Blizzak WS 70 snow / ice : Any users of these ?
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Originally Posted By: webfors
bought them for the corolla. We've had ice and snow for the past two days and the tires are excellent.
That's good to know
. They were tested against the Michelin X-ICE Xi2 and outperformed those , which are more expensive . C.R. rated the X-Ice better . We'd prefer the WS70s . Don't always agree with C.R. findings . Thanks .
bought them for the corolla. We've had ice and snow for the past two days and the tires are excellent.
That's good to know
I have a second set of rims (all 4 wheels) for both our cars 1985 Olds 88 Rear Wheel Drive without Posi, and 2001 Chevy Impala (of course front wheel drive).
In the past I kept Blizzak WS 60 on the Impala rims, and Blizzak Duellers on the 88. Great tires. Several times I went around other vehicles that were not able to move, or in some cases when vehicles were sliding into gard-rails because of the slight slope of road towards the center, or vehicles hitting curbes and breaking seal on tires or busting rims.
Without posi (open rear) the Olds with Blizzaks goes around front wheel drive vehicles that are spinning there tires, and my tires do not even spin once. These tires are great.
I have a new set of WS 70 Blizzaks mounted on the rims for the Imalal. I have not put them on yet. Right now I have the old set of Blizzaks on the Impala because they were worn down enought to use as summer tires, and the summer tires were worn out. Put the new Blizzzaks on the rims the summer tires were on.
The new Blizzaks will be on the Impala sometime in the next week or two. Probably next week. I know they are designed to have more traction than the old WS60, and the old WS60 were great.
Blizzaks are great winter tires.
I put them on late, and take them off early.
If you run them in warm weather you will wear them out very fast.
Years ago, my brother put a set (always all 4 tires with Blizzaks) on one of his cars. His wife and him went through the Fort-Pitt tunnel goin into town to see a show one week-end. The bridge down-town as soon as you exit the tunnel was black ice with no salt on it. There is a slight turn required as you go onto the bridge. He turned with no problem. The same size car right behind him did not turn, and went straight into the cenemt of the bridge. They more than paid for them self that one time.
He put a set on his sons car, but his son going to school did not get them off when warm weather came, and he wore them out by the time next winter came.
You can get several winters out of them if you do not run them in warm weather.
In the past I kept Blizzak WS 60 on the Impala rims, and Blizzak Duellers on the 88. Great tires. Several times I went around other vehicles that were not able to move, or in some cases when vehicles were sliding into gard-rails because of the slight slope of road towards the center, or vehicles hitting curbes and breaking seal on tires or busting rims.
Without posi (open rear) the Olds with Blizzaks goes around front wheel drive vehicles that are spinning there tires, and my tires do not even spin once. These tires are great.
I have a new set of WS 70 Blizzaks mounted on the rims for the Imalal. I have not put them on yet. Right now I have the old set of Blizzaks on the Impala because they were worn down enought to use as summer tires, and the summer tires were worn out. Put the new Blizzzaks on the rims the summer tires were on.
The new Blizzaks will be on the Impala sometime in the next week or two. Probably next week. I know they are designed to have more traction than the old WS60, and the old WS60 were great.
Blizzaks are great winter tires.
I put them on late, and take them off early.
If you run them in warm weather you will wear them out very fast.
Years ago, my brother put a set (always all 4 tires with Blizzaks) on one of his cars. His wife and him went through the Fort-Pitt tunnel goin into town to see a show one week-end. The bridge down-town as soon as you exit the tunnel was black ice with no salt on it. There is a slight turn required as you go onto the bridge. He turned with no problem. The same size car right behind him did not turn, and went straight into the cenemt of the bridge. They more than paid for them self that one time.
He put a set on his sons car, but his son going to school did not get them off when warm weather came, and he wore them out by the time next winter came.
You can get several winters out of them if you do not run them in warm weather.
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The soft rubber combined with the mold release coating will cause these tires to leave skid marks the first couple of times you hit the brakes.
Also be aware that in wet, or snow, or ice conditions, you can stop much faster than the vehicle behind you.
Also be aware that in wet, or snow, or ice conditions, you can stop much faster than the vehicle behind you.
Blizzak = Glued to the road.
