What are you looking for in a premium all-season tire for a sedan, minivan, or crossover? Chances are your priorities are going to be:

• Refined ride quality with good isolation from bumps, vibrations, and road irregularities
• Handling and stability that are responsive and predictable
• Low noise on the highway
• Year-round traction, including light snow or rainy weather
• Generous tread life warranty
• Low rolling resistance to save on fuel costs

If this sounds like your list of concerns for an all-season tire, we’re happy to tell you that the Firestone Affinity Touring S4 FF can check all those boxes. This is a very capable tire that comes in at an affordable price point, and is designed as a complement for the performance of today’s vehicles. If this sounds like the kind of tire you need, then read on because we’re about to unpack all the things that make the tire such a great value and a great performer in this Firestone Affinity Touring S4 FF review.

Features and Benefits

Firestone tires are known for their quality and performance, and the Affinity Touring S4 FF is no different. Here’s what the tire has within it to meet those standards:

• Silica-rich rubber compound is designed for enhanced wet-weather traction and long, even wear
• Engineered to stay flexible in subfreezing temperatures when some all-season tires will stiffen up and lose traction
• Circumferential grooves channel water away from the tire’s contact patch to resist hydroplaning
• Tread pitch is computer tuned to help cancel frequencies and keep road noise to a minimum
• Diagonal, lateral, and angled grooves all work as a system to enhance traction on wet or dry pavement
• Solid center rib in tread is designed to improve steering response and straight-line stability on the highway
• Polyester cord body with two steel belts and spiral-wound nylon cap layer for high-speed stability, ride comfort, durability
• Lateral sipes in the tread boost traction in wet or light winter weather conditions thanks to hundreds of extra biting edges
• Low rolling resistance helps save fuel over the service life of the tire
• 50,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty

Pros and Cons

Here’s a quick list of things people like (and don’t like) about the Firestone Affinity Touring S4 FF:

PROS:

• Long tread life warranty
• Quiet and forgiving ride
• Handling and road manners are competent, if not spectacular
• Low rolling resistance makes a difference at the gas pump

CONS:

• Not great in snowy weather
• Some drivers report that wet-weather traction could be better

SimpleTire’s view on Firestone Affinity Touring S4 FF tires

The “FF” in Firestone Touring S4 FF stands for Fuel Fighter, and this tire is designed around a low rolling resistance standard that can definitely make a difference in fuel costs over the life of the tire (worth noting here that low rolling resistance tires are also a good choice for hybrids and EVs). That’s not the only thing the Firestone Affinity Touring S4 FF does well, though.

Circumferential grooves help deliver true all-season traction by moving standing water away from the tire’s contact patch to avoid hydroplaning. Sipes are hair-thin slits that are designed to cut through a film of water or chew their way through snow and slush for improved traction in bad weather, and the Affinity Touring S4 FF’s tread pattern is loaded with sipes. Ride quality is refined and comfortable, and noise levels are what you’d expect from a tire that costs far more. Braking, cornering, and steering response with the Affinity Touring S4 FF aren’t what a performance-oriented tire might deliver, but overall handling is responsive and immediate without any surprises.

We should note that some drivers report poorer wet-weather grip, a complaint that isn’t unheard-of for low rolling resistance tires, but other anecdotal reports say that wet-weather performance is up to expectations. As for winter traction, it’s important to remember that all-season tires aren’t designed for the winter performance you might get from an all-weather tire and certainly aren’t up to the standards of a dedicated winter tire. In light snow or slush, the Firestone Affinity Touring S4 FF is a tire that won’t let you down.

Vehicles the Firestone Affinity Touring S4 FF is an OEM tire for

• 2012 Honda Civic DX
• 2012 Toyota Camry L
• 2013 Honda Accord LX

Vehicles the Firestone Affinity Touring S4 FF is a good replacement tire

In addition to being used as an original equipment tire, the Affinity Touring S4 FF is a good replacement tire for the:

• Buick Encore
• BMW 3 Series
• Chevrolet Equinox
• Chrysler Pacifica
• Dodge Avenger
• Ford Fiesta
• Honda CR-V
• Hyundai Elantra
• Kia Sportage
• Mazda CX-9
• Nissan Sentra
• Subaru Forester
• Toyota Sienna
• Volkswagen Atlas