Primewell Valera HT Tire Review

‍Overview

Primewell is a relatively new tire brand, competing in the mid-tier range. In the U.S, Primewell operates under Firestone while in Singapore and Asia at larger, it operates under Giti Tire.

As much as Primewell has only been around for a couple of years, it has quickly established itself as one of the go-to brands for mid-range tire shoppers. The reason behind its growing popularity in this tire market segment is that it produces high-quality tires, which come at affordable prices.

Primewell has a vast selection of tires for almost all types of vehicles on the road. It produces tires for trucks, vans, crossovers, passenger cars, SUVs, buses and light trucks, just to name a few. It also produces tires for different terrains and weather conditions. And the Primewell Valera HT is one of its most popular tires.

About the Primewell Valera HT

As its name suggests, the Primewell Valera HT is a highway terrain tire, designed for SUVs, crossovers and light trucks. According to Primewell, this tire is built to deliver excellent and confident handling on the highway, combined with a smooth, quiet and comfortable ride.

Also, the Primewell Valera HT is an all-season tire. Therefore, you can count on it to deliver dependable traction and handling, regardless of whether you are driving on dry roads or in wet conditions.

If you are the type of driver that’s constantly switching from city streets to highways, you are a long-distance driver or you go on road trips frequently with your family and friends, then the Primewell Valera HT may be a good fit for your vehicle.

Design Features and Technologies

As earlier highlighted, this tire is built to deliver confident handling, a smooth and comfortable ride as well as dependable wet and dry traction. To this end, Primewell has provisioned the Valera HT with numerous features and technologies, to help it deliver on these key objectives. They include:

Superior Tread Compound

Primewell has outfitted the Valera HT with an advanced tread compound. This advanced tread compound is designed to deliver top-notch handling on the highway, combined with a stable, comfortable and smooth ride.

The advanced tread compound has then been formed into a symmetrical tread pattern. This tread pattern features four longitudinal grooves, which help to disperse water away from the tread blocks, resulting in outstanding wet performance.

All Season Tread Design

The Valera HT also comes with an all-season tread design. This all-season tread pattern is designed to deliver enhanced year-round performance. So, if you live in an area that doesn’t experience heavy snowing or extreme cold during the winter months, then you may not necessarily have to swap in winter tires.

Noise Canceling Technology

Primewell has also equipped the Valera HT with advanced noise canceling technology. Incorporated into the tire’s block design, this technology is designed to minimize road noise and vibrations, resulting in a smooth, quiet and comfortable ride – regardless of the road conditions that you encounter.

Optimized Carcass Tension Technology

The Valera HT also features Primewell’s exclusive Optimized Carcass Tension Technology. So, what role does this technology play in the tire’s performance? According to Primewell, the Optimized Carcass Tension Technology has been incorporated into the tire, to deliver a great balance between wet and dry handling.

Also, this technology, in conjunction with the tire’s symmetric tread pattern allow the Valera HT to follow the road surface closely. As a result, the road vibrations the passengers will feel will be minimal, resulting in a comfortable driving experience.

Furthermore, the Optimized Carcass Tension Technology helps to improve controllability, resulting in outstanding steering responsiveness and enhanced driving stability.

Low Rolling Resistance

Just like other Primewell tires, the Valera HT has also been designed for lower rolling resistance. With this design feature, there will be fewer forces acting against the tire as it rolls. As a result, your truck, SUV, crossover, van or any other vehicle that you’ve installed these tires on won’t have to overwork to keep them rolling. Therefore, you can travel for long distances without burning too much fuel – a welcome feature for long-distance drivers.

Performance in Different Conditions

The Primewell Valera HT has been marketed as a tire that will deliver top-notch handling on the highway, outstanding wet and dry traction, as well as a quiet, smooth and comfortable ride.

But is this the real situation on the ground? Does this tire perform as advertised? Well, we mounted a set of 16-inch Valera HT tires on a Chevrolet Blazer and examined various aspects of its performance. And after an entire day of testing, we came to the following conclusions, regarding its overall performance.

Dry Performance

We began our series of tests on the Primewell Valera HT by assessing its dry performance. And when it comes to these conditions, we can say that the Valera HT didn’t disappoint.

Its traction on dry surfaces was outstanding, especially when moving at slow to moderate speeds. Also, it responded to driving inputs well. The steering response was always timely and accurate.

However, we noticed a slight loss of traction when we pushed the Blazer to its limits. But, the Valera HT is not a racing tire by any stretch. So, the slight loss of traction when you push the vehicle to its limits is nothing much to worry about. As long as you maintain the recommended driving speeds, then you shouldn’t have any dry traction issues with this tire.

Wet Performance

The Valera HT is marketed as a tire that can perform well in wet conditions. After examining its dry traction, we then went a step further to ascertain whether these claims are true. Again, this tire performed as advertised.

It delivered adequate amounts of grip and traction, when driving at moderate speeds. But again, when we pushed the Blazer beyond the speed limits, we noticed that the tires were hunting for traction, especially during cornering and braking. Also, the steering response was not that great.

