Performance Winter Tires

Initial Review, 35,000 Miles on Tires
March 14, 2013

These tires replaced the OEM Bridgestones at 50K. They alternate with snow tires in winter (as we live in the UP of Michigan) so have no real experience with significant snow driving. They performed well the first couple of years, but last year (the 3rd on) the noise level increased significantly. They may make it through one more summer driving season, but will have to be replaced then. I will probably consider other brands when looking next time, although the performance per dollar was probably above average and the tread looks quite attractive/agressive.

Initial Review, 12,500 Miles on Tires
April 10, 2013

This was my second winter with the arctics on my tdi sportwagon. The tires performed flawlessly all winter, for the price you pay you get more for your money than other more expensive tires. If you live in the snowbelt area and do not run seperate winter wheels and tires your only kidding yourself for foul weather performance! I have been running seperate winter/ summer wheel and tire packages from the tire rack since the late 80's! Great people selling great products at reasonable prices!

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
April 07, 2013

I have always prefered a Michelin tire, and have had great service from them over the years. The prices are high, and I have wondered if part of that is paying for the name? A few years ago, we purchased a new truck with General tires on it, and the tires performed flawlessly. In fact those 11 year-old Generals were are currently on a farm trailer, and show no signs of dry rot, or other problems. After much thought, I decided to give these Generals a try. These tires are very quiet and smooth. They have great resistance to hydroplaning, which is a feature that I like a lot. The tires are not great in the snow, but than a V-8 powered RWD car is not so great in the snow either. I have a designated AWD winter vehicle, so winter traction does not matter to me. We live in the mountains with lots of winding roads, and tires get punished around here. I have the car set up with a stiff aftermarket suspension, so it rides harsh and corners like a sports car. The car no longer handles like a traditional Crown Victoria. Infact this car has seen an AutoCross track more then once... The OE tires where very soft and the car had a tendency to oversteer with them on it. These tires take the curves very well. So far they have passed the test. I plan to purchase three more sets, one for my wife's Crown Vic, and two sets for our two vintage Pontiac Trans AM show cars. For the price, nothing else compares. General seems to have hit the mark!

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 06, 2013

These converted our AWD Montego to a winter half track. Studded these tires on their own wheels and they actually out performed the Blizzaks on our other car, for a lot less cost. They have the usual studded winter tire squirm and noise, but not as bad as others were before. But after getting a 3 foot blizzard and many other snow storms, these have proven themselves. And on ice? You can't beat studded tires in my opinion. Took Tire Rack's advice and went down an inch in wheel and tire size, but the taller sidewall gives us the same effective ground clearance, which is valuable in deeper snow. And that taller sidewall is more forgiving on Maine's frost heaved, potholed roads.

Our new Michelin hydro all seasons were downright dangerous in snow the previous winter, so glad we got them off for winter!

Initial Review, 130 Miles on Tires
April 22, 2013

I used these April 21, 2013 at a Vancouver, British Columbia autocross event. The weather ranged from sunny to cloudy, damp to rain, and the tires stuck like glue in all of it. I was expecting them to not do great in wet conditions, but as long there is no standing water/puddles, the tires are great. They do hydroplane above 90 km/h in standing water, but I've had slightly worn all seasons that performed worse. There is a lot of tire noise at speeds below 50 km/h, but it gets less noticeable at higher speeds. The ride quality is also not great, but high noise and low ride quality is expected in a tire with capabilities as high as this one. The tread wear from autocross appears to be better than the Kumho Ecsta 4x all-seasons I used in very wet winter autocross events. I highly recommend these tires for anyone looking for a new autocross tire.

Initial Review, 31 Miles on Tires
December 14, 2012

Just bought a set of MD10 (17” alloy wheels) and Bridgestone WS70 tyres (balance & mounted with sensors) from www.tirerack.com and saved over $1300.00 Canadian Dollars compared to buying them directly from the Dealership. I got the alloy wheels and tyres in 4 days from the United States. Great service, as well as fast and efficient. I got Lexus of Calgary to mount them onto my Lexus CT200H 2012. These tyres are like Velcro to ice and snow. I live in the South West of Calgary, which is very hilly, like Bow and Sarcee Trail. These Bridgestone WS70’s perform very well indeed and I have great confidence in their hill start, accelerating, cornering and most importantly stopping. I have over 24 years of driving experience from Europe, as well as here in Canada and I must say that these Bridgestone WS70 tyres, perform very well indeed. I would never dream of driving in winter without them.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 25, 2013

We had a very dry winter in Denver until April. I was quite pleased with this tire on dry pavement. It has very good traction for a winter tire and is amazingly quiet. I finally got to see it perform on the snow, and it met all expections. Easily the best snow tire i have ever driven. And the price is excellent, too.