I'm not sure if it's true, but when I was researching winter tires I found somewhere that Blizzaks have a very soft rubber compound that only goes about 50% of the tread depth. So once that layer wears off, you pretty much got all season tires. Continental supposedly uses the same compound for the whole tread depth.
Is that true? Or at least do people with Blizzaks ever experianced reduced performance once the tires were about half way worn?
Is that true? Or at least do people with Blizzaks ever experianced reduced performance once the tires were about half way worn?
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I'm not sure if it's true, but when I was researching winter tires I found somewhere that Blizzaks have a very soft rubber compound that only goes about 50% of the tread depth. So once that layer wears off, you pretty much got all season tires. Continental supposedly uses the same compound for the whole tread depth.
Is that true? Or at least do people with Blizzaks ever experianced reduced performance once the tires were about half way worn?
Yes I read that too!
"When the Blizzak WS70 is 50 percent worn, a tread depth indicator molded into the tread design lets the driver know that only 10 percent of the remaining tread is the Tube Multicell compound."
I run the Michelin Xi2's and they are great snow tires.
I'm not sure if it's true, but when I was researching winter tires I found somewhere that Blizzaks have a very soft rubber compound that only goes about 50% of the tread depth. So once that layer wears off, you pretty much got all season tires. Continental supposedly uses the same compound for the whole tread depth.
Is that true? Or at least do people with Blizzaks ever experianced reduced performance once the tires were about half way worn?
Yes I read that too!
"When the Blizzak WS70 is 50 percent worn, a tread depth indicator molded into the tread design lets the driver know that only 10 percent of the remaining tread is the Tube Multicell compound."
I run the Michelin Xi2's and they are great snow tires.
Blizzaks have been the best winter tires for years. I had Blizzaks on my 4x4 F150 last year and it was unstoppable. Didn't matter if it was glare ice or 3 feet of snow. I drove the truck through my back yard with snow to the tops of the tires like I was driving down the highway.
I traded the truck for an Impala, researched tires and came back with the Altimax Arctics, which are a rebranded Gislaved Nordfrost 3. They are the number 1 tire in Scandinavia. They are better rated than the Blizzaks. I've only taken the the new car and tires through a couple of snow storms, but I am very impressed. You can find them on Tirerack. Blizzaks are still awesome, I just think other brands are catching up and passing them in many ways.
I traded the truck for an Impala, researched tires and came back with the Altimax Arctics, which are a rebranded Gislaved Nordfrost 3. They are the number 1 tire in Scandinavia. They are better rated than the Blizzaks. I've only taken the the new car and tires through a couple of snow storms, but I am very impressed. You can find them on Tirerack. Blizzaks are still awesome, I just think other brands are catching up and passing them in many ways.
Put four 215/65 R16 WS70 Blizzaks on the 2001 Impala today. I have not ran them in snow or ice yet, but they seam like they are glued to the road. Handle nice in turns, but have a very stiff ride. I am running them a little high in pressure. Put 34 in them figuring they will go down about 1 PSI for every drop of 10 F. The road home has ripples in it and they let you feel them. Much like a truck tire. I will have to check the pressure cold and decide if I want to let some air out.
Tire-Rack rates the Continental ExtremeWinterContact as number 1 and WS70 Blizzak as number 3. They talk about the Blizzak having a rough ride, and they are right about that. But I think the Blizzak is nosier because it has a more aggressive tread including the new side swipes. Tire-Rack did not test tires in several inches of snow, like trying to pull out or into a parking spot on a snow covered hill. I think the more aggressive tread of the Blizzak will out-perform the quieter tires in snow. An aggressive tread makes noise, but gives good bite in snow. The Blizzaks may be nosier than a summer tire, and may be nosier than the other tires Tire-Rack tested, but they do not rumble and howl like very aggressive snow tires use to 35 years ago.
Tire-Rack rates the Continental ExtremeWinterContact as number 1 and WS70 Blizzak as number 3. They talk about the Blizzak having a rough ride, and they are right about that. But I think the Blizzak is nosier because it has a more aggressive tread including the new side swipes. Tire-Rack did not test tires in several inches of snow, like trying to pull out or into a parking spot on a snow covered hill. I think the more aggressive tread of the Blizzak will out-perform the quieter tires in snow. An aggressive tread makes noise, but gives good bite in snow. The Blizzaks may be nosier than a summer tire, and may be nosier than the other tires Tire-Rack tested, but they do not rumble and howl like very aggressive snow tires use to 35 years ago.
