1st snow--tire review. And rant.

by "Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
Published 12/12/2017 at 10:10

Tags: snow ; snow tires ; yay snow
STARS: 1

Aaaaaand the verdict is... i*Pikes ain’t got nothing on Blizzaks.

It’s not that they’re bad. And it seems most people who’ve used them liked them. But they really highlight something—there’s snow tires, and then there’s Blizzaks. Seriously. Going off memory I’d say these are roughly on par with Blizzaks that already have a season of wear on them. Still pretty decent traction, they offer predictable handling most of the time, but nowhere near the nailed-down feeling of the Blizzaks.

Of course, this initial impression could have something to do with the idiots who run this city salting the ever-loving fuck out of the roads BEFORE the snow came. It’s one thing if you’re expecting flurries. It’s another when you’re expecting 6". Raw snow is far better than that disgusting mix you get with snow on top and slush underneath. Plow then salt, people. WTF. Instead, they do this:

There’s already 2" down and they refuse to put the bloody blade down. WHAT THE HELL IS IT FOR IF NOT FOR THIS. SALT ISN’T GOING TO HELP UNLESS YOU TAKE AWAY THE SNOW DAMMIT.

On the bright side, yay snow!!!

Replies (46)

"PS9" (PS9)
12/12/2017 at 10:17, STARS: 5

Blizzaks are really good for escaping white walkers. I was getting some when the night king showed up and murdered the whole tire team (there was a white suburban with blue headlights there, I assume it was his and he wasn’t happy about what they did with it)

Luckily for me, the blizzaks were already mounted when the team turned to white walkers, so I was able to get out of there before they could get me. Shame about the wall, but driving by as the dragons blew it away with fire was cool to see.

"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/12/2017 at 10:22, STARS: 2

I just realized I’m 39 and have never owned — or even ridden in — a car with snow tires.

I chalk it up to never living in a cold climate, and only visiting places with no snow on vacacation. Except that one time my buddy and I went to CO in March in his Nissan Sentra with the 1.6. All season tires with almost no tread left.

Yeah, we parked it for a few days and bummed rides with Subarus.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
12/12/2017 at 10:23, STARS: 1

I have no f*cking clue what I just read.

"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
12/12/2017 at 10:23, STARS: 0

blizzaks work great the first 2 season...then they seem to lose a LOT of performance...and yes, they are a SNOW tire. not a cold weather tire.

I always prefered the michilens. 90% of the snow performances, but they dont die after 2 years and they are WAY better when its just cold and wet

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
12/12/2017 at 10:23, STARS: 0

You’re missing out

"Tripper" (tripe46)
12/12/2017 at 10:24, STARS: 1

Agree, I have a set of blizzaks for the M3 and decided to save a couple hundred and go with Yokohama IceGuards for the S3. They’re great in the snow but trash in the rain, and dangerous when the temp is above 40.

"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
12/12/2017 at 10:27, STARS: 1

Blizzaks are the RE71rs of snow tires. Really, really good grip in their intended conditions but they suffer a bit outside those conditions and wear out quickly.

"itschrome" (itschrome)
12/12/2017 at 10:28, STARS: 1

Blizzaks are nice but they aren’t the final word they use to be. The rest of the market has definitely caught up and even surpassed in some cases.

Still god damn great tires. I’m on Dunlop winter maxx and they are just as good as any Blizzaks I’ve ever owned.

Blizzaks were out of stock when I got them, but I’m happy with them.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
12/12/2017 at 10:30, STARS: 0

They do burn off in a hurry, so there’s that. But afaic they are completely unmatched in the snow. Like I said going by memory the Hankooks are a rough match for a second-year set of Blizzaks... by that measure it’s not even a contest. You get a way better first year, a decent second, even last year for me (3rd season) when they were close to bald they were far from terrible. Win.

I think Michelins are more aimed at ice iirc. Really good at it too, but they sacrifice snow performance for it. I like to mess about in the snow so I’d rather have the Blizzaks :)

Unfortunately my tire size isn’t available. In either.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
12/12/2017 at 10:31, STARS: 0

Blizzaks are just straight-up unavailable for me :(

"itschrome" (itschrome)
12/12/2017 at 10:33, STARS: 0

tire size or regional thing?

"G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3" (gbodyman)
12/12/2017 at 10:36, STARS: 3

If you think the Blizzaks are good, wait until you try something with Hakkapeliitta R2s.

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/12/2017 at 10:37, STARS: 1

Blizzaks are good but they’re not in their own league. There are definitely other snow tires that can hold up to Blizzaks. All you’ve confirmed is that i’Pikes aren’t one of them.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
12/12/2017 at 10:38, STARS: 0

Tire size. It’s still listed on Bridgestone’s website but nobody has them and when they try and bring them in they get told they’ve been discontinued.

"PS9" (PS9)
12/12/2017 at 10:38, STARS: 4

WE HAVE BEEN TOLD FOR LIKE SIX YEARS NOW THAT WINTER IS COMING, AND YOU KNOW NOT OF THE WHITE WALKERS?!

