Blizzak Winter Tires

Initial Review, 7,500 Miles on Tires
February 27, 2013

Amazing Winter tires for a front wheel drive sports car. Was able to do rooster tails in 6 inches of snow, and Ice was not ever a problem. Going up and down hills, even from a stopped position was also better than expected. very little tire spin even in 6 inches of snow on non treated roads. Road noise was also very little. Noting that tread wear was faster than i expected I probably would have rotated every 2500 miles. I will be able to get a second season out of these tires though.

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
February 28, 2013

I should have purchased these DM-V1 Blizzaks when my truck was new! They are extremely quiet, handle great in the water, and handle our Erie lake-effect snow and ice covered roads with ease. I went through 2 sets of Bridgestone Dueler Revo's thinking they would be the best year-round tire, but they wore quickly even with regular rotations, they were relatively loud, and they were absolutely aweful in the snow and ice. The Blizzaks are much quieter, give a much more comfortable ride, and significantly increased my fuel mileage! I would recommend them to anyone who faces winter weather as we do. Now I just need to find a comparable tire for the summer months with all of the benefits we have found with the Blizzaks. We have been big Blizzak fans on our cars through the Blizzak WS-50, WS-60, and WS-70 tire models, but they did not fit my truck. I'm so glad I trusted the Blizzak name and tried the DM-V1!

Initial Review, 80,000 Miles on Tires
February 27, 2013

I live in the upstate NY and we get 120 inches of snow annually. I don't understand why people are rating these tires low for snow--look at the ratings! Although they are all-season, these tires are not made for snow--the rating prove it. Looking at the tread design, they are nothing but a sled in snow. There is no such thing as an all-season tire in the northeast, except for winter tires--period! I drive 110 miles a day and see many cars off the road--yup, there goes another all-season tire car. My son has these tires on a 1996 corolla and he has approx 80K on then; yes, he also has Blizzaks for winter tires and he can go anywhere with those tires. Use these tires from spring to fall and you will be fine. Use these tires year-round, and you will regret ti.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
February 26, 2013

Bought these before the Wisconsin winter. They have made a world of difference. I fishtailed once in what was probably 3-4 inches, and without any weight in the back of the wagon. I slipped on a patch of black ice on a side road, but once the tires hit snow again, they gripped right up and I was on my merry way. That is my entire list of incidents this winter. Accelerating from stoplights, stopping, turning, highway ramps have all been fine. Next year, the wife will be getting a set for her car.

They are also nice and sticky in dry/wet(not frozen) conditions. Noticed an immediate increase in performance when I put them on.

High quality tire.

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
February 25, 2013

My car was so-so in the snow before I bought these tires. Now i feel like I'm driving a 4WD truck. I can go through anything (within reason) and feel completely comfortable. We've got hit pretty hard with snow this winter too and there's no way I could have made an hour commute everyday in this snow without these tires. I will definitely be purchasing these again when it's time for a new car.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
February 08, 2013

I live in Ottawa, Canada where the average snowfall is measured in yards rather than inches. We have had freezing rain storms given the global warming and the Michelin X-i13 tires performed almost flawlessly in every situation. Their only weakness in my opinion is the softer sidewall designed and used for comfort rather than for immediate response on my Infiniti G37x sedan. It is a most worthy compromise because there is always secure traction and spirited driving is only done with controlled and very predictible power sliding. While this is not my ususal style of driving especially on congested streets, the tires always offered exceptional traction, control and feedback.
The best return on using these tires was during heavy snow and ice storms. Their comfort and positive traction only reinforced my confidence and security on the roads. This was very noticeable when arriving at stop signs and the glazed ice from other cars and trucks without proper and sensitive brake pressure. The X-i13 always provided greater traction during those stops and never with the worries of drifting into a busy intersection.
I greatly support and highly recommend these tires for any and every car driven in varying winter conditions and temperatures. The control and comfort are simply exceptional and a great improvement on my previous Michelin X-i12 and Blizzak tires used on my Nissan Maxima.
These are the best all-round winter tires on the market today.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
February 20, 2013

I crashed my S2000 in the rain due to bad tires, so I bought these for my repaired S2K because I heard that A) they came on a lot of new super cars, B) Michelin makes tires for space shuttles!, and C) the tires are less expensive than the value I put on my life. I no longer drive extremely fast in the rain, so I can't say for sure here. For warm weather, these tires are amazing. Even when it got to 10 degrees F, these tires were very predictable. Obviously, never attempt to use these on snow or ice... that being said, I was able to maneuver my S2000 around my snowy driveway in December going 1.00 MPH, which is better than my last tires. I compared my S2K with a newer Evo (that had nice tires) around corners in the summer; obviously the Evo was faster because I am not a pro driver and didn't have traction control, but the S2K was still respectable. For winter, I use Blizzaks on all my other cars, and my S2K hibernates in the garage. If you like extremely good tires in only hot weather, I highly recommend this tire!