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Originally Posted By: 360kid
I traded the truck for an Impala, researched tires and came back with the Altimax Arctics, which are a rebranded Gislaved Nordfrost 3. They are the number 1 tire in Scandinavia. They are better rated than the Blizzaks. I've only taken the the new car and tires through a couple of snow storms, but I am very impressed. You can find them on Tirerack. Blizzaks are still awesome, I just think other brands are catching up and passing them in many ways.
And it should be noted that the Nord Frost 3 is at least one generation old from Gislaved. The "Altimax Arctic" was just as "awesome" 6 years ago when it was the Nord Frost 3. People have only recently realized since the "General" name was thrown on it. It stands to reason that the current Nord Frost 5 would be even better although it's been around for a number of years now without an update from the looks of things.
Gislaved and Nokian (Hakkapeliitta line) are known to make pretty much the best snow tires out there. It would be well worth the time for winter tire shoppers to look around comprehensively at what's available - you may be leaving a lot on the table. I must say it is pretty brilliant of the Conti group to take the old Gislaveds, slap the "General" name on them so North Americans accept the brand more readily and sell them at a discount. There's no question that the Altimax tires are a great value proposition, but there are even better snow tires out there with updated technology if you really need the best.
If you love your Altimax, take a look at the Hakkapeliitta and Gislaved branded lineups too - they are where the innovation happens. Of course they won't be priced as aggressively as the older General-branded versions.
I traded the truck for an Impala, researched tires and came back with the Altimax Arctics, which are a rebranded Gislaved Nordfrost 3. They are the number 1 tire in Scandinavia. They are better rated than the Blizzaks. I've only taken the the new car and tires through a couple of snow storms, but I am very impressed. You can find them on Tirerack. Blizzaks are still awesome, I just think other brands are catching up and passing them in many ways.
And it should be noted that the Nord Frost 3 is at least one generation old from Gislaved. The "Altimax Arctic" was just as "awesome" 6 years ago when it was the Nord Frost 3. People have only recently realized since the "General" name was thrown on it. It stands to reason that the current Nord Frost 5 would be even better although it's been around for a number of years now without an update from the looks of things.
Gislaved and Nokian (Hakkapeliitta line) are known to make pretty much the best snow tires out there. It would be well worth the time for winter tire shoppers to look around comprehensively at what's available - you may be leaving a lot on the table. I must say it is pretty brilliant of the Conti group to take the old Gislaveds, slap the "General" name on them so North Americans accept the brand more readily and sell them at a discount. There's no question that the Altimax tires are a great value proposition, but there are even better snow tires out there with updated technology if you really need the best.
If you love your Altimax, take a look at the Hakkapeliitta and Gislaved branded lineups too - they are where the innovation happens. Of course they won't be priced as aggressively as the older General-branded versions.
Got the WS 70s' put on the 2010 3 door YARIS earlier . Got them at 36 p.s.i.. We're about ready to get a nasty cold spell . They are very quiet and the ride is no worse than with the EAGLE LS . Put a 60 and 70 tire side by side for comparison and the 70 has more bite . Have to wait to see how they impact the gas mileage and how well they do in the mix bag of precip this winter .
of it already .
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Originally Posted By: FordFocus
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I'm not sure if it's true, but when I was researching winter tires I found somewhere that Blizzaks have a very soft rubber compound that only goes about 50% of the tread depth. So once that layer wears off, you pretty much got all season tires. Continental supposedly uses the same compound for the whole tread depth.
Is that true? Or at least do people with Blizzaks ever experianced reduced performance once the tires were about half way worn?
Yes I read that too!
"When the Blizzak WS70 is 50 percent worn, a tread depth indicator molded into the tread design lets the driver know that only 10 percent of the remaining tread is the Tube Multicell compound."
The older WS-50's had an all season tread compound once the tread was 50% worn. The newer WS-60 and WS-70 have a normal winter tread compound once the top 50% "multicell" compound is worn away.
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I'm not sure if it's true, but when I was researching winter tires I found somewhere that Blizzaks have a very soft rubber compound that only goes about 50% of the tread depth. So once that layer wears off, you pretty much got all season tires. Continental supposedly uses the same compound for the whole tread depth.
