The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires April 14, 2012
Hated the O.E. Dunlap Runflats because they were uncomfortable and jarring as well as noisy. These 960A/S RFTs are so much smoother and very quiet when compared to the dunlaps. Steering effort is less but the car handles just as well. Overall the car is more settled and comfortable, it just feels more refined under all road conditions. If you are going for a more comfortable ride and want all-season performance while staying with a Runflat this is the best tire in the segment.
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires April 17, 2012
(I use g-Force T/A KDW-2 for summer tires). The RE970AS are used late fall to spring. These tires are great, low noise and better cold weather grip. Noticed that they get quieter after a short warm up time, (mile or so). Lots of grip with hard driving, predictable hold and can tell when they are about to break loose. I'd recommend these for all season use, (except I'll still use ultra high performance tires for summer). Can't tell about wear, I haven't had them long enough.
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires April 14, 2012
Bought this tire to replace the stock Bridgestones that came with my car. Though the tires are marketed as all-season tires, these have not held up well for me in the snow conditions, with the car sliding everytime i braked in snowy conditions. Apart from this, the dry/wet performance of these tires and the grip in the dry and wet is very good. Hydroplaning resistance in heavy rain conditions has been very good and there is a good level of assurance in the rain with these tires. The tires are fairly quiet and the ride confort is good as well. Treadwear has been good and i have about 8/32" left after 15K miles. I will recommend these tires to anyone who wants good tires for dry and wet conditions, but not the snow.
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires April 14, 2012
This is the second set of Blizzaks I've purchased. The others are on a 2004 Matrix. Both are fantastic tires. I highly recommend them. Its always sad when the snow leaves and I have to put the OEM summer tires back on. These winter tires handle so much better than the OEM all seasons. Fortunately, the all seasons are shot so I will be getting some Potenzas RE960s as replacements. The Blizzaks stick like glue in all conditions including slush, snow and ice. I will definitely be buying more.
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires April 16, 2012
I don't know if you've ever lived in Ankara, Turkey...but the winter season runs from about Nov - Mar...and this year happened to be the worst winter in over 50 years. We had snow on the ground from Dec 25th 2011 all the way until March 2012, which kept falling and accumulating throughout the winter, which at the highest was 2 ft for a sustained amount of time.
These tires were awesome! In snow, ice, slush, all forms of incliment weather you could have during the winter these tires handled great!!! On hills I was able to safely maneuver around the stuck and sliding vehicles with confidence and ease. Never once got stuck in snow or icy conditions and had several people ask what tires these were, as even their snow tires were inadequate for the weather we experienced this winter season.
I dont recommend these tires for dry road conditions because the tread pattern and grip strength does cause the car to handle a bit tighter in turns, and the road noise on dry conditions is a bit overbearing.
I was very impressed by these tires, and they're great for swapping onto a car once the snow starts, wouldn't recommend them for an area that gets small amounts of sporatic snow.
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 18,157 Miles on Tires April 10, 2012
This tire exceeded my expectations in every way. The past two seasons have been bizarre, but I have enjoyed them immensely. The Audi Quattro system combined with these tires made for an amazing experience. I was able to maneuver and drive in 14" of fresh snow on one occasion and 19" of light fresh snow on another occasion. These tires helped the car plow its own path in my long driveway. If only they could make it easier to see with all that snow coming over the hood.
My ice experiences have been similarly impressive. I am very cautious in ice situations and regularly check my ability to control the vehicle. The first ice storm I drove in seemed quite benign. When I exited the vehicle and found I could not even walk on the ice, I realized how well they were doing their job.
The road noise and hunting behavior associated with the WS60 seem to be significantly reduced. These tires are no louder than any of my all season tires. They do hunt in a minor way in dry conditions and in warm weather (seemingly above 40 deg F).
When the suspension / drivetrain was in good condition, I averaged 4,400 miles per 32nd of wear. With 6 32nds of "NanoPro-Tech silica-enhanced Tube Multicell compound" tread, I expect 26,000 miles from these tires. There was a point where I had a wheel bearing begin to fail during a long trip and following that repair knocked the suspension out of alignment for a couple days. During that time, I averaged 2,300 miles / 32nd which is a significant decrease. As with tires in general, it is always important to check alignment and alignment of the vehicle normally costs less than the tire damage poor alignment causes. With my driving habits, I expect to get a third season out of this set of tires. I will not hesitate to buy another set.
