Turns any vehicle into a snowmobile!
Written: Jul 02 '00 (Updated Jul 02 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Patented microscopic "suction-cup" design adheres to slippery surfaces
Cons: Patented tread can wear out under continued use
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| epinionated's Full Review: Bridgestone Blizzak Passenger/Performance Tire |
After having 3 different vehicles equipped with these tires during the winter months I can tell you that there is simply no better winter tire on the market. The first time I tried these was with my Volvo 240 Turbo sedan - a rear wheel drive car with decent power. They were great, but I found myself wishing I had gotten another pair for the front. It was hard to get anyone to even sell me just two - most everyone I talked to said "You have to have 4 snow tires". Trust me - get all four!
Well, the next car was an underpowered automatic Plymouth Sundance (front wheel drive). This time I got all 4 corners shod with the Blizzaks and what a difference! I was literally passing 4-wheel drive SUVs on the interstate in blizzard-like conditions. I was really impressed. In fact, I kept the tires on the whole year - not a good idea. At the time I was too cheap to get another set of tires and properly store the Blizzaks over the warmer months. In the end, they made good road tires as well, but after a while the patented microscopic suction-cup like material wore off the primary layer of tread. After this point, they're really no better than other snow tires with similar tread design - so make sure you change them when it gets warmer!
The third time is the charm, I guess. We now have a Taurus (see my review on that - we've been very pleased with it) with the original tires (after 60K miles). The reason is simple - we've been putting the set of Blizzaks on after the first flurry and keeping them on until after the frost warnings are over (about 5 months). So, with another season of winter driving behind us, both the summer set of tires and the Blizzaks are in great shape with plenty of tread.
Last year, I did some testing at night after the slush from a recent snow had turned to a sheet of ice. I took the Taurus out (equipped with anti-lock brakes - ABS) and accelerated from a standing start and then after I reached about 30 mph, slammed on the brakes - the combination of ABS and the Blizzaks made the car come to a complete stop with very predictable behavior. Slamming on the brakes in a car without the Blizzaks would have likely put me in the weeds. The car handled like a SnowCAT!
Now, I didn't find it necessary to get a whole other set of wheels for the Blizzaks - just the tires. That way instead of paying an extra $400 for winter wheels, I have only to pay the $40 each time I need to have the new set of tires mounted and balanced. It works out great for us, here in Virginia. While we don't have real extreme winter conditions here most of the time, we have seen 28" of snow on the ground before, but thanks in large part to the Blizzaks - we have never been stranded!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
epinionated
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: Salem, VA
Reviews written: 49
Trusted by: 85 members
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