Top 5 Best Tires For Chevy Equinox [2023 Review]

By Tire Expert, Ryan Nichols
By Tire Expert, Ryan Nichols

Want some advice on buying the best tires for your Chevy Equinox? I’m the mechanic for the job.

So what are the do’s and don’ts when buying Chevy Equinox tires? I say ‘do’ mount some maneuverable tires on it with sturdy sidewalls. I also say ‘don’t’ put cheaper tires on your Equinox if you can help it.

I’ve mounted the most expensive and also cheapest tires onto the Equinox in my day. I’ve also done my research on accessibility, rebates, etc. Here are my 5 favorite picks as well as a few other recommendations & tips:

Our Top Pick
General Altimax RT43
General Altimax RT43
★★★★★ 4.5/5
4.5
  • Visual treadwear indicators make them hard to mess up
  • Symmetrical tread pattern for easy/effective tire rotations
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Best Budget
Riken Raptor HR
Riken Raptor
★★★★★ 3.5/5
3.5
  • Unbeatable price
  • Decent steering response
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Best High End
Michelin CrossClimate2
Michelin CrossClimate2
★★★★★ 4.0/5
4.0
  • Incredible and unique tread design
  • Versatile traction in all conditions
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Most Economical
Continental Crosscontact LX25
Continental CrossContact LX25
★★★★★ 4.0/5
4.0
  • Smooth ride quality
  • Great wet traction
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Best Tread Life
Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3
Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3
★★★★★ /5
  • Unlimited time treadwear warranty
  • Superior handling and comfort
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Read Review

Updated as of September 13, 2024

General Altimax RT43

General Altimax RT43
Our rating:
4.5/5
★★★★★ 4.5/5
Check Price At TireRack

Pros and Cons

  • Visual treadwear indicators make them hard to mess up
  • Symmetrical tread pattern for easy/effective tire rotations
  • 75 thousand mile treadwear warranty
  • Not rated for extreme winter road conditions
  • Not an ultra-high performance tire
  • No run flat option

Ratings

Wet Traction:
★★★★★ 4.5/5
Ride Handling:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Dry Traction:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Ride Noise:
★★★★★ 4.5/5
Snow Traction:
★★★★★ 3.5/5
Ride Comfort:
★★★★★ 4.5/5
Tread Life:
★★★★★ 4.5/5
Value For Money:
★★★★★ 4.0/5

General Altimax RT43 tires are the tried and tested solution for your Chevy Equinox. These are some of the most popular sedan/crossover tires on the planet because of their reasonable price and incredible ability to keep chugging after thousands of miles (6-year/75 thousand mile treadwear warranty).

Now, compare these to the slightly less expensive Riken Raptor tires that don’t come with a treadwear warranty, spending just a tiny bit more on these General Altimax RT43 is a complete no-brainer. They don’t cost that much more, and they’re going to last twice as long compared to a cheaper set.

From the price to ride quality, I like everything about General Altimax RT43 tires. These are made by Continental (one of the largest tire manufacturers on the planet), so the technology and engineering that goes into making the perfect set of tires for crossovers like the Chevy Equinox are largely unmatched.

For example, their sound wave impression technology makes them super quiet, a signature Twin Cushion Silica Tread Compound increases ride comfort and provides excellent traction in wet conditions, and their symmetrical continuous center rib design with independent tread blocks has that classic sauce that makes them easy to rotate in an ‘x’ pattern or front to back.

My favorite thing about General Altimax RT43 tires is how user-friendly they are. These tires make it hard to wear unevenly with visual indicators on each side of the tread, and you’ll also notice a ‘replacement tire monitor’ printed on the center treads that eventually wears down to say ‘replace tire’ when they get too low.