However, as earlier mentioned, the Valera HT is not a performance tire. And, the minimal loss of traction is something you can expect from a highway terrain, all-season tire. Overall, its wet performance was satisfactory. As long as you don’t exceed the speed limit, then you shouldn’t experience any traction issues with this tire when driving on wet roads. Besides, driving past speed limits is not something you should be doing when the road surfaces are wet.

Performance in Snowy Conditions

The Primewell Valera HT is a highway terrain all-season tire. So, we felt there was no need to test this tire’s performance in snowy conditions. But, according to drivers who are currently using this tire as well as those who have used it, it performs fairly well in light snowy conditions.

So, as long as you don’t use it on roads covered with more than two inches of snow, then you should be fine. However, if your area experiences heavy snowing or you frequently drive through ice-covered roads, then the Valera HT may not be ideal for such driving conditions. With this in mind, you should consider outfitting your vehicle with the right set of snow or winter tires.

Ride Quality

When it comes to producing highway terrain tires, some manufacturers tend to sacrifice ride quality in an attempt to enhance the tire’s grip and traction. Fortunately, this is not the case with the Valera HT. With this tire, you don’t have to choose one or the other.

During our tests, the tire remained surprisingly quiet, which is something you can’t say for highway terrain tires in the mid-range category. Furthermore, it absorbed potholes, bumps and other similar elements with ease. Overall, the ride was smooth, supple and comfortable.

Warranties and Guarantees

The Valera HT comes with two warranties. Admitted through Firestone, these warranties are a workmanship and materials warranty as well as a limited mileage warranty. So, what’s covered under these two warranties and for how long? Let’s take a closer look.

Materials and Workmanship Warranty

Firestone promises to replace your Primewell Valera HT tire if it’s removed from service or it becomes unusable due to reasons or issues within the manufacturer’s control. So, if your Valera HT tire becomes unusable due to issues caused by workmanship or materials defects, Firestone will replace it with a comparable one.

However, you should note that Firestone doesn’t offer any free replacement for the Valera HT, regardless of when the tire becomes unusable or how much tread is remaining on the tire. Instead, all replacements for the Valera HT are purely done on a prorated adjustment.

In this case, Firestone and the buyer will share the tire’s replacement costs. The amount you will contribute towards the tire’s replacement will be determined by multiplying the percentage of the original tread worn off the tire by the tire’s current selling price.

Also, the tire’s mounting, balancing, taxes, disposal fees and other charges associated with the installation will be added to the final replacement price. Simply put, you will also be responsible for these charges.

The coverage that Firestone offers for the Valera HT runs for four years from its purchase date. And in case the purchase date can’t be confirmed, then it will be five years from the tire’s manufacture date.

The Valera HT shouldn’t be worn by more than 2/32-inch of the original tread to be eligible for this warranty. Furthermore, if the tire becomes unusable or unserviceable due to damage caused by road hazards, improper or insufficient maintenance, improper operation or misuse, improper repair and contamination won’t be replaced under this warranty.

Limited Mileage Warranty

As pointed out earlier, the Primewell Valera HT also comes with a limited mileage warranty. Under this warranty, Firestone promises to replace the Primewell Valera HT, if it wears uniformly down to its built-in indicators, without delivering the warranted mileage.

In this case, the warranted mileage for the Valera HT is 50,000 miles. So, if your set of tires wears down uniformly down to the in-built indicators, you will be eligible for a replacement.

Just like the materials and workmanship warranty, Firestone doesn’t offer a free tire replacement under this warranty. Instead, Firestone will do the replacement on a prorated basis. In this case, Firestone will contribute a particular amount at the time of this tire’s replacement.

The amount that Firestone will contribute towards this tire’s replacement will be calculated by multiplying the percentage of the warranted miles the tire has failed to deliver, with the current selling price.

For example, you may have purchased a set of 17-inch Valera HT tires for your SUV at approximately $100 per tire. Unfortunately, your set of tires may wear down to their inbuilt indicators after only delivering 25,000 miles. In this case, the tires have only delivered 50% of the promised warranted mileage. To this end, Firestone will contribute around $50 per tire at the time of their replacement.

Sizes and Fitment

The Valera HT is available in three sizes. These are 16-inch, 17-inch and 18-inch sizes. Some of the vehicles that this tire may fit include:

• Chevrolet Blazer, K1500, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, Cheyenne, and Tahoe
• Ford Excursion, F-250, F-250 Super Duty, F-350, and F-350 Super Duty
• Suzuki Equator
• Nissan Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra
• GMC Sierra, Yukon, Yukon SLT, Yukon Sport and Yukon SL
• Toyota FJ Cruiser

Primewell Valera HT Pros

• Outstanding dry traction
• Solid wet performance
• Great steering responsiveness
• A smooth and comfortable ride even on rough surfaces

Primewell Valera HT Cons

• Only a few sizes are available

Verdict

The Primewell Valera HT is a dependable highway terrain tire. It delivers decent handling and stellar traction, on both wet and dry surfaces. Also, you will enjoy a quiet, smooth and cozy ride, even when you are driving on uneven roads. Overall, it will be a great choice for drivers of SUVs, vans, crossovers, and light trucks, looking for a reliable and affordable highway terrain tire.