Winterforce Tires Review Needed

[exvin]

Hey All

I was just wondering if any of you have used Winterforce tires before. I would like to know how they handle in cold, snow and ice. Any reviews would be great!

I believe they are made by Michelin

I tried searching the forums but I got nada in return

Thanks!

[jarastafari]

I believe Winterforce tires are Bridgstones.

Also looking for reviews on this tire.

[exvin]

Actually in correction of myself, I think they are firestone

I checked online but I rather hear people's opinion on the boards

[captainfalco]

Correct, they are made by Firestone. They are an awesome entry-level winter tire. I've used them on several vehicles (rwd and fwd) and never had any problems on any of them. We sell a ton of them at work as well, and never hear anything bad about them.

[exvin]

Correct, they are made by Firestone. They are an awesome entry-level winter tire. I've used them on several vehicles (rwd and fwd) and never had any problems on any of them. We sell a ton of them at work as well, and never hear anything bad about them.

Alright, a bit of feedback

How are these tires at highway speeds?

[captainfalco]

They are a little noisy on the highway, but nothing the radio can't handle.

[exvin]

So I got the steelies and tires on last night, call me strange but I find the silver steelies looks alot better than my stock rims LOL..

The tires are comfortable, its a bit louder on the highway but who cares...its for safety not sleeping

[IanS]

I guess Im a little late on this one, but here goes.

Winterforce, despite their name, are in fact NOT winter tires. They are aggressively designed all seasons. They do not have nearly enough silica in the compound to provide good traction on ice.

In tests performed by TireRack.com using matching vehicles, the Winterforce's fell laughably short. Even with a full set of studs installed in the tires, the winterforces were not able to compete with Bridgestone's new Blizzak WS-60 in any of the tests.

That being said, I have a set on my Integra because I got them new for $22 a tire. They did ok in snow and wet, and they were liveable in the dry. Just be careful on ice, they dont hold any better than your average A/S.

[exvin]

I guess Im a little late on this one, but here goes.

Winterforce, despite their name, are in fact NOT winter tires. They are aggressively designed all seasons. They do not have nearly enough silica in the compound to provide good traction on ice.

In tests performed by TireRack.com using matching vehicles, the Winterforce's fell laughably short. Even with a full set of studs installed in the tires, the winterforces were not able to compete with Bridgestone's new Blizzak WS-60 in any of the tests.

That being said, I have a set on my Integra because I got them new for $22 a tire. They did ok in snow and wet, and they were liveable in the dry. Just be careful on ice, they dont hold any better than your average A/S.

Thanks for the input, I checked that they were NOT M+S tires and had the lil mountain and snowflake indicating that it passed some kind of wintertire inspection blah blah..anyhow, I was talking to one of my friends who ran these on a mustang and he didnt have any complaints..

I think I will try them out and see how they do, I am waiting for a snowfall

I dont know why people complain about the squishyness and I dont notice any loss of performance on dry...

[IanS]

I dont know why people complain about the squishyness and I dont notice any loss of performance on dry...

You wont with the Winterforce's. Like I said, they aren't nearly as soft as a conventional snow tire in compound or sidewall stiffness.

As for being M+S rated, all a tire needs to have are 2 circumferential grooves, and a certain number of sipes per square inch to attain that rating. Many all season, car and truck tires are M+S rated.

I think the tires will work fine for you. I'm just very picky, and for RWD cars in the snow I prefer the best tire possible.

[exvin]

You wont with the Winterforce's. Like I said, they aren't nearly as soft as a conventional snow tire in compound or sidewall stiffness.

As for being M+S rated, all a tire needs to have are 2 circumferential grooves, and a certain number of sipes per square inch to attain that rating. Many all season, car and truck tires are M+S rated.

I think the tires will work fine for you. I'm just very picky, and for RWD cars in the snow I prefer the best tire possible.