Riken Raptor

Riken Raptor HR
Our rating:
3.5/5
★★★★★ 3.5/5
Check Price At TireRack

Pros and Cons

  • Unbeatable price
  • Decent steering response
  • Good tread compound for slower speeds
  • Unattractive sidewalls and name
  • Not recommended for offroad use
  • Bad in the snowy weather conditions

Ratings

Wet Traction:
★★★★★ 3.5/5
Ride Handling:
★★★★★ 3.5/5
Dry Traction:
★★★★★ 3.5/5
Ride Noise:
★★★★★ 3.5/5
Snow Traction:
★★★★★ 3.0/5
Ride Comfort:
★★★★★ 3.5/5
Tread Life:
★★★★★ 2.0/5
Value For Money:
★★★★★ 4.0/5

Your cheapest and most reliable choice is currently the Riken Raptor made by the Michelin company. Riken Raptors are your standard grand-touring all-season tires that’ll work great if you need a reliable set of tires for your Chevy Equinox on a budget.

The symmetrical tread pattern, continuous center rib technology, and multiple lateral notches are what you should expect from fairly reliable all-season tires like these. Don’t expect anything special, but these Raptors will get you through for at least two years if you take advantage of the two-year road hazard protection that comes with.

Despite not having a treadwear warranty from the manufacturer, I would certainly opt for buying these at Tire Rack instead of an Amazon set because of the free road hazard protection that might certainly come clutch if one of these pops on you.

The big downside to these tires is that it’s really a toss-up for how long they’re actually going to last. For the price, I’d pay a bit extra for General Altimax RT43 or some Continental CrossContact any day over these.

Would I put these on my Equinox? Hmmm, no. I’d go with the extremely affordable Starfire Solarus off of Amazon instead.

Michelin CrossClimate2

Michelin CrossClimate2
Our rating:
4.0/5
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Check Price At TireRack

Pros and Cons

  • Incredible and unique tread design
  • Versatile traction in all conditions
  • Attractive sidewalls
  • You’ll still need tire chains in extreme snow
  • Directional tires must be replaced in sets of four
  • Slightly lower fuel economy than the traditional all-season

Ratings

Wet Traction:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Ride Handling:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Dry Traction:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Ride Noise:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Snow Traction:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Ride Comfort:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Tread Life:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Value For Money:
★★★★★ 4.0/5

Ooh, la la! These or Michelin Defenders for the win any day, especially for the Chevy Equinox.

CrossClimate2 tires have a unique and attractive V-form directional tread design that provides some of the most versatile traction in wet, dry, and snow conditions compared to any other tire on the market.

Unlike some tires that have attractive or creative tread patterns, Michelin CrossClimate2 has a reason behind its design. For example, these tires feature signature designs like V Ramp Chamfers, 3D Sipe Lock Technology, and PIANO noise reduction tuning that help maximize traction and comfort while minimizing road noise.

Although these aren’t true winter tires, they have the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol on the sidewall which means they can perform in cold temperatures (especially if you install snow chains/snow socks).

Oh, and for under two hundred bucks a tire, these are completely reasonable for how awesome they are. I’d say they’re the perfectly matched tire for a Chevy Equinox or any other crossover SUV for that matter. I give this tire four out of five all across the board.

Continental CrossContact LX25

Continental Crosscontact LX25
Our rating:
4.0/5
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Check Price At TireRack

Pros and Cons

  • Smooth ride quality
  • Great wet traction
  • Very popular model
  • Not rated for winter conditions
  • Bad at offroading
  • More of a sedan tire

Ratings

Wet Traction:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Ride Handling:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Dry Traction:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Ride Noise:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Snow Traction:
★★★★★ 3.0/5
Ride Comfort:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Tread Life:
★★★★★ 4.0/5
Value For Money:
★★★★★ 3.5/5

It doesn’t get more logical than Continental CrossContact for the Chevy Equinox. I’ve mounted these tires on thousands of cars not only because they’re an OEM option on a large percentage of European cars, but also because they’re a reliable all-season option.

Right off the bat, you’ll notice that these tires produce zero vibration when mounted and balanced properly. I love Continental’s Next Generation EcoPlus+ technology because it makes these CrossContact tires super smooth over small bumps and corner like the luxury tire they are.

One unique design about CrossContact LX25 tires is that they have both lateral and diagonal sipes that enhance wet traction They also have biting teeth in their traction grooves that help grip in light snow conditions.

