How much better are Bridgestone blizzaks?

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Aug 12, 2015
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Location
Central NY
I currently have a set of Continental VikingContact7 on my ‘17 Honda Accord hybrid size 225/50/17. They’re at 8-9/32nds on the front and 6-7/32nds rear. New tread depth is 10/32nds. So these tires are currently between 60-80% life remaining. I purchased them used so I’m unsure how they are at 10/32nds. They’re 2019 production tires.

They fall short of my expectation for snow traction. They act closer to an all season than they are winter tires.

Now I’m not sure if it’s just due to the car being light weight or if it’s the tires. Traction off the line is decent. Nothing to write home about but I have to very gently feather the throttle to not feel TC kick in. Not a big deal, my concern is with braking. Even light braking they will break grip and start sliding. Nowhere near a crappy all season but much more sliding than I’d expect out of a snow tire. Dry traction isn’t all that great either.

Ive had Nitto, Firestone, Toyo, General, Hankook, Federal, Cooper, and Dunlop snow tires on other vehicles and they had great traction(atleast more than these continentals). I’m thinking about just biting the bullet and getting a set of blizzaks due to how much more I commute now, but the price premium is something worth considering.

Are blizzaks noticeably better than something like Hankook i-pike or General Altimax?
 
My un-scientific opinions…

My wife and I try to buy the best snow tires that we can for all of our vehicles. We both have to go to work no matter the weather (I’m a full-time cop and call firefighter, she’s an EMT and call firefighter) and winter can be absolutely brutal here in the mountains of northern Vermont. Combine that with an uphill driveway that’s treacherous even when plowed, and we can’t afford to not buy the best tires.

This year we put Blizzaks on her AWD Edge Limited. It’s my first purchase of Blizzaks. The car had studded iPikes previously and those were excellent. However we both agree that the Blizzaks are superior. I was driving her car just this morning in 9 degree weather on twisty slush-covered roads where I wouldn’t dare attempt to go with anything less than an excellent tire, and the grip and handling were phenomenal.

I’d put Blizzaks right up there with my past favorite tire that I ran on several vehicles, the X-Ice.

My 4Runner, which is obviously mechanically superior to the Edge for winter driving, has Geolandar studless snows on it, again a model of tire I’d never used before, and those are excellent as well.
 
A big issue with snows is-the lighter the car is, with a large contact patch, the worse the snow traction is. Tire Rack is a good place to look for narrower, smaller diameter wheels, and taller sidewall snows, to see what fits. As long as they clear the brakes & inner fender liners, I run the narrowest, highest profile, smallest diameter snow tire & wheel I can. I can do things in snow & ice with a FWD manual transmission econobox that an AWD with all seasons can only dream about!
 
I put a set of WS90's on my wife's Forester in October. They are excellent - Full stop.

I haven't used the Continentals to compare, but truthfully I can't imagine using something better than these. The traction they provide is crazy. We have a stamped concrete driveway on an incline which is crazy slippery in the winter, and this thing goes up it like it's sandpaper.
 
I went into a long slide and ran into a stopped vehicle while going down a wet hill with no snow or ice with those tires mounted on 4 wheels on my Kia Sedona . Under normal conditions I could have stopped easily. They did perform well on snow and ice but be aware of longer stopping distances.
 
I think it really depends on your vehicle. Even different wheel sizes on the same vehicle. I had WS90's on an ecosport and they were fine, didn't blow me away. I have Vikingcontact 7's on my accent and they have been a little disappointing. Too squishy on my 15" wheels with high aspect ratio. Conversely I had Vikingcontact 7's on a Mitsubishi mirage and found them to be the most confidence inspiring of all.
 
My un-scientific opinions…

My wife and I try to buy the best snow tires that we can for all of our vehicles. We both have to go to work no matter the weather (I’m a full-time cop and call firefighter, she’s an EMT and call firefighter) and winter can be absolutely brutal here in the mountains of northern Vermont. Combine that with an uphill driveway that’s treacherous even when plowed, and we can’t afford to not buy the best tires.

This year we put Blizzaks on her AWD Edge Limited. It’s my first purchase of Blizzaks. The car had studded iPikes previously and those were excellent. However we both agree that the Blizzaks are superior. I was driving her car just this morning in 9 degree weather on twisty slush-covered roads where I wouldn’t dare attempt to go with anything less than an excellent tire, and the grip and handling were phenomenal.

I’d put Blizzaks right up there with my past favorite tire that I ran on several vehicles, the X-Ice.

My 4Runner, which is obviously mechanically superior to the Edge for winter driving, has Geolandar studless snows on it, again a model of tire I’d never used before, and those are excellent as well.

In what way are the blizzaks superior? Do they just have more traction or do you feel more grip even in turning/taking off? I expect sliding as snow driving is nothing new to me. Just trying to better gauge if it’s worth the extra $200-300. I can drive my F150 if the snow is bad, but that truck is on all seasons(Continental ContiTrac) so it’s not that much better other than being heavier and 4WD.

