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Last updated 9/11/2024 - Originally published 9/11/2024
Written by SimpleTire
If the highway terrain category for light truck tires is new to you, we should probably take a minute to discuss and break the term down. As you might guess from the name, highway-terrain tires are for vehicles that put in most of their miles on streets and highways and are designed with an all-season tread pattern for versatile performance year-round. You can think of highway-terrain tires as having a log in common with their automotive all-season or grand touring tire counterparts, highway-terrain tires are designed for versatility with year-round grip, long wear, a quiet and comfortable ride, and capable and predictable handling. The big difference is their reinforced internal construction that can easily handle an enhanced load rating, making it a better option for light trucks that might haul heavy loads or tow trailers. In other words, you can think of a highway-terrain tire as being the stronger, more durable equivalent of an automotive all-season or Grand Touring tire. Today we’re going to take a look at two very good premium highway-terrain tires: the Geolandar H/T G056 from Yokohama and the Roadian CT8 HL from Nexen.
Are you familiar with SimpleTire’s SimpleScore system? SimpleScore is the rating method that our team developed to give you a quick at-a-glance idea of any tire’s performance and value. We look at a tire’s reviews, specs, technical information, manufacturer info, and other data points, then take that information and process it into a 1-10 numerical score. For the [Nexen Roadian CT8 HTL]((https://simpletire.com/brands/nexen-tires/roadian-ct8-hl) and [Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056[(https://simpletire.com/brands/yokohama-tires/geolandar-h-t-g056), the SimpleScore ratings shake out like this:
Nexen Roadian CT8 HL:
- Traction: 8.3
- Handling: 8.5
- Longevity: 7.6
- Overall average SimpleScore: 8.1
Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056:
- Traction: 8.5
- Handling: 8.6
- Longevity: 8.4
- Overall average SimpleScore: 8.4
As you can see, the Yokohama and the Geolandar are both pretty strong performers with very positive SimpleScore numbers that compare pretty well against each other. SimpleScore is a handy tool, but it’s also the 30,000 foot view that doesn’t really get you into the details of a tire’s strengths and weaknesses. Let’s get in there and take a closer look with this product comparison review of the Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056 and Nexen Roadian CT8 HL:
Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056 tires
The Yokohama Geolandar family of tires has been around for some time now, and the Geolandar H/T G056 is a highway-terrain iteration that brings to the game the same premium features and quality as the rest of the Geolandar line. It’s designed for Grand Touring levels of ride quality, low noise, and road manners, starting with Yokohama’s advanced tread compound that’s infused with silica and orange oil for long wear and enhanced grip on wet pavement. Like other tires in the Geolandar lineup, the H/T G056 is designed with Yokohama’s Endurocore construction, with dual body plies, full nylon cap ply, twin high-tensile steel belts and an extra-durable tread compound, which is enough for Yokohama to offer a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty for this tire. Wet roads aren’t a problem for the Yokohama, with its wide circumferential grooves and scalloped grooves that slice through standing water and divert it away from the tire’s contact patch to resist hydroplaning. 3D sipes help enhance traction in light snow as well as giving the tread face extra stiffness and stability, and the Yokohama features a continuous center rib for great straight-line tracking on the highway and steering response that’s light and nimble. SimpleTire’s price on the Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056 starts at $147.99 per tire.
Nexen Roadian CT8 HL tires
The Roadian CT8 HL is a commercial-grade highway-terrain tire that’s actually fitted as OEM on the RAM Promaster van. The sturdy, ribbed shoulder blocks, heavy-duty tread compound, reinforced internal construction, and square-shaped tread dimples are all designed to give the Roadian CT8 HTL exceptional stability and an enhanced load rating. When the weather turns bad, the Roadian CT8 HL’s tread design includes a system of circumferential grooves, angled grooves, and sipes to handle wet or wintry conditions. A pattern of sipes molded into the tread provides biting edges to get through light snow or slush. Ride quality with the CT8 HL is quiet, thanks to a tread pitch that’s randomized and computer tuned to cancel certain frequencies and harmonics, keeping road noise to a minimum. Nexen covers the Roadian CT8 HL with a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty. Despite its design as a commercial workhorse tire, the Nexen Roadian CT8 HL is a capable and composed highway-terrain tire for a variety of trucks, vans, and SUVs and is a versatile choice for year-round performance. SimpleTire’s price on the Nexen Roadian CT8 HL starts at $142 per tire.
Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056 vs Nexen Roadian CT8 HL tires on traction
How do the Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056 and Nexen Roadian CT8 HL look against each other in the traction category? With a SimpleScore of 8.5 for the Yokohama and 8.3 for the Nexen, it’s pretty close. First off, let’s note here that neither of these tires is designed for off-road use; they don’t have the kind of aggressive all-terrain tread for those conditions. They’re also neither one rated with the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service. While the Nexen has a good set of features for traction and braking performance on wet or dry pavement, the Yokohama’s system of sipes, circumferential, angled, and scalloped grooves give it a dependable grip in wet weather or light snow. In addition, the Orange Oil and silica-infused tread compound of the Geolandar H/T G056 helps to enhance traction on wet roads as well as delivering great wear properties. It’s close, but our decision is:
ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056
Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056 vs Nexen Roadian CT8 HL tires on handling
In most cases, the handling properties of a tire are tied in with the kind of traction performance it can deliver. After all, no vehicle is going to be able to corner well or show a good steering response if the grip is iffy. The Yokohama and the Nexen aren’t going to have the kind of nimble performance that you’d expect with a summer or UHP tire; after all, they’re designed for light trucks, vans, and SUVs. All the traction features of the Geolandar H/T G056 help to give it a boost in handling properties too, and the rigidity that goes along with its Endurocore construction means that the Geolandar H/T G056 can easily handle the forces of cornering and hard maneuvers that would lead to tread deformation and squirm otherwise. With a SimpleScore of 8.6 for the Yokohama and an 8.5 for the Nexen, it’s close but our decision is:
ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056
Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056 vs Nexen Roadian CT8 HL tires on longevity
In most cases, the SimpleScore for longevity is tied into the tire’s limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage. That’s the case here, too, and it’s pretty clear cut: the Yokohama is covered by 70,000 miles worth of limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty, vs 50,000 miles of warranty phase for the Nexen. That translates to a SimpleScore of 8.4 for the Yokohama in this category vs a 7.6 for the Nexen. No-brainer here, our decision is:
ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056
When to use each
To be really honest, both the Yokohama and the Nexen are very good choices for a light truck or SUV. They’re both premium tires that you can count on for durability and performance, with the Nexen actually being a good option for commercial use. They both come to the game with everything you’d expect from a Grand Touring passenger tire: sharp and precise handling, a quiet and refined ride, long, even tread life and year-round traction in about every kind of condition other than heavy snow and ice. They’re also both tires that are tough enough for heavy loads or towing duty, but the two instances where we’d probably shy away would be using either the Nexen Roadian CT8 HL or Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056 for off-road use or heavy winter conditions; that’s not what these tires are designed for.
Which one should you choose?
Taking a look at what the Yokohama and the Nexen both have to offer, they’re both pretty strong candidates for a highway-terrain tire for any light truck, although the design of the Nexen is oriented a little more toward commercial applications. They’re both durable enough for extended load ratings and long miles on the highway, but at the same time both tires are designed for a refined ride, low highway noise, capable handling and solid, composed road manners. So let’s get a look at the price points: $147.99 for the Yokohama vs $142 for the Nexen, which is a pretty negligible difference. We’ll just break it down this way: if you can afford the Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056, you should go with that tire. If you want to save a few bucks per tire (and especially if you have a commercial van, service truck, route van, etc) then consider the Nexen Roadian CT8 HL. We don’t think you’d be making a bad call either way.
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.