Fuzion touring Review
What is it?
The Fuzion Touring is an all season tire that falls into both the “Standard Touring” and “Grand Touring” segments (depending upon speed rating). Translation: the Fuzion Touring is designed for everyday use on a wide range of passenger vehicles, including coupes and sedans, as well as some crossovers and minivans. Fuzion is not a particularly well-known brand of tire, and their overall tire catalog quite limited. At first blush, and since there are cheap “knockoff” tire brands out there, one might be concerned about their business viability and product quality. However, Fuzion is a division of Bridgestone. They’re distinguished from Bridgestone (and Firestone) tires chiefly due to price. And price/value is what the Fuzion Touring is all about. We’ll tell you straightaway that if you prioritize tire performance over price, then the Fuzion Touring isn’t the tire for you. (See the embedded article links below for high performance alternatives.) But if going easy on the wallet right now is imperative, and you’re willing to settle in terms of performance and longevity (treadlife), then the Fuzion Touring is worth a look. Strengths and weaknesses? The all season tire category is littered with tires that don’t actually offer true four season performance. And generally speaking, the more budget-oriented the tire, the less likely it is to provide sufficient performance in real winter conditions. Data is mixed when it comes to Fuzion Touring winter performance, but some of the best test data indicates the Fuzion Touring’s winter capabilities are passable – particularly the more common and popular Grand Touring variant. In objective Tire Rack snow & ice testing the Fuzion Touring outperformed both the Kumho Solus TA71 and Sumitomo HTR Enhance L/X. And no shortage of users have offered reasonably positive feedback on the Fuzion Touring in wintry road conditions as well. Bottom line: The Fuzion Touring is no snow tire, and it certainly doesn’t match the leading (more expensive) all season category options either, but at the same time it doesn’t fall completely flat on its face on snowy roads. (Note that the “Grand Touring” H & V speed rated Fuzion Touring tires may fare quite a bit better in the winter than do the “Standard Touring” T speed rated tires.) So if it’s not necessarily winter performance that falls short of acceptable, in what performance areas does the budget-oriented Fuzion Touring disappoint? Road noise, for one. The Fuzion Touring is indisputably a noisy tire relative to the category competition. Objective testing establishes that fact, as does user experience. Whether the Fuzion Touring is “too loud” comes down to the individual and their tolerance for noticeable tread rumble. Hey, maybe you’ll consider the tread noise a constant reminder of your savings… Treadlife too is below average. If you’re hoping for 60,000, 70,000, or more miles on a set of tires, the Fuzion Touring probably won’t get you there. So if you’re concerned that your initial savings may be offset/cancelled out by a lack of tire longevity, well, we’d agree with your thinking. The Fuzion Touring is a tire that you buy to save now, but not necessarily over the long-term. The “Grand Touring” Fuzion Touring variant offers a below average 40,000 mile treadlife warranty; about two-thirds of the treadlife warranty standard in category. That’s for a reason, folks. In more common dry and wet road conditions, the Fuzion Touring is adequate. “Nothing to see here” applies. In everyday commute scenarios, the Fuzion Touring is unlikely to be noticed either positively or negatively in terms of traction and handling. |
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How does the Fuzion Touring compare?
On a performance basis, you won’t (shouldn’t) be surprised to learn that the Fuzion Touring is overall not up to par. It doesn’t offer nearly enough capability in any road condition or performance context to be truly competitive with best in category tires like the Michelin Premier A/S and Bridgestone DriveGuard. But then again, that’s not the point of the Fuzion Touring. It’s priority is price. So in terms of initial price/value, how’s it compare? The Fuzion Touring is indeed less expensive than just about any other credible tire in category. In size 205/65-15 the “Grand Touring” Fuzion Touring is: - $40 less per set than the General Tire AltiMAX RT43 (H or V speed rated) - $52 less per set than the Kumho Solus TA71 |
In size 205/65-15 the “Standard Touring” Fuzion Touring is:
- $44 less per set than the General Tire AltiMAX RT43 (T speed rated)
- $60 less per set than the Firestone Precision Touring
(TireBuyer.com prices.)
