Firestone Winterforce 2 vs. Nokian WR G3
Did you know that on average, there are some 1,836 deaths and 136,309 injuries that occur due to icy road accidents?
While some may happen due to human lapse, most are the result of bad tires; and you can easily decrease the chances of getting into an accident on an icy road by getting a good set of winter tires.
It’s extremely sad to see people overlook the need for a good grip, steering, and handling capabilities, especially in the winter.
But if you’re looking for good winter tires, chances are you might get weary as there are plenty of options to choose from.
To make sure you choose the best, we pinned two of the best tires against each other – the Firestone Winterforce 2 and the Nokian WR G3.
Firestone Winterforce 2
Firestone fitted cars have always performed brilliantly on tracks and highways. Every new addition in the Firestone tire family proves its metal; the same goes for Firestone Winterforce 2, a studdable winter tire made for coupes, minivans, and sedans.
Let’s explore some of its specs:
Product Information
Firestone Winterforce 2 is the new generation winter tire that is set to replace the company’s first Winterforce, which has been popular for quite some time.
This studded winter tire is made with a special cold weather compound that is designed to remain flexible in low temperatures for optimal performance.
The tire’s directional tread compound is excellent and the combination of open shoulder slots and full-depth sipes helps maintain the traction and grip you’re looking for on mud, slush, ice, and snow.
The tire has a high sipe density tread pattern with thousands of biting-edges on the surface. This means, while you experience a stable ride on wet and dry roads, you’ll also maintain incredible traction on snow and icy roads.
For enhanced traction and hydroplaning resistance, the Winterforce 2 has wider circumferential grooves, lateral notches, and shoulder slots. They help drain standing water, slush, and snow from the tire’s contact patch.
Moreover, Firestone has provided Winterforce 2 with the ability to take #11 studs for extra traction in extreme winter conditions. Not to mention, the tire also gives excellent performance without the added studs.
To top it all, the Winterforce 2 is branded with the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol (3PMSF) that ensures that tires can perfume well under all types of severe weather.
Pros
- Excellent winter traction
- Stunning grip and handling on wet and snow surfaces
- Good performance on treadwear
- A high value at a decent price
Cons
- Its biggest turnoff is noise, particularly when studded
- Slight weaker on the wet surface, especially during downpours
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Nokian WR G3
Nokian is manufacturing some of the world’s best, top-rated winter tires. Its new addition i.e. the Nokian WR G3 is supported with modern tire technology to make sure you drive safely even in harsh weather conditions. You can mount these tires on sedans, coupes, crossover, and minivans.
Product Information
Let’s accept it: the new Nokian WR G3 provides an excellent grip against all weathers. Be it dry, wet, or snow.
It has an amazing brand new symmetrical directional tread pattern that is specially designed for winters. The pattern restricts the accumulation of water, snow, and mud from the tire’s contact patch, so hydroplaning and slush shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Thanks to its incredibly unique tread pattern that gives you a solid stick on ice and snow surfaces, you can now drive with confidence even under tough weather conditions.
We have to admit that the tire’s traction on a slushy and wet surface is exceptionally on par when compared with other competitive tires.
An added feature of this tire’s tread compound is that the canola oil that helps increase the its durability and treadlife.
Moreover, the WRG3 has extra silica, which helps improve its friction so that the tire can get a good grip on wet, snow, and ice surfaces.
You can also find a Driving Safety Indicator (DSI) in its tread surface, which informs you about the tread percentage left inside the main grooves of tires. DSI is made for your protection, so whenever you see the snow symbol wear, that’s the time you should replace them with new ones.
Pros
- Drive with comfort and better steering control
- Excellent grip on wet surfaces
- High value and performance against the price
Cons
- Some of the users found snow and ice grip worse
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Difference Between The Two
If you’re looking for some good grip with amazing traction in winter times, then the Winterforce 2 and Nokian WR G3 are your deal.
To make your choice easy, we’ve specified the differences between the two, so that you can choose even from the comforts of your couch.
As far as the price range is concerned, the Winterforce 2 will cost you from $45.89 to $158.97. The Nokian WR G3, on the other hand, can be a little costly compared to Firestone, as its prices range between $64.99 to $276.99.
Furthermore, the Winterforce 2 has a limited treadlife warranty to offer to its customers, however, the Nokian WR G3 has taken the lead here by providing the users some 55,000-mile tread warranty, which you can’t ignore.
Due to the studs and on dry roads, the Winterforce 2 can be a lot annoying due to the sound it produces, but you won’t find this pain point with the Nokian WR G3.
Comparison
| Specs | Winterforce 2 | Nokian WR G3 |
| Diameter | 26.9” | 29.2” |
| Revs Per Mile | 1/mi. | 1/mi. |
| Item Weight | 16,84 pounds | 27 pounds |
| Rim Width | 7” | 7.5” |
| Section Width | 9.2” | 9.4” |
| Load Index rating | 84 | 106 |
| Tread Depth | 12 millimeters | 12 millimeters |
| Aspect Ratio | 65” | 17” |
| Speed Rating | S | H |
What We Like/What We Didn’t
- Both tires provide materials and workmanship guarantee for 5 years
- We loved the 55,000 miles tread warranty offered by Nokian WR G3
- Both are sold at reasonable prices, however, we loved the low cost of Winterforce 2
- Traction on the wet surface was found slightly sloppy with Nokian WR G3, while Winterforce 2 has an excellent one
- The Nokian WG R3 also comes in 19” size range, which the Firestone doesn’t
Conclusion
Overall, you can go for all-weather tires if it’s summer or normal weather, but you should always go for winter tires in the winter season for one good reason: the safety of others and yourself.
With our in-depth review of the two most impressive winter tires, we feel the Winterforce 2 has a slight edge over the Nokian WG R3 over price and value factors.