Studded Snow Tires

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
February 05, 2013

I rely on these reviews for all my tire purchases, so I try to write up my recent experiences. I bought a set of Winterforces 11/12 for our WA mountain winter driving. We have a cabin at the end of a snowy, icy road (dirt in summer). The 'last mile,' our driveway, is a steep nasty hill, 800 feet long with a nice little hairpin in the middle. Lots of snow this year in Winthrop, WA where we are. These tires are doing great. Lock up the VTM-4, turn off the darned VSA, and let the tires go to work. Had to use chains once, but the bottom had fallen out of the driveway with 8" of new wet snow. Great too over the 'compact snow & ice' mountain passes at 65 mph. Totally fine around town too. If you need a good snow tire in the best value category, these are great candidates.. (Mine are not studded.)

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
January 27, 2013

excellent tire. have had two sets on this car and currently on one other car with 4-5 months of winter driving each and would buy again. all tires purchased have had studs installed, so have to be aware of studs on spirited dry cornering otherwise a very good all condition snow tire.
Had a great recent experience with customer service rep Theresa when one brand new tire developed a slow leak due to stud puncture after less than 500 miles. replaced and shipped to non home location while traveling. Thanks Theresa!

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
December 27, 2012

This is the "Most Boring Snow Tire" I have ever driven on in 40 years of driving!

I picked the "unstudded" Altimax Artic tires up at the Tire Rack Connecticut Distribution Center only yesterday, and as I was getting them installed found out we were getting snow last night. I work nights about 25 miles away, and the drive is on a rural state highway which is narrow, with lots of hills, curves, areas where water pools, and a high crown in the center of the road, typically in snow, there are a lot of accidents on this road.

I made two trips on this road last night the first in about 3" of snow with ice underneath, and the second after the snow had changed to rain and was a heavy wet slush. I drove at the posted speed limit without a slip or, a slide, with only the slightest degradation in traction both ways, there is no need for studs with this tire. In the heavy wet slush the road was still quite well covered with tire grooves in the snow, when going out of the groove typically you will get quite a bit of a hooking pull, with these tires the pull was non-existent, and all that was noticeable was a slight increase in rolling resistance on that side with easy steering either across the mound or, back into the groove. This tire is amazing, and by far the best winter tire I have ever driven on, exceeding the confidence level experienced in my 4WD Ramcharger in snow.

In addition to the trip to and from work I drove quite a few miles while working to pick up parts I needed for a project. All in all, it was a very boring maiden voyage, with the only annoyance being cars on lessor tires that were in my way.

The car is a 99 Nissan Maxima GLE I recently purchased used, and in another storm earlier this year on all season radiala the handling could best be described as evil, treacherous, and where the -------- is the accident going to be, because there was going to be one. The transformation was amazing!

Would I buy these tires again? -------- Yea!

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!

Initial Review, 11,000 Miles on Tires
January 29, 2013

Have these tires on a V6 Fusion that loved to slip all over the road with the all-season Continental's that were on before. I live in NH and tend to drive a little faster than average in the snow and feel very confident about the traction these tires provide. They are on their 3rd season and I have lots of tread life left. I did get the studs which are great on ice, but considering we seem to not see that much of ice I probably wouldn't go studded just because of the noise next time. I will be buying these tires again! I have the new Michelin X-I3 on another car, and other than the noise I think these are just as good!

Initial Review, 200 Miles on Tires
January 11, 2013

This was the second winter for the set of Yokohama M/S tires on my Outback. Last year they did OK, but I was disappointed with the acceleration while turning swerving, blaming it on what I thought was a poorly designed "Symmetric AWD system" on the Subaru. This winter the tires got truly dangerous on the hard packed snow/ice in our recent storm here in Tahoe. I slid through a stop sign, nearly rear ended a plow at a signal and, when my wife got stuck in the snow and ended up partially imbedded in a snow bank, I ordered a set of steel wheels mounted with these Altimax tires. I had the tires studded to minimize any chance of having further traction issues. The set of wheels/tires arrived promptly, mounted and perfectly balanced. I put them on the Outback, brought the tire pressure up slightly to specs and was amazed on my test drive around town. Great traction!

I suspect the traction is due more to the tread design and rubber softness than the studs. The noise due to having the studs is negligible inside the car at any speed, even on highways/dry pavement.

My faith in Subaru has been restored. I paid $800 delivered for the package and couldn't be happier.

