New Tires and Wheels

Initial Review, 1000 Miles on Tires
January 17, 2012

I drive a 2007 Prius touring edition (stiffer suspension & +1 wheels. OEM were bridgestone potenze - garbage, I replaced with Flaken 912's - better handling but extremely rough riding - exceptionally loud and wore to tread bars within 25K miles. I replaced with these and have only 1000 dry miles (no rain or snow in S. Cal yet. But... amazing change! Like a new car: indescribably smoother ride, much quieter so that we can use the hands-free phone again, tracks like a porsche 911 and so ar has increased my fuel efficiency by about 2 mpg - combined city and freeway driving. Just a terrific choice and when spending this kind of money, you are always unsure about a decision when you can't easily swap tires if the choice is bad. You will not regret these. Just need to test the wet traction and wear life. GREAT TIRES - very happy!!

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
January 22, 2012

Yesterday, here in Pennsylvania we got three inches of snow which just so happened to be the day I put these tires on (brand new out of the box). So I took the liberty to test out the tires. Since the tread was fresh- the review may be a little bias, but I loved the traction I got with these tires. I took my 96' VW Golf up a pretty steep street where the snow really had not been cleared because the residence is in its early stages of development. So needless to say, lots of freshly paved streets and culdesacs covered in snow. I went around a figure eight a few times while braking, sliding, speeding up, slowing down. I expected the tires to slide (after all they are not snow tires) but I was really satisfied with the response and the traction I received for a low profile tire- keeping in mind however that they are brand spanking new. I would like to rate the performance in snow a 9 out of 10, but being realistic I would say like 7.8 out of 10. A personal opinion of course, but making a judgment based on the last set of tires I had on my stock 14 inch wheels I am glad I went with the Kumho 4x!


I would also like to say that the service of tirerack.com is awesome- an easy 10 of 10. I originally ordered tires with a 5% larger sidewall aspect ratio. The next day, Charlie Aquile, one of the sales specialist from Tire Rack, called to confirm that the tires I ordered were indeed the tires I needed because what I ordered were not recommended for my vehicle. I ended up dropping from a 45 radius to a 40, saving around $60. So thanks to guys at Tire Rack. Hope this review helps!

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
January 18, 2012

Bought these tires based on reviews here, as well as price. I downsized from OEM 205/55/16 to 195/65/15 and got a new set of wheels. The Vibe can be scary in snow and ice due to its light weight, although the ExtremeContact DWS I had on the last 2 winters performed quite well. With the DWS earing down a bit I wanted to try winter tires, and the Generals have performed very well in light-moderate snow. They still slip on ice, but cornering and braking are vastly better than before, and much better than on my AWD Subaru with all seasons. The main downside of these tires is that they are extremely floaty on the highway. It actually takes work to make sure the car keeps going straight in the lane, and if it is very windy this can be nerve-wracking at higher speeds. Cornering seems fine, it is just that the tall tread and lack of a solid center rib probably makes it float around more. To be fair, I am comparing a taller sidewall, narrower width tire to the OEM size, so that will account for some difference in stability just by itself.

Initial Review, 1350 Miles on Tires
December 24, 2008

I had originally wanted Blizzak WS50. Finding that model unavailable, and the replacement WS60 was rated similar to the Winterforce, I thought I'd save a few bucks and go with the Firestones. After a few months of use, including rain, snow and dry, I'd buy them all over again. I haven't had to use them in ice conditions, but we don't see a whole lot of that here-mostly just snow. I expected more road noise due to the tread design, but it's completely tolerable and I don't see how they could be quieter considering the intended purpose. It's just a light hum, honestly I've had more road noise with Michelin Symetry (an all season tire). The tread depth is impressive, we should get years of winter use from these.



The dry traction is fine, almost as good as the Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus that we use in summer, but the snow traction has really transformed the car. With these tires and ESC, we're totally confident in any weather. The deep (over 6") snow traction is really pretty good. I've conducted 6 panic stops tests from over 50 MPH in 5-7" of snow, each test ended without excitement, and in distances much shorter than I had expected. Stability Control has something to do with the directional control, and the ABS helps, but the stopping distance was probably 60-70% of what I would have expected with an all season tire.



Living in the country, we had considered buying an all-wheel drive car, but these tires have eliminated that thought. Winterforce inspire confidence and are well worth having, even using just 4 months of the year. I've never used a dedicated snow tire on any car before, but I'm sold on the idea now. If you think you need a new set of all season tires just to make it through the winter, seriously consider a second set for winter, it's apples and oranges.



Tirerack made it easy, tires/wheels/covers were delivered mounted, balanced and aired to correct pressure. I've ordered from Tirerack before, and will continue to do so in the future

Initial Review, 1000 Miles on Tires
January 21, 2012

Quiet and comfortable in the dry and confident in the rain. In the snow they are bad in the mush and slush at an intersection- you turn the wheel but the car goes straight. They brake loose easily when you're accelerating or braking. Probably a descent tire for the rainy northwest but no confidence in them in New Jersey. I initially liked them in the cold and dry of early winter but for me fairly worthless in the snow . I can't really comment on the ice performance. No doubt good compared to a summer only tire but a waste of money for a snow and slop tire. Confidence wise, I felt like I was on old summer tires. Get a stud-able type snow tire (without studs)and not this ice tire.

