Ford Freestyle Tires

Sold from 2005 to 2009, the Ford Freestyle crossover SUV was intended as a replacement for the Taurus wagon; in fact, it was renamed “Taurus X” for its final year. The Freestyle had a lot in common with the short-lived Ford Five Hundred model and was somewhere between a crossover SUV and station wagon in its design and styling. The Freestyle was powered by a 203 hp Duratec V6 engine and was available in front- or all-wheel drive drivetrains, and in SE, SEL, or Limited trim levels. Unlike the Taurus wagon, the Freestyle had a third-row seat and featured taller ride height and ground clearance with “command seating,” putting the front seats up a bit higher like in an SUV. After being rebranded as the Taurus X wagon, the model was upgraded to a 253 hp Duratec V6. Unlike many Ford models, the Freestyle was mated to a CVT transmission, which had a payoff in fuel economy at 20 mpg city/27 mpg highway. Through all model years, the Freestyle was also available with an AWD drivetrain. The Freestyle was replaced in the lineup by the Ford Flex.

Here at SimpleTire, we’ve gone through and rounded up some of the best tire options for your Ford Freestyle, including all-season, all-weather, and winter tires. We then ranked them as Best/Great/Good and gave them numerical scores for traction, longevity, and handling according to SimpleScore. Ready? Let’s go in for a closer look:

1. Goodyear Assurance MaxLife: Best All-Season tire

Goodyear got the name right with the MaxLife; it’s a durable, capable all-season tire that we’ve consistently been impressed by. It’s a tire that you can rely on for both year-round grip and inspiring, confident performance for drivers. For over a century, Goodyear has been one of the most respected and well-known names in the tire business, with a heritage of quality and innovation, and the Goodyear Assurance MaxLife is a tire that delivers on everything you’d expect from a Goodyear product. The Goodyear Assurance MaxLife is designed around an advanced tread formulation and rugged internal design for long wear and durability. With that in mind, our SimpleScores rankings put the Assurance MaxLife in for a fantastic longevity score of 9.9. Goodyear’s TredLife technology package is enough for a best-in-class 85,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. Road manners, steering response, and cornering are all top-notch, with a semi-solid center rib that enhances steering feedback and response as well as straight–line stability. Braking performance and maneuverability are all pretty remarkable as well, with semi-closed shoulders, a sticky tread formula, and a polyamide reinforcement layer that enhances the tire’s rigidity for great cornering. We took all that into account and totaled up a SimpleScore of 9.5 for handling. A pattern of sipes multiplies grip by adding hundreds of extra biting edges for wet or wintry conditions. Along with that, a network of circumferential grooves, plus angled and lateral grooves all work together as a system to fight hydroplaning by cutting through a film of water, channeling it behind the tire’s contact patch. With that confidence on tap for cornering and braking in wet or dry weather, we figure that’s enough for a SimpleScore of 9.7 for traction.

2. Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActive: Best All-Weather

If the all-weather tire category is new to you, they’re fairly close in their design to all-season tires but are intended for improved performance in winter traction without any serious tradeoffs in tread life, ride quality, road manners, handling, cornering, and braking. The Pirelli brand has a lengthy reputation for performance, quality, and value, and the Scorpion WeatherActive is no exception. This tire is one of the more recent additions to their lineup and has the tire industry’s Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe winter service. When the rubber meets the road and it’s time to get the job done, the Scorpion WeatherActive is designed with a directional tread pattern with a 3-rib pattern that’s rigid enough to avoid tread squirm during braking or cornering, angled grooves that channel water and slush away from the contact patch to resist hydroplaning, a zigzag central groove, and a tread pitch that’s randomized and computer tuned to cancel certain frequencies and resonances, keeping road noise to a minimum. The tread compound of the Scorpion WeatherActive is designed to stay pliable and deliver winter traction when temperatures are below freezing but is still tough and durable enough for long miles. Pirelli backs the Scorpion WeatherActive with a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. Run the numbers for the WeatherActive and you get SimpleScores of 9.8 for traction, 9.2 for longevity, and 9.5 for handling – all certainly nothing to sneeze at, if you ask us.

3. Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 SUV: Best Winter tire

Next up is our pick for a winter tire, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 SUV – and probably one of the best performance-oriented winter tires for light trucks and SUVs that’s available anywhere. Nokian is a Finland-based company (yes, the same parent company as Nokia phones) with decades of expertise in tires for winter weather, and the Hakkapeliitta 10 SUV is designed to get through the rough, extreme winters in Scandinavia. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that the Hakkapeliitta 10 SUV is rated at a solid 9.9 for traction – this tire incorporates a directional winter tread, a dense pattern of sipes and sweeping grooves, and is already fitted with studs for ice storms that turn roads as slick as a hockey rink (always check your state laws for the legality of studded tires). The Hakkapeliitta 10 SUV’s stud pattern is optimized at two different angles that keep road noise low and have the least impact on pavement surfaces, but still offer tenacious braking, acceleration, and maneuvering traction. Road noise is reduced even more with a foam layer for further sound insulation. The Hakkapeliitta 10 SUV gets a SimpleScore of 9.1 for longevity; it’s extremely durable, with Aramid-reinforced sidewalls, and a tread formulation that’s tough but flexible in subfreezing weather. Handling gets a score of 8.9, thanks to its shoulder design, stiff construction, and directional tread. Last but not least, the Hakkapeliitta 10 SUV is designed for rolling resistance that’s low enough to make it a good fit for EVs and hybrids. As you’d expect, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 SUV is Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rated for severe winter service.

While these are the three best Ford Freestyle tires on the market, there are plenty of other great and good options out there. Here are two other tires that stood out to us:

4. General Altimax RT45: Great All-Season tire

Next up we have an all-season tire that’s surprisingly affordable for what it has to offer: the General Altimax RT45. Despite the affordable price, the Altimax RT45 is a tire that stands up well in a head-to-head comparison with premium brands, can punch far above its weight class, and offers great value for drivers. The Altimax RT45 is designed with a tested, proven all-season tread pattern that can deal with difficult weather and road conditions to consistently deliver the performance you need. Wear properties of the Altimax RT45 are outstanding, with a 65,000 or 75,000 mile warranty (depending on tire size). In light of that, we gave the Altimax RT45 a superb 9.9 SimpleScore for longevity. Some of the biggest advantages of the RT45 are its low noise, year-round traction, refined ride, and braking and handling which are all predictable and consistent, even on irregular pavement – for a traction score of 9.0. Handling dynamics are rated with a SimpleScore of 8.7, with road feedback, cornering, and steering response that are all enhanced by a network of sipes and lateral grooves and a solid center rib. We also like the visual alignment indicator feature, which gives a driver a heads-up on excessive wear or alignment that’s out of spec. The words “Replace Tire” are molded into the tread and can only appear when the tread reaches a minimum depth of 2/32” (the legal minimum in every state). Select sizes of the Altimax RT45 are available with a great-looking outlined white letter sidewall.

5. Yokohama Avid Ascend LX: Good All-Season tire

Here at SimpleTire, we’ve known about the quality and value of Yokohama tires for a long time and the Yokohama Avid Ascend LX is no exception. The Avid Ascend LX is a tire that you can rely on for excellent grip year-round with a system of wavy 3D sipes, lateral grooves, angled grooves, and circumferential grooves, bringing home a SimpleScore of 8.6 for traction. Treadwear properties are a real strong point with the Avid Ascend LX; it’s designed with Yokohama’s L-2 polymer blend tread compound for wear resistance and a wider, flatter footprint distributes vehicle weight better for more even treadwear. We give the Yokohama Avid Ascend LX a solid 9.7 SimpleScore for longevity, with its hard-to-beat 85,000 mile manufacturer’s treadwear warranty. All those tread features (along with large, reinforced shoulder blocks and a solid center rib) work together for steering response that’s sharp and correct, confident cornering, and great braking – we give the Avid Ascend LX a SimpleScore of 8.7 for traction.

Order Ford Freestyle Tires Online

Buying tires online can be a stressful process, but it really doesn't need to be. SimpleTire offers a simple approach to finding the tires that are best for you and your Ford Freestyle. Select your Ford Freestyle below, then tell us a few more things such as year and trim level to determine your tire size. From there, we'll show you tires that fit your vehicle and are the best match based on performance characteristics, but you can also look for the best value tires, tires that are on sale or part of a promo, have the longest tread life, and much more