As tire size increases, so too does the price difference between the Fuzion Touring and the indicated competitors.
The indicated competitors represent the price tier that is just above the Fuzion Touring, and if your budget will permit you to get there, there are distinct advantages to doing so.
The General Tire AltiMAX RT43, for example, offers real wintertime performance, low road noise, and excellent treadlife.
The Kumho Solus TA71, while perhaps not a stellar wintertime performer, is a far better overall tire than the Fuzion Touring, and delivers superb comfort attributes.
Both of these options offer a 60,000+ mile treadlife warranty as compared to the Fuzion Touring’s 40,000 mile warranty.
In the “Standard Touring” speed rating, the Firestone Precision Touring may be $60 more than the Fuzion Touring, but it offers unquestionable next level performance across the board. In fact it’s one of the very best tires in the category, and a true performance bargain.
So yes, the Fuzion Touring offers an initial price advantage over just about everything. But enough of an advantage to forego performance, comfort, and treadlife that’s just a handful of shekels more? That’s ultimately for you to decide.
- $44 less per set than the General Tire AltiMAX RT43 (T speed rated)
- $60 less per set than the Firestone Precision Touring
(TireBuyer.com prices.)
As tire size increases, so too does the price difference between the Fuzion Touring and the indicated competitors.
The indicated competitors represent the price tier that is just above the Fuzion Touring, and if your budget will permit you to get there, there are distinct advantages to doing so.
The General Tire AltiMAX RT43, for example, offers real wintertime performance, low road noise, and excellent treadlife.
The Kumho Solus TA71, while perhaps not a stellar wintertime performer, is a far better overall tire than the Fuzion Touring, and delivers superb comfort attributes.
Both of these options offer a 60,000+ mile treadlife warranty as compared to the Fuzion Touring’s 40,000 mile warranty.
In the “Standard Touring” speed rating, the Firestone Precision Touring may be $60 more than the Fuzion Touring, but it offers unquestionable next level performance across the board. In fact it’s one of the very best tires in the category, and a true performance bargain.
So yes, the Fuzion Touring offers an initial price advantage over just about everything. But enough of an advantage to forego performance, comfort, and treadlife that’s just a handful of shekels more? That’s ultimately for you to decide.
Some use restrictions may apply.
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Fuzion Touring Warranty?
- Treadlife Warranty: 40,000 miles (“Grand Touring” H & V speed rated), 55,000 miles (“Standard Touring” T speed rated) Find full Fuzion Touring warranty details here. |
Anything else to know?
That about wraps it up. Though not particularly substantial, the Fuzion Touring does deliver an initial price advantage. There are, however, distinct disadvantages to the Fuzion Touring as compared not only to the best tires in the category, but those just a bit further up the price spectrum.
In the Fuzion Touring’s defense, user satisfaction is generally high. For example, the Fuzion Touring scores 4.5/5 based upon 900+ reviews on TireBuyer.com.
We’re convinced of the advantages of spending a bit more to reach next level of tire performance and quality.
…but then again, we’re self-admitted tire freaks. So to you, more normal person, we say save if you must, but keep your expectations fair. There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch when it comes to tires.
Before you buy...
Jump over to our Tire Deals section to take advantage of available tire coupons and rebates. Also, review our important Pre-Purchase Checklist for Tires to make sure you purchase a tire that fits your needs.
That about wraps it up. Though not particularly substantial, the Fuzion Touring does deliver an initial price advantage. There are, however, distinct disadvantages to the Fuzion Touring as compared not only to the best tires in the category, but those just a bit further up the price spectrum.
In the Fuzion Touring’s defense, user satisfaction is generally high. For example, the Fuzion Touring scores 4.5/5 based upon 900+ reviews on TireBuyer.com.
We’re convinced of the advantages of spending a bit more to reach next level of tire performance and quality.
…but then again, we’re self-admitted tire freaks. So to you, more normal person, we say save if you must, but keep your expectations fair. There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch when it comes to tires.
Before you buy...
Jump over to our Tire Deals section to take advantage of available tire coupons and rebates. Also, review our important Pre-Purchase Checklist for Tires to make sure you purchase a tire that fits your needs.
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