Initial Review, 2000 Miles on Tires
January 12, 2012

By far the finest tire I have ever had on an All Wheel Drive car! This tire goes through deep snow like a Tank! Last winter I was in New Jersey when they got over two feet of snow the day after Christmas. Cleaned off the windshield, got in my car and drove home to Ohio. No slipping or sliding the whole way! I don't drive a lot, so I run them year around! So far they are wearing like iron! Great product Firestone!

Initial Review, 74000 Miles on Tires
January 10, 2012

personally, the tire really surprised me with the overall performance considering that it came from the factory. Most tires on a new car or truck are not worth anything (cheapy). This tire performed but I truely want an tire that will fill my wheel base. This tire looks small on my truck.

Initial Review, 4000 Miles on Tires
August 26, 2010

OK so we're 3000 miles into the DWS's and it looks like they were a good choice. Only a New England winter remains on the check off list. Minor criticisms - the sidewall design/finish is not the greatest. It doesn't clean up too well and on the 205/55 size has a 'suede' look surface finish. Also the wear bead that protects your wheel is ommited on this size. The comments regarding sidewall stiffness might also merit some consideration, but for those of us who drive in such a way as to avoid the attention of the police, this shouldn't be a huge issue. Other than that, I'm very happy and will be considering these for my new CC once the OEM ContiProcontacts have expired.

Initial Review, 3000 Miles on Tires
January 11, 2011

I have had these tires for 3 mos. During this time we have had all conditions ice, snow sleet and rain. These tires with a car that has all wheel drive is like having a snow cat. Two weeks ago we had an ice storm. My wife tried to pick up our son from practice and could not make it up the slight incline out of our neighborhood. I just put a new set of michelin primacy tires on her car. We took my car and made it up easily. It is kind of strange driving on these tires because nothing really bad happens. Last night i was driving home and the only way I could tell it was icy was the other cars were having problems, some severe. The relative performance of these tires is that you can start faster stop better and turn better than the cars around you. It is worth keeping in mind when stopping in icy conditions because the guy behind you may hit you. These tires are the real deal. Better than the Primacy tires on my wifes car. The only way to improve would be dedicated snow/ice tires but you really dont need them.

I would recommed these tires and definitely buy again.

Initial Review, 14000 Miles on Tires
August 11, 2009

I am a semi-spirited driver; I typically drive 5-10 miles over the limit (with the flow) and enjoy taking corners a bit fast when I can, but I am not an aggressive driver.



On the positive side, these tires look good, have great traction in most circumstances (what do you expect from a general purpose tire?), ride very smoothly and handle quite nicely for the class they are in. They balanced very easily and are holding air extremely well month after month.



On the negative side, They are NOT particularly quiet. The hum on concrete is annoying (Subarus are not at all well insulated against cabin noise).



But the deal breaker is the wear: I just rotated the 5th tire onto the ground after 1-4 wheel rotation at 8k miles (had to buy a 'real' wheel, as Subarus full size spare has a dink wheel that doesn't rotate into the lineup-why?). Compared to the new tire, the tires on the ground are already about 1/2 way worn out! Not even 1 year old! Outrageous!



As someone else commented, they also hold small gravel and pebbles in the tread - a lot of it if you drive on gravel as I often do. Annoying (noise, looks) and compromises traction, I'm sure. I will not buy these tires or this brand again.



I got talked into these tires by my mechanic. A big selling feature was durability; 80k miles promised. Politely, all I can say is, NOT IN MY CASE!!

Initial Review, 12000 Miles on Tires
January 06, 2012

The only reason I put 'probably' in the 'would I purchase this tire again', is because next time, I'll likely try the DW version.

D/FW gets minimal snow/ice, and when it does, this car stays parked. That's when my wife's 2002 AWD RX300 with BFG A/T's come out of the garage! If we move back to snow country, I'll buy a second set of wheels with dedicated snows...it's that simple.

These tires, after about 12K miles, are still quite quiet, and overall, rather amazing for the cost. They were almost new on the car when I purchased it, used, and I would have picked the same shoes were I to need new ones.

With 12K not completely gentle miles on them, the "W" is still showing on all four, which means I expect I'll get close to 45K-50K out of them.

Initial Review, 12000 Miles on Tires
September 13, 2009

Using as a summer tire. Good traction on dry and wet pavement. Was on the car during light snow; it did okay, but not recommended. There's minimal noise, but the tire is still relatively new. Have not noticed any unusual wear. Cornering is stable. Pleasantly surprised with price/performance. If they last 25,000+/- at similar level of performance, I'll buy another set; they're easily as good as the Contis, Dunlops, and Nokians I've owned at a much lower price. Bought this tire (and a set of Enkei wheels from Tirerack came from the dealership when I purchased the car). Very pleased with Tirerack product and service. Recommended local installer was superb in every way.