I can get a set of Blizzak WS90s installed for $1150. Nitto NT-SN2 $760 installed. Hankooks $920 installed, which closes the gap a lot more but I know the Hankooks meet my expectations, and is $230 I don’t have to spend unless it’s just that good. As much as I’d like Michelin X-Ices, they are far more than what I want to spend on tires.
 
Nitto and Hankook are both reputable brands, I wouldn't hesitate with either one honestly, but they aren't going to be top of the line.

Personally I would nix the Hankook because for the price difference I would just buy the Bridgetone... But at 50% more than the Nitto that is a much tougher argument.
 
I think it really depends on your vehicle. Even different wheel sizes on the same vehicle. I had WS90's on an ecosport and they were fine, didn't blow me away. I have Vikingcontact 7's on my accent and they have been a little disappointing. Too squishy on my 15" wheels with high aspect ratio. Conversely I had Vikingcontact 7's on a Mitsubishi mirage and found them to be the most confidence inspiring of all.

I decided to test these tires on the hill behind my house. Last winter I had a Lexus ES350 on federal snow tires. Went up perfectly fine with barely any breaks of traction, but when I put on its all season Yokohamas, it was so bad it got stuck then slid into the ditch.

With these continentals, they go up with plenty of tire spin. They are decent tires to get by with, and at $100 for the set I can’t complain. Just need better tires for my use.
 
Viking Contact 7 is one of the best winter tires on the market. Maybe not the best in the snow but very rounded performance.

I think your problem is here:

"They’re at 8-9/32nds on the front and 6-7/32nds rear. New tread depth is 10/32nds. So these tires are currently between 60-80% life remaining."

Legal limit is 2/32nds so your worst tires used 4nds of 8 usable => 50% worn. But winter/snow traction depends on tread depth a lot.
Are the 6-7/32nds tires reaching their snow wear bars? They may have reached 0% life remaining for snow traction.

I think you may want to buy any winter tire (WS90, VC7 or X-Ice snow) and be amazed.

IMHO

Krzyś
 
I decided to test these tires on the hill behind my house. Last winter I had a Lexus ES350 on federal snow tires. Went up perfectly fine with barely any breaks of traction, but when I put on its all season Yokohamas, it was so bad it got stuck then slid into the ditch.

With these continentals, they go up with plenty of tire spin. They are decent tires to get by with, and at $100 for the set I can’t complain. Just need better tires for my use.
This is the hardest thing about comparing snow tires, or really tires in general. None of use have access to 3 identical vehicles all with new snow tires to test in the same environment. This leads to anecdotal conclusions about tire superiority.

In the end all you can do is drive on whatever tire gives you the most confidence. Which will differ between drivers.
 
6/32" is the min for snow traction that is probably your major issue.
That and 4 years old the rubber starts hardening.. can be minor or very noticeable. depends also on how they were stored...
in basement, in hot garage.. etc.
I absolutely love the viking contact 7 on the 2020 elantra. On the 3rd winter now and still very good on black ice, packed snow and any snow thats not deeper than the bumper.
Since I dont want to rip the bumper off I havent tested them in 8"+
I have had 5 sets of blizzaks but not the ws-90. (50,60,70,80,dm-v2) and quite a few others.
I really like my michelin xice snow on the '22 forester. Almost went ws-90 but I found the michelins for even cheaper and wanted to try them.

So to answer the question you asked.. I'd say the ws-90 are a competitive top tier winter tire but not "next gen" or significantly better than other top winter tires.
Your car matters more than the difference between top tires.. with some exceptions as certain tires are more biased towards ice and others towards deep snow/slush.

If you are still reading:
I had a set of DUNLOP WINTER SPORT M3 tires on a 2007 focus.
great first 3 years.. at year 4.. utter trash. They were at 7/32 and 6/32
Almost ate a curb sliding through a turn on an intersection that was mainly slush.
 
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I've used VikingContact 7 on 2 cars and found them to be excellent. I'm very surprised to read that you had trouble with them in the snow. I can tell you that the Blizzak WS80s I had were not as good in snow and were very poor in thick brown slush, but they were very good in icy conditions. I've also used General Artic 12s and while they weren't bad, I wasn't nearly as impressed as I was with the Continentals.

My personal recommendation would be the Michelin X-Ice Snow. They are top tier, have a 40k warranty, and are better in dry conditions than the Blizzaks. I'd hate to suggest the Continentals again if they left a sour taste in your mouth the first time even though I was happy with them.
 
Viking Contact 7 is one of the best winter tires on the market. Maybe not the best in the snow but very rounded performance.

I think your problem is here:

"They’re at 8-9/32nds on the front and 6-7/32nds rear. New tread depth is 10/32nds. So these tires are currently between 60-80% life remaining."

Legal limit is 2/32nds so your worst tires used 4nds of 8 usable => 50% worn. But winter/snow traction depends on tread depth a lot.
Are the 6-7/32nds tires reaching their snow wear bars? They may have reached 0% life remaining for snow traction.

I think you may want to buy any winter tire (WS90, VC7 or X-Ice snow) and be amazed.

IMHO

Krzyś

My 6/32nd tires are above the snow wear bars, close, but still above. They are on the rear. The fronts are 8/32nds. I’m surprised these tires only come at 10/32nds new. You’d think a dedicated winter tire will be closer to 12-13/32nds.