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires April 04, 2012
I purchased these tires as a compromise, i did not want to go into the winter with the goodyears that came on the car(summer only)i was willing to give up the run flat to get all season perfomance. these were the best snow and ice traction among the top tires. The ride great and are very quite, but not very good for spirited driving. it is very easy to break them loose accellerating, and they are squishy on the turns. i am about to go to one of BMW's performance classes and I don't think I want to use these tires. I will probably change to the bridgestones before i go to the track. its a shame because these tires are wearing quite well. They have a unique feature on the treads, the letters DWS are there at different tread depths. so when the S is gone they are only good in wet and dry, when the D is gone - dry only, when the D is gone - replace them. After 20k miles all three letters are still there. I do a lot of highway driving, and they are great highway cruisers, but on the back roads they just don't give you confidence around the turns. but they are great at absorbing small road imperfections.
The Ultra High Performance All-Season category is one of our most popular. Tires from this performance category are in strong demand from customers for a variety of vehicles who are looking for the latest and greatest in performance. Last summer, Bridgestone introduced the Potenza RE970AS Pole Position as an updated version to their popular Potenza RE960.
Competition in this category is fierce with all the major brands vying for customers by revising tier offerings on a regular basis. Since tier introduction in 2010, the Continental ExtremeContact DWS has received very positive reviews from our customers and in our tests. At the time of our testing, many automotive magazines and media sources were quick to proclaim the Continental their top pick. With this in mind, we put the Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position in a competition with the Continental ExtremeContact DWS, as well as the Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season and Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus.
As you can see here, all four tires came within a tenth of a point of one another in the Combined Road & Track Rating, with the Bridgestone coming out on top.
On our 6.6-mile loop of expressway, state highway and country roads, the Michelin and Bridgestone tires proved to be the most responsive of the group without exhibiting a pronounced drone over long stretches of asphalt and concrete. While on the test track, the Pirelli posted the quickest lap time, but came in third behind the Michelin and Bridgestone due to a diminished degree of "communication" between the car and driver. To see how we challenge a tire's traction, handling and predictability in both dry and wet conditions on our test track, watch "Testing Tires: On the Test Track."
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 25,000 Miles on Tires April 05, 2012
Before buying these tiers, I was using OEM Dunlops in all 4 seasons. They were decent most of the time, but in the snow they were awful. If there was an emergency stop that needed to be made, it took a bit of time and more importantly distance to complete. I almost drove off the road in a storm going 30-40mph. I did not feel secure at all when driving through the snow.
When I got the Blizaaks, my anxieties were gone almost immediately. These things really, really work! Whereas before I had to begin breaking much earlier in order to stop in time, with these it is almost like you are driving on dry pavement again, although not quite.
Cornering is also VERY much improved compared to the all seasons. I can corner hard and although the tires will slide for a moment, they soon stick to the road again and take you where you want to go. This sliding is very predictable, especially in powder snow wherein you can really drift and have some fun if you want, but safely. Packed snow traction is also good and predictable, and ice traction is pretty good too.
Ride comfort is pretty decent and the tires are pretty quiet. They absorb bumps pretty well, and for those brief periods of time between seasons when you are driving on pavement in mild temperatures they will function decently until you get your tires changed.
After driving these for 4 winters, I can say that there is plenty of tread life and grip left. I would definitely buy these again with out much thought.
If you feel out of control driving through the snow on your current all season tires, I HIGHLY recommend these tires. They have addressed all my concerns about being able to safely and casually drive through winter conditions. No more worries.
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires April 02, 2012
Got these from The Tire Rack in January 2011 for my 2007 Cooper S R56 which had 17 OE rims. Was advised to go 16" with a reasonable price set of MSW as "Winter" Rims. I live north of Toronto in an area that gets hit regularly by snow squalls. I also travel to the Detroit area on a regular basis and need to be confident that I will get there and back regardless of the weather. The winter performace on this set up is great. The ride is also significantly smoother due to the 16". These tires make the car so much fun to drive in the winter. The OE Continental all seasons were really scary in the winter. I got stuck a couple of times with less than 4" of snow and white knuckle syndrome was the norm on snow and ice covered on highways. The Blizzaks give a great deal of confidence in the snow and ice with significantly improved stopping distance and cornering performance. Going around bends feels a bit squirmy on dry warm days. I would reccomend these to any MINI owner who needs winter tires. The advice to drop down to 16" is also recommended. Cannot comment on wear yet as I have just ended my second winter season and they still look like new. I'm guessing they will be good for another 3 seasons (approximately 25,000 to 30,000 winter miles)
Looking for a summer tire that offers longer mileage? Most summer tires make the trade-off of a longer life for higher grip. Many customers consider using Ultra High Performance All-Season tires to gain longer wear. The following options are two of the top tires in their performance category:
With proper rotation these tires can be expected to see approximately 40,000 miles of use, depending on how aggressively you drive. After all, these would be your sport tires. If you're not willing to sacrifice some dry and wet traction and handling, take a look at these summer tires:
Potenza RE760 Sport tires are developed for the drivers of sports cars, sporty coupes and performance sedans who want to maximize sport driving pleasure without abandoning treadwear. The tire delivers sharp response and its asymmetric tread design allows for mounting on either side of the vehicle. The Michelin Pilot Super Sport expands the Max Performance Summer tire performance envelope by delivering durability, handling and traction while increasing treadlife. Pilot Super Sport tires come with a 30,000-mile warranty.
