J.D. Power survey finds customer satisfaction with run-flat tires improving

COSTA MESA, Calif.—Overall customer satisfaction with original equipment tires has improved significantly since 2015, according to the 2018 J.D. Power U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study.

The big news in 2018 is that run-flat tires have largely closed the satisfaction gap with conventional tires, J.D. Power said March 22 when it unveiled the results of this year's study.

"The rise in satisfaction helps tire manufacturers' efforts to meet the demands of OEMs while simultaneously improving the customer experience," said Brent Gruber, senior director of automotive quality practice at J.D. Power.

Michelin was the brand winner in overall satisfaction in all four study categories, according to J.D. Power—luxury, passenger car, performance sport and truck/utility.

The Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 30,477 owners of 2016 and 2017 model year vehicles that were recorded in October-December 2017. Respondents are asked to rate their satisfaction with their tires based on four criteria, in order of importance: tire wear, tire ride, tire appearance and tire traction/handling.

The increase in consumer satisfaction is uniform, in that it has improved fairly equally across the board in every area, according to Gruber.

Increased consumer satisfaction with run-flats is good news for both tire and vehicle manufacturers, Gruber said. Vehicle manufacturers in particular are counting on run-flats to replace spare tires, thus reducing vehicle weight and improving fuel efficiency, he said.

In the past, consumers expressed dismay with some drawbacks of run-flat tires, such as high costs of replacement or repair and a lack of dealerships that handled them. According to Gruber, however, these played no part in the questions J.D. Power asked of consumers.

"When we look at satisfaction, we look at satisfaction with the product itself," he said. But previously run-flat tires received low consumer satisfaction ratings in the study.

"This is something we've been monitoring for several years," he said.

J.D. Power has conducted the Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study since 1989, and Michelin has consistently been a top brand in the study results since that time, according to Gruber. However, it has not always led all four categories, he said.

The four product categories in the study have remained the same over the years, according to Gruber. However, there has been some migration between categories, largely because of shifting customer preferences, he said.

"Passenger cars now include small SUVs, while full-sized SUVs go into the truck/utility category," he said. "We think it's very positive for the tire industry, because these tires achieve higher satisfaction ratings as well as higher margins."