Michelin and Goodyear rank highest in JD Power tire survey

A fairly unedited press release here. While it has an American bias it is still a good indication of the market.

Michelin ranks highest in original equipment (OE) tire satisfaction in three segments, while Goodyear ranks highest in one segment, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study.

Michelin ranks highest in the luxury, passenger car and truck/utility segments, while Goodyear ranks highest in the performance sport segment. Within each of the four segments (luxury, passenger car, performance sport, and truck/utility) four factors are examined to measure tire owner satisfaction: wearability, appearance, traction/handling, and ride. Rankings are based on owners' experiences with their tires after two years of ownership.

In the passenger car and luxury segments, Michelin performs particularly well in the wearability and appearance factors. In the truck/utility segment, Michelin performs particularly well in the tire wearability factor. Goodyear ranks highest in the performance sport segment. While the tire manufacturer performs well in the areas of traction/handling, appearance and ride, Goodyear differentiates itself in the area of tire wearability.

The study finds that experiencing problems during the first two years of ownership can have a major negative impact on overall customer satisfaction. Among customers who did not report any problems, overall satisfaction averages 718 points on a 1,000-point scale. Conversely, satisfaction among customers who say they experienced at least one problem averages 586 points??a difference of more than 130 points.

??Problems caused by road hazards and punctures are most common, but since consumers understand that tire manufacturers have little control over road conditions, this has relatively little effect on owner satisfaction,?? said Allison LaDuc, senior research manager of automotive product quality at J.D. Power and Associates. ??Tire wear problems have a considerable impact on satisfaction. Improving performance in this key area may help mitigate other problems or issues customers may face.??

In addition to negatively impacting satisfaction, problems also affect a customer's willingness to recommend their tire brand. Among customers who did not experience any problems, 89 percent indicate they ??definitely will?? or ??probably will?? recommend their tire brand, while only 55 percent of customers who report experiencing a problem say the same.

Additionally, the study finds that, among customers who experience a problem with their original equipment tires, willingness to recommend their tire brand varies depending on the problem experienced. The percentage of customers who say they ??definitely will not?? recommend their tire brand is particularly high among those who report problems with poor traction/grip on dry roads (48%) and fast tread wear (40%). Conversely, only 12 percent of customers who report experiencing problems from road hazards/punctures and 15 percent of those with slow leaks report they ??definitely will not?? recommend their tire brand.

The 2009 Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from nearly 30,000 new-vehicle owners who purchased a 2007 or 2008 model year vehicle. The study was fielded between October and December 2008. comments powered by Disqus