My take on newly installed Triple Treds

[BoomerSooner]

Hello gang, it has been a long time since being back at the forums. Winter is upon us and thought I would update you as to my tire setup for this winter. In the summer , fall and spring I run 20's Toyo Proxes. When winter comes along I go back to my OEM setup, the factory 16" rims on Cross Terrains. Well 2 days ago we had an arctic blast giving us about 2 inches of pure ice , sleet and some snow, but mostly ice. Oklahoma is notorious for their crappy roads and the poor service when it comes to sanding and salting roads. I was very happy with my Cross Terrains and for the last two winters , my only comparison is against the GY integrety tires. They do well, and have no complaints really about them. A great all around tire, never really has given me a problem. Got decent milage with them, good dry traction and wet traction, but mediocre snow/ice traction.

Well anyway like I said Arctic blast hits us two days ago, and we still have the ice and frozen sleet on the ground only worse now since it has melted and refrozen. Got out on the road yesterday and was slipping here and there, of course what do you expect, it's ice after all. I had a couple of close calls with some curbs and other cars do to the poor traction. Well after work I saw that I had 2 flats both front tires. This was my excuse to try out some new tires. I have always read reviews about the Fortera Triple Treds so went out and bought them.

Today tested them out, keep in mind roads are horrible still , prolly even worse at this point. 100 percent more traction in the snow/ice covered roads, in my neighborhood where they don't salt or sand at all I was riding on ice skates with with my Cross Terrains , but with the Treds I gotta say that these things bite. Didn't slip once and even gunned it a couple of times and no slippage. I couldn't believe it. I am much more confident driving now, All i gotta do is lookout for the other idiots driving. Anyway very happy with the Triple Treds. Compared to C/T I would rate the ride much better, Traction is second to none, Haven't tested in rain yet, but I know they will perform great as many have said, as well as in dry conditions. My friend who owns the same tires lives in San Francisco claims that these tires suck up the water and spit it out and don't even notice you are driving through water.I know that they are heavier than the X terrains and gas milage may suffer, but safety is priority for me anyway. And also have heard that they are noisier, but I haven't noticed any increase in noise, they might even be quieter or it could be my imagination. Anyway just thought I would let those of you who are considering purchasing the Triple Treds that you won't be disappointed. Talk to you all later

~Boomer~

[mcazabon]

I purchased the triple treds about a month ago for my 03 pilot. They're awesome in the rain. I had michelin mvx4 plus tires which were at end of life

[ctobio]

I have Goodyear TripleTreds on my '03 Passat and in the rain- through standing water, the car rides like it was dry pavement. That said, after 55k miles, their snow handling isn't all that great anymore.

Still, my '06 Pilot will be getting Goodyear TripleTreds soon, as the OEM Integrities with 45k on them have about had it.

[youbetcha]

Originally posted by ctobio
I have Goodyear TripleTreds on my '03 Passat and in the rain- through standing water, the car rides like it was dry pavement. That said, after 55k miles, their snow handling isn't all that great anymore.

Still, my '06 Pilot will be getting Goodyear TripleTreds soon, as the OEM Integrities with 45k on them have about had it.

There are some tread design differences between the "Assurance" tripletred (the one for passenger cars - probably what you had on your Passat) and the "Fortera" tripletred (for SUVs). I had one of each once! If you look at the tires next to each other, the Fortera has extra siping, presumably for snow traction. Couldn't tell you which is better but they both did very well.

[ctobio]

Originally posted by youbetcha

If you look at the tires next to each other, the Fortera has extra siping, presumably for snow traction.

Interesting. It's not so much that the Forteras have extra siping, but rather the siping is more block-ish. I would imagine that these tires would be quite good in snow.

[ctobio]

Here's the Fortera vs. the Assurance side-by-side:

[BoomerSooner]

nice side by side comparison there. Looking at the fortera triple tred compared to the assurance triple tred, I would agree the bigger blocks on the fortera would make it awesome for snow and I do also see alot more siping in the tire as well as compared to the assurance. Combination of both factors give it great traction in snow/wet/dry conditions. After driving on these for a couple of days now, I like the way it handles compared to my cross terrains I had. Not to mention the traction I have on them. Very confident inspiring to drive on these. Got some alot of rain coming in tomorrow and will put these things to the test. I will keep you all updated as to how I thought they performed.

[BubbleSparkxx]

Its been a while for me too - and I also just picked up 2 Fotera TripleTreds. I wound up with a puncture in the sidewall in one of my 32k Integritys and decided to just replace 2 and not all 4. But what an incredible difference between these GYs and the OEM ones. The GY TT just grip and grip - it is difficult for me to spin the wheels with the VSA off on dry pavement. In the recent heavy downpours here in SF, it cut thru the water much better than cold Integritys on dry paved roads. I can't wait for another 10k to dump the OEM garbage thats on my backwheels.

[youbetcha]

Originally posted by BubbleSparkxx
I can't wait for another 10k to dump the OEM garbage thats on my backwheels.

If I were you, I would rotate your tires so the TTs are in the rear until you get two more. If you have two sets of tires where one pair has better tread/traction than the other, it is generally considered safer to have the tires with better traction on the rears.

If you are going around a turn where something is slipping, it is far easier to gain control of a vehicle that is understeering (fronts lose traction) than oversteering (rears lose traction). Even with the stability control I would make the switch.

[Pilot-Matt]

I've had these on my Pilot for three months now and the perfomance of the TT's are outstanding in the weather we've had in Northeast Ohio recently. Great traction, comfortable ride and the noise is not that noticable, but gas mileage did take a slight hit.

[BubbleSparkxx]

Originally posted by youbetcha


If I were you, I would rotate your tires so the TTs are in the rear until you get two more. If you have two sets of tires where one pair has better tread/traction than the other, it is generally considered safer to have the tires with better traction on the rears.

If you are going around a turn where something is slipping, it is far easier to gain control of a vehicle that is understeering (fronts lose traction) than oversteering (rears lose traction). Even with the stability control I would make the switch.

Yah - you make a good point. Fortunately I spent 13 years honing my skills driving in absurd snow conditions (lived in Buffalo) so driving around the Bay Area is like heaven. Plus I do 90% city driving. And being that its rainy season, I'll take my chances with extra grip up front - and how cool my FWD Pilot will look taking a hard corner and I manage to kick out my rear end.

[nsaspook]

Another thumbs up for TTs. I've been driving up and down the hills here in the Portland area without a hitch. The only problem I have is that others follow me and then wipe out.

Watch out!

[SB427]

Originally posted by nsaspook
Another thumbs up for TTs. <snip>

I had TTs on my 03 Element and put a set on my new Pilot with the OEMs going into separate plastic tire bags in a cool dry dark room in the basement - I'll get them out when the TTs wear out and I'm ready to get a new vehicle.

Cheers, Stephen