A performance all-season tire designed specifically for trucks and SUVs, our Goodyear Fortera SL Review takes a look at the performance this tire adds, while highlighting a few drawbacks to be concerned about.

PROS

• Dry grip and handling
• Decent wet traction
• Rim protector

CONS

• Extremely limited sizes
• Poor winter grip

With extremely limited sizing available (Goodyear only makes the Fortera SL in two fitments) you’d think it would be an incredibly niche tire. And while the street/sport truck segment isn’t huge, the two fitments available do cover a lot of different models including trucks like the Chevy Silverado, Ram 1500, Ford F-150 and some SUVs like the Chevy Tahoe. Those four models alone make up a large swath of the vehicles on the road.

So if you do own one of those trucks and you’re looking to move away from a conventional all-season tire or something off-road focused into a sportier ride (most likely with some aftermarket wheels), then the Fortera SL is high on the list of options.

The tread design of these tires is relatively simplistic, without overly large tread blocks that many competitive tires use to deliver traction. Instead there are five conventional rows with a center tread rib that’s almost entirely connected – except for small divisions in intervals.

As a result of this feature, the tire tracks nicely on the highway and has a firm, planted feel. Turn-in response is quick.

The softer rubber compound has plenty of natural traction and despite there not being any oversized shoulder tread blocks, the tire holds on extremely well in corners and delivers responsive handling that’s predictable too.

Deep circumferential grooves and lateral divisions between the tread blocks help evacuate water away from the contact patch easily, meaning hydroplaning isn’t an issue, even in deep water. Despite these features, however, overall wet grip on slick roads is just passable.

Winter traction is extremely limited, which is generally true of all street/sport all-season tires. We recommend proper winter tires (if you live somewhere with snow) for sure.

As for ride quality, it’s certainly on the stiffer side, which is to be expected from a tire like this. The fact that it’s only available in lower profile options (with low 45 and 40 sidewalls) doesn’t help matters. Swapping onto these you’ll definitely feel more bumps and cracks in the road. The comfier ride quality of many larger vehicles means that larger bumps aren’t as much of an issue; it’s the small cracks that really make it into the cabin. Drivers looking to add some performance to their truck, and some style with large 22-inch aftermarket wheels, are likely to be accepting of the sacrifice. (This harsher ride is by no means unique to the Goodyears and you’ll get it no matter the tires you opt for on a low profile setup like this).

Noise from these tires is quite low, an indication that Goodyear made use of its vast resources to engineer a tread block design that remains whisper quiet against the road and the air.

One small yet important highlight of the tires is the rim protector. The tire sidewall sticks out slightly to protect your wheels from getting scuffed on a curb, which is always a nice feature to have.

Overall, the Goodyear Fortera SL delivers heightened driving enjoyment with some notable (but expected) drawbacks.

Goodyear Fortera SL Price

Pricing for the Fortera SL sits at right around $350 per tire

Goodyear Fortera SL Warranty

Goodyear does not offer a tread life warranty on the Fortera SL. Like all Goodyear tires, however, it does come with a limited factory warranty that covers defects over the first 2/32-inch of tread life. Tires deemed defective during that period will be replaced free of charge. From there, any tires found to be defective will be replaced on a pro-rated basis, up until the final 2/32-inch of tread life.

Goodyear Fortera SL Sizes

22-inch sizes

• 305/40R22
• 305/45R22