Yesterday, 30 September, I was driving in heavy rain at relatively high speed. When I turned right at a corner, the car suddenly skidded to the left. Luckily, I was able to regain control and pull the car back into my lane. This happened twice during the drive.
When I reached home, I inspected the tires and found that the center tread had worn down significantly. All four tires now need to be replaced, even though they have been on the car for less than two years.
I'm quite disappointed with how quickly they have worn, especially considering the safety issue I experienced in heavy rain.
Best Tires for the Kia Motors Forte
Kia Motors Forte drivers have left 29 tire reviews on Tire Reviews, covering 219,778 miles of real world driving. Every tire they rated is ranked below, so you can see what actually works on this car. The numbers include 1 Forte variants, listed further down.
- 29owner reviews
- 219,778 milescovered on them
- 26different tires rated
- 73%average tire score
The best rated tires that fit the Kia Motors Forte
The rankings above can only speak for tires a Kia Motors Forte driver has already reviewed. These are the highest rated tires we hold that are actually manufactured in the sizes these drivers run - 225/45 R17, 215/45 R17, 205/55 R16 and 185/65 R15 - whether or not anyone here has fitted them yet. They are ranked on the TR Score, which is built from independent test results and every owner review of that tire.
Summer tires
No Kia Motors Forte driver has reviewed a tire in the Summer category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 is our highest rated, at 9.7 out of 10.
| # | Tire | TR Score | Made in | Kia Motors Forte reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6
|
9.7 | 225/45 R17, 215/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Continental PremiumContact 7
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 215/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 3 |
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 215/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 4 |
Falken ZIEX ZE320
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17, 215/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 5 |
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17, 215/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 6 |
Michelin Pilot Sport 5
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17, 215/45 R17 | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Summer Tires →
All Season tires
No Kia Motors Forte driver has reviewed a tire in the All Season category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 is our highest rated, at 9.6 out of 10.
| # | Tire | TR Score | Made in | Kia Motors Forte reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3
|
9.6 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Continental AllSeasonContact 2
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 3 |
BFGoodrich Advantage All Season
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 4 |
Michelin CrossClimate 3
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 215/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 5 |
Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen 3
|
9.4 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 6 |
Kleber Quadraxer 3
|
9.4 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best All Season Tires → Test winner: Goodyear Vector All Season 4
Winter tires
No Kia Motors Forte driver has reviewed a tire in the Winter category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 is our highest rated, at 9.5 out of 10.
| # | Tire | TR Score | Made in | Kia Motors Forte reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Michelin Alpin 7
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16, 185/65 R15 | Be the first → |
| 3 |
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
|
9.5 | 185/65 R15 | Be the first → |
| 4 |
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17, 215/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 5 |
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16, 185/65 R15 | Be the first → |
| 6 |
Goodyear UltraGrip 9+
|
9.4 | 205/55 R16, 185/65 R15 | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Winter Tires → Test winner: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
All Weather tires
No Kia Motors Forte driver has reviewed a tire in the All Weather category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Vredestein Quatrac is our highest rated, at 9.5 out of 10.
| # | Tire | TR Score | Made in | Kia Motors Forte reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Vredestein Quatrac
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16, 185/65 R15 | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV
|
8.3 | 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 3 |
Vredestein Quatrac Pro+
|
8.1 | 225/45 R17, 215/45 R17 | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best All Weather Tires →
Fitment comes from each tire's manufactured size list, and the sizes are the ones drivers reported when they reviewed. Check the size, load index and speed rating on your own doorplate before buying - a size a previous owner ran is not always the size your car left the factory on.
Every tire reviewed on the Kia Motors Forte
The complete record, including discontinued tires and tires with too few reviews to rank, ordered by the amount of evidence. A further 23 tires have a single review each; they count toward the totals but are not listed.
| Tire | Season | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunlop SP Sport FM800 | Summer | 96% | 2 | 90,000 miles |
| Bridgestone Turanza 6 | Summer | 69% | 2 | 21,347 miles |
| Silverstone M5 Synergy | Summer | 44% | 2 | 0 miles |
Tire sizes Kia Motors Forte drivers run
The sizes fitted in the reviews on this page. Each one links to the top rated tires in that size, across every car.
Kia Motors Forte variants, reviewed separately
These trims and body styles have pages of their own. Their reviews are already counted in the rankings above.
What Kia Motors Forte drivers say
The most recent owner reviews from this car, in their own words.
