Century-old tire manufacturer Firestone is now a part of the Bridgestone family and has been the pioneer of various tire technologies which we see in modern tires. A household name, Firestone produces tires for coupes, sedans, minivans, CUVs, SUVs, light trucks, OTR equipment, and farm vehicles in different categories such as all-season, all-weather, winter, all-terrain, summer, mud terrain, and commercial. The Winterforce CV is a winter tire line of Firestone for cargo vans.

Being a winter tire for cargo vans, it needs to offer superior traction and controllability in near-freezing temperatures, and, at the same time; it has to be sturdy enough to bear the load of the goods being transported. The Winterforce CV promises to offer both traits along with the complete peace of mind of optimum performance in severe winter weather conditions to business owners. The optimized, directional tread design of the Winterforce CV ensures consistent contact with the surface is maintained on snowy and icy terrains thanks to the deep lateral and longitudinal grooves that expel out water and slush quickly to resist hydroplaning. Moreover, the durability is enhanced by the flexible rubber compound which remains so in freezing temperatures.

So, what are the features that help the Firestone tire perform on these icy surfaces? Let’s delve into more details to find out the answer in this Firestone Winterforce CV tire review.

Features and Benefits

Winter tires are designed to offer superior winter weather traction, excellent aquaplaning resistance, improved grip, and superb handling in freezing temperatures. Their durable winter rubber compound provides consistent performance thanks to its flexible nature. The Winterforce CV manages to entail most of these traits. Let’s have a look at its features and benefits.

• Excellent winter performance – The directional tread design offers a solid grip and traction on snow- and ice-covered surfaces. Dense siping and zigzag sawtooth sipes provide additional biting edges while maintaining block stiffness for a stronger grip in slippery conditions. Averting the chances of hydroplaning are the deep circumferential grooves and lateral grooves which always keep the tread connected to the surface by quickly removing slush, ice, and water.
• High-strength, durable tire – The reinforced carcass with strong sidewalls and winter compound aid in ensuring flexibility of the tread is maintained even in the freezing climate. While the sidewalls absorb the impact of the extra weight of the goods in the cargo van, the high-strength construction provides the rigidity to carry heavy loads without any deformity.
• Solid handling and stability – The 5-rib design with full-depth grooves not only aid in providing excellent traction but also improve the vehicle’s steering response and stability. Improving the handling and stability further are the high sipe density biting edges which provide extra biting edges in ice and snow.

Pros and Cons

The Firestone tire appears to be a decent option as a cargo van winter tire, but like every other tire, it has its share of downsides too. Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of the tire before summing up the Firestone Winterforce CV review.

Pros

• Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified for severe winter weather performance
• 5-rib tread pattern with full-depth grooves for quick evacuation of water and slush
• Zig zag sawtooth sipes for improved grip while maintaining block stiffness
• High sipe density biting edges for additional traction in ice, snow, and wet
• High-strength winter compound for consistent performance in near-freezing temperatures
• Directional tread design for enhanced traction, handling, and stability
• Backed by Firestone’s 90 Day Buy and Try with a full refund/exchange program

Cons

• Not backed by a limited manufacturer tread life warranty
• The tires are a bit noisy
• Should not be used when temperatures are consistently above 45 degrees Fahrenheit
• Only available for commercial and cargo vans

SimpleTire’s view on Firestone Winterforce CV tires

To sum up, the Firestone Winterforce CV (starts around $159) is an excellent option for commercial van owners who are looking for a winter tire that offers excellent grip and traction, impressive handling, and great stability with a Three Peak Mountain Snowflake Certification ensuring excellent performance in severe winter weather conditions.

It competes with the likes of General Grabber Arctic LT (starts around $196), Hankook Winter I* Pike LT (RW09) (starts around $175), and Toyo H09 (starts around $172).

Vehicles the Firestone Winterforce CV is a replacement tire for

The Firestone Winterforce CV is an excellent replacement tire option for cargo vans operating in severe winter weather conditions. It can be used on vehicles such as Ford Transit 250, Chevrolet Express 1500, RAM ProMaster 3500, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500, and several others.