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 6,500 Miles on Tires April 03, 2012
I have never been a beleiver that a true all season tire made for quiet comfort could every DOUBLE as a great performance tire but that is exactly what the DWS is. You can spend $250+ on "top of the line" Michelins or Bridgestones and not get a smoother, quieter tire than these. I mean they are silent! Traction is a 10... wet, dry, winter, don't matter. Steering response is impecable. Speed ratings actually mean something... these are Z rated tires and they respond like Z rated tires. The only knock I can even think of on these tires is that they are just a bit "mushy" in agressive cornering. There is no sidewall roll or anything, it just feels like the very "passive" tread design keeps you from darting in an out of hard cornering like a formula 1 driver. Personally, it's almost refreshing having such a well behaved, silent, uber-smooth, all season tire versus the fly-paper summer treads that we all seem to demand. Oh ya, they have a 540 treadwear rating and they cost about a buck & a quater each! Until continental can improve on these, i will only buy these! Viva Conti!
When most of the grip of a summer tire is enough and you'd like to have aggressive handling for on ramps and back roads, a good all-season option is for you. Offering light snow capability and sporty handling characteristics, these tires are longer lasting than their summer counterparts. Many drivers in the northern climates run Ultra High Performance All-Season tires as their summer tires, while keeping them installed during the other seasons as they provide year-round traction.
All-season tires have come leaps and bounds in their dry weather handling. The following tires are three options I really like in the category and our Tire Survey Results reflect favorably on each selection.
We conducted our own test comparing these tires head-to-head last summer. The Michelin tire offered the best ride quality, steering and cornering feel in the dry conditions. Bridgestone led the pack in braking feel and wet condition handling. While the set of Pirelli P Zero tires had a very confidence-inspiring feel in the slalom and allowed for a high degree of traction on our skidpad. Overall a very fast set tire. Complete results can be found by reading "Testing Bridgestone's Potenza RE970AS Pole Position Ultra High Performance All-Season Tire."
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 6,200 Miles on Tires March 19, 2012
I just removed these tires as the winter season is over and clocked 10,000 km (6200)miles on them. Best winter tire I've owned and, imo, they overall are a better winter tire than the two sets of Michelin X-ice I've had. Though I believe the X-ice initially had slightly better ice grip that attribute reduced after a few thousand km making them about equal with the DM-V1's in that respect. However, In snow and slushy conditions the Blizzaks shine and really are quite remarkable, I never felt the X-ice were that great in anything more than a a couple inches of snow and they never made a believer out of me in slushy conditions . A pleasant bonus is how well these tires wear as well, after 10,000km on a heavy vehicle the tire tread depth was reduced to 12/32nds from the orig 14/32nds. Regarding road noise I believe the X-ice were very slightly quieter but surprisingly the Blizzaks are more quiet than a set of Michelin M/S2's I just put on. In short, the Blizzaks have exceeded my expectations in every category, wish I bought them sooner.
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires September 24, 2010
After about 40,000 miles on these tires I am very impressed. These tires hold the road very well in the dry and make a wet road feel as though it is dry. They are great under braking and have kept me out of one or two fender benders. They are slightly rough seeing as they are a higher performance all season tire, but I'm a driver that likes to feel connected to the road. The tire wear is also very good I rotate them every 3,000 with my oil change and there may be another 30,000 to 40,000 miles in them. I highly recommend these tires.
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires March 27, 2012
I've had these now for seven seasons, about 30,000 miles. I've used dedicated snow/summer tires on my sedans for thirty years. (Volvo/BMW/MB/Lincoln/Buick) Iv'e tried so many brands I've lost count, but these are the best balance of price/performance I've had yet. Reasonably quite, decent dry weather grip, great snow & ice grip, very good hydroplane resistance and long life, as dedicated snow tires go. They are due for replacement, I read the reviews for the Michelins, and even those buyers thought the Bridgestones Blizzacks had the last word in snow. I've been happy with them, I think I'll repurchase these tires.
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires February 28, 2010
We bought AWD for three reasons: 1) our steep driveway in the winter; 2) to get around for those few days of really big snow; 3) to do that without having to buy winter tires. But the OEM All-season tires (Bridgestone Dueler H/T) are worthless in even light snow. I can get up the driveway and get out in snow, but can't stop or turn. I'm well aware that AWD does not help stop or turn, but I expected a lot more from all-season tires.
With previous experience with winter tires, we bought these winter tires. It's the first time we bought this particular winter tire. It instantly transformed the vehicle into an invincible machine this winter. The added bonus is that it didn't seem to give up anything in the dry like my other set of Bridgestone Blizzaks (absolutely great winter tire), at least under normal operating g-loads.