Initial Review, 16,000 Miles on Tires
January 08, 2013

This is the 2nd set of tires I have had on my truck. At first I had a set of Nexen street tires on the beast. The winter of 2010-11 had me replace those things fast.
The wife and I are powder hounds and therefore need a tire that performs well in ice and snow. This is where this tire really just delivers. I can't tell you how many storms I have driven through in the Sierra Nevada both with these tires and with street tires. These make all the difference. No tire is great on ice unless you have studs and these are studdable but I like to keep a good amount of distance between me and the guy in front of me in icy conditioons and these perform just fine. These tires really shine in deep snow. So far the record is just below my knee which is about 10-12 inches or so. I was nervous for the first 500 feet but after that it was actually a little fun.
I have driven these on the beach and off road quite a bit as well. They aren't great in sand. They aren't great in mud but I haven't gotten stuck yet. Knock on wood. On dirt roads and rocks they are fine but my street tires were fine in those conditions as well. I haven't noticed any difference in gas mileage since I put them on.
I have driven them about 16k miles and the tread has worn a little more than I like but they come with a 60k warranty we'll see how that plays out. I have them rotated every 6k miles when I change my oil.
Overall a very solid tire. I know they will last longer than the Michelins I have on the BMW and I know they are made better. The balance weights on the tires is proof of that.
They perform where I absolutely need them too and that is to get me to the mountains and back so I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

Initial Review, 470 Miles on Tires
December 10, 2012

OK, Im sure you're saying "why is this guy writing a review with only 470 miles on his set of tires?", I will tell you why. Totally impressed with these tires! Yes, I have just purchased them and I may still be on my honeymoon post purchase but, thus far these tires are fantastic. I drove all the miles on the highway with almost every road condition except extreme heat and they performed like rockstars. I did notice a little more push in the corners as compared to the Continental Conti-pro-Contact tires I just replaced but not enough to warrant spending another $60-90 dollars per tire. Since my tires are wider than a normal passenger tire, the slushy junk tended to pull the car a bit but not enough to give you the feeling like "I just lost control". I drove in 6" of light (powder) snow up hill at 65 MPH and had no problem over taking trucks and AWD vehicles. They performed great on the ice and hard-pack as well. They are not a "winter only tire" but thus far have worked almost as well as my wife's studded Bridgestone Blizzack tires in winter conditions. If you are looking for an All-Season tire like me, this is the one I'd tell you to look at. Also the purchase went smooth as silk. Ordered on a Tuesday and installed on a Thursday. Customer service was great (thanks Tucker, I think thats the name) and the price was a full $130 less than anyone would match for the same tire installed. Im a fan of Tire Rack and the tires I just got.

Initial Review, 800 Miles on Tires
January 02, 2013

I just purchased these tires about a month and a half ago, and Im in love with them. Ive never owned winter tires that preform so well. These studless tires worked even better than the studded tires I used last year. Just to give a little perspective; one night i was coming home from work and it was snowing pretty hard. The roads were covered with snow and as I started up one of the biggest hills in Spokane, I noticed numerous vehicles stopped in the middle of the road and also on the side of the road. They apparently did not have sufficient traction to make it up the hill. I found it sort of funny because (other than the snow on the road) there was no indication that the road was slick. I literally had not slipped the whole way there, or the whole way up the hill for that matter. I had perfect traction. Ive had no problems with them at all and I would definately consider these tires to be top of the line.

Initial Review, 3,500 Miles on Tires
January 12, 2013

I bought a set of these Blizzak WS70s to mount on a set of dedicated black steel wheels when I realized the OEM low-rolling resistance tires were woefully inadequate and bordered on dangerous in any sort of snow or near/below-freezing conditions. A recent trip up Mount Hood on a variety of road conditions revealed them to be very competent performers in a wide variety of conditions. The road up to Timberline Lodge was hard-packed snow and these tires never once slipped or needed the intervention of the stability control, even at speeds of 35-40 MPH and with temperatures in the around 10ºF. A quick test on some fresh powder of around 6-8" in depth revealed similar performance; easy starts, easy stops and turns. These are among the best snow tires out there.

These tires also perform admirably on wet and dry roads although there is a bit more road noise than one might like, it's a trade-off that I'm more than willing to make. If you've used studded tires or think you can't make it through winter without them, try these instead. They'll make you a believe in studless tires!

Initial Review, 800 Miles on Tires
December 27, 2012

Bought these tires back in October as kind of a fluke, I wanted a set of winter tires and with wheels and everything it came out to 600ish for the 4. So why not..I got them and wouldn't you know it, no snow till now (Euclid). I put them on Chirstmas morning when I had to travel to Rochester, and before putting them on I took the car around the block with my normal all season tires, and struggled getting back up a hill with maybe 7 degree incline. I didn't want to put them on just because I knew once I got out of the mountains it was going to be nothing but dry pavement, regardless I put them on. Was I AMAZED. I was comfortably doing 65mph on back roads, 40mph around foothill type roads with turns. Traction was amazing, the back end was a little loose, but I fixed that problem by putting 3 of my all seasons tires and wheels in the trunk. (Hey at least they were good for something.)

So here we are now, Euclid just came through and dropped about a foot, and I had to be out the door and on the roads at 6 am this morning, before anything but the major roads were plowed, and nothing stopped me. I was passing full weight pick up trucks because they weren't going fast enough.