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 17, 2013

For many years I used Bridgestone Blizzaks, which perform very well in ice and snow. But for my new all-wheel drive Audi, I wanted winter tires that handled better on dry pavement. The Michelin Xi3 was said to almost equal the Blizzaks on ice and snow but be less "squishy" on dry and wet pavement, so I went with the Michelin.

Shortly after mounting them I drove to the NH White Mountains and took part in a winter driving school. For two days I practiced slalom and skid-pad maneuvers on ice and packed snow. The Michelins were exemplary here, and the instructors were very impressed. While other cars (mostly AWD Audis) were sliding into snowbanks left and right, my allroad with the Michelins stayed in control, accelerated and braked very well.

The claimed performance on dry roads was also seen - unlike the Blizzaks, the Michelins don't howl and they felt very much like good all-season tires on dry pavement, with a confident feeling. Very impressive.

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
February 16, 2013

My second set of Blizzak's had my first set with my Tiburon. We got a mild snow here early and the regular tires on the Genesis were already spinning like crazy. I knew I was going to need snow tires in the New England winter so I went ahead and bought Blizzaks once again Tire Rack beat everyone else's prices by a mile actually coming in at $300 less including shipping than any tire shop I checked at. I went out with the car last weekend during the so-named storm of Nemo here and saw one SUV off the road immediately upon exiting the turnpike ramp. Not an unusual sight mind you but comical to go by in my RWD Genesis and have no problems at all. As other reviews have said, the Blizzaks really grip the road and may give you a false sense of confidence combined with the ESC on the car. Having learned to drive with RWD vehicles and in New England winters there is no substitute for leaving 10 minutes earlier or leaving extra space when following another vehicle and for braking, some people seem to forget all common sense every winter and wind up in the ditch. That being said, the Blizzaks will get you where you want to go, even when two vehicles couldn't seem to make it up a small hill (more of a grade mind you) and I had to come to a complete stop or hit them, I still got up the hill there was some spinning but once they got traction up we went. These tires are worth every penny and my last set lasted the four winters I ran them when I had the car. Typically I drive around 12k a year so the snow tires see maybe 6k each winter for mileage.

Initial Review, 1,500 Miles on Tires
February 02, 2013

This is a great winter tire in all conditions. A week after installing I was caught in a serious lake effect storm that left 4wd pickups in ditches. We just kept moving. These tires provide a strong sense of security and control. Have found only one downside - these tires have so much traction that you can become overconfident - they can be made to slide. They work exceptionally well on ice, but cannot overcome the laws of physics completely. Was originally a little concerned about squirm mentioned by some and thought about the Michelins, but have experienced nothing but secure handling in our Odyssey, including on dry interstates. We had Blizzaks before but these are the best yet.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
February 09, 2013

I cannot believe there are no reviews on this tire anywhere online!

When I was searching for winter tires for my M3 I really wanted a tire that would get me through light or heavy snow, but with a strong emphasis on not sacrificing dry cold conditions.

I was tempted to go with a Blizzak LM-60, but there were a few reasons I decided not to.
1. The factory recommended tire for the M3 is a Pilot Alpin 3 (since 2008), this could be considered the newest update, so that held some weight.
2. I could not break myself away from the fact that the PA4 is V speed rated and the Blizzak H rated. Am I going to drive 150 in the snow? no I am not... but the Pilot Alpin is designed for speed, so that has to trickle down for every day driving performance.
3. I also like the Assymetrical design of the tire and the snow sipes which are angled (most likely for snow turning performance, and I feel this really helps the snow grip performance when turning.

The size I chose was 245/40 r 18 which I decided because I wanted to have the exact same size front as the summer setup. The factory recommends 235 but this has not at all been an issue.

The PA4 is wider than other 245 tires by just a few mm's according to the specs.
I mounted them square on 4 identical 9.5 inch wide wheels for rotation purposes, and there is enough side wall tire that the wheel is not sticking out.

They drive safely in ice/snow and grip well, but have a tremendous amount of grip in the cold dry, and do not at all feel like they sacrifice steering response or grip from the factory summer sport michelins. (when driving in the cold)

I chose the Michelins PA4 over the LM-60 because to me COLD dry and wet driving performance is more important and actually measurable to me. Face it, if the snow gets deep enough eventually any low car is going to get stuck, so for just a few inches of snow a few times a year, why give up all of that FUN dry grip performance?

