Historic Roots Continue to Grow

Firestone’s manufacturing facility in Des Moines, Iowa, celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2020. The plant employs around 1,300 people, some of whom are among the fourth or fifth generation of their families to work in the plant, according to a Bridgestone press release. The company plans to expand production at the Des Moines plant in the near future by transferring production of the Bridgestone tire line into the facility. Bridgestone-branded farm tires first became available for sale in the United States in August 2024. Joining Bridgestone and Firestone under the corporate umbrella is Regency—a low cost bias tire line. 

Read More: A Look at Bridgestone Tractor Tires

Pulling Ahead with the 23 Degree Tread

In this article, we’re going to stick to covering Firestone’s tractor tires. It’s impossible to talk about Firestone without covering its 23° tread, which the company developed in 1950 after extensive testing. This tread angle design excels at traction in moderate to dry soil conditions. Add steep hillsides or extreme mud, and the 45° tread design (found on Michelin tires among others) will perform better. The 23° tread cleans out poorly in muddy conditions and the tread angle can lead to side slippage on hillsides. Plus, 23° tread tires have a poor reputation for road travel due to quick, uneven wear from traveling long distances from field to field. (Road wear may have improved a bit with some updates to rubber compounds over the years.) This is one reason that Firestone launched the Maxi Traction line.

You may also like: 23° vs. 45° Lug Angle: A Guide for Choosing the Right Tread Design

Firestone’s 23° tractor tires have rolled across countless thousands of acres for 70-plus years. Their thick casing has proven especially durable and offers excellent stability for both heavy applications, such as combining, and utility jobs such as ditch mowing. 

Firestone Farm Tires: Positioned as Premium

Bridgestone markets its Firestone- and Bridgestone-branded tires as premium products. One of Firestone’s signature technologies is AD2, the company’s proprietary name for its IF/VF tire technology. These tires can carry the same load as standard radials at significantly lower pressures—20% lower for IF, and 40% lower for VF—helping to reduce soil compaction and improve machine performance. Firestone emphasizes that it extensively tests its tires at low pressures under load to ensure real-world durability.

Learn More: Roll Your Way to Bigger Yields with IF/VF Tires

Although Firestone doesn’t disclose every technical detail, the company uses high-end materials—premium rubber compounds, steel belts, and heat-mitigating designs—to help its tires last longer under harsh field and road conditions.

Shopping Firestone: Segment First, Then Size

When shopping for Firestone tractor tires, it’s important to remember that the company’s product portfolio is segment based. In Firestone’s product line, you’ll find the AD2 tire models mixed in with standard radials under one product name. For example, you can buy a 800/70R38 Maxi Traction in standard, IF, and VF radial versions. In comparison, some manufacturers separate their product lines by tire technology;  one tire model will be exclusively VF-rated, for example. 

If you want to shop the easiest way, you can always give us a call and talk with one of our tire experts. We’ll be able to find the best option for your needs before you can say “23-degree tread bar.” 

Rear Tractor Tires

Firestone Maxi Traction: Built for Big Tractors

The Maxi Traction is the leader of the pack when it comes to Firestone tractor tires; it’s the brand’s solution for today’s high-horsepower tractors. It sports an R-1W 45-degree bar with a dual-angle lug design. The consistent bar width and the bar overlap in the center of the tread is intended to improve the tire life and resist irregular wear. According to Firestone, the uniform bar width also helps distribute the machine’s load evenly across the tire’s footprint. The Maxi Traction line includes standard, IF, and VF rated radials. In VF form, we love these tires on combines as well as their intended fitment on high-horse tractors.

Radial Deep Tread 23 Degree: Top End Lugging Power

The Radial Deep Tread 23 Degree is one of Firestone’s top-end tires and sports an R-1W tread depth. For the Radial Deep Tread 23 Degree in particular, Firestone also designed an extra-wide tread, maximizing the width of the footprint and bars on the ground when compared to the overall section width of the tire. Keep in mind that you’ll find standard, IF, and VF sizes in the Radial Deep Tread 23 degree line. You’ll often find this tire as an OE fitment on John Deere row-crop tractors, with Maxi Tractions on the front axle to optimize steering performance and withstand the extra revolutions of the front axle.

