Top 10 Best Tires for Ford Fusion: Recommendations & Reviews

The Ford Fusion is probably the best American mid-size sedan right now. It has a lot of room inside, excellent driving dynamics, great engines, and a comfortable ride quality that few can match. For the price, you will feel like driving a premium machine. With that said, in order to get the most out of the Ford Fusion, you will need tires that will match its qualities.

The best tires for Ford Fusion should give the driver good responsiveness, high levels of grip and traction in most weather conditions, and excellent comfort. Ford Fusion tires should also be very durable – nobody wants to pay for tires every 2-3 years.

With that said, there is no single tire that will give you all the qualities you want. Every tire on the market is compromised in some way. For example, when manufacturers design a sporty high-performance tire, they don’t put a lot of thought into comfort. And if they do that, the tire will lose its sporty character.

That’s why we firmly believe that you should choose Ford Fusion tires that will suit your driving needs. If you are an aggressive driver, you will need sporty tires. If you want a serene driving experience, then you’ll need comfort-oriented tires. To help you choose the best Ford tires, we will include both sporty and comfort-oriented tires.

On top of everything that we’ve said, you also need to think about the climate in your area. Driving on tires that aren’t designed for the temperature and weather conditions around you can be dangerous and costly.

For a completely safe and reliable drive, we strongly recommend going for tires that are designed for the climate in your area. To help you find them, we will also cover every type of tire when it comes to the weather. You can find a Ford Fusion tire that best suits your needs in our Top 10 list below.

However, if you don’t know much about tires, we recommend going through our buying guide. There we will explain why we chose the tires on the list. More importantly, you can learn what every type of tire brings to the table and how it affects your driving. After the guide, we are confident that you’ll choose the best tires for Ford Fusion.

The 10 Best Tires for Ford Fusion You Can Buy

1. Michelin Defender T+H

Best Touring Tires for Ford Fusion

The Defender T+H is one of the most balanced tires on the market, which perfectly suits the qualities of the Ford Fusion. It is also expensive, but that’s something we’ve come to expect from Michelin.

For a touring tire, the Defender T+H is surprisingly responsive and plays perfectly well with the agile chassis of the car. The grip and traction are also very good on dry tarmac and among the best in the category in wet handling and braking. On top of that, the Defender T+H is also usable over light snow.

Apart from the excellent performance, Michelin’s touring tire also provides the passengers with excellent ride quality and quiet rolling on the highway.

Finally, Michelin provides an 80,000-mile treadwear warranty on these tires, which is one of the best results from any tire.

2. Goodyear Assurance MaxLife

Best Touring Tires for Ford Fusion

Goodyear’s best tires for Ford Fusion are the Assurance MaxLife. Right now, this is the longest-lasting touring tire on the market, which is excellent news for Fusion owners that cover a lot of miles annually. Goodyear covers that claim with an 85,000-mile treadwear warranty.

On the road, the Assurance MaxLife is very responsive for a touring tire. It also provides the driver with ample grip and traction on dry and wet surfaces and very good highway stability. That said, snow traction is worse than the main competition.

On the positive side, the Assurance MaxLife is very comfortable over bumps and quiet on the highway. It also helps that it’s not overly expensive.

3. Cooper CS5 Grand Touring

Best Touring Tires for Ford Fusion

Cooper’s new addition to the touring tire category brings several advancements with it. Right now, this is one of the most comfortable tires on the road, which certainly plays well with the comfortable ride on the Fusion. The CS5 Grand Touring is also very quiet.

On the road, Cooper’s competitor isn’t as responsive as its premium alternatives, but that’s not something most drivers will notice. The grip and traction are very good, both on dry and wet tarmac, although snow traction isn’t sufficient for very harsh wintry conditions.

The best thing about the CS5 Grand Touring is that it’s cheap and very durable – it comes with an 80,000-mile treadwear warranty.

4. Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack

Best Grand-Touring Tires for Ford Fusion

Bridgestone’s new grand-touring tire is perhaps the best choice for the Ford Fusion. It is expensive, but it scores high grades in every test.

The most obvious thing about the Turanza QuietTrack is how quiet it is. Right now, this is the quietest grand-touring tire on the highway, which naturally makes it an outstanding choice for Fusion owners. On top of that, the ComfortCruise Technology Package improves the already excellent ride quality.

Despite the focus on performance, the Turanza QuietTrack is still very good in the performance department. Handling is responsive and direct, grip and traction are excellent on dry and wet surfaces, while the highway stability is outstanding. The Turanza QuietTrack even works in light snow – that’s how good it is.

Finally, Bridgestone provides an 80,000-mile treadwear warranty on the tire, which is the best result in the grand-touring category.

5. Continental PureContact LS

Best Grand-Touring Tires for Ford Fusion

The Continental PureContact LS is the best tire for Fusion owners that often encounter rainy conditions. On wet roads, the PureContact LS handles as good as it gets. Traction and grip are excellent while hydroplaning resistance is second to none.

