The exhilaration of cruising past stuck 4x4s in my rear wheel drive car
Written: Nov 26 '02
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Pros: Best in class for snow and ice traction
Cons: Rapid tread wear, substandard cornering stability and steeing response
The Bottom Line: This is simply the best snow and ice available. The multicell tire compound enables this tire to go head to head with any studded tire out there.
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| darkhaven's Full Review: Bridgestone Blizzak Passenger/Performance Tire |
Before I start this review, I want to mention that I drive extensively in the northeastern snowbelt, so I'm quite accustomed to driving through high snow, ice and slush. On top of that, I own a Chevrolet Camaro Z28, probably the worst car ever made for driving in the snow. I usually try not to listen to reason, so I'm driving it anyway. Here’s what I’ve found over the past 3 years of these tires:
The magic of this tire lies in the technology. Bridgestone's tube multicell tread compound is what gives this tire its velcro-like grip. The different tread material creates tiny microscopic pores that act as suction cups on the road. By dispersing the thin film of water on top of ice, this tread compound helps traction tremendously. The first 55% of this tire's tread is the multicell compound. The last 45% is a standard winter tire compound (not nearly as effective). They do this because the harder rubber underneath provides a cushion for the multicell compound and absorbs heat, which translates into longer tread life for the special compound. The jagged tread alignment and high sipe content (small grooves cut into the tire treads) give this tire a very large area in contact with the road. The tread pattern itself bites deeply into snow and doesn't clog. The same properties that give this tire its incredible winter traction also give it a very rapid tread wear. Don't expect to get more then 3 winters out of these tires (at best). This is a necessary tradeoff for the incredible performance of these tires. These tires just melt away (not actually melt, but tread wear goes through the roof) on dry pavement, so NEVER drive these except in the winter. You absolutely have to have another set of tires to use during the other months.
The snow and ice traction of this tire is the best on the market. In the years I’ve had these Blizzaks, they’ve taken me through tremendously deep, unplowed snow and sheets of ice. I have actually driven by large 4x4 SUVs that were stuck in the snow and I wasn’t having problems! The wet traction is pretty good, but not great. You may find yourself sliding on wet roads if you corner aggressively. Thy dry traction is about what you would expect for a knobby winter tire, acceptable but not stellar. The soft rubber and sidewall construction create poor cornering stability and steering response. Emergency maneuvers and quick lane changes are not good with this tire. The Blizzak also wallows on the highway. The sound levels are much improved over the previous model, the WS-15. These tires still make noise on the highway, but it is acceptable.
I realize I am only one person and one opinion, so I am including an address to the tirerack customer review site for this tire. With over 2 million customer miles of review, they speak much louder then I ever could. The customers from tirerack agree with my opinion. If you would like to check out what they thought, check this out:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Blizzak WS-50&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=255R6BZWS50
In summation, I highly recommend this tire, its performance in snow and ice is unmatched. The special multicell compound enables this tire to go head to head with any studded snow tire on the market. Tread wear is high, noise levels are fairly high, and steering response and cornering stability are poor. Those are the tradeoffs of getting a specialized winter tire. These are not autobahn winter tires, if you want high performance winter tires (trade traction for high speed action), go for the Blizzak LM series. For harsh winters, you can’t go wrong with these tires.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 110 ea.
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Epinions.com ID:
darkhaven
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Location: Baltimore, MD
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Medical student, aspiring audiophile, computer nerd, racquetball fanatic, and loving every minute of it.
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