N. Va got a couple of inches yesterday and I made it home fine from work. Today, the
205 60R/15's on steelies from Tire Rack went on. The ride is maybe a tad taller than the stock Bridgestones, but it might also be my imagination.

The Blizzaks definitely ride softer than the stock tires; cornering feels about the same to me. We're supposed to get more precip on Sat/Sun (wintery mix ), so I'll post some thoughts on them later....

~G

 

lets hear how it does during the weekend...(during the storm)

 

for real.

 

Three inches so far Saturday, not really enough to test the Blizzacks. tC tracks without any hint of slipping, it goes through 3 inches of unplowed snow very easily. If we get any more later Sat or Sun, I'll give further input.

I drove the snow tires on dry pavement on Friday; up to 60 mph, they are smooth, at 75 mph there is a noticable "pulse" in the steering wheel. I don't know if this is normal for snow tires or a problem with balancing. Does anyone have a thought on this?

~G

 

Blizzaks Rock =P BUt i live in florida haha!

 

I just bought a used set off of ebay in 17" & I'll give you guys a report next week.

 

Sweet. Been looking into snow tires after my accident last wednesday on the Dulles toll road. Any additional reviews will be appreciated.

TorqueMonster, if bought locally, where did you buy the tires and how much were they?

Also, never messed with snow tires before. Especially in the NoVa area where we don't really get much snowfall, if I put on snow tires, can I keep em on all winter or do i remove it when its not snowing?

 

tcHoya,
I ordered four Blizzacks on steel wheels from Tire Rack. They were $501 shipped by UPS. I got em within a couple of days of phoning them.

It's probably better to put them on when it's calling for bad weather and running the stock ones at other times, but I'll probably leave them on for awhile.

They feel fine on dry pavement up to about 65-70 mph...

~G

 

i don't have to deal with this kind of stuff, so what exactly are blizzaks?

 

I didn't know what these were until i saw this post too. I looked these up on tire rack, and they are made by bridgestone, and from what people are saying, they are the best tires for driving in snow.

 

I have installed (4) Cooper WeatherMaster ST2 snow tires - stock size.
Blizzaks are great tires, but expensive in $$ and expensive to operate. . . the soft tread that is good in the snow is only 1/2 of the tread, underneath is a harder compound. If you do any type of mileage you will go through the soft compound and a set in 1 year.
Cooper is one of the few companies that sell a true snow tire in the stock XB size. I paid a little over $300.00 for a set of 4 including tax, mounted and balanced. They are great in the snow and wear is excellent. They are a slightly noiser than the stock tires, but I would say quieter than my last set of Blizzaks. Hope this info helps. .

 

I have some Blizzaks on my Focus, they work awesome. I drove through 10" of snow over the weekend and had no problems at all. I'm going to get some for the xB before next winter.

 

Drove through the brunt of the storm on saturday on virtually unplowed highways (Thank you Penndot for being so diligent in making I-76 so clear::sarcasm: Overall i can stay that the tC is not nearly as bad in the snow as everyone claims. I was able to keep in well under control through my 2 hour trek from downtown philly to my home in the burbs (usually takes about 30 minutes) Snow tires could have helped but the tC surely isn't undrivable in the weather, no more then any other car on the road.

 

Went to NTB today and had the Blizzacks balanced. Previous to the balancing, the steering wheel was shakey at a little over 60mph.

I didn't know if this was inherent to snow tires or if they weren't balanced properly. All four tires were out of balance although each tire had weights on them when they arrived. Took it up to eighty on the way home and it drove straight and smooth....

I hear the comment above about running snow tires on asphalt in between snowfalls. It will suck big time if I only get one winter out of these tires!

Be careful when ordering tires over the web; I guess there really isn't a whole lot you can do if they aren't balanced when you get them...NTB did it at no charge, btw...

