I've personally never had good luck with ANY goodyear tires I've had on my vehicles. The OE tires that came on my 2009 G8 had less than 20k miles on them, and I hydroplaned on a flat stretch of I-25 in Colorado ... luckily no one else was around me and I only did slight damage to my own vehicle. I understand that people have budgets, but when you think about the fact that the tire is one of the most important things on your car and providing safety to you and your family, is budget-friendly what's most important? Sure, you can spend less now, but if the tire doesn't last as long, you'll be spending more money on another set of tires sooner rather than later. The 2 tires you're considering are in different categories as well. The Maxlife is a Standard touring tire, whereas the the WeatherReady is a Grand Touring tire. According to Tirerack.com, both of the tires you've narrowed down to are 4th in their testing.
First off, the Maxlife:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ST&width=225/&ratio=65&diameter=17&tireSearch=true&filter=y&autoMake=Chevrolet&autoYear=2018&autoModel=Equinox+AWD&autoModClar=LT
Second, the WeatherReady:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=GTAS&width=225/&ratio=65&diameter=17&tireSearch=true&filter=y&autoMake=Chevrolet&autoYear=2018&autoModel=Equinox+AWD&autoModClar=LT
it also depends on where you live and what driving conditions you face most often. According to tirerack, the Continental TrueContact Tour performed the best in wet conditions in their testing, so if you live in an area with a lot of rain, this tire should be on your list.
As far as pricing goes ... the difference in cost on their website is $15 per tire from top ranked to 4th place for the touring, and $19 from 4th place to most expensive in the Grand Touring category. I've purchased many brands over many years, and keep coming back to Michelin and BF Goodrich tires. I currently have a set of Michelin Cross Climate II tires on my wife's Equinox. We took a trip to ski country in Colorado over New Year's weekend, and with over 13,000 miles already on the tires, I was able to leave the Equinox in FWD mode the whole time, even driving up the passes on packed snow, and some freshly fallen snow. It's my first set of these tires, but I liked them so much after about 5,000 miles, that I purchased a set of them for my daughter's Chevy Volt. I'll be purchasing another set for MY recently acquired 2019 Equinox when the time comes to replace the tires. I have not noticed any impact on fuel mileage compared to the OE tires on my wife's Equinox either. I can honestly say that tires are one thing I will not skimp on, as they are the only thing on the vehicle that touches the road, and my family's safety is one thing I won't put a budget on.
My 2018 Chevrolet Equinox AWD LT w/1LT package has what I believe are the factory tires when new; Bridgestone Ecopia H/L 422 Plus, tire size: 225 65 R 17 and the dealership where I bought it from and have it serviced at said 2 of the tires, I believe the fronts are worn down and they could not do tire rotation by Ohio law and recommended I get new tires. I live in Northeastern Ohio and know the winter's can get bad here at times but wanted to know if any other Ohio Equinox owners what tires you've used that have had good winter traction, wet weather handling, smooth ride & quite and have long tread life?
I am having the Goodyear Assurance Comfortdrive tires installed today along with an alignment and free inspection and brake inspection at Conrad's Tire.
