Firestone Transforce HT3 vs Nexen Roadian CT8 HL tires

Firestone is an iconic American tire manufacturer that is now a part of the world’s second-largest tire manufacturer, Bridgestone. Founded in 1900 in Akron, Ohio, Firestone has earned many titles at prestigious motorsport championships like Formula One and the Indianapolis 500. It offers tires for use on passenger cars, CUVs, SUVs, light trucks, commercial vehicles, farm equipment, and OTRs, and its portfolio includes all-season, all-weather, winter, all-terrain, rugged-terrain, mud-terrain, UHP summer, UHP all-season, and performance tires.

Nexen, on the other hand, is another reliable tire manufacturer offering tires in the United States since 2005, and has expertise in making quality tires for over 80 years. With its brand name a combination of two words, “Next” and “Century”, Nexen incorporates advanced technologies and global innovations to make tires for use on passenger cars, light trucks, CUVs, SUVs, and EVs. The diversified portfolio of the brand includes all-season, all-terrain, winter, UHP summer, all-weather, UHP all-season, touring, mud-terrain, and performance.

Whether you want tires that can haul equipment to your worksite or transport your boat to lakeside, both Firestone and Nexen offer two dependable tires on the market, the Transforce HT3 and the Roadian CT8 HL. Both tires are all-season highway tires and suitable for hauling heavy loads as well as daily driving. They both are engineered to offer reliable traction in dry, wet, and light winter weather and focus on longevity, durability, and stability for demanding use. The Transforce HT3 and the Roadian CT8 HL are made for use on light trucks.

In this Transforce HT3 vs Roadian CT8 HL tires comparison, we will find out which tire is better overall, and in areas like traction, handling, and longevity, using our proprietary tire rating system SimpleScore. Additionally, we will also discuss the price and other key details of these tires to give you a detailed analysis.

Firestone Transforce HT3 tires

Launched in October 2024, the Firestone Transforce HT3 nicely defines the character of a dependable all-season tire made for trucks that need longevity, durability, stability, and solid year-round traction to accomplish demanding jobs and cruise with confidence during daily driving. While it doesn’t get any tread life warranty, its features and technologies ensure a reliable and long-lasting service.

Overall, the Transforce HT3 earns a solid 8.3 SimpleScore, thanks to its crisp handling, superior traction, and long-lasting tread life.

Get Firestone Transforce HT3 tires at the best deals for your vehicle here

Nexen Roadian CT8 HL tires

The Nexen Roadian CT8 HT is very similar to its peer, boasting the ability to serve year-round like a true all-season tire and nicely balances rides on the highways, ensuring confident hauling and driving throughout the service life. No tread life warranties on offer with this tire, but the service life is very promising. Nexen has built and designed this tire to provide an optimal balance of rigidity, durability, handling, and traction. The maneuverability is crisp, and likewise the wear resistance, making the Roadian CT8 HL a competitive choice on the market.

Overall, the Roadian CT8 HL scores an 8.2 SimpleScore rating because of its sharper handling, dependable traction, and extended tread life.

Get Nexen Roadian CT8 HL tires at the best deals for your vehicle here

Firestone Transforce HT3 vs Nexen Roadian CT8 HL tires on traction

Let’s first analyze the traction performances of both tires and find out which one leads when it comes to surface-biting and offering improved rolling. Here are the details:

The Transforce HT3 is rated an 8.3 SimpleScore in traction, ensuring great traction year-round, in dry, wet, and light winter weather. The tire’s tread design is optimized for improved water channelling to provide increased grip in wet conditions, while its optimized rubber compound provides strong all-season grip. There are zigzag sipes for outstanding grip on snow, and the sharper tread block edges further improve the ability to bite the surface better for improved traction.

Contrarily, the Roadian CT8 HL scores an 8.1 SimpleScore in traction, offering strong traction year-round in rain, shine, and light snow. The presence of three wide circumferential grooves improves water evacuation from the footprint for hydroplaning resistance and strong grip. There are sipes in abundance for increased surface grip, and the flat contact allows a larger area to come in contact with the road for better traction performance.

No doubt, the Nexen tire is great on the traction front; it is the Transforce HT3 that leads with an overall better rating.