~G

 

Sorry to hear about your balance problem, it's unusual, but it can happen! If you ever have an issue like this again, please contact our "Customer Service" department at custsvc@tirerack.com or 1-800-428-8355, Ext. 360 and tell them your story, they would have been able to solve the problem!

 

The Blizzak WS-50!
It almost seemed that All-Season tires were going to become the answer for winter driving in America. Their promise of instant adaptability from one season to another combined with the popularity of vehicles equipped with easier to drive front-wheel, or four-wheel drive systems helped make the All-Season tire's traction level acceptable in light snow conditions. Then Bridgestone introduced a new type of winter tire, which in addition to its exceptional snow traction could even come close to equaling the ice traction of studded tires...without the studs. And by establishing a higher benchmark for dedicated winter tires, the Blizzak's exceptional snow and ice traction revealed the inherent compromises of All-Season tires. Today, the Blizzak WS-50 represents the second generation of Bridgestone's WinterBiter tires. So if you want to maximize all of your vehicle's winter capabilities, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 will help provide the snow and ice traction you need.

The Blizzak WS-50 in 80-, 75-, 70-, 65 and 60-series features a symmetric tread design while its lower profile and typically wider 55-, 50- and 45-seried sized tires feature a directional tread design. Both of these tread designs use flow-through grooves to help maintain good traction on wet and slush-covered roads while their zig-zag sipes and independent tread blocks provide the edges to help bite through snow. The Blizzak WS-50 also features Bridgestone's Tube Multicell Compound, which helps disperse water to reduce the risk of slipping on the thin surface film of water that makes ice so dangerous.

NOTE: The first 55% of the Blizzak WS-50 tread depth features the Tube Multicell Compound while the remaining 45% features a standard winter tire compound.

The Blizzak WS-50 meets the industry's severe snow service requirements and is branded with the snowflake-on-the-mountain symbol. It features blackwall styling and is available in 80-, 75-, 70-, 65, 60-, 55-, 50- and 45-series, Q-speed rated sizes for 13" to 17" wheel diameters.

Bridgestone's Ultimate Network of Intelligent Tire Technology (UNI-T) brings advanced tire technologies together, taking tire performance to a new level. This combination of innovative tire design, roundness and tread compound maximize the tire's performance, ride quality and wear.

Due to the revolutionary traction capabilities of the Blizzak, Bridgestone recommends using Blizzaks only in sets of four to provide the best handling characteristics and tire performance, so you will always want to install Blizzak WS-50 tires in sets of four.

For more information, please visit our site at:

http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=DJ1&...nter/index.jsp

 

I've got Hankook Ice Bears on my fiancee's tC...night and day from stock in snow. Drove Saturday here in Milwaukee with 10+"s on snow, almost like having dry roads. If the temperature stays below 40-45 degrees, you should be able to leave them on all winter. After that, you can wear snow tires more rapidly.

 

RogerTTR, thanks for the follow up here. Aside from the balancing problem, I was impressed with the attitude and knowlege of the fellow I ordered from at Tire Rack.

I wasn't sure what was causing the steering wheel shake, so it made sense to check it out locally.

I didn't call Tire Rack to discuss my concern, so you all are the hook as far as I'm concerned. It wouldn't stop me from dealing with Tire Rack in the future...

~G

 

Anyone have Continental Conti Extremes? They appear to be a great all-season tire. Blow away the stock Potenza's. I wonder how they are in snow.

 

I had my Blizzaks mounted on the stock rims about a month ago, shortly before the snowstorms hit.

Comparing them to the stockers, they are defintely softer yet grip quite well. Even on dry pavement, they grip better than the stock tires!!

On any type of snow, traction is superb and completely predictable. I can FORCE the tires to lose traction, but I know exactly when they'll break loose.

With icy conditions, stopping power is wonderful but taking off there was some slippage here and there.

I bought mine from Vance @ Tire Rack. After discovering that the *exact* stock replacement tires were sold out for the season, he recommended a different size- which he swore would fit . Of course, they did.

Blizzaks pwn teh snow!!