All-season tires are a great all-around choice for most drivers of sedans, minivans, and crossovers. They make good sense for all kinds of reasons: great wear properties and generous limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage, year-round performance, predictable handling, solid and composed road manners, low noise, and accommodating ride comfort. Not surprisingly, all-season tires are available at every price imaginable, from spendy premium-brand tires down to budget-priced tires from lesser-known brands.
The TBB TR-66 is one of the more affordable all-season tires on the market. While many all-season tires have very similar design features and construction, the TBB TR-66 has some innovative design points that make it a bit different in the world of all-season tires. Let’s get in and take a closer look at what it has to offer with this TBB TR-66 tire review:
Features and Benefits
Here are some of the innovative design features and details that make the TBB TR-66 a standout performer and great value in the arena of all-season tires:
- The next-generation tread compound is designed for excellent wear properties and enhanced grip on wet or dry roads
- Asymmetric all-season tread is divided into two segments, with the outboard side featuring reinforced tread blocks at the shoulder for confident cornering and wet-weather grip, and the inboard side designed for stability at high speed
- The internal construction features a polyester casing with two steel belts and a nylon cap ply for stability
- Four wide circumferential grooves work with transverse grooves to boost wet-weather performance and resist hydroplaning by efficiently diverting water from the tire’s contact patch
- Continuous center rib delivers solid straight-line stability and road manners as well as quick and direct steering response
- Tread pitch is randomized and computer-tuned to disrupt certain frequencies and overtones to keep road noise muted
Pros and Cons
PROS:
- Very affordable price point
- Handling and cornering are steady and consistent
- Road manners are stable and sedate
CONS:
- No limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty
- Not good in heavier snow
- Pattern noise can be louder on some pavement surfaces
SimpleTire’s view on TBB TR-66 tires
We’re pretty impressed with the kind of performance and value that the TBB TR-66 offers; in our opinion, this is a budget tire that compares favorably to tires that cost far more.
Are you acquainted with SimpleScore? SimpleScore is a rating system that our team developed to assign a numerical value for the categories of handling, traction, and longevity, as well as an overall average SimpleScore for any given tire. We look at specs, review information and other data points, and then distill that down to a numerical score to give you a quick overview. For the TBB TR-66, the SimpleScore numbers are:
TBB TR-66:
- Traction: 7.6
- Handling: 8.4
- Longevity: 7.3
- Overall average SimpleScore: 7.7
The TBB TR-66 is a tire that has much to recommend it. Handling is precise and manageable even when pushed hard, with few vices and little evident tendencies toward understeer or oversteer. Straight-line stability at highway speed is secure and steady, and steering response and driver feedback are light and nimble without being overly sensitive or jumpy. On wet roads, the TBB TR-66 feels confident and capable of braking performance and handling that are not a lot different from what you’d experience on dry pavement.
Cornering ability might not be what you’d expect from a performance tire, but it’s certainly competent and accurate. It’s true that this tire doesn’t perform well in deeper snow, but that’s not what a tire like the TBB TR-66 was designed for. We also need to mention that there’s no limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty for mileage, and that’s not unusual for a tire at this price point.
Ride quality is composed and refined even on rough or uneven pavement surfaces, and the TBB TR-66 is a great prospect in an affordable all-season tire that would make a great replacement tire for an older vehicle, one where you need tires but don’t want to empty out a bank account to do it. SimpleTire’s price on the TBB TR-66 starts at $58.97 per tire.
Vehicles the TBB TR-66 is a good replacement tire for
While the TBB TR-66 isn’t featured as the OEM tire for any new vehicles, it would be a great fit for cars and crossovers like these:
- Buick Encore
- Buick Enclave
- Buick Envision
- Buick Envista
- Honda Pilot
- Honda CR-V
- Toyota RAV4
- Nissan Murano
- Nissan Pathfinder
- Hyundai Tucson
- Kia Telluride
- Kia Sedona
- Kia K5
- Kia Sephia
- Kia Sportage
- Mitsubishi Montero
- Chevrolet Sprint
- Chrysler Pacifica
- Dodge Caravan
- Fiat 500
- Ford Focus
- Honda Civic
- Kia Sephia
- Mazda 6
- Nissan Rogue
- Subaru Outback
- Toyota Camry
- Volkswagen Atlas
- Acura TSX
- Audi A6
- Buick Lacrosse
- Cadillac CT5
- Chevrolet Cruze
- Chrysler 200
- Ford Mustang
- Genesis G80
- Honda Accord
- Hyundai Sonata
- Kia K5
- Mazda3
- Nissan Altima
- Tesla Model 3
- Toyota Supra
- Volkswagen Passat
