(Costa Mesa, CA – Insurance News 360) – The J.D. Power 2018 U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study reveals that overall customer satisfaction with original equipment tires has shown great improvement since 2015

The study, conducted each year, looks at tire owner satisfaction in tire wear, tire ride, tire appearance, and tire handling. The study ranks luxury vehicles, passenger cars, performance sport and truck

Michelin tires earned a 765 in the luxury segment, 753 in passenger, 774 in performance and 731 in truck/utility.

“The rise in satisfaction helps validate tire manufacturers’ efforts to meet the demands of OEMs while simultaneously improving the customer experience,” said Brent Gruber, Senior Director, Automotive Quality Practice at J.D. Power. “The fact that there is little difference in satisfaction between run-flat and traditional tires is a great example. Many OEMs have been replacing spare tires with run-flats to help reduce vehicle weight and improve fuel efficiency. Just a few years ago run-flat tires were a detriment to customer satisfaction but the experience is much more positive now.”

The 2018 U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 30,477 owners of 2016 and 2017 model-year vehicles, and was fielded in October-December 2017.

Source: J.D. Power.