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Last updated 10/08/2024 - Originally published 10/08/2024
Written by SimpleTire
If we had to describe highway-terrain tires in one succinct little sentence, it’d be this: highway-terrain tires are essentially the light truck version of all-season passenger tires. That’s accurate in that, like all-season tires, highway-terrain tires are designed to spend most of their time on pavement (duh) and have the design goals of great wear properties with a generous limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty, dependable grip year-round (except maybe for heavier snow), a quiet and supple ride, refined road manners, quick and nimble steering response, and handling that’s predictable and consistent (if maybe not up to what you’d expect with a performance tire). While highway-terrain tires have all that in common with their all-season passenger tire cousins, they’re also beefed up considerably for the extra weight, load rating, and power of light trucks and SUVs (and are, of course, available in the right sizes for trucks).
With this head-to-head comparison review, we’re going to see how the Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT and Nexen Roadian HTX RH5 stack up against each other as far as value and performance. In the course of this comparison, you’ll see us make reference to the SimpleScore numbers for these tires. If you aren’t acquainted with it, SimpleScore is the proprietary rating system that the SimpleTire team came up with to give you a quick, at-a-glance idea of any tire’s strengths and weaknesses. We look at the tire’s specs, technical details, manufacturer info, customer reviews, and other data points, and then we process all that to a 1-10 score for the categories of traction, handling, and longevity, along with an overall average SimpleScore. For the Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT and Nexen Roadian HTX RH5, the SimpleScore numbers break down this way:
Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT:
- Traction: 9.0
- Handling: 8.8
- Longevity: 9.8
- Overall average SimpleScore: 9.1
Nexen Roadian HTX RH5:
- Traction: 8.3
- Handling: 8.3
- Longevity: 8.7
- Overall average SimpleScore: 8.4
As you can see, the Goodyear outclasses the Nexen in the SimpleScore categories, but there’s more to the story than that. SimpleScore is a handy resource for customers, but it’s also the 30,000 foot view that doesn’t get you into the weeds of what a tire can really offer and what its real pluses and minuses are. Let’s get in there and get a closer idea about that with this comparison tire review of the Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT and Nexen Roadian HTX RH5:
Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT tires
The Steadfast HT is one of the newer additions to the popular Goodyear Wrangler line; it’s a highway terrain/all-season tire, but don’t let that fool you – this is one tough light truck tire that’s ready to report for duty at the job site. Goodyear embedded DuPont Kevlar fibers in the ply layers of the Steadfast HT for durability and stable road manners at highway speed, along with a long-wearing tread compound that’s also designed for good heat dispersal. It delivers balanced handling characteristics and a quiet ride, and its deep, wide grooves and all-season tread design (with a dense network of sipes that multiply the tread surface area and traction to slice through snow, slush, and rainwater) ensures great traction year-round.
The Goodyear’s tread pitch is computer-tuned to help neutralize certain frequencies and resonances, keeping road noise to a minimum. We’re also impressed by Goodyear’s Wear Gauge feature molded into the tread, making it easy to get a heads-up as to how worn your tires’ tread is and how much tread life might be left. Goodyear stands by the Wrangler Steadfast HT with a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty and a 60-day satisfaction guarantee. SimpleTire’s price on the Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT starts at $192.99 per tire.
Nexen Roadian HTX RH5 tires
Like the Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT, the Nexen Roadian HTX RH5 features a non-directional all-season tread design with an asymmetric system of circumferential grooves and angled/lateral grooves that resist hydroplaning by efficiently moving water away from the tire’s contact patch. The extra biting edges provided by angled grooves in the tread blocks and a network of sipes all work to boost grip in wet or wintry conditions, slicing their way through standing water, snow, or slush.
A continuous center rib provides solid road manners and quick steering response, and the reinforced shoulder of the Nexen Roadian HTX RH5 gives it a cornering ability that’s capable and predictable. The tread formulation of the Nexen is designed for great wear properties and enhanced grip on wet roads, and Nexen backs the Roadian HtX RH5 with a 65,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty for P-metric sizes, and a 40,000 mile warranty for LT-metric sizes. SimpleTire’s price on the Nexen Roadian HTX RH5 starts at $95.97 per tire.
Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT vs Nexen Roadian HTX RH5 tires on traction
How do the Goodyear and the Nexen compare against each other when it comes to traction? With a SimpleScore of 9.0 for the Goodyear and 8.3 for the Nexen, this one’s not real close. The sipe pattern and groove design of the Goodyear help deliver a dependable and consistent grip on wet or dry pavement, and that means short braking distances even with a heavy load. Neither the Goodyear nor the Nexen are suitable for much off-road performance and neither tire has the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service, but on the highway, both tires are pretty capable in the traction department, just more with the Goodyear. Our decision:
ADVANTAGE: Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT
Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT vs Nexen Roadian HTX RH5 tires on handling
It’s axiomatic that traction and handling are tied in pretty closely with each other. If your front or rear tires aren’t getting a secure grip going into a corner or during a fast maneuver, you could end up with some noticeable understeer or oversteer and possibly even a problem with control. That carries over into the SimpleScore ratings for handling for these two tires: 8.8 for the Goodyear vs. 8.3 for the Nexen. Granted, neither one of these tires is going to have the kind of cornering ability and steering response you’d expect from a performance tire, but the traction features and reinforced Kevlar construction of the Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT give it handling properties that are predictable and precise. Our call:
ADVANTAGE: Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT
Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT vs Nexen Roadian HTX RH5 tires on longevity
When we get to the longevity SimpleScores, it’s lopsided again with a 9.8 for the Goodyear and 8.7 for the Nexen. This one’s not too surprising; the Goodyear’s covered by a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty vs 65,000 miles for the Nexen, but if there’s one thing that Goodyear’s Wrangler line is known for, it’s durability. The tough Kevlar construction of the Goodyear gives it an enhanced load rating but also means that this is a tire that can stand up to some rough treatment. Our call:
ADVANTAGE: Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT
When to use each
When it’s time to pick a set of tires, the question you have to ask yourself is: what are your realistic needs and expectations for a set of light truck tires If you take it off-road very often for adventures in mud, sand, loose dirt or rough country with lots of obstacles, then these might not be the right tires for you; instead, all-terrain or rugged-terrain tires would probably be a better option.
If you live in a part of the country that experiences difficult winter weather every year and snow that piles up 3 or 4 inches deep and lingers on the pavement for days at a time, then the Goodyear and Nexen might not be the best choice and you might be better with dedicated winter tires. On the other hand, if you need a reliable, durable set of tires, ones that are durable enough for commercial uses such as towing heavy trailers or hauling heavy loads (while still offering composed road manners, ride, and handling), then you won’t go wrong with the Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT or the Nexen Roadian HTX RH5.
These are tires that would both be great options as replacement tires for vehicles like the Chevy Silverado 1500/2500, RAM 1500/2500, Ford F150/F250, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Acadia, Nissan Titan, Jeep Wagoneer, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Land Cruiser, Dodge Durango and Honda Ridgeline.
Which one should you choose?
Here’s where there’s more to sort out than what you might assume at first glance. As we’ve seen, both of these tires have their plus and minus points. The Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT does walk away with most of the SimpleScore numbers, with notable gaps in SimpleScores for traction, handling, and longevity, as well as average SimpleScores. So let’s consider this in the context of prices: the Goodyear starts at $192.99 per tire vs $95.97 per tire for the Nexen. That means the Goodyear is literally more than double the price of the Nexen, and that tips the scales considerably in this matchup.
Let’s just break it down this way: if you’re concerned with durability and handling and longevity and you don’t mind spending over $1000 for a set of tires (after taxes, disposal fees, and installation), If, on the other hand, you’ve got a vehicle that’s a bit older and has a lot of miles on the odometer, the Nexen Roadian HTX RH5 could be a great option if you want to save a considerable amount. Just because Goodyear’s SimpleScore numbers are strong, that doesn’t mean that the Nexen isn’t a great tire too, and when you factor in the prices it just looks like an even better value to us.
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.