I went to the Bridgestone Winter Driving School earlier this year, and experienced the difference between quality winter tires, three peak mountain snowflake-rated (3PMS) all-seasons, and regular all-season tires on snow and ice. As a native Angeleno, I had minimal prior experience with snow driving, so the learning curve was steep, but the differences were clear. Good winter tires make a world of difference in acceleration, braking, and cornering on both snow and even straight-up ice. I’ve yet to test any Prinx winter tires, and maybe that’s a good thing as the Thai tire company issued a recall for more than 541,000 winter tires because they lack enough snow traction to meet North American standards. See the recall here.
The recall covers over 100 sizes of Fortune Tormenta and Prinx Hicountry tires with 3PMS symbols on the sidewalls, manufactured between August 24, 2020 and December 7, 2024. Prinx lists 23 sizes of its HiCountry M/T HM1 tire and 44 sizes of its HiCountry R/T HR1 tires in the recall. Affected Fortune brand tires include 24 sizes of its Tormenta M/T FSR310 line, and 45 sizes of its Tormenta R/T FSR309 line. Most of these tires are aggressive-looking SUV and light truck tires aimed at off-roading. Prinx Chengshan is still working out how to remedy the recall, though recall letters will be mailed to owners on February 1, so it’s likely that there will be snowfall prior to owner notification.
Fortune and Prinx Tires are both subsidiaries of Prinx Chengshan Tire North America Inc., and first entered the North American market back in September of 2020 as a value-tier tire manufacturer. It sold over 6 million passenger and light truck tires between that date and December of 2023. The company told NHTSA that the tires passed European tests, but likely would not meet North American traction standards. Check out the NHTSA website to see if your tires are included in the recall, or call the company at (310) 205-8355 ext. 109.