Handling on dry roads is also very good, among the best in the category. Unlike many all-season tires, the PureContact LS is very usable over light snow and overall in the winter. On top of that, the tire is also very comfortable and quiet.

With that said, Continental still provides only a 70,000-miles treadwear warranty, which is lower than the best tires in the category.

6. Michelin Premier A/S

Best Grand-Touring Tires for Ford Fusion

The Premier A/S is the best grand-touring tire for Fusion owners that want consistent performance throughout the years. Thanks to the EverTread Compound, the Premier A/S keeps its outstanding wet performance even when the tread wears down.

The Premier A/S handles very well on dry roads. In our testing, we found that this tire is very responsive on the Ford Fusion, while also providing high levels of grip and traction. Like most Michelin tires, comfort and quietness are among the best in the category.

That said, the 60,000-mile treadwear warranty is worse than most grand-touring tires, which is especially bad given the high price.

7. Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

Best High-Performance Tires for Ford Fusion

If you want to make your Fusion more responsive, there is no better choice than the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus. These all-season ultra-high-performance tires provide the driver with outstanding handling in most conditions.

On dry roads, the tires have outstanding responsiveness, class-leading grip and traction, and excellent braking. The Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus is one of the best tires for wet traction, both in light and heavy rain. The tire even works in light snow, which is great for those that don’t want to replace tires.

The treadwear warranty for this tire is 45,000-miles, which is a pretty good result for the category. That said, like most Michelin tires, the Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus is also expensive.

8. Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

Best High-Performance Tires for Ford Fusion

The Potenza RE980AS is another outstanding Ford Fusion tires for drivers that want more fun in the corners.

When it comes to handling, Bridgestone’s competitor is closely matched to the Pilot Sport. Responsiveness is slightly worse, but the Fusion seems to grip better mid-corner with the Potenza’s. Still, we’re splitting hairs here – for everyday driving, you’d be hard-pressed to notice a difference.

More importantly, the Potenza RE980AS is very quiet for an ultra-high-performance tire. The ride quality is not the best, though, especially on larger wheels. Still, the outstanding 50,000-mile treadwear warranty somewhat makes up for that. 

9. Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

Best Winter Tires for Ford Fusion

When it comes to snow traction and braking, you can’t go better than the Blizzak WS90. Bridgestone’s newest winter tire has the best snow, ice, and slush performance that we’ve tested.

For those that live in areas with harsh wintry weather and own a Ford Fusion, we can’t think of a better winter tire. The Blizzak WS90 is completely safe over slippery surfaces – it accelerates, turns, and brakes like a champ.

That said, while the Blizzak WS90 is expected to last 3-4 years, Bridgestone doesn’t cover that with any warranty, which is a shame considering the price.

10. Michelin X-Ice Xi3

Best Winter Tires for Ford Fusion

The Michelin X-Ice Xi3 comes a close second in terms of snow traction and braking – the Blizzak WS90 has a slight edge.

However, we think that you won’t notice a big difference on your Fusion in the winter. The tire still performs excellently in the winter, especially over wet and snowy surfaces. Ice and slush performance are outstanding as well.

What the X-Ice Xi3 has that the Blizzak WS90 lacks is a treadwear warranty. At 40,000-miles, Michelin’s winter tire destroys its competition when it comes to longevity, which might be crucial for some buyers.

Best Tires for Ford Fusion: Buyer’s Guide

1. Touring Tires are the Best Choice for Budget-Oriented Buyers

Touring tires are the most common tire type on the roads simply because they don’t cost much. Sure, if you buy touring tires from premium manufacturers such as Michelin and Bridgestone, you’ll still pay a lot of money. However, compared to other types, touring tires are by far the cheapest.

That doesn’t mean that they aren’t durable, mind you. Touring tires are made from a very resilient tread compound that lasts for a very long time. That is specifically true if you drive within the speed limits, and you don’t generate too much wheel spin when accelerating.

The best touring Ford Fusion tires today come with up to 90,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is honestly more than enough. With touring tires, it is more likely that the rubber will bend and lose its pliability after 5-6 years than losing the tread.

That is very important for the average family driver. The tread on every tire helps with wet traction and grip, vastly improving performance when it rains. This means that touring tires will keep their wet traction throughout the years, unlike tires that have shorter treadlife.

With that said, touring tires aren’t the best choice if you want great handling. They are more than usable for everyday driving, especially if you mostly drive in urban environments. However, if you want a set of tires that will give you direct and grippy handling, these aren’t for you.

Touring tires simply lack the responsiveness of performance tires, and also have lower levels of grip and traction on dry tarmac. You’d be hard-pressed to notice this in everyday driving, though. Touring tires are still perfectly fine if you drive within the speed limit and don’t exploit them too much through the corners.

Another great advantage of touring tires is comfort. Thanks to the softer sidewalls, touring tires will give you super-comfortable ride quality over uneven surfaces. On top of that, many manufacturers are employing tread patterns that lower noise on the highway, which makes touring tires very quiet.

