencing any issues. Also, such a high-speed rating makes this tire versatile, meaning you can use it either in urban streets or on the highway.

Pros

• Excellent straight-line stability
• Outstanding aquaplaning resistance
• Dependable all-season traction
• Sturdy construction

Cons

• Only a few sizes are available

Verdict

The Phantom A/P is a great all-season tire, which will deliver a dependable performance all year round. The traction is great, the construction is solid and the ride is comfortable. It currently has an average rating of 4.5 out of 5, based on reviews of more than 200 drivers who have used this tire. Therefore, it’s safe to conclude that most of those that have used it have been satisfied with its overall performance. So, if you are in the market for an affordable, reliable and well-made all-season touring tire, then the Phantom A/P comes across as a great choice.

Phantom C-Sport

The Phantom C-Sport is an all-season touring tire, designed for crossover utility vehicles (CUVs). According to Phantom, this tire is built to combine unmatched quality and performance.

Key Features

The Phantom C-Sport comes with an advanced tread compound, featuring a combination of high-dispersion silica, silica-enhanced rubber as well as advanced synthetic polymers. This advanced tread compound is engineered to enhance the tire’s durability and reliability.

The tire’s advanced tread compound has been shaped into an asymmetrical tread pattern. This tread pattern is designed to deliver controlled highway performance, handling and steering response – regardless of the weather conditions.

Similar to the Phantom A/P, the Phantom C-Sport also sports interlocking sipes. These sipes are designed to lock together whenever you are cornering, for enhanced steering response. At the same time, these sipes will then open up whenever you are accelerating or braking, resulting in additional biting power – even in tricky conditions.

Phantom has also outfitted this tire with V-channel water grooves. These grooves are designed to remove water from the tire’s surface, resulting in aquaplaning resistance and enhanced grip in wet conditions.

The Phantom C-Sport also features a computer-optimized noise-canceling tread design. As its name suggests, this tread pattern is designed to reduce road noise and vibrations. This design works together with Phantom’s exclusive shoulder groove noise dam technology, resulting in a quiet, comfortable and smooth ride.

Phantom has further provisioned the C-Sport a two-ply stabilized polyester interior construction, which helps to provide controlled highway handling and high-speed stability.

Price Range

The Phantom C-Sport is currently being sold for approximately $100 to $165. Therefore, a set of four tires will cost you around $400 to $600, minus installation costs. The actual cost will depend on various factors, the major one being your vehicle’s wheel size. Active duty military members and veterans qualify for a 10% discount, offered through Discount Tire. Hence, if you fall under any of these categories, then you may be eligible for this discount, which will be applied at the time of the tire’s purchase.

Sizes and Fitment

The Phantom C-Sport is currently available in 16 different sizes, running from 16 inches to 20 inches. And with such a vast range of sizes, this tire can fit most of the crossovers out there.

Pros

• Dependable all-season performance
• Smooth, quiet and comfortable ride
• Fast and accurate steering response
• Outstanding high-speed handling and stability

Cons

• Availability may be an issue for some drivers

Verdict

Without a doubt, the Phantom C-Sport is a highly reliable tire for crossovers. According to drivers who have used this tire, it delivers great wet traction, superb cornering and steering, a comfortable ride and decent tread life. So, if you are looking for a set of pocket-friendly and dependable replacement tires for your CUV, then the Phantom C-Sport is a great choice.

Phantom Tires Warranties and Guarantees

As earlier mentioned, Phantom tires are exclusively sold through Discount Tire. Therefore, the warranties and guarantees are also offered through this exclusive seller. With that said, Phantom tires only come with a limited treadwear warranty. The Phantom A/P tire is backed by a 45,000-mile treadwear warranty while the C-Sport is backed by a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty.

So, if your tire wears out evenly across its tread surface without attaining the warranted mileage, Discount Tire will replace it with a comparable new one. And as you may expect, the replacement offered under the limited treadwear warranty is done on a prorated basis.

Hence, you will share the tire’s replacement costs with Discount Tire. The amount you will contribute will depend on the percentage of the tread worn off the tire, by the time it’s removed from service.

But, it’s also worth mentioning that Discount Tire also offers a special workmanship and materials warranty, at a fee. This special warranty is known as Certificate for Repair, Refund or Replacement.

If you sign up for this warranty, Discount Tire will replace your Phantom tire, if it’s removed from service due to a non-repairable road hazard or defect, as long as it has at least 3/32-inch of the original usable tread remaining.

Under this special warranty, Discount Tire will offer the buyer a full refund of the tire’s purchase price. You can then opt to use this refund to purchase a similar new tire or a comparable new tire, available at the same price. And unlike other warranties and guarantees, no prorating is done under this special warranty.

Why Buy Phantom Tires

Pocket-friendly Prices

Phantom tires are highly affordable. The most expensive tire from this brand goes for around $165, which is still within an affordable range for most drivers. So, if you are own a truck, SUV, CUV or minivan and you are in the market for a set of affordable replacement tires for your vehicle, then you should check out Phantom tires. For most drivers, an entire set of Phantom tires will set them back around $500 or even less, which is extremely affordable.

Dependable Tires

Phantom tires are renowned for their outstanding reliability and superb all-year-round performance. Whether you are driving on dry roads or wet surfaces, tires from this brand will always deliver solid performances. Their dry traction is top-notch and their aquaplaning resistance is exceptional.

Also, they deliver fast and precise steering response, great high-speed stability as well as outstanding cornering grip. Furthermore, Phantom tires also deliver a smooth, quiet and comfortable rid, in the streets and on the highway. So, when it comes to dependability, you can never go wrong with Phantom tires. They perform as advertised.

Decent Return on Investment

Budget tires have developed quite a bad reputation. They tend to fail prematurely while others wear out to their treadwear maintenance indicators before they can deliver the promised mileage. And this explains why some drivers tend to stay away from tires in this category.

But, this is not the case with Phantom tires. Based on the available reviews and testimonials, most drivers who have purchased and used these tires only have good things to say about them. They don’t fail or wear out prematurely, unlike other budget tires. Furthermore, they perform well across various surfaces and conditions. Hence, if you purchase a set of Phantom tires, you are assured of a decent return on your investment.

Phantom Tires Pros

• High-quality, durable tires
• Tires are highly dependable
• Budget-friendly tires
• Strong mileage warranties

Phantom Tires Cons

• A limited selection of tires
• No materials or manufacturer’s warranty

Our Take

Most drivers have reservations when it comes to buying budget tires. And this is understandable. With budget tires, it’s always a gamble. In most cases, you are not sure whether you will get a solid tire or a product that will fail after a couple of uses. But with Phantom tires, you don’t have to worry about such issues. Its tires have proven to be reliable, year after year. They also perform well. So, if you are in the market for a set of replacement tires but you can’t afford to purchase a set of premium tires, Phantom tires will be a great alternative. Their performance and reliability are unquestionable.