[RandyM]

Bought a Fire Orange 2022 Forte XLS last month replacing a Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata was quite good in the snow. What should I expect from the Forte?

 

[DimSomm]

Bought a Fire Orange 2022 Forte XLS last month replacing a Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata was quite good in the snow. What should I expect from the Forte?

First light snow in eastern Massachusetts yesterday and I didn't have to take the Forte out. So no clue. Dreading the stock Kumhos though.

 

[joemsj51]

Bought a Fire Orange 2022 Forte XLS last month replacing a Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata was quite good in the snow. What should I expect from the Forte?

Expect about the same traction as your prior Sonata, based on zero USA-regional information you offered-up here in this thread and zero information on whether you have AWD on both vehicles.

I'm in Michigan and the wife's 2020 Soul handles great in a few inches of snow and still gets her to work several miles away and back home in 5-6 inches. No AWD to assist her.

 

[RandyM]

Expect about the same traction as your prior Sonata, based on zero USA-regional information you offered-up here in this thread and zero information on whether you have AWD on both vehicles.

I'm in Michigan and the wife's 2020 Soul handles great in a few inches of snow and still gets her to work several miles away and back home in 5-6 inches. No AWD to assist her.

I live in northwestern Missouri (Kansas City area). Each winter we average about 20 inches of snow in four to six events. A heavy snow here is six inches, although accmulations of 12 inches is not unheard of (when I lived in central Missouri we had a single snowfall of 18 inches).

The Forte's tires (55 series/16 inches) are all-season rated, but it has been my experience that wider tires do more poorly in snow.

I owned a 2008 Kia Optima that was fantastic in snow. Hope the Forte has the same DNA.

 

[Sweats]

I live in northwestern Missouri (Kansas City area). Each winter we average about 20 inches of snow in four to six events. A heavy snow here is six inches, although accmulations of 12 inches is not unheard of (when I lived in central Missouri we had a single snowfall of 18 inches)

The Forte's tires (55 series/16 inches) are all-season rated, but it has been my experience that wider tires do more poorly in snow.

I owned a 2008 Kia Optima that was fantastic in snow. Hope the Forte has the same DNA.

Hey, we're right by Whiteman AFB, about 12 miles East of Warrensburg. My daughter's picking up a Forte with 225/40 18s soon, but we're not really sweating it (well, too much anyway). Another member, Not-a-sheeple, made a good point in another discussion that, and I'm paraphrasing heavily here, if you adjust your driving to the conditions, you should be fine. Obviously, none of the recent Fortes are AWD, so you would naturally not factor that in any discussion, but FWD is usually fine, especially so for those of us who grew up with RWD only and couldn't afford 4WD. Still another member, mysticstitch, is opting for some Michelins that look (to me anyway) to be a step or two up from the stock tires, or at least for winter weather. I suspect we're going to see a lot more on this topic in the next little while. Good luck.

 

[RandyM]

Hey, we're right by Whiteman AFB, about 12 miles East of Warrensburg. My daughter's picking up a Forte with 225/40 18s soon, but we're not really sweating it (well, too much anyway). Another member, Not-a-sheeple, made a good point in another discussion that, and I'm paraphrasing heavily here, if you adjust your driving to the conditions, you should be fine. Obviously, none of the recent Fortes are AWD, so you would naturally not factor that in any discussion, but FWD is usually fine, especially so for those of us who grew up with RWD only and couldn't afford 4WD. Still another member, mysticstitch, is opting for some Michelins that look (to me anyway) to be a step or two up from the stock tires, or at least for winter weather. I suspect we're going to see a lot more on this topic in the next little while. Good luck.

Thanks. I think your daughter will love her Forte. I'm surprised at how much I'm liking mine.

Whiteman AFB began during World War II as the Sedalia Glider Training Base. Many of the pilots participated in the D Day landings and Operation Market Garden. I knew several glider veterans. Tough and hard drinking group.

I'll soon be driving on Hwy 40 past Sedalia on my way to Jeff City to see family. Will then take Hwy 100 to Hermann, a road that will really show the Forte's handling.

 

[PLP]

Bought a Fire Orange 2022 Forte XLS last month replacing a Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata was quite good in the snow. What should I expect from the Forte?

I will be blunt.

As the physics laws dictate - no grip, no traction, no driving...
There is no way to tell you what you can expect, because I do not know what your expectations are and what is OK for you.

The car will move and eventually will get to the traffic speed and eventually will stop.

No matter how good all season tires you have, they will still be much worse than the worst snow tires.

So... I can tell you this.
Mine 2016 F5 SX on half way worn OEM all seasons was a tragedy on white, packed snow. It was taking forever to take off from the intersection, any incline was a death wish, stopping was scary.
It was great otherwise (meaning, no snow).
On snow tires - fun to drive. Still too much power for the grip, but way more manageable.