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 20, 2012

Replaced hazardous A20 OEMs after 25K kms with the Goodyear Assurance CS FuelMax tire. Was told by multiple sources that Goodyear makes an inferior tire (quality-wise) to Toyo, Michelin or Bridgestone ... and I understand what that means now. The Goodyear wears well, rides ok, handles ok and does what it is supposed to do ... however, it is not as smooth or refined as the OEM tire. It is too bad that there wasn't really another option at the time other than the Dueller 400 (as bad a tire as the A20). We have Blizzak winter tires for the vehicle as well ... that "feel" like better tires when they are on (more consistent ... it is hard to descibe).

The Goodyear isn't a "bad" tire ... just a really "average" tire ... it does everything ok, but nothing really well. If Michelin, Yokohama or Bridgestone made a long-lasting quality tire for the Highlander, I would probably consider going that route next time.

I consider this tire to be my "minimum spec" for what a tire should do.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
January 03, 2013

Purchased minus size 205/55-16 for my wife's GTI. Previous experience with several Nokian Hakkapeliitta's, Bridgestone Blizzaks, Conti TS-740's, Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice, Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT, Pirelli Winter 210's on four Audi Quattros: 5000 CS, V8, S6 and allroad so going to a front wheel drive after 25 years of Quattros I was looking for the best all around stud-less snow and I feel with the limited drive time I've had in 20 some inches of new snow that I made a wise/good choice.

Initial Review, 1,500 Miles on Tires
February 02, 2013

Very impressed with snow traction. Some road noise at 30-40mph. Would highly recommend tire for winter driveing.

Initial Review, 1,500 Miles on Tires
December 19, 2012

I use DM-V1’s to drive mostly to Whistler, BC or into ski areas of the Cascades. I never had winter tires before. The DM-V1’s are amazing in the snow and ice driving into BC and the high mountain passes. This year I mounted them after the temp started staying in the 40's. The dry and wet traction is great. I am an aggressive driver...so I have noticed they are a little soft in the sidewalls and tread compared to the 'all season performance' tires I normally use...but that is to be expected they are winter tires. They should last me several winters since I only put about 700 miles a winter on them. Based on what I have seen so far...I will definitely buy them again.

Initial Review, 1,200 Miles on Tires
January 30, 2013

I bought the tires from another person with 2 seasons on them and about 1/2 tread left. I drive pretty aggressively in a car that is RWD, heavy, and 370hp. This tire is extremely impressive. It performs better on extremely slick roads then my summer tires do in the rain. This winter we've had multiple days where it was icy and some pretty heavy snow falls. I never once felt like I was going to lose it. Once traction control kicked in, the tire gripped instantly and I was in complete control. I've even pushed the car pretty hard around long sweeping corners in the snow and it barely slid. I took the car out on a day where we got 3-4" of snow on unplowed roads to see how it would handle and I was able to safely get up hills, stop, and turn. I feel safer with these tires in this car then I did in an AWD envoy denali.
I only have a couple complaints. Due to the higher sidewall and softer tire, there is a decent amount of roll when going around corners. There is also a noticeable amount of tire noise especially when slowing down. Not enough to prevent me from buying the tire again though.
Overall I am very satisfied and plan to stick with blizzaks in the future. I'm looking forward to seeing how the tires are when new.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
January 27, 2013

Had to get a minivan for our expanding family. Wife cried when we traded in her Toyota FourRunner for the Honda Odyssey. She's been driving AWD or 4WD for over 15 years. She loves the comfort and roominess of the van, but hated driving it in snow or ice. When the original all seasons wore out I put a set of 4 of these on the van. She claims the van is now better than the FourRunner in snow or ice. I could not believe she would EVER admit to that. So far our winter has been unseasonably cold and we have had a few decent snow events. Our neighborhood doesn't see the plows as much as it should, and there is a tricky little hill to climb that is always iced over as you stop at the top to leave our subdivision and enter a main road. To get to work, she has to travel on country roads with farmers fields on either side; lots of ice and blowing and drifting snow. These tires have made a world of difference. She thanks me every time she arrives home.

And by the way, the tires are only slightly more chatty on dry pavement than the original all seasons. It is still a quite, comfy ride that makes the driver feel confident on the roads.

Initial Review, 9,000 Miles on Tires
January 29, 2013

I live in the NW and used to run all terain tires all year long. Then I bought a set of these Blizzaks Wow what a differance. Outstanding traction on snow and ice as well as wet pavement. If you run those nasty studded tires try these for your next set of winter studless tires. They make winter driving much easier and quiter than any studded tire out there!