Best tires for the Buick Enclave
Top picks across four categories for the Buick Enclave, anchored to the current-generation OEM size 255/55R20. Every recommendation is selected from our 22,000-tire catalog by ranking on UTQG treadwear, mileage warranty, cabin-noise rating, and season class; no commission-weighted reordering.
Daily driver
Best all-season touring
Long warranty, low noise, balanced ride. The one-tire compromise that works for 80% of owners.
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
UTQG 820 with a 85,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Buick Enclave owners.
Michelin
CrossClimate 2
UTQG 640 with a 60,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Buick Enclave owners.
Michelin
Defender 2
UTQG 800 with a 80,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Buick Enclave owners.
Bridgestone
Alenza AS ultra
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Lowest cost per mile
Best budget
Best price-per-warranty-mile in this size. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not safety.
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
820 UTQG with a 85,000-mile warranty works out to roughly 0.00¢ per 100 miles before install. Best price-per-mile in this size; no premium-brand markup.
Michelin
Defender 2
800 UTQG with a 80,000-mile warranty works out to roughly 0.00¢ per 100 miles before install. Best price-per-mile in this size; no premium-brand markup.
Michelin
Defender LTX M/S
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Continental
CrossContact LX20
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Lowest cabin noise
Best quiet
Tread patterns engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning. Pick this if you commute long highway distances daily.
Michelin
Defender 2
68 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
70 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Michelin
CrossClimate 2
70 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Side-by-side
Pick the trade-off that matches your driving
| All-season Goodyear Assurance MaxLife | Best quiet Michelin Defender 2 |
|
|---|---|---|
| UTQG treadwear | 820 | 800 |
| Mileage warranty | 85,000 mi | 80,000 mi |
| Cabin noise | 70 dB | 68 dB |
| Season class | all-season | all-season |
| Type | touring | touring |
OEM tire sizes by year
What size does the buick enclave use?
Recommendations on this page are anchored to the latest model-year's OEM size. Confirm yours against the driver-door placard before purchase.
| Year | OEM size | |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 255/65R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2008–2013 | 255/60R19 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2014–2024 | 255/65R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2025–2026 | 255/55R20 | Year-specific fitment → |
How we ranked these tires for the buick enclave
We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size; 255/55R20; and filtered our catalog of 22,000+ tires to those offered in that exact size. From there, four parallel rankings:
- Best all-season ranks on a weighted score: tire type matches passenger car segment, season is "all-season", premium brand bonus (Michelin / Continental / Bridgestone / Pirelli / Goodyear / Nokian).
- Best budget ranks on cost-per-warranty-mile; the lower the better. Premium brands get no bonus here.
- Best quiet ranks on the EU tire-label dB rating; lower is quieter.
- Best winter filters to tires marked 3PMSF severe-snow rated or all-weather class, with a small premium-brand bonus because winter-compound R&D is capital-intensive.
For sedans and compacts, the all-season touring tire below is the best default; long warranty, low cabin noise, reasonable cost per mile. Switch to the quiet pick if highway droning is a deal-breaker; switch to the winter pick if you see significant snow each year. Use the side-by-side comparison above to weigh the trade-offs against your specific driving; highway-heavy, winter-state, performance-oriented, or budget-constrained.
NHTSA-reported issues for buick enclave
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (16) · TPMS (7) · Tread / Belt (3)
Reported across: 2008 – 2020 (9 years)
What owners described
Cracking or dry rot appears in 39% of these reports; about 4.2× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 18 reports covering every model year of the Buick Enclave that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cracking or dry rot | 39% | 9% | 4.2× |
| Sidewall failure | 17% | 15% | 1.1× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 11% | 8% | 1.3× |
| Pressure-monitoring (TPMS) fault | 11% | 2% | 4.6× |
| Tread or belt separation | 6% | 13% | 0.4× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 6% | 20% | 0.3× |
Mileage at failure
18 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 19,500 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 5,000 and 107,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Buick Enclave. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
PURCHASED A 2011 BUICK ENCLAVE WITH MICHELIN LATITUDE TOUR P255/60R19 108S, 2 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE WARNING LIGHT COMES ON ABOUT TIRE PRESSURE BEING LOW. TIRES WERE INSPECTED AND ALL 4 TIRES WERE NOTED TO HAVE SEVERE SIDEWALL CRACKING.. AFTER SEARCHING FOUND THESES TIRES HAD A RECALL IN 2013 FOR THE SAME REASONS BUT MICHELIN STATES THESE TIRES WERE PRODUCED BEFORE THEN AND IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. WAS TOLD BY MICHELIN TIRE DEALER THESE TIRES WERE UNSAFE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED BUT MICHELIN REFUSES TO COVER THE COST
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Enclave. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound and the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The contact stated that the engine and TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
While driving, the Kenda Klever tire experienced a sudden and complete tread separation. The tread detached in one solid ring from the rest of the tire. The failure happened without warning. The driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle and safely pull over. There were no injuries. Klever ST 255/60R19
VEHICLE 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE. KEEPS TURNING ON THE LIGHT ENGINE AND AT THE DEALERSHIP THEY KEEP TELLING ME THAT IS BECAUSE I DON'T CLOSE THE GAS KNOB CORRECTLY. WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT TURNS ON WHILE IM DRIVING IT GIVES ME A MESSAGE OF POWER ENGINE REDUCE AND IT REDUCE MY SPEED AND I CAN'T CONTINUE DRIVING. I'VE ALMOST CAUSE 2 ACCIDENTS WHILE IM DRIVING DUE TO THIS ISSUE. IT WILL COMPLETELY STOP IN CERTAIN TIMES WHILE IM DRIVING. LAST INCIDENT 06/05/10. AS WELL, MY TIRE GOT FLAT AROUND A MONTH AGO AND I REALIZED THE DEALERSHIP SOLD ME THE VEHICLE WITH NO EXTRA TIRE AND EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT TO CHANGE MY TIRE.
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Buick Enclave →
FAQ
What's the best all-season tire for the Buick Enclave?
Should I get a cheaper tire for my Buick Enclave?
Does the Buick Enclave need winter tires?
Can I run a different tire size on my Buick Enclave?
Where can I buy these tires?
Last verified 2026-10-07.