Firestone has replaced its best-selling Destination LE3 tire with the new Destination LE4, an all-season highway touring tire for crossovers, SUVs, and light trucks. Owners enjoyed the LE3s for their quiet, comfortable ride and dependable grip. Moving up, the LE4 keeps those traits but focuses on two circumstances most drivers care about after installation: longevity and stopping power.
More tread, more miles
The LE4 starts with deeper tread than the LE3, and Firestone reshaped the ribs to resist uneven wear. It carries a 70,000-mile limited warranty (conditions apply, so read the terms at FirestoneTire.com/warranty before you buy). In outside testing on a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 sporting 265/70R17 rubber, Firestone projects the LE4 will wear 16% longer than the LE3, 9% longer than the General Grabber H/T and 43% longer than the BFGoodrich Advantage Control HT. Those figures come from one truck and one tire size. Your results will depend on alignment, rotation habits, and your driving habits.
Rain, snow, and stopping distance
Thinner 3D sipes, the small slits cut into the tread blocks, are meant to improve traction in rain and light snow. In Firestone’s own testing at 55 mph, the LE4 stopped 8 feet shorter than the Toyo Open Country H/T II on both wet (6.9%) and dry (7.7%) pavement. Against the BFGoodrich Advantage Control HT, it stopped 4 feet shorter on wet pavement and 2 feet shorter on dry pavement. Compared with the LE3, dry stopping improved 2.6%, about 2 feet. Firestone did not share a wet braking comparison against its predecessor. The company also says plainly that the LE4 is not a dedicated winter tire, so drivers facing serious winters should plan accordingly.
What changed inside
Developed at the Bridgestone Americas Technology Center in Akron, Ohio, two updates for this set of rubber are firsts for Firestone. The carcass now uses lightweight, high-strength body plies and steel cords, which Firestone says keeps the tire durable and its rolling resistance low, so fuel economy should not suffer despite the deeper tread. A new compound-mixing process spreads ingredients more evenly through the rubber, which is meant to improve tread wear, handling, and wet grip. Firestone adds that optimized material use reduces raw material consumption.
Sizes and fitment
The LE4 is available now in 65 sizes for 15-to-22” wheels, a range Firestone says surpasses many competing highway tires. That spread covers select small crossovers, SUVs, pickups, and larger trucks. Fitments include the Mazda CX-5, Ford F-150, RAM 1500, Chevrolet Trailblazer, and Nissan Armada to name a few.
Bottom line
For crossover, SUV, and pickup drivers who spend most of their miles on pavement, the LE4 looks like a sensible step up from a tire consumers already preferred. Most of the braking numbers come from Firestone’s own testing, so ask a dealer about your size, compare it against the other brands on your shortlist, and confirm the warranty terms before you commit.
