In the world of all-season tires for sedans, coupes, minivans, and crossovers, asymmetric tread designs are a rather new innovation. Asymmetric all-season tread patterns have advantages when it comes to traction in wet or dry weather, as well as pluses in the handling, braking, and cornering departments.

The Forceum Octa is an all-season tire with an asymmetric tread pattern, designed as a performance-oriented tire that comes in at a surprisingly affordable price point. It’s a perfect replacement tire that won’t clean out your checking account and is a great choice if you’re on a budget, but don’t want to compromise on traction, ride quality, and performance. So what is it about the tire that makes it such a standout performer and a great value? Let’s go in for a closer look with this Forceum Octa review:

Features and Benefits

Here are some of the things the Octa has within it to allow for solid performance:

• The silica-rich tread compound is designed for long wear properties, wet-weather traction
• Three center ribs with four wide, deep circumferential grooves channel water away from the tire’s contact patch and resist hydroplaning in wet weather
• Asymmetric tread design features a “wet side” with a dense network of sipes to enhance wet-weather performance
• The “dry side” of the asymmetric pattern is stiffer toward the outboard edge and shoulder, to resist lateral forces of braking and cornering
• Stiffer tread and shoulder for reduced deformation and tread squirm while cornering
• Contact patch optimized to keep the maximum amount of rubber in contact with the road at all times for improved traction, braking, cornering, steering response
• The tread pitch is randomized and computer-tuned to reduce road noise and neutralize certain frequencies and resonances
• Road hazard protection is available

Pros and Cons

So, is this Forceum tire right for you? Take a look at the tire’s pros and cons before you decide:

PROS:

• Handling is sharp and precise with good feedback for the driver
• Steering response to driver commands is immediate
• Quiet, refined ride quality
• Confident traction on wet or dry pavement
• Affordable price point

CONS:

• The tire is not backed by a limited manufacturer tread life warranty
• The tire is not Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified so it should not be used in moderate to severe winter weather conditions

SimpleTire’s view on Forceum Octa tires

It can be hard to decide on an affordable all-season tire for a sedan, minivan, or crossover; there are so many choices out there that the process can be downright bewildering. We think that the Forceum Octa offers something different in a replacement tire, though.

The advantage in handling and steering response with the Forceum Octa is something you’ll notice in the first couple of minutes of driving - it’s a tire that’s more nimble and precise than most all-season tires at this price point. It may not be quite up to what you’d expect from a summer tire or ultra-high-performance (UHP) tire, but it’s definitely a cut above most tires at this price point when it comes to handling. We attribute that to the asymmetric all-season tread design and the shoulder and outboard tread that are reinforced for hard cornering.

Wet-weather traction is above average with the Forceum Octa, and ride quality and road manners are such that you can expect refined, composed behavior even on irregular pavement surfaces. Similarly, noise levels are not quite whisper-quiet, but this is a tire that won’t wear you down on long road trips with excessive road noise. No, the Forceum Octa doesn’t deliver good performance in heavier snow (most all-season tires don’t), and it doesn’t come with a treadwear warranty, although Forceum does offer good warranty protection against defects in manufacturing and workmanship as well as road hazard coverage.

Vehicles the Forceum Octa is a good replacement tire for

• Buick LaCrosse
• Chevrolet Trax
• Chrysler Pacifica
• Dodge Caravan
• Ford Focus
• Honda CR-V
• Jeep Compass
• Kia Rio
• Mazda3
• Nissan Maxima
• Subaru Legacy
• Toyota Avalon
• Volkswagen Passat