At 10/32nds this would mean only 4/32nds of useable tread which really equate to 2, maybe 3 seasons of use.
 
...Are blizzaks noticeably better than something like Hankook i-pike or General Altimax?
The WS90 will be better on ice than the unstudded Altimax Arctic 12. If you are only interested in snow traction the Arctic 12 would be a decent choice in the "budget tire" category. It was introduced 6 years ago, and will probably be upgraded in 2024. At the upper end of the price spectrum the expensive Nokian R5 has demonstrated excellent snow traction in multiple tests.
 
I currently have a set of Continental VikingContact7 on my ‘17 Honda Accord hybrid size 225/50/17. They’re at 8-9/32nds on the front and 6-7/32nds rear. New tread depth is 10/32nds. So these tires are currently between 60-80% life remaining. I purchased them used so I’m unsure how they are at 10/32nds. They’re 2019 production tires.

They fall short of my expectation for snow traction. They act closer to an all season than they are winter tires.

Now I’m not sure if it’s just due to the car being light weight or if it’s the tires. Traction off the line is decent. Nothing to write home about but I have to very gently feather the throttle to not feel TC kick in. Not a big deal, my concern is with braking. Even light braking they will break grip and start sliding. Nowhere near a crappy all season but much more sliding than I’d expect out of a snow tire. Dry traction isn’t all that great either.

Ive had Nitto, Firestone, Toyo, General, Hankook, Federal, Cooper, and Dunlop snow tires on other vehicles and they had great traction(atleast more than these continentals). I’m thinking about just biting the bullet and getting a set of blizzaks due to how much more I commute now, but the price premium is something worth considering.

Are blizzaks noticeably better than something like Hankook i-pike or General Altimax?
Blizzaks are no better than any other "Good" snow tire in snow, but they are much better in icy conditions, however this only till you reach 50% tread life, they they revert to same as any good snow-tire. I used to have dedicated winter tires when I lived in the country, but now I use All-Weather tires and they do quite well here in Toronto and surrounding area except for the heavy snow fall then one has to be careful.
 
6/32" is the min for snow traction that is probably your major issue.
That and 4 years old the rubber starts hardening.. can be minor or very noticeable. depends also on how they were stored...
in basement, in hot garage.. etc.
I absolutely love the viking contact 7 on the 2020 elantra. On the 3rd winter now and still very good on black ice, packed snow and any snow thats not deeper than the bumper.
Since I dont want to rip the bumper off I havent tested them in 8"+
I have had 5 sets of blizzaks but not the ws-90. (50,60,70,80,dm-v2) and quite a few others.
I really like my michelin xice snow on the '22 forester. Almost went ws-90 but I found the michelins for even cheaper and wanted to try them.

So to answer the question you asked.. I'd say the ws-90 are a competitive top tier winter tire but not "next gen" or significantly better than other top winter tires.
Your car matters more than the difference between top tires.. with some exceptions as certain tires are more biased towards ice and others towards deep snow/slush.

If you are still reading:
I had a set of DUNLOP WINTER SPORT M3 tires on a 2007 focus.
great first 3 years.. at year 4.. utter trash. They were at 7/32 and 6/32
Almost ate a curb sliding through a turn on an intersection that was mainly slush.

I’ve had two sets of dunlops. First set were grasping DS3s? I’d I remember correctly. I don’t remember the tread depth but they were far from anything remotely worn. Had them on a older Honda Accord and kid you not if I parked it on packed snow and a very, very slight incline the car would get stuck where it sat.

Had another set of Dunlop snow tires on a rav4 and outback without issues. They were the same set of tires that I kept after sellling, but both vehicles were awd so it helped with acceleration.

Maybe my continental tread has hardened, but they still feel fairly pliable when warm out. Definitely not as soft as the other tires, I figure they formulated them to have longer treadwear since they start out at 10/32nds. They gotta make the tire last somehow.

I considered forgoing a dedicated winter set and running something like the Michelin cross climate or similar all weather tire, but my concern is with the mileage i drive I may end up wearing down the tread past anything useable for snow after 1-2 summers.

I’ll look around and see if I can find a deal on another set. Worse case I’ll run these til the spring and search during the summer months. I only considered the Viking contacts due to a friend who had them on his audi(225/40/18) and they handled great. Now, im unsure if he was biased because he had never ran a dedicated snow tires prior to those so they were already a great improvement to his regular all seasons.
 
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The added weight towards the rear of the car because of the hybrid battery in your car could be a big factor (under the rear seat.)

I'm currently using the DMV2 based off the WS-80 and they handle any sort of snow really well. WS-90s are supposed to be better with winter traction in every way. The big kicker is these tires suffer in every other category possible other than the raw snow performance. So if you're in an area where lots of snow is common and won't be plowed right after, I'd totally spring for the Blizzaks.

Side note, I really wanted to try out the VC7 but the price won out on the blizzaks. The Goodyear UltraGrip Ice WRT were my favorite snow tires of all time. The Generals Altimax Arctics I hated the most.
 
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