The 8 Best Tires for the Chevy Traverse
The Chevy Traverse delights and disappoints in equal measure.
This three-row family SUV wins you over with its comfortable and spacious interior, including a third row that can easily accommodate adult passengers. It also offers smooth and responsive performance, thanks to the V6 engine that delivers ample power for lively acceleration.
But there are areas where the Traverse could do better. Many drivers I have personally spoken to are unimpressed with its interior quality. I recall hearing words like ‘cheap’ and ‘lackluster’ from owners who compared the Traverse’s in-cabin materials with other mid-size SUVs.
That’s not all. I have also heard complaints about the Traverse’s cabin being noisy, not only due to the wind and engine noise but also because of the growl of the factory-installed tires. Which is why I have come up with reviews of radials that will enhance every aspect of its ride.
#1. General Grabber HTS 60 – Best Overall

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The General Grabber HTS 60 is our top tire pick for Chevy Traverse.
Despite being a budget-oriented tire (vis-à-vis rival models from other premium brands), it offers superb dry and wet performance. This A/S tire also offers superior puncture resistance, meaning it will safely carry you through poor-quality roads.
The HTS 60 would also solve the problem we highlighted at the start – this tire will reduce your Traverse’s in-cabin noise. The credit for this goes to Comfort Balance Technology, which also enables this tire to absorb road vibrations for a comfortable ride.
You can also count on this model to offer excellent responsiveness. A continuous center rib and notched shoulders will provide plenty of feedback at the steering. Plus, wide grooves will help with water evacuation, bringing down the risk of hydroplaning.
Unfortunately, like the vehicle we’re recommending it for, the HTS 60 also has a few flaws. The most notable of which is its 50,000-mile treadwear warranty. This guarantee is at least 10,000 miles shorter than what you could get from premium all-season tires.
Pros
- Comes at a pocket-friendly price
- Offers excellent dry and wet performance
- Will make your Traverse’s ride more comfortable
Cons
- Treadwear warranty could be better
#2. Michelin Defender LTX M/S – Best Premium All-Season

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Superb road manners? Check. Above-average fuel economies? Present. A reliable year-round performance? Absolutely. All these are areas where the Michelin Defender LTX M/S stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Grabber HTS 60.
Yet there are areas where it beats our top pick.
Unlike the Grabber HTS 60, this all-season tire comes with biting edges around its tread area. This means you can count on it to safely carry you through mild wintry conditions. The sipes also reduce this tire’s braking distances, enhancing its wet traction.
Treadwear warranty is another area where this tire leads the way. Breaking away from its tradition of supplementing its A/S tires with average guarantees, Michelin has backed the Defender LTX M/S to last up to 70,000 miles, 20,000 miles higher than the HTS 60.
Why then, you might ask, is the LTX M/S ranked second?
This model’s asking price may put a lot of people off, especially those who have looked at the HTS 60’s price tag first. Don’t see any fault with its asking price? If so, we see no reason why you may want to pair your Traverse with any other all-season tire.
Pros
- Backed with an excellent 70,000-mile treadwear warranty
- Can be safely used on light snow and ice
- Offers superior wet traction and dry grip
Cons
- Astronomically expensive
#3. Continental CrossContact LX20 – Best for Smooth Ride

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The Continental CrossContact LX20 checks several boxes for Chevy Traverse drivers.
Thanks to its silicone and polymer-rich tread compound, this model grips the road better than your average all-season tire. The result? Plush ride quality and fantastic fuel consumption. Better road contact will also result in even tread wear for extended tread life.
Multiple circumferential and lateral grooves help enhance this tire’s wet performance. They do that by ensuring quick and effective water evacuation from within the tread channels. As such, you won’t have to take your foot off the accelerator when driving in the rain.
Compared with its fellow all-season tires, the LX 20 delivers better steering feedback. A 60,000-mile treadwear warranty further sweetens the deal. Plus, the fact that it comes in 50+ sizes means you can easily find an LX20 to fit every trim of the Traverse.
Pros
- Offers a quiet and vibration-free ride
- Pretty responsive for an all-season tire
- Superior fuel economy
Cons
- Its successor comes with a bigger treadwear warranty
#4. Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus – Best Touring All-Season

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The Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus may be an excellent choice if you do a lot of highway driving or long-distance trips.
This tire comes with a symmetric tread pattern to absorb road vibrations and deflect road noise, ensuring a quiet and comfortable driving experience on paved roads. Plus, multiple parallel grooves enhance its wet traction for sure-footed rain performance.
High-speed stability is another area where this tire shines, a must-have feature for highway driving as it can be difficult to keep an eye on the speedometer as you’re covering long distances. Plus, twin internal steel belts help minimize the risk of premature deformation.
Need more reasons to pair your Traverse with this tire? The fact that this model comes with an 80,000-mile warranty should be enough to make up your mind. Such an extended guarantee means you can count on this tire to keep going for 6 to 7 years.
Pros
- Market-leading 80,000-mile treadwear warranty
- Offers a quiet and comfortable ride
- Supreme high-speed stability and grip
Cons
- Lack of biting edges makes it an unreliable option for snow driving
#5. Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season Plus II – Best Fuel Efficient