Radial All Traction 23 Degree Basic Tractor Tires

The Radial All traction 23 Degree features the same basic tread design that is found on the Deep Tread 23 Degree, with a couple of differences. One, this tire is a R-1 tread depth. Two, there is also one more pair of tread bars on this tire.

Performer Evo: An Entry-Level Tractor Tire

The Performer Evo is an entry-level tractor tire designed to compete with the plethora of foreign value tires in the ag market. It does have an R-1W tread depth like the Maxi Traction and features a 45-degree tread bar. However, the Performer Evo is also available in a 23-degree version, but only in a couple of rear tractor tire sizes.

The Evo isn’t suitable for your larger tractors that are going to drive your farm’s productivity—your planting tractor or the tractor you’re using for heavy tillage. But if you’re looking for an American-made budget radial for a secondary or chore tractor, the Performer Evo may fit the bill. It’s really tough to put this tire near the front of the pack, however, because there is a lot of competition in the Evo’s price range. Not to mention, we can piece together a decent set of used tires for less money if price is a farmer’s primary concern and we’re dealing with a low-hour-per-year tractor that doesn’t need to do heavy pulling.

Front Tractor Tires

Firestone Radial All Traction FWD

Firestone designed the Radial All Traction FWD for mounting on the front axle of mechanical front wheel drive tractors. It has a lower void ratio, or more bars, when compared with the Radial All Traction 23 Degree, so there’s more rubber built into the tire. The idea is to try to have the fronts and rears wear out at the same time. You have more revolutions on the front axle and more wear from pulling while turning, and the Radial All Traction FWD is designed to compensate for this. In 2023, Firestone updated the FWD by incorporating new materials into the tire and increasing the load ratings of the tire to adapt to today’s larger and heavier tractors.

Regency Ag 4-Rib Front Plus

We’re breaking the rules a bit here, but stay with us. Once upon a hay field, this tire was a Firestone model—the Champion Guide Grip 4-Rib Stubble Stomper. However, Firestone’s slowly been cutting down its product line, so the ol’ Stubble Stomper has found a new home in the Regency tire line. It’s still a dependable bias front tractor tire, with tough rubber compounds designed to offer long-lasting multi-season performance. The four-rib design helps you maintain a straight track in the field with less sideslipping and easier turning. The extra rib also helps these fronts wear more evenly, which ultimately stretches your front tractor tire dollar further. 

R-1 vs. R-1W Tractor Tires

What is R-1W and what does it mean for your operation? Tires with a standard tread depth are marked R-1. R-1W tires are required to have at least a 20 percent taller bar height.

Will investing in an R-1W tire pay off for your operation? It depends. In dry soil conditions, you may not see any additional benefit over an R-1 tire. However, if you travel a lot of road miles between your fields and farm, the R-1W depth will help your tractor tires last longer and avoid irregular wear. R-1W tires will also help maintain traction in wet or borderline wet field conditions thanks to their deeper lug. 

Firestone Farm Tires Warranty Support

What happens if you have an issue with a Firestone tire? For radials, except the Performer Evo, the brand offers a 9-year warranty. The first two years are full coverage if the tire is worn less than 25 percent, and the rest of the warranty offers pro-rated coverage. The Performer Evo has a 6-year prorated warranty, with full coverage offered during the first year of service, provided the tire isn’t worn more than 10 percent. The same goes for Firestone’s bias tires. 

Which Firestone tractor tire is best for my machine, operation, and budget?

We have a long, successful history with Firestone tractor tires at NTS Tire Supply. That said, the reality is that the marketplace is crowded with excellent tire options, many of which are less expensive than tier 1 brands such as Firestone. However, Firestones are still sought-after tires that offer excellent performance—plus they’re 100% American made, which is an important consideration for some of our customers. Our farm tire experts are always available to help you choose the best tire for your utility tractor or high-horse workhorse. We’ll answer your questions, review your needs, and find the tractor tire that best fits your budget. We don’t work for one particular tire brand; we’re here to Drive Your Farm Forward.