The wet road performance is stunningly bad. The road noise is quite loud, though they may improve with enough break in. Overall these are the worst tires I've ever fitted to any vehicle. Do not compromise, stick with the brands you recognize.
on a KIA Forte EX, 2012
I'm getting 55k out of these before I retire them. They are comfy with great traction in deep snow and everything in between. I found something interesting about this tire size - the contact patch is 15% less than all other major competing tires at this size. Could explain my great fuel economy and winter traction. Also these tires saved me from a lapse in rationality...I ignored my low tire pressure light before going to work. Got to work fine & got home fine but measured PSI at home and the tire had FOUR PSI yes 4 PSI and I drove 80 miles on them that way. Might be due to the ARAMID sidewall structure? I'm not sure I ever want to buy another tire without the ARAMID sidewalls ever because of this. My tires say Made in USA on the sidewall. This is an excellent Tire for where I live, Michigan.
I'm getting 55k out of these before I retire them. They are comfy with great traction in deep snow and everything in between. I found something interesting about this tire size - the contact patch is 15% less than all other major competing tires at this size. Could explain my great fuel economy and winter traction. Also these tires saved me from a lapse in rationality...I ignored my low tire pressure light before going to work. Got to work fine & got home fine but measured PSI at home and the tire had FOUR PSI yes 4 PSI and I drove 80 miles on them that way. Might be due to the ARAMID sidewall structure? I'm not sure I ever want to buy another tire without the ARAMID sidewalls ever because of this. My tires say Made in USA on the sidewall. This is an excellent Tire for where I live, Michigan.
I replaced my previous tires—X Sport 86, Michelin Primacy 4, Michelin Pilot 4, Michelin Pilot 3, Tourador, and Petals— with Bridgestone Turanza 6 on May 2, 2025. So far, I’ve driven about 165 km in both dry and wet conditions. These tires are very quiet and provide a confident driving experience, even when pushed to the limit. In high-speed corners on both dry and wet roads, I haven't experienced any issues, and they feel stable.
However, there is one drawback: during a heavy rain, the tires struggled with aquaplaning on water-heavy roads. When driving through deep water or in corners with excessive water, my steering wheel tends to shift left or right, which affects confidence in very wet conditions. Additionally, the tires are softer, and I notice a bit of the soft feel when driving over speed bumps.
Overall, I think these are good tires, offering good performance and comfort, but they might have some limitations in extreme wet conditions.
However, there is one drawback: during a heavy rain, the tires struggled with aquaplaning on water-heavy roads. When driving through deep water or in corners with excessive water, my steering wheel tends to shift left or right, which affects confidence in very wet conditions. Additionally, the tires are softer, and I notice a bit of the soft feel when driving over speed bumps.
Overall, I think these are good tires, offering good performance and comfort, but they might have some limitations in extreme wet conditions.
Decent enough tire for the price. Set of 4 set me back $270 with taxes. Sure tire life expectancy is 75-80k but for the price it’s better than $150/tire for 100k life expectancy. Handles wet and dry roads just fine. Tread seems really aggressive on turns so adjusting your driving habits on turns might be required. Road noise isn’t terrible. Rating plate says 71db. Sounds accurate. I hardly hear them. My last set of tires were Uniroyal Tigerpaws that cost $160/tire and lasted 90k. If you’re looking for decent tires on a budget then you can’t really go wrong with these.
Clearly a different compound compared to previously bought Cinturato P7.
Insane amount of wear for tires barely 12months in service, decent grip but wet grip drastically drops as it wears. For the price, will not buy again.
Insane amount of wear for tires barely 12months in service, decent grip but wet grip drastically drops as it wears. For the price, will not buy again.
Canadian roads. I'm a very gentle driver, and don't slam on brakes/ throttle inputs. These are Absolutely horrendous on snow handling/ acceleration and braking. Barely capable of coming to a clean stop at creeping speeds. Constantly having to throttle up to fight against the car. You get unpredictable Understeer to oversteer, massive amounts of steering lock required to turn and good luck getting out of a 30cm snow bank. If you have harsh winters, stay as far away from these as possible. They get very scary on highways with snow tracks forming. It "aquaplanes" on snow and slush quite easily. It feels extremely unsafe. The only thing surprising about the tire is the fact that it has more grip on ice than It does on light snow.....
Quality entry level performance tire. Nice road feel and very quiet. Not a great performer on a wet track but enough grip for a bit of confidence. Very good tire for the $$$.
It's nice product and affordable and pocket friendly and also worth every penny you spent.
Great tire for the price , highly recommended and a good warranty behind them!
Drive a Kia Motors Forte?
Review your tires and help the next owner choose. It takes about five minutes, and every review on this page came from a driver who took them.
Where this data comes from
Every rating on this page was submitted by a driver through the review form on this site, naming the car, the tire, the size and the distance covered. Reviews are checked by hand before publication, and the page rebuilds automatically as new ones arrive.
About the TR Score
The Tire Reviews Score rates each tire out of 10 using independent test results and the full body of owner reviews, so you can check a car-specific ranking against the wider evidence.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tire Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tires independently since 2007.