Is that true? Or at least do people with Blizzaks ever experianced reduced performance once the tires were about half way worn?
Yes I read that too!
"When the Blizzak WS70 is 50 percent worn, a tread depth indicator molded into the tread design lets the driver know that only 10 percent of the remaining tread is the Tube Multicell compound."
The older WS-50's had an all season tread compound once the tread was 50% worn. The newer WS-60 and WS-70 have a normal winter tread compound once the top 50% "multicell" compound is worn away.
Originally Posted By: Samilcar
Originally Posted By: FordFocus
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I'm not sure if it's true, but when I was researching winter tires I found somewhere that Blizzaks have a very soft rubber compound that only goes about 50% of the tread depth. So once that layer wears off, you pretty much got all season tires. Continental supposedly uses the same compound for the whole tread depth.
Is that true? Or at least do people with Blizzaks ever experianced reduced performance once the tires were about half way worn?
Yes I read that too!
"When the Blizzak WS70 is 50 percent worn, a tread depth indicator molded into the tread design lets the driver know that only 10 percent of the remaining tread is the Tube Multicell compound."
The older WS-50's had an all season tread compound once the tread was 50% worn. The newer WS-60 and WS-70 have a normal winter tread compound once the top 50% "multicell" compound is worn away.
I thought the WS-50's had a normal winter compound below the multicell coumpound (last 45% of depth). I know the WS-15's had an all season compound for the the last 45% of tread but I thought the change happened when going to a WS-50. I've owned both in the past. I actually just wore out (after 8 seasons and 44k miles) my WS-50's last spring. I only use them in the winter of course. I was originally going to replace them last year before winter but I decided to give them a try and they did pretty well still on the snow and ice. By April 1 some of the tread blocks no longer had sipes left on them, they were worn pretty bad by then. I got similar mileage (40k+) out of my Blizzak MZ-01 (less agressive ice tire, bought in the late 90's). They were great on ice and very good in the snow. I ran into hydroplaning issues (slush and water) and replaced those about the time I started to see the change in tread compound.
Originally Posted By: FordFocus
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I'm not sure if it's true, but when I was researching winter tires I found somewhere that Blizzaks have a very soft rubber compound that only goes about 50% of the tread depth. So once that layer wears off, you pretty much got all season tires. Continental supposedly uses the same compound for the whole tread depth.
Is that true? Or at least do people with Blizzaks ever experianced reduced performance once the tires were about half way worn?
Yes I read that too!
"When the Blizzak WS70 is 50 percent worn, a tread depth indicator molded into the tread design lets the driver know that only 10 percent of the remaining tread is the Tube Multicell compound."
The older WS-50's had an all season tread compound once the tread was 50% worn. The newer WS-60 and WS-70 have a normal winter tread compound once the top 50% "multicell" compound is worn away.
I thought the WS-50's had a normal winter compound below the multicell coumpound (last 45% of depth). I know the WS-15's had an all season compound for the the last 45% of tread but I thought the change happened when going to a WS-50. I've owned both in the past. I actually just wore out (after 8 seasons and 44k miles) my WS-50's last spring. I only use them in the winter of course. I was originally going to replace them last year before winter but I decided to give them a try and they did pretty well still on the snow and ice. By April 1 some of the tread blocks no longer had sipes left on them, they were worn pretty bad by then. I got similar mileage (40k+) out of my Blizzak MZ-01 (less agressive ice tire, bought in the late 90's). They were great on ice and very good in the snow. I ran into hydroplaning issues (slush and water) and replaced those about the time I started to see the change in tread compound.
They climbed the 350 foot driveway that had ice form on the black pavement after shoveling it and the fresh snow that hit the pavement due to the frigid temp . It's not the going up that concerns me as much as the descent on icy pavement . See how that goes in the morning . She feels in control with them , that's what counts . She drives slow , so that helps too .
I have driven the WS70 a few days now, and they track better than anything I have ever drove. The car handles like it is a train on a track. Real firm grip on the road. Went up one one long windy road with about 1/2 inch of snow on about 1/4 inch of hard packed snow and ice. No problem. These tires have great traction.
The ride is a bit bumpy with these tires, but the feal of control is fantastic.
The ride is a bit bumpy with these tires, but the feal of control is fantastic.
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