Initial Review, 200 Miles on Tires
April 25, 2013

Just put these on my Cayman after wearing out my second set of Michelin PS2's and taking off my Michelin Alpin winter tires. They look great. Very different feel. Immediately more comfortable - softer ride, quiet, but there's a slightly "floaty" feel and a brief delay when you turn the wheel before the car turns. Still grips on a hard curve, its just the connection between driver and road is a little fuzzy compared to the other tires which, frankly, are punishing as every day drivers. Was only getting 32,000 miles out of the PS2's and needed more durability for my dollar. Haven't driven them in rain or snow yet. Will update. So if you switch from a dedicated high performance summer tires, which are all considerably more expensive and last half as long, be prepared to trade off some precision for comfort.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 13, 2013

While only 10000 miles have been driven on these set of winter tires, their first impression has been a very good one. Traction in deep snow is remarkable, the ride is quiet, and grip and performance are predictable. I did notice that the ride is stiff, however, but among other parameters, this is not a concern. Looking forward to gathering more experience during the 2013-2014 winter season.

Initial Review, 75,000 Miles on Tires
April 15, 2013

I have 205/55R16 size tires on my car. Brand new they're no better in the snow than my 97,000 mile old OEM Michelins that I replaced! Sliding and spinning everywhere no matter how slow you go. I had them "road force balanced" when new and rotated them every 4000 miles along with watching how they were wearing to adjust tire pressure accordingly. Longevity is excellent but they're absolutely terrible in the snow. I now have 75,000 miles on these and they're at 3/32". They handle corners better now that they're almost slicks. I've been driving on these through 2 winters now. Was hoping to get a good compromise between cornering and snow capability. I'll just get a set of performance tires to get me through the next 4-8 seasons. I might as well get the tires I want if all-seasons don't work any better! I'm not about to waste money on winter tires.

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
February 07, 2013

Great winter tire, but like most winter tires they wear quickly if you drive them on dry pavement. I have had these tires on for three years of Wisconsin winters and have gone through countless snow storms with no issues. Honestly I feel safer driving my 2wd truck in the snow with these tires than with a 4x4 vehicle. I could only imagine how well these tires would perform if they were studded also.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
February 08, 2013

Have only 2,000 miles on these tires, but so far so good. They are amazing in the cold dry and have gotten me through a huge blizzard this year. Ultimate snow traction is less than studless tires but the tradeoff is well worth it for the dry weather performance. I would definitely recommend to other C63 drivers.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 12, 2013

Excellent winter tires for my truck. They performed well in all conditions (dry, wet, snow, ice and slush, as well as cornering, acceleration and stopping). In deep snow, my truck did some fish-tailing as I had no weight on bed and I could feel it pushes the front wheels through the snow. Once I turned the 4x4 on, the truck went like a charm through the snow and didn't flinch a bit. After one winter with 10k miles, there is a noticeable tread wear on rear wheels compared to front wheels which still looks like new. Will have to rotate them after 5k miles next winter.

Initial Review, 25,000 Miles on Tires
April 13, 2013

This is a very nice tire. I use a performance winter tire for 5 months each year so this tire is on my car about 60% of the year. It has lasted 3 seasons now and comfortably has another season remaining judging by the remaining tread depth. It is quiet and grippy at 7 tenths driving. I have full confidence in this tire at any speed and feel it is great value for the price as well as offering performance that exceeds my requirements. Is there a better tire out there for extremely aggressive driving? Well, maybe but you will likely pay more and experience quicker tread wear and less comfort. For most BMW owners this tire will not disappoint. M3 owners who need to tear up every piece of road they find themselves on? They are a fussy type of driver who might find something to complain about. This is a very under-rated tire and I would recommend it to anyone.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
April 09, 2013

Purchased this tire to replace Pilot Sport A/S Plus and switch to summer/winter dedicated sets. I cannot say enough things about how awesome the performance is! Fantastic dry grip, fantastic wet grip and amazingly, extremely good ride quality and noise for a tire of this performance level. I wasn't going for that specifically, but it sure is a nice bonus for a max performance tire that I daily drive on. I can't say much about wear yet, as I've only had them on for about 500 miles. I do autocross as well, and I will follow-up with a review on their performance, but I am expecting great things. For someone who wants all the grip you could realistically use on a street tire, without any of the compromises of the others in its league, this is your tire.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
April 04, 2013

I drive my 328i to work most days, and live in Edmonton, Canada - where we can get all four seasons in an afternoon, and our winter takes its toll on everything. I bought the Michelins because they were held out to be a great combination of ride, handling, traction and wear. They replaced the rock hard run flats that came stock with the BMW - yikes... Anyways, I was very impressed with the Michelins on everything, from dry straight to twisty wet - except the ice. At anything below freezing, the Michelins turn into hockey pucks. It makes driving more fun, but less safe!!!

I would absolutely recommend these to fellow BMW drivers, but would also recommend that they look at some of the lower cost alternatives - like the Pirellis, Contis or even the Kumho Ecstas. I will likely take a look at replacing these with a 4 Season (NOT all season) tire like the Pirelli or Kumho 4S - just so long as I don't have to take a huge hit on performance. As it is, the Michelin is a fantastic "almost" all season tire, and if I lived in Europe or south of the Snow belt, I'd buy it again. Or maybe I should just move to So Cal...