Hmmm ok coool..I did not know that..I am waiting on the first snowfall to test them out and then I will post my intiation review

[exvin]

Ok, it looks like I may have made a mistake on one of the post above.....I said that I checked that the tires were not M+S but after washing the truck today, I noticed that the tires did say M+S.....and it also had the mountain with snowflake.

What does this mean, is the tire a snow tire or an all season tire?

I havent tested it out on heavy snow yet but I have driven with them in wet snow and freezing rain and they worked fine..

Any idea if they are a snow tire, because from the other sites including tire rack, they are coming in as a snow tire

[captainfalco]

They are definitely a snow tire. You will be fine. These are excellent tires for the money, you can't beat it. Like I've said, I have driven on these tires on different vehicles (fwd and rwd) and never had any problems. I plan on getting these for my Cressida in a few days.

[exvin]

They are definitely a snow tire. You will be fine. These are excellent tires for the money, you can't beat it. Like I've said, I have driven on these tires on different vehicles (fwd and rwd) and never had any problems. I plan on getting these for my Cressida in a few days.

Ok Cool...Thanks for the input....

Cressida, havent heard that in a while...I wonder how the unstudded work in deep snow

[IanS]

They are definitely a snow tire. You will be fine. These are excellent tires for the money, you can't beat it. Like I've said, I have driven on these tires on different vehicles (fwd and rwd) and never had any problems. I plan on getting these for my Cressida in a few days.

Have you ever even used a "real" snow tire?

As I said before, all that is needed to be clasified a snow tire are 2 circumferential grooves, and a certain number of sipes per square inch. Many all season, car and truck tires are M+S rated. This does NOT make them true snow tires.

In a TireRack test involving Bridgestone Blizzak WS60, Dunlop Graspic DS-2, Michelin X-Ice, and the a studded, thats right studded winterforce. I will give you one guess which tire came in last. You bet, the winterforce's were rated dead last, even with the advantage of studs. Testers had good things to say about all 3 snow tires, all they could say about the winterforce was this "Satisfies requirements when studded tires are necessary"

Traction tests were performed on an Ice rink, using a 2006 BMW E90 325i Sedan.



Still dont believe me?

Heres the video http://www.tirerack.com/videos/index.jsp?video=7

Read the whole test here. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...id=94

Winterforce's will get you around, but you need to realize they are bottom of the barrel.

[captainfalco]

Yes I've driven and seen many many snow tires in my life. I only recommended these for the price. This is why I described the winterforce as "entry level" above. Yes I know how good the blizzacks are, as well as the x-ice, but those tires are priced well above the winterforce as you know. Of course those will outperform the firestone's. I'm not doubting your knowledge, or that you can research the rack, i'm just giving the op opinions on ACTUAL EXPERIENCE.

[captainfalco]

Ok Cool...Thanks for the input....

Cressida, havent heard that in a while...I wonder how the unstudded work in deep snow

Non-studded will basically make no difference than studded in deep snow. Studded only really helps in icy conditions.

[IanS]

Yes I've driven and seen many many snow tires in my life. I only recommended these for the price. This is why I described the winterforce as "entry level" above. Yes I know how good the blizzacks are, as well as the x-ice, but those tires are priced well above the winterforce as you know. Of course those will outperform the firestone's. I'm not doubting your knowledge, or that you can research the rack, i'm just giving the op opinions on ACTUAL EXPERIENCE.

They really are not that good price wise. In 205 60 15, a brand new WS60 is only a whopping $18 more per tire. In retrospect the savings does not outweigh the tires poor ability. In the end though, its all opinions, and needs.

[exvin]

The tires I have are non studded, I think that tire rack test was to show the difference between studded and non studded tires.

There is suppose to be a snow storm this weekend, I will do my test then and let you know how it goes

[weshole]

I guess Im a little late on this one, but here goes.

Winterforce, despite their name, are in fact NOT winter tires. They are aggressively designed all seasons. They do not have nearly enough silica in the compound to provide good traction on ice.

In tests performed by TireRack.com using matching vehicles, the Winterforce's fell laughably short. Even with a full set of studs installed in the tires, the winterforces were not able to compete with Bridgestone's new Blizzak WS-60 in any of the tests.