If the 70-thousand-mile treadwear warranty and reasonable price didn’t sell you on these yet, just know that these are some of the best all-season treads you can get. The only downside I can see about buying these compared to other sets like the Riken Raptors are that you can spend less on something else and still get the 2-year road hazard warranty from the Tire Rack.

Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3

Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3
Our rating:
★★★★★ /5
Check Price At TireRack

Pros and Cons

  • Unlimited time treadwear warranty
  • Superior handling and comfort
  • Sequence-tuned shoulder blocks
  • Higher price
  • Not rated for extreme snow
  • They’re not run-flat tires

Ratings

Wet Traction:
★★★★★ /5
Ride Handling:
★★★★★ /5
Dry Traction:
★★★★★ /5
Ride Noise:
★★★★★ /5
Snow Traction:
★★★★★ /5
Ride Comfort:
★★★★★ /5
Tread Life:
★★★★★ /5
Value For Money:
★★★★★ /5

Pirelli Scorpion all-seasons are another set of tires that I’ve mounted up repeatedly on luxury sedans and crossovers like the Equinox.

The great thing about these particular Pirelli Scorpions is that they aren’t even that expensive compared to a cheaper set. And their unlimited time/70 thousand-mile treadwear warranty means you’ll be good to go for the long run with these things.

I’ve seen Pirelli Scorpion all-seasons come into the shop oil change after oil change and it seems like the tread depths hardly ever wear down noticeably compared to other tires.

Aside from lasting a long time, Pirelli tires perform flawlessly in year-round conditions (granted, you’ll need snow chains for these).

So yeah, I’ve used these on plenty of sedans and SUVs, and I’ve been extremely satisfied with Pirelli’s performance. I definitely feel safer behind the wheel with tires like Pirelli and Continental.

What To Look For When Buying The Best Tires For Chevy Equinox?

Here are a few important factors to consider:

All-season traction

Most Chevy Equinox I’ve worked on have all-season tires mounted up, hence my recommendations above.

However, you could still put sport tires, all-terrain tires, or snow tires on an Equinox and they’d work great. You might be interested in checking tire speed ratings.

Rebates

You’ll notice some deals come with a small rebate after you buy loaded onto a prepaid card.

How Much Do Tires For Chevy Equinox Cost?

Let’s take a look:

Four New Tires

~$543-$1425 for four new tires with installation included.

Two New Tires

~$271-$721.5

Single Tire

~$126.73-$356.28

What Tire Size Is Best For A Chevy Equinox?

I’d go with the stock size for your specific Chevy Equinox trim levels (LS, LT, LTZ, Premier, RS). Use Tire Rack’s site to help you find the right tires.

How Long Should Your Chevy Equinox Tires Last?

If you properly rotate your Equinox tires every 3 to 5 thousand miles & keep tire pressure properly set, I’d say you’re looking at a ~45 thousand mile or ~3-year life out of your Equinox tires.

When To Replace Your Chevrolet Equinox Tires?

Always have the tread depths properly checked and reinflated when changing the oil.

Does The Brand Matter For A Chevy Equinox When Replacing Tires?

Not really. The Equinox is lightweight and sturdy enough to make do with almost any brand of tires. My best advice is to not buy tire brands that don’t come with a road hazard warranty or treadwear warranty.

Other brands of tires you might buy for your Chevy Equinox include BFGoodrich, Hankook, Yokohama, Goodyear, Bridgestone, etc. —these are all suitable options.

Does the Year of Your Chevy Equinox Matter When Buying New Tires?

Yes, tire and wheel diameters vary throughout the years since the 2005 Chevy Equinox which had 16 and 17-inch wheels.

What Are The Biggest Tires I Can Put On A Chevy Equinox?

235/50R19 is the largest stock size for the Chevy Equinox without suspension modification.

Frequently Asked Questions
You’ll find anything from 16 to 19-inch rims on the Chevy Equinox.
I’d say 150 thousand.
Yes, the older Chevy Equinoxes were known to have clutch plate and valve body problems.

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