Best tires for the Ford Tempo
Top picks across four categories for the Ford Tempo, anchored to the current-generation OEM size 185/70R14. Every recommendation is selected from our 22,000-tire catalog by ranking on UTQG treadwear, mileage warranty, cabin-noise rating, and season class; no commission-weighted reordering.
Daily driver
Best all-season touring
Long warranty, low noise, balanced ride. The one-tire compromise that works for 80% of owners.
Goodyear
Assurance all season 185/70R14
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Falken
Sincera SN201 A/S 185/70R14
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Falken
Sincera SN250 A/S
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
General
AltiMAX RT45
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Lowest cost per mile
Best budget
Best price-per-warranty-mile in this size. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not safety.
Falken
Sincera SN250 A/S
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Toyo
Extensa A/S II
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Nexen
N priz AH5
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Ironman
GR906
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Side-by-side
Pick the trade-off that matches your driving
| All-season Goodyear Assurance All Season 185/70R14 | Best budget Falken Sincera SN250 A/S |
|
|---|---|---|
| UTQG treadwear | - | 720 |
| Mileage warranty | - | - |
| Cabin noise | - | - |
| Season class | - | - |
| Type | - | - |
OEM tire sizes by year
What size does the ford tempo use?
Recommendations on this page are anchored to the latest model-year's OEM size. Confirm yours against the driver-door placard before purchase.
| Year | OEM size | |
|---|---|---|
| 1984–1985 | 175/80R13 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 1986–1994 | 185/70R14 | Year-specific fitment → |
How we ranked these tires for the ford tempo
We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size; 185/70R14; and filtered our catalog of 22,000+ tires to those offered in that exact size. From there, four parallel rankings:
- Best all-season ranks on a weighted score: tire type matches passenger car segment, season is "all-season", premium brand bonus (Michelin / Continental / Bridgestone / Pirelli / Goodyear / Nokian).
- Best budget ranks on cost-per-warranty-mile; the lower the better. Premium brands get no bonus here.
- Best quiet ranks on the EU tire-label dB rating; lower is quieter.
- Best winter filters to tires marked 3PMSF severe-snow rated or all-weather class, with a small premium-brand bonus because winter-compound R&D is capital-intensive.
For sedans and compacts, the all-season touring tire below is the best default; long warranty, low cabin noise, reasonable cost per mile. Switch to the quiet pick if highway droning is a deal-breaker; switch to the winter pick if you see significant snow each year. Use the side-by-side comparison above to weigh the trade-offs against your specific driving; highway-heavy, winter-state, performance-oriented, or budget-constrained.
NHTSA-reported issues for ford tempo
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (13) · Tread / Belt (11) · Valve (1) · Sidewall (1)
Reported across: 1985 – 1997 (7 years)
What owners described
Sidewall failure appears in 25% of these reports; about 1.7× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 8 reports covering every model year of the Ford Tempo that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidewall failure | 25% | 15% | 1.7× |
| Tread or belt separation | 13% | 13% | 0.9× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 13% | 20% | 0.6× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 13% | 6% | 2.1× |
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Ford Tempo. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
IN JULY OF 2000 THE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT ON THE DRIVER SIDE BECAME STUCK ON THE TRACK AND WOULD NOT MOVE AND THUS THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY COME BACK AND COVER THE SHOULDER. IT JUST MAKES A LOT OF NOISE WHEN THE CAR DOOR IS OPENED AND CLOSED. THE ONE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOES AUTOMATICALLY COME ACROSS THE SHOULDER WHEN THE DOOR SHUTS BUT DOES MAKE THE SAME NOISE AS THE ONE ON THE DRIVER THAT DOES NOT MOVE ON THE TRACK. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THE SERVICE PEOPLE SAID THAT MY FIVE YEAR/75000 EXPIRED IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED.
IN JULY OF 2000 THE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT ON THE DRIVER SIDE BECAME STUCK ON THE TRACK AND WOULD NOT MOVE AND THUS THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY COME BACK AND COVER THE SHOULDER. IT JUST MAKES A LOT OF NOISE WHEN THE CAR DOOR IS OPENED AND CLOSED. THE ONE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOES AUTOMATICALLY COME ACROSS THE SHOULDER WHEN THE DOOR SHUTS BUT DOES MAKE THE SAME NOISE AS THE ONE ON THE DRIVER THAT DOES NOT MOVE ON THE TRACK. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THE SERVICE PEOPLE SAID THAT MY FIVE YEAR/75000 EXPIRED IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED.
IN JULY OF 2000 THE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT ON THE DRIVER SIDE BECAME STUCK ON THE TRACK AND WOULD NOT MOVE AND THUS THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY COME BACK AND COVER THE SHOULDER. IT JUST MAKES A LOT OF NOISE WHEN THE CAR DOOR IS OPENED AND CLOSED. THE ONE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOES AUTOMATICALLY COME ACROSS THE SHOULDER WHEN THE DOOR SHUTS BUT DOES MAKE THE SAME NOISE AS THE ONE ON THE DRIVER THAT DOES NOT MOVE ON THE TRACK. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THE SERVICE PEOPLE SAID THAT MY FIVE YEAR/75000 EXPIRED IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED.
IN JULY OF 2000 THE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT ON THE DRIVER SIDE BECAME STUCK ON THE TRACK AND WOULD NOT MOVE AND THUS THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY COME BACK AND COVER THE SHOULDER. IT JUST MAKES A LOT OF NOISE WHEN THE CAR DOOR IS OPENED AND CLOSED. THE ONE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOES AUTOMATICALLY COME ACROSS THE SHOULDER WHEN THE DOOR SHUTS BUT DOES MAKE THE SAME NOISE AS THE ONE ON THE DRIVER THAT DOES NOT MOVE ON THE TRACK. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THE SERVICE PEOPLE SAID THAT MY FIVE YEAR/75000 EXPIRED IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED.
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Ford Tempo →
FAQ
What's the best all-season tire for the Ford Tempo?
Should I get a cheaper tire for my Ford Tempo?
Does the Ford Tempo need winter tires?
Can I run a different tire size on my Ford Tempo?
Where can I buy these tires?
Last verified 2026-09-02.