The only bad thing about these tires (I found the same thing on another set of General all season) is the side wall doesn't look uniform -- looks like bulging.
Another vehicle that can present some challenges in regards to options for replacement tires is the Nissan Murano. Introduced in 2009, it came equipped with 235/55R20 sized tires. Currently, there are only a few options being offered in the O.E. size.
As an alternate size that'll provide more choices, we recommend 255/50R20. This size is approximately 3/4" wider and a mere 1/5" shorter than the original 235/55R20. We also list 265/50R20 tires as options that'll fit the original wheel without rubbing. This 265/50R20 size is 4/10" wider and taller than the 255/50R20.
Fast approaching on 20 million miles reported, the Dueler H/L Alenza consistently delivers in all key areas, such as wet and dry traction, ride comfort and longevity. It comes backed with a 65,000-mile treadlife warranty and a 30 Day Buy & Try Guarantee.
The Yokohama Parada Spec-X has been at or near the top of the Street/Sport Truck All-Season category for a few years now. With over 5 million miles reported on, you'll see a gain in wet and dry traction over the Bridgestone. While there are other tires available, start your search with these options from Yokohama and Bridgestone as they are two of the most popular options for your Nissan Murano.
Looking for tires for a vehicle other than a Nissan Murano? Be sure to take a look at a few of my blog posts on tire options for different vehicles:
As gas prices go up, consumers are looking for ways to stretch every dollar and gallon of fuel. Everyone from hybrid car owners like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid, to larger trucks and SUVs, such as the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford F-150 are very interested in low rolling resistance tires.
Last summer, Tire Rack tested three eco-focused tires that advertise better fuel economy and all-season capability: the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422, Continental ProContact with EcoPlus Technology, and Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max against a typical passenger car tire, the Yokohama AVID TRZ. Our testing program includes both dry and wet surface testing on our dedicated test track and a 6.6-mile loop of expressway, state highway and county roads that have a good mix of road conditions that include city and highway speeds, smooth and coarse concrete, as well as new and patched asphalt. Our newest addition to the testing program is an automotive computer tied into the vehicle's electronics that allow us to measure fuel consumption and true distance traveled.
During our Real World Road Ride test, the Continental and Bridgestone tires rated best for comfort and low road noise, while the Continental proved to be top-rated in handling, braking and cornering traction. Our computers added a new dimension to the testing by showing the Bridgestone (followed by the Goodyear) as having the best fuel efficiency.
At the end of the test, all four tires proved to be capable and quiet, with the Continental coming out on top by a slim margin over the Yokohama. As always, there are compromises for any model, so be sure to see if small gains in traction or comfort can be offset with improvements in fuel efficiency. For a full test report, review "Eco-Focused All-Season Tires: Do They Deliver on the Promise?"
The following post was created from content submitted via Tire Rack's consumer surveys. Information shown is the opinion of the consumer and meant to be used for comparison shopping purposes.
Initial Review, 2,500 Miles on Tires March 17, 2012
These were my first ever set of snow tires. I survived record snowfall last year (2010-2011) on a set of Bridgestone Pole Postition RE960AS on my 1994 Nissan Maxima, they were fine. This year (2011-2012) I bought a 2009 Camry LE 2.4 and equipped it with these Blizzak WS70s. And we proceeded to have the mildest winter in the history of western North Carolina. We had one significant snow event in the higher elevations at the the TN line. I had one day of fun blasting mountain roads with these tires. They were excellent! The most notable thing about them was the fact that I could stop on an icy hill and then go again. With all season tires here in the mountains, most stop signs are merely a polite suggestion. With the true winter tires I can stop anywhere and move again without drama. So in essence my experience with the winter tires is that I can stop and go slowly in places where I wouldn't dare slow down on all seasons. The car felt more like a car and less like a sled. Braking was phenomenal.
Now with that said, most of my experience is on 40-60 degree days on dry roads during this exceptionally mild winter. So how do the Blizzaks perform out of their element? OK. At 70 mph on dry interstate they made me feel like I was driving a giant millipede down the road. Those tall soft treadblocks were all over the place! But once I got used to it, it was ok. Inspite of the initial squeamishness I felt, I got used to the feeling and realized the car isn't going to do anything crazy. I even took the car past 100 mph just to see...Well I'm still alive to write this review. Its mid March now, so I'm making an appointment to switch back to my all seasons. I can't wait for next winter, hopefully their will be more than one snow event. And FYI the wear on the tires after 2500 non-snowy miles is negligible.
2008 Mini Cooper S
2007 Lincoln Navigator 4wd
As gas prices go up, consumers are looking for ways to stretch every dollar and gallon of fuel. Everyone from hybrid car owners like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid, to larger trucks and SUVs, such as the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford F-150 are very interested in low rolling resistance tires. 