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The Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season Plus II is a must-have if you’re worried about rising fuel prices.
Tests conducted by Pirelli reveal that this model offers 15% less rolling resistance than its predecessor. Rolling resistance is the power your engine has to supply to the tires to keep the latter rolling. So, with it going down by as much as 15%, a significant rise in gas savings is a given.
Everything good about this tire doesn’t have to do with its gas consumption, though.
To help this model distinguish itself from the one it replaced, Pirelli has equipped it with a new and more flexible tread compound. It has also optimized this model’s footprint. The result? Better wet traction and improved handling at high speeds.
Also, while it was initially available in 32 sizes, the addition of new models has seen the size range climb to 40. And we’re yet to add its 65,000-mile treadwear warranty to the mix (an impressive number for a tire that the big three brands don’t manufacture).
Pros
- Low rolling resistance for high fuel savings
- Backed by a 65,000-mile treadwear warranty
- Can be installed on every Chevy Traverse trim
Cons
- Not the best option for harsh weather conditions
#6. Nitto NT 421Q – Best High-Performance All-Season

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What is common between Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan Murano, Chevy Equinox, and Chevy Traverse? One is that all four are family SUVs. Another is that they could be more agile on the highway if their drivers paired them with the Nitto NT 421Q. Here’s why we’re so confident.
An asymmetric tread pattern enables this model to offer outstanding grip 365 days a year. It also strengthens the connection between the road and the steering. You’d thus be able to get a better feel of what is going down there on the surface underneath this tire.
Outer shoulder blocks kill three birds with one stone. They not only increase this model’s high-speed stability but also enhance its cornering grip. The last point is important if you’re the sort of driver who has a knack for attacking bends without slowing down.
To put many of its fellow HP all-season tires to shame, the NT 421Q comes with a 60,000 or 75,000-mile treadwear warranty. You also get wheel alignment and treadwear indicators on this model.
Pros
- Excellent treadwear warranty for a high-performance all-season tire
- Superb dry handling and cornering performance
- Best-in-class wet and light wintry traction
Cons
- May wear quickly if pushed to the limits
#7. BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 – Best All-Terrain

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Some all-terrain tires are meant for light off-roading. Others can safely carry you on the highway. The BFG All-Terrain T/A KO2 is one of those few models that can do both.
A double-thick tread compound gives this model the toughness needed to keep punctures at bay. At the same time, it gives it the traction required for reliable traction in mud and slush. Plus, with the help of inner steel belts, the tread compound resists premature deformation.
Surprisingly for an all-terrain tire, the T/A KO2 comes with side biter lugs and mud buster bars. While the former help this tire excel in the slow. The mud buster bars chop the bulky mud particles that may have settled inside the tread, expediting their removal for better mud traction.
A 50,000-mile treadwear warranty further sweetens the deal, though anyone who has used A/T tires may tell that warranties amount to little when you’re off-roading. Instead, it’s the terrain on which you regularly drive which determines how long your radials will last.
Pros
- Highly resistant to cuts, chips, and punctures
- Offers excellent mud, slush, and snow traction
- Stays relatively quiet on the highway
Cons
- Average fuel economy
#8. Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 – Best Winter Tire

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The Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 has everything to safely carry your Traverse through a snowstorm.
Its super-flexible tread compound has the capability to stay pliable in sub-zero temperatures, a non-negotiable requirement for driving in extreme winter (all-season tires cannot be used in thick snow because their rubber becomes rigid).
Although this tire does have ample biting edges, it doesn’t only rely on them to offer adequate snow traction. A MultiCell structure (which works by trapping snow within the treads) gives it the friction needed for reliable traction in harsh wintry conditions.
If the above features couldn’t convince you of this tire’s excellent snow performance, the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) symbol on its tread should. This logo only comes with tires that can safely carry you from point A to point B in harsh wintry conditions.
Pros
- Provides excellent snow and ice traction
- Comes with the 3PMSF emblem
- Delivers exceptional hydroplaning resistance
Cons
- No treadwear warranty
Best Tires for the Chevy Traverse
All-Season Touring
Five of the seven tires above belong to the all-season or all-season touring category.
All-season tires dominate our recommendations because they offer the best of both worlds. These models deliver excellent road manners and back them up with above-average treadwear warranties. Plus, their excellent fuel economies help offset the high initial asking prices.
Another reason Traverse drivers love A/S tires is that these models can be safely used in wet and light wintry conditions. As long as your daily driving route doesn’t take you through a snowstorm, premium all-season tires will easily carry you from point A to point B.
High-Performance All-Season
Although all-season tires offer excellent high-speed stability, some drivers may not be satisfied with the handling and cornering performance on offer.
High-performance all-season tires would be a better pick for such Traverse drivers. Apart from letting you attack corners at speed, these models offer exceptionally low rolling resistance. This means you can count on them to help you win races with other Traverses on the road.
Bear in mind that these models might not last long enough to justify their high asking prices. So be prepared to replace them quickly.
All-Terrain Tires
All-terrain tires do precisely what their name implies.
These models will keep your Traverse stable on the highway, while also giving its rubber the toughness needed for light off-roading. And if you opt for our all-terrain pick, you can also drive through mud, slush, and snow. But don’t tempt your luck at rock crawling with this model.
Snow Tires
Snow tires are available in two types: studded and studless.
Most drivers opt for the studless models for the simple reason that we are no longer living in the 1950s. Back then, there weren’t any technologies that could keep the rubber from stiffening up in sub-zero temperatures. As such, you had to insert studs to make a tire reliable on snow.
However, with the advent of state-of-the-art construction materials and high-end technologies, that limitation no longer exists. Hence why we have suggested the studless Blizzak DM-V2.
Conclusion
The Chevy Traverse is an incredibly competent and comfortable family SUV. Provided you pair it with the right set of tires (those which can complement your driving style and the conditions you’d drive them in), you’d be able to fully enjoy its famed ride quality.