Winter is on its way, and we’re expecting particularly rough winter weather this season in Utah. While you may be tempted to save money by sticking to your all-season tires, the truth is that these just won’t give you the level of grip and safety you need when navigating the roads this winter.
Winter tires feature bulky tread and more siping (which are the thin cuts across the tread). This design pushes ice, slush, snow, and even water away from your tires while you’re driving, maximizing your contact with the road.
These tires also have better stopping power because of the way the rubber, tread, and siping have been designed. In fact, tests show that in snowy and icy conditions, winter tires achieve around 25% shorter stopping distances than all-season tires.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, when temperatures are really cold, your fuel consumption could increase anywhere from between 12 to 28%.
Winter tires can help limit this increase because they improve the grip your vehicle has on the road, and for this reason, they require less energy which can result in lower fuel consumption.
So, which winter tires should you consider? It’s true that they are a key investment for your car and you will be using them for a few years, so choosing the right brand and model is essential.
The Bridgestone Blizzak range of tires has been around for over 20 years and is a reliable choice for many drivers. Because they’ve been around for a while, however, we asked ourselves the question “are these tires still worth buying?”.
In short, the answer is a resounding “yes!”. But let’s explore the reasons why we still recommend these outstanding value tires to our customers.
No matter the vehicle you are driving, be it a commercial vehicle, SUV, sedan, or luxury vehicle—the Blizzak range of tires has been developed to perform well under the toughest winter weather conditions.
Bridgestone has invested an enormous amount of time to ensure that this range of tires will help ensure a safer, smoother, and more enjoyable ride for you in winter.
Apart from the advanced technology behind the Bridgestone Blizzak tires, they offer excellent value for money.
Here’s a quick look at the Blizzak tire technology:
Bridgestone has revolutionized tire design at the molecular level by using their unique technology NanoPro-Tech (nanostructure-oriented properties control technology).
This technology improves tire traction in wet conditions, fuel efficiency, wear resistance, and durability.
The RC polymers that they use control the change of the rubber properties in their tires across the temperature range and help the silica perform more effectively. This improves the traction of the Blizzak range of tires on icy and snowy roads.
Both of these features protect your vehicle from slipping and sliding while driving, which is the most important reason why you’d fit winter tires to your car.
The 3D zig-zag sipes from Bridgestone provide a multitude of biting edges through a series of zig-zag grooves that cover the surface of the tire.
These angled sipes work together to create a cross-hatch design, which provides support and maintains high block stiffness when under pressure.
With better block stiffness and biting edges, 3D zig-zag sipe technology provides better winter tire grip in winter driving conditions.
| Key Point: What Is Block Stiffness in Tires? Block stiffness in tires refers to the firmness of the tread blocks on the tire’s surface. Tread blocks are the raised, usually square-shaped segments on a tire’s surface that come into contact with the road. The design and stiffness of these blocks can have a big impact on the tire’s performance, including its traction, handling, and ride comfort. |
The multicell compound that Bridgestone uses accounts for 45% of the tread. This special compound forms millions of microscopic pores that remove those thin coats of surface water that can cause your car to slide on icy surfaces.
Bridgestone has incorporated this multicell compound in the manufacture of their Blizzak tires to provide an optimized tread width and more tire grip.
There are several Blizzak tire options to choose from, covering performance, luxury, and light truck/SUV models. Let’s dive in and examine our top four tires from the Bridgestone Blizzak range to help you decide which option is best for you and your vehicle.
❄️ Winter snow and ice.
🚘 Ride comfort.
🌧️ Wet performance.
In addition to the physical design of the tread with its interlocking sipes and multiple edges, the Multi-Cell tread compound that Bridgestone uses, is hydrophilic. This means that it pulls water away from the icy road surface to enhance traction and shorten your braking distance in icy conditions.
The Blizzak WS90 will also last longer than other winter tires thanks to its design. Depending on the average number of months with wintery conditions in your area and the number of miles you drive per month, Bridgestone says that you could get an entire extra season of winter driving out of these tires compared to the WS80.
❄️ Winter snow and ice.
🚘 Ride comfort.
🔇 Quiet ride.
The Blizzak DM V2 is a very popular choice for SUVs, crossovers, and light trucks. Apart from excellent cold-weather handling and braking power, Bridgestone incorporated special ‘bite particles’ on the tread of the DM V2.
These allow for additional traction and control on ice, which you need with larger, heavier vehicles.
❄️ Winter snow and ice.
🚘 Ride comfort.
⏳ Tread life.
The Blizzak LM001 is the flagship tire in Bridgestone’s performance winter tire lineup. Developed for sedans and coupes, these tires have been designed to offer impressive grip and control in harsh winter conditions.
In fact, they are so good at ensuring outstanding driving performance that they have been found to offer a ride that is nearly as comfortable as in drier weather.
The advanced tread compound used in the Blizzak LM001 also ensures a longer tread life, which means that you can even gain up to an additional season of winter driving on these tires, depending on how you drive and the distance you clock every month.
❄️ Winter snow and ice.
🌧️ Wet performance.
☀️ Dry performance.
The Blizzak LM-32 winter tire is Bridgestone’s performance winter tire designed for sports cars, sporty coupes, and performance sedans.
This tire model was originally introduced in sizes for Aston Martin Rapide four-door sports cars, but this design has since been extended to cover a wide range of tire sizes for numerous vehicle brands.
The tread compound used in Blizzak LM-32 tires features a unique polymer technology that enhances cold-weather traction. Its rounded shoulders promote dry and wet road handling, which makes this an outstanding tire for all performance and luxury vehicles.
You should consider switching to winter tires when the temperature consistently drops below 45°F (7°C).
Remember that switching to winter tires is not just about driving in snow; it’s also about improving your safety and control on cold, icy, and wet roads.
When you maintain your winter tires with regular rotation and balancing, you will enjoy far better handling and stopping when driving in winter weather.
We remain thoroughly impressed with the Bridgestone Blizzak range of winter tires. Apart from the advanced technology that Bridgestone has invested in to enable a safe and comfortable ride, these tires often last longer than options from other tire manufacturers.
In addition to this, the Bridgestone Blizzak range of tires is very well priced. You can’t really go wrong with the combination of excellent workmanship, performance, and price from a well-recognized and successful tire brand such as this.
Whether you’re on a tight budget, or looking for winter tires for a specific purpose, our team at Burt Brothers is here to help you make the right choice.
Reach out to us today to find out more about the Bridgestone Blizzak range of tires we have in stock. You can also pop in and see us for a free tire assessment on your vehicle. Book your appointment at a Burt Brothers store near you!
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