 

[Sweats]

I will be blunt.

As the physics laws dictate - no grip, no traction, no driving...
There is no way to tell you what you can expect, because I do not know what your expectations are and what is OK for you.

The car will move and eventually will get to the traffic speed and eventually will stop.

Well, you were blunt but more so, you were condescending. Look man, we're all just bouncing ideas off of each other. If you feel as though we're coming directly to you for answers, and if you feel you've had enough of our lack of understanding concerning the finer points of mass, velocity, friction, yadda yadda, then please yes, put us in our place. Otherwise, maybe just let the conversation flow without inserting the scolding rhetoric.

 

[edmoiler13]

I put a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3's on last winter here in Michigan and they were amazing. I put almost 20,000 miles on them and it never left me worried plus they barely showed any wear when I took them off in the spring. I have them back on now and even put some on my daughter's Dodge Dart for the winter

 

[Not-a-sheeple]

I will be blunt.

As the physics laws dictate - no grip, no traction, no driving...
There is no way to tell you what you can expect, because I do not know what your expectations are and what is OK for you.

The car will move and eventually will get to the traffic speed and eventually will stop.

No matter how good all season tires you have, they will still be much worse than the worst snow tires.

So... I can tell you this.
Mine 2016 F5 SX on half way worn OEM all seasons was a tragedy on white, packed snow. It was taking forever to take off from the intersection, any incline was a death wish, stopping was scary.
It was great otherwise (meaning, no snow).
On snow tires - fun to drive. Still too much power for the grip, but way more manageable.

The goal of driving in snow/inclement weather isn’t to get off the line fast… the goal is to arrive at your destination without incident. Any small front wheel drive car is going to have traction issues, get stuck etc if the snow is heavy, period. No matter what tires you’re on. There’s a saying that goes “all wheel drive isn’t all wheel stop” and the same applies to winter tires.

I’ve only ever owned small front wheel drive cars (‘03 Rio, ‘08 Corolla, ‘17 Focus, ‘22 Forte GT) and have never put winter tires on any of them. Buffalo literally gets twice the snowfall as East Lansing, if you haven’t adapted to it yet, then yes a crutch is very helpful, but if you’re going to live where there’s snow it’s better to just learn how to drive in it.

Edited: formatting on mobile

 

[PLP]

Well, you were blunt but more so, you were condescending. Look man, we're all just bouncing ideas off of each other.

Where did you find it to be condescending? I am sorry you find my response that way.
That was straight to the point answer. How will the car feel? It all depends what you want to feel and what you expect. I will not sugar coat it - oh, Forte is great in snow. Yes, it is. If you have the right tires.
If you ever happen driving on hard packed snow - snow tires will be extraordinary, while anything else will suck. If you; however, are stuck in city where streets are wet or maybe some wet snow is present - do not bother to invest in snow tires. They will not be much better than any other, even summer, tires.

If you want it to feel good in snow - you need some traction. Period. And that is what the answer says.
I am afraid you read my post the way you did, because I said "I will be blunt". This put you right away on a different track and different approach. Because of me you were biased.
Sorry for my mistake.

I put a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3's on last winter here in Michigan and they were amazing.

There you go. That is what you need to do if you have 20" of snow.

The goal of driving in snow/inclement weather isn’t to get off the line fast… the goal is to arrive at your destination without incident. Any small front wheel drive car is going to have traction issues, get stuck etc if the snow is heavy, period. No matter what tires you’re on. There’s a saying that goes “all wheel drive isn’t all wheel stop” and the same applies to winter tires.

What is a small FWD car?
From my experience. A small, I mean European small (not US small), car drives much better than any other car. RWD fails although provides more fun overall.
Comparing for example Trabant, or Cinquecento (curb weight - about 700 kg, 40 or 30 HP respectively) to Forte, or Dodge Intrepid, or KIA Rondo - the first two had much more traction than all the others. Yes, weight helps with friction, but then when the grip is limited and you need to pull the heavy body on wider tires - the smaller you get, the easier it is to go.

As for going off the first. You are correct, it is not about being the first one off the line.
Although, if your tires allow you to do that - then you can rest assured that you will not have a problem taking off uphill, or stopping before the line when going downhill.
Yes, any tire will allow you to move on a flat surface. Bold, all season, summer, winter... but the question is how much time it will take you to start going or even if you can manage to go through the intersection before the green light expires...
If everyone was equipped with the correct tires, winter traffic jams would be much smaller.