That being said, I have a set on my Integra because I got them new for $22 a tire. They did ok in snow and wet, and they were liveable in the dry. Just be careful on ice, they dont hold any better than your average A/S.

If in fact they said that, I'm going to go against the Tire rack on this one. They ARE in fact winter tires. Hence the name. I've been selling them for over 4 years. They are made by Bridgestone and only this year have started to carry the Firestone marque on them. Before then they were branded as a Dayton tire (also owned by Bridgestone). As far as performance, they are a great snow tire and even perform reasonably well on the ice. There are better winter tires out there but at a lot more of a price. The Blizzak WS60 (as stated previously) and the Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi come to mind. I would not hesitate to use them on my own vehicle.
Modified by weshole at 1:04 PM 11/29/2008

[IanS]

Im going to go against the Tire rack on this one. They ARE in fact winter tires. Hence the name. I've been selling them for over 4 years. They are made by Bridgestone and only this year have started to carry the Firestone marque on them. Before then they were branded as a Dayton tire (also owned by Bridgestone). As far as performance, they are a great snow tire and even perform reasonably well on the ice. There are better winter tires out there but at a lot more of a price. I would not hesitate to use them on my own vehicle.

You are not the only one in the tire industry. Ive worked, either selling tires, or mounting them for 5 years. Ive sold many sets of these, the people who buy them are the same people who ask about used tires.

Ive also gone to snow tire test shootouts three times. Ive had the chance to drive matching cars fitted with the winterforces, studded and not, against many of the higher end tires. There is just no way to compare them. On ice they have no more traction than your average A/S when non studded, and when they are, its not a drastic improvement. They do okay in snow, but they still are not up to par.

The only reason I have a set on my Integra, is because I got all 4 for the price of one regular snow tire.

[weshole]

You are not the only one in the tire industry. Ive worked, either selling tires, or mounting them for 5 years. Ive sold many sets of these, the people who buy them are the same people who ask about used tires.

Ive also gone to snow tire test shootouts three times. Ive had the chance to drive matching cars fitted with the winterforces, studded and not, against many of the higher end tires. There is just no way to compare them. On ice they have no more traction than your average A/S when non studded, and when they are, its not a drastic improvement. They do okay in snow, but they still are not up to par.

The only reason I have a set on my Integra, is because I got all 4 for the price of one regular snow tire.

No need to get defensive. They are not in the same league as some other tires I have mentioned. But they do outperform most all season tires out there and are a lot cheaper than most other winter tires available. He wanted opinions and I'm giving mine. I also know based on using them over and above selling them. I also live in Minnesota and I am basing this on customer feedaback as well.

Modified by weshole at 1:35 PM 11/29/2008
Modified by weshole at 2:52 PM 11/29/2008

[IanS]

No need to get defensive. They are not in the same league as some other tires I have mentioned. But they do outperform most all season tires out there and are a lot cheaper than most other winter tires available. He wanted opinions and I'm giving mine. I also know based on using them over and above selling them. I also live in Minnesota and I am basing this on customer feedaback as well.

Defensive no, grumpy, sorry. I just spent half an hour arguing with the guy at sears. Apparently now you need a receipt to exchange broken tools, which is ridiculous.

I just dont like these tires thats all, they are the godspeed of tires, and when people defend them it usually means they have little or no understanding of whats really out there.

If you like them, you can go ahead and use them, personally I think they are overpriced.
Modified by FlatBlackIan at 8:59 PM 11/29/2008

[weshole]

Defensive no, grumpy, sorry. I just spent half an hour arguing with the guy at sears. Apparently now you need a receipt to exchange broken tools, which is ridiculous.

No way!! Well they must be being bungholes to you. One of my co-workers works there as well and he just said that they dont require it. There's people that have had craftsman tools for over 20 years. How in the heck are they gonna have a reciept? I'm sorry to hear that.

Anyway, Exvin, try em out and see I guess.