ADVANTAGE: Firestone Transforce HT3

Firestone Transforce HT3 vs Nexen Roadian CT8 HL tires on handling

Now, let’s analyze both tires on the handling front and find out which one is better at offering stable, in-control rides and providing enhanced braking, cornering, and lane-changing abilities. To give you a precap, we noticed a marginal difference in scores, which made the selection more competitive.

The Transforce HT3 scores an 8.6 SimpleScore in handling, offering crisp steering and better controllability year-round. Its footprint is flat enough to offer great stability, and the ribs at the center optimize steering response and lane-changing. The solid shoulder blocks of the Transfore HT3 provide confident cornering by absorbing the driving pressures, while the continuous zigzag sipes across the tread improve braking performance.

On the other hand, the Roadian CT8 HL is also great in handling and earns a competitive 8.5 SimpleScore. The wide and flat contact patch allows balanced performance while cornering and changing lanes, whereas the square shoulder blocks additionally improve stability on the highways or even when the loads are high during hauling. Thanks to the tire’s siping technology, the braking performance is very impressive, and the unique block arrangement provides extra confidence in mild winter conditions.

In handling, while both tires are great, it is the Firestone tire that again takes the lead because of a slightly higher SimpleScore.

ADVANTAGE: Firestone Transforce HT3

Firestone Transforce HT3 vs Nexen Roadian CT8 HL tires on longevity

Longevity analysis will help you decide which tire has better control on wearing and lasts longer. So, let’s do it!

The Transforce HT3 is rated an 8.0 SimpleScore and optimally controls the wear rate. For a reliable and long-lasting service, it has a wear-resistant rubber compound and a strong inner casing. Its contact patch is flat and good enough to prevent irregular wear even when the load is high. Likewise, its inner casing is also strong enough to keep the tire in shape for lasting use.

On the contrary, the Roadian CT8 HL surprises with a marginally higher 8.1 SimpleScore rating in longevity, assuring a slightly better resistance to wear. When both tires are compared, we found the Roadian CT8 HL to have a better flat contact patch, which yields a long-lasting service. Additionally, the inner construction and toughness of the rubber compound of the Roadian CT8 HL are exemplary.

In longevity, the Roadian CT8 HL beats the Transforce HT3 and concludes the analysis with 2-1.

ADVANTAGE: Nexen Roadian CT8 HL

When to use each

Both the Transforce HT3 and the Roadian CT8 HL are all-season tires suitable for use on commercial and daily light trucks. They both are good for use when you are more focused on hauling services or driving on highways. They offer all-season service, which means in dry, wet, and light winter conditions, they offer commanding control, traction, and grip. However, none of these tires is Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified; therefore, don’t consider them for use in extreme winter weather, in temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Let’s also talk about the rim choices of these tires. While the Transforce HT3 is available in 16- to 20-inch rim sizes, the Roadian CT8 HL is offered in 15- to 18-inch rim options.

Which one should you choose?

Looking at the overall SimpleScore, the Transforce HT3 is better than the Roadian CT8 HL (8.3 vs 8.2). However, it is to be noted that both tires have their own capabilities and strengths, so your selection of tires should be based on your driving preferences, needs, and budget.

When it comes to pricing, the Transforce HT3 is available at an initial price of at least $156 per tire, while the Roadian CT8 HL is offered at a starting price of at least $160 per tire. This means that a set of four Transforce tires will cost you at least $624, while a set of four Roadian tires will cost you at least $640.

Based on SimpleScore, you should consider the Transforce HT3 if you:

• Drive a vehicle like the Toyota 4Runner or Chevrolet Silverado 3500.
• Want a tire that’s better in traction (8.3 vs 8.1).
• Want a tire that’s better in handling (8.6 vs 8.5).
• Need an overall better and more affordable tire in the rim size range of 16- to 20-inch.

On the other hand, you should choose the Roadian CT8 HL if you:

• Drive a vehicle like the RAM 2500 or the Ford F-350.
• Need a tire that’s better in longevity (8.1 vs 8.0).
• Are comfortable paying slightly more to buy a tire in the rim size range of 15- to 18-inch.

Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.