What I have found with these tires is that the steering is kind of sloppy, (Feels very soft.) and that trying to get traction in slush that the plow trucks clean up is also a P.I.T.A, but in fresh unplowed, or minimally plowed snow, these tires are amazing. The only regret I have is not getting them studded when I had the chance.

Gas mileage has decreased about 4-5 MPG's, but for the sense and security that I have with these tires, and knowing that almost no winter weather will stop me, there are worth every penny.

Initial Review, 1,200 Miles on Tires
December 21, 2012

Driving in snow and ice conditions.
The Blizzak has great traction in the snow and ice, I feel very comfortable and secure in all road condtions. I have always driven on studded tires but now doubt I will go back after driving on the new Blizzak WS70's.

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
December 25, 2012

I've had these on my truck for about 8k now and couldn't be happier with them. Not going to lie, they are loud on the highway, specifically between 50 and 65, they seem to get a little quieter at higher speeds. These are about 4" larger than the factory tire size on my truck and they fit well. Just had our first snow (which I was waiting to write this review for) and they are great. Aside from studding them, or going with a true winter/ice tire, ice and light snow traction doesn't really get much better... On our farm, we had small drifts of about a foot in places sitting on top of loose grass - couldn't have asked for more traction with any tire...

On the road, they are civilized in the dry and wet specifically - never once had any of those "butt pucker" moments with these, whereas a set of the older BFG M/T's I have had several, different vehicles, but driven the same...

In the mud, they are amazing. A friends truck got stuck in a mud pit (with a m/t tire), pulled him out, I was able to pull into the mud, stop, back up, and continue... Sure, different truck, but these are so good at self cleaning that never did they feel bogged down...

I don't think its possible, but the only improvement possible, IMO, with these would be reduced noise. Relative to other M/T Tires, though, they are similar. I would recommend rotating these tires more often than most, I've been doing every 3-4k...

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
December 25, 2012

I have used an earlier version of this tire on my previous car, the 2005 G35 coupe. I remembered the amazing winter performance of this tire so when it came time to get dedicated snow set for my new BMW I went straight for the Bridgestone WS70. On the burn in I notice them wander some on dry 40F+ road while doing 75+ mph. Below those speeds they are more than acceptable in 'warmer' conditions, I expect them to improve with burn in. Last night I had a chance to experience them in below freezing conditions with 1+ inch of snow. They are amazing. You do have to be somewhat easy on the throttle though as any moderate acceleration will spin these tires with the 300 torque the 335i has. In New York, in the summer, Ultra performance summer tires are the way to go, in the winter stud-less ice and snow are the ticket. You will sacrifice quite a lot of the dry performance BUT! you will be unstoppable in the winter conditions. I have maneuvered around countless SUVs with there AWD and all-season tires while they are struggling to keep in straight line. I have had now 10 years of blizzak winter performance use, I have used winter sports tires in the past (dunlop m3 sport) and although they are better behaved in dry conditions, they do not measure up in bad winter weather.

Bridgestone WS70 ... like a boss.

Initial Review, 400 Miles on Tires
October 21, 2009

Having moved from San Diego to Seattle the ContiSportContact2 that came on my wife’s GTI just wasn't cutting it in the wet PNW. After doing a ton of research it came down the ExtremeContact DWS or the Dunlop PZeroNero All Season. I've had 3 sets of the Nero M&S on my BMW and was really happy with them, but in the end I thought I would go for the Conti's. I've only put on about 400 miles, but can give those considering these tires some stuff to think help. I'd say I'm a spirted driver, Seattle folks might call me aggressive, but come on the left lane is for passing and not for you to try and make us all obey the speed limit. Sorry I digress. The reviews I’ve read are right on, but moving from a summer tire to these All Seasons I’ve definitely noticed some performance loss. Mainly with a softer sidewall the tires flexes more than the previous tires. Not to bad, but noticeable. Wet is really where this tire shines, you feel completely planted like there isn't any rain or that the ground is even wet. I've only pushed it a little, but it gives you great confidence. Snow, last winter the summer tires couldn't even get through 3 inches of snow so I’m hoping for a big improvement. I also noticed the numb spot the test results were talking about and it happens most driving at freeway speeds, but I only really noticed it for a couple of days and I you get use to it. Bottom line, great tires for price and tread life is awesome. Btw, the ride is much smoother with the DWS and now a conversation can be heard without yelling on Seattle freeways. For those who have not been to Seattle, the freeways are horrible from people putting on studded tires. I’m sure they are the same drivers that won’t get over to the right, the LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING.

Initial Review, 0 Miles on Tires
October 09, 2012

I have owned two other sets of these tires. Low road noise and excellent traction on ice or snow. Sure beats listening to the humming sound of studded snow tires.