Last, but certainly not least, touring tires often come with low-rolling-resistance technology. This helps you lower the fuel consumption of your car by a few mpg, which is certainly welcome. Drivers of the Fusion Hybrid will especially benefit from such technology.

2. Grand-Touring Tires are an Excellent Choice if You Mostly Drive on the Highway

Grand-touring tires are somewhat similar to touring tires. The main difference here is the speed rating – touring tires are made for slower vehicles, while grand-touring tires are made for faster vehicles. In other words, if you own a more powerful version of the Fusion, you will need grand-touring tires for highway driving.

Grand-touring tires also come in larger sizes than touring tires and overall provide the driver with better handling. These are the best Ford Fusion tires for a combination of comfort and performance. On the matter of comfort, they are closely matched to touring tires – the ride quality is plush, and there is not much noise on the highway.

In the corners, grand-touring tires should provide you with more direct and responsive handling. On top of that, they have a slightly higher grip in the corners and more traction when accelerating. Grand-touring tires will work excellently on wet tarmac, regardless if it rains lightly or heavily.

With all that said, why not just buy grand-touring tires and rip their benefits in terms of handling? Well, first of all, they are more expensive than touring tires, which might be a big hurdle for some buyers. Furthermore, grand-touring tires have slightly lower treadwear warranties – 70,000 to 80,000-miles is the norm here.

Still, if you mostly drive on the highway, then we strongly recommend purchasing grand-touring tires.

3. High-Performance Tires are the Best Choice for Sporty Handling

Grand-touring tires are fine for general driving, but if you really want to push your Fusion to the limits, you’ll want high-performance tires. As their name suggests, these tires are specifically designed to give you better performance.

In other words, they are the best Ford Fusion tires for drivers that want to attack corners more vigorously and generally drive more aggressively. The thing that you’ll first notice about these tires is how responsive they are. High-performance tires have stiffer sidewalls, and they immediately transfer the steering input on the road.

On top of that, these tires have a stickier rubber compound that provides the driver with much better road holding. More precisely, high-performance tires have higher levels of grip during hard cornering, better traction during hard acceleration, and also stronger stopping power. In other words, you can drive faster without worrying about losing contact with the road.

With that said, high-performance tires aren’t without their drawbacks. As expected, they aren’t as comfortable as touring or grand touring tires, primarily due to the stiffer sidewalls. They also produce more noise on the highway, which might irk some buyers.

Furthermore, high-performance tires also not as durable as touring or grand-touring tires. Some all-season models touch the 60,000-mile treadwear warranty mark, but that’s still short of other alternatives. If you want tires that will last for a long time, you should look elsewhere.

Finally, there is the matter of price. High-performance tires are more expensive than either touring or grand-touring tires. Paired with the slightly worse treadlife, this translates into paying much more money for tires throughout the years.

4. What About the Climate?

The climate plays a very big role in how the tires perform on the road. See, every tire is designed to operate in specific temperature conditions.

For example, tires that are designed for hot weather become too stiff and brittle when the temperature falls down. When that happens, the rubber doesn’t have the ability to grip the road well and quickly loses traction and grip, especially on wet surfaces. The tires might also get damaged if driven in very cold weather.

On the other hand, cold-weather tires become too soft in the summer. This translates into worse responsiveness, lower traction, and worse highway stability. Furthermore, there will be accelerated wear on the tread in these conditions.

There is one type of tires that promises good performance in most conditions. All-season tires are designed to remain pliable in the winter, but also hard enough in the summer. These tires also have deeper grooves with an average number of sipes for better snow traction. That said, while they work fine in the summer, harsh wintry conditions are a big hurdle to overcome for these tires.

If you own a Ford Fusion and you live in northern places, like Canada, then all-weather tires might be a smarter choice. These tires are made from a softer tread compound, which remains very pliable in the winter. More importantly, they have even deeper grooves and more sipes for better snow traction. That said, all-weather tires have slightly shorter treadwear warranty than all-season tires, so keep that in mind when purchasing a new set.

For those that live in places with very harsh wintry conditions, there is no better choice than winter tires. They are specifically designed to tackle very cold weather and do that without breaking a sweat. Winter Ford tires will give you the best possible traction and grip over snow, ice, and slush.

On the other hand, summer tires will give you by far the best performance in hot conditions. They perform much better than all-season tires in the summer, which is why many manufacturers offer a summer tread compound exclusively with high-performance tires.

Final Words

The Ford Fusion is a mid-size sedan that can quickly get under your skin with its combination of comfort and drivability. However, if you want to appreciate its qualities truly, we strongly recommend going for high-quality tires. Very cheap tires from manufacturers that you first heard several months ago don’t suit the Fusion qualities. As a matter of fact, in our testing, we found them to be dangerous on wet roads!

In other words, even if you don’t choose a set of tires from our list, at least purchase tires from reputable manufacturers with a long history of research and development. That way, you’ll be sure that the tires will perform as you expect. Furthermore, cheap tires don’t last nearly as long as high-quality tires, which defeats their purpose, honestly.