If anyone (here) had any racing in mind, they would know that the best modification to any racing car is - the tires. Extra grip will translate to much better lap times. Then you go with brakes, then you go with power, and then you come back to suspension.
But that was digressing.



Sorry if you find my answers too direct.
This is my way bouncing off ideas.
There are good ideas, bad ideas, pointless ideas...
If you were to ask me - sure, you can stay in OEM tire in 20" snow. It is "whatever" idea for me.
But if you care about your safety, if you want to avoid spending 500 USD on deductible and two weeks without the car - get yourself better equipment. This is a good idea.
Bad idea is to say - the car will feel great in snow and on OEM tires.

 

[mysticstitch]

I did not like the Kumhos on my 2020 forte last winter at all. I seemed to have stopping issues coming off the highway and odd things in parking lots. I didn't seem to have those issues in my other car. So I did some searching on review sites and such. I didn't really want to go the whole winter tires route. I never needed winter tires before so, I wanted to find something else. Yesterday I ended up getting the michelin cross climate 2. It going to snow today so I want to see how they do. So far the ride seems to be softer and has less road noise. They also look really neat I think.

 

[Sweats]

PLP, while I stand by my response, I'd be a real jerk to not acknowledge your effort in addressing my concern and then going on to explain your views and offer sound advice after, and lots of it (a good thing). Thanks.

 

[Sweats]

So far the ride seems to be softer and has less road noise.

Less road noise? I don't see how, they look a little aggressive, but then the engineers at Michelin are waaaaay smarter than me, so I'm not about to argue it. I'd agree about the looks (very nice), and am eager to hear how they handle the snow.

 

[anonimaus]

I've got s 18" snows on my GT with DCT and it's awesome. Tears through the snow like a champ. You can push it into a slide around corners and it bites amazingly on opposite lock and throttle steering. I find it much better than my EX was with the CVT on 18's and snows. I think the extra torque really helps, but it depends on your driving style TBH.

 

[tc0566]

I did not like the Kumhos on my 2020 forte last winter at all. I seemed to have stopping issues coming off the highway and odd things in parking lots. I didn't seem to have those issues in my other car. So I did some searching on review sites and such. I didn't really want to go the whole winter tires route. I never needed winter tires before so, I wanted to find something else. Yesterday I ended up getting the michelin cross climate 2. It going to snow today so I want to see how they do. So far the ride seems to be softer and has less road noise. They also look really neat I think. View attachment 85190

I was thinking about those tires as well. Please let us know how they handle in the snow.

 

[joachimkazmaier]

Winter tires are mandatory here, I can compare our Fortes against the Corolla I had before, winter tires vs. winter tires. Forte is great, traction is way better than the Corolla, but it does fishtail a bit at times, while the Toyota severely understeered. I just came back from New York to Montréal through the Adirondacks in snowy weather, white highway, never a scary moment. Tracked great, brakes great, no issues. Kept rolling at 110 km/h.

 

[Jeff Burger]

Bought a Fire Orange 2022 Forte XLS last month replacing a Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata was quite good in the snow. What should I expect from the Forte?

I've read that the OEM Jumbo tires are terrible in the snow

Bought a Fire Orange 2022 Forte XLS last month replacing a Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata was quite good in the snow. What should I expect from the Forte?

I've read that the OEM Kuhmo tires aren't good for snow...I've had my new Forte for a week and besides the road noise on rough roads it'good in the rain!

 

[mysticstitch]

So we didn't get as much snow as I was hoping for just an inch or 2. But there was freezing rain first. So things I noticed are. At the end of my street, there is a small incline to get to the main street. When it snows no matter what car I had I would always spin the tires a little going up it. That is no longer the case. I was surprised by that. On the highway I felt more stable even though it was not plowed very well. "we have a shortage of drivers" But I just normally take my time driving safely. The only negative thing I can say is the kuhmos have a rim guard and the Michelins do not. Also installed my rokblokz mud flaps from black friday I really like the red logos. Gives it a nice pop.

 

[PLP]

So we didn't get as much snow as I was hoping for just an inch or 2. But there was freezing rain first. So things I noticed are. At the end of my street, there is a small incline to get to the main street. When it snows no matter what car I had I would always spin the tires a little going up it. That is no longer the case. I was surprised by that. On the highway I felt more stable even though it was not plowed very well. "we have a shortage of drivers" But I just normally take my time driving safely. The only negative thing I can say is the kuhmos have a rim guard and the Michelins do not. Also installed my rokblokz mud flaps from black friday I really like the red logos. Gives it a nice pop.

Thanks for the update.
I was actually thinking that for next car I might drop the summer/winter sets and go with this one.
On very rare occasion we have snow sitting on the roads, so those tires may provide enough grip.

I wonder how they will feel after half worn.