"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
12/12/2017 at 10:40, STARS: 3

You know nothing Small Bear.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
12/12/2017 at 10:40, STARS: 0

I believe it. Not available in my size though... same as the Blizzaks. :(

"itschrome" (itschrome)
12/12/2017 at 10:40, STARS: 1

that sucks.. what size do you use? worse case I like these dunlop’s if they are an option.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
12/12/2017 at 10:42, STARS: 0

OK, fair point. But considering the good reviews of the i*Pikes I thought it was a safe assumption.

Name some. I’m interested in any that aren’t priced sky-high.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
12/12/2017 at 10:42, STARS: 1

Apparently.

"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/12/2017 at 10:44, STARS: 1

I know...we still get to have fun a couple times a year, but without that pesky “owning a snowblower” or “buying winter tires” part.

Here’s last Friday:

And today, sunny and 60 (F). Back to normal.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
12/12/2017 at 10:46, STARS: 0

235/75R16.

Was an OEM GM size for a while but they aren’t doing 16" rims anymore. I think it was on the Colorado’s and vans.

I guess they figure truck owners often change the rims anyway and fleets don’t often splurge on snow tires... there’s only a couple tires available that aren’t bargain basement garbage.

"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
12/12/2017 at 10:47, STARS: 1

Nokian hakkapellitta R2 for the win. Just got them on my pacifica van and, they are awesome! And this coming from some Dunlop 3s for my Audi’s. I’m going to swap those out next year with a set of the nokians.

"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
12/12/2017 at 10:50, STARS: 0

Lol. I just saw your post, after I was singing praises for the Nokian R2s as well. Just had them mounted yesterday in my minivan. Who needs AWD? Not me anymore.... okay just kidding, I still like AWD, but these tires on the front driver are pretty incredible. I’m going to replace my Dunlop winter 3s next year with a set of the nokians for my S8. So much win.

"itschrome" (itschrome)
12/12/2017 at 10:50, STARS: 0

ah, because truck tire. Yeah they never stock enough snows in truck/suv size.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
12/12/2017 at 10:50, STARS: 0

In that case maybe they’ll come back. *crosses fingers*

"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
12/12/2017 at 10:55, STARS: 0

I’ll second the Dunlop’s if that’s the best you can find. They definitely last for winter driving and are decent in the snow. Not great on ice, but better than AS tires. I’ve got at least 5 seasons on my set and the damn things refuse to die. I want to replace them, but can’t justify it this year, but probably next year. And they will hold up to higher temps as well. I’ve run mine in 60 degree temps without issue. So not a bad choice.

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
12/12/2017 at 11:02, STARS: 2

Yep. The hakkapeliitta’s are as far above Blizzaks as Blizzaks are above the rest of the normal snow tires. Nokian is undoubtedly the best snow and winter tire manufacturer on the market. I wish they made something that would have fit my car

"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce)
12/12/2017 at 11:06, STARS: 0

My continental contiwinter or whatever er it is is so much better than my old blizzaks. I’m even running just as thin of a tire on the FoST as I did with the First and dry and snow traction is so much better with the contis.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
12/12/2017 at 11:18, STARS: 0

With you. They don’t have my size either.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
12/12/2017 at 11:20, STARS: 0

Really? Even my nearly bald Blizzaks weren’t bad. The i*Pikes are much better than that to be sure, but they were shockingly good even with the siping worn through in many places.

Dry traction isn’t great, I’ll grant you that. They basically just melt off

"404 - User No Longer Available" (toni-cipriani)
12/12/2017 at 11:23, STARS: 1

I had no issues with my used iPikes, but then at the same time I was comparing them to Eagle RS-As...

Still happy with my 5-year old Conti ExtremeWinterContacts.

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/12/2017 at 11:33, STARS: 1

Usually Nokians test better than Blizzaks. Without breaking down every category and model, usually in addition to Blizzak, the other good brands are Michelin, Continental, Firestone & General. Pirelli has been getting better with their newer models.

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/12/2017 at 11:37, STARS: 1

Nokians are definitely good. Assuming you’re talking about Dunlop WinterSports, those are a performance winter vs. the Hakka R2 are a studless winter. Performance winters give up some snow/ice capability compared to studless, in return for sportier dry/wet handling.

"G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3" (gbodyman)
12/12/2017 at 12:25, STARS: 1

My buddy has R2s on his AWD Sienna. That thing in the snow is like driving a car with all-seasons with 5/32nd of tread in the wet. It’s really hard to get it to break loose.

"G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3" (gbodyman)
12/12/2017 at 12:26, STARS: 1

Ahh, damn.

"nerd_racing" (nerd189)
12/12/2017 at 12:59, STARS: 1

I like my General Tire Alitmax Arctics. I had blizzaks on my 128i and it was great, but for how fast they wore out it wasn’t worth the extra cost. I replaced them with the Generals and really saw no penalty in traction.

"benjrblant" (benjblant)
12/13/2017 at 11:02, STARS: 1

Did you put those tires on the ‘Rado? Man, I bet blizzaks on that thing would be rad.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
12/13/2017 at 11:18, STARS: 1

I did. It was almost a chore to drift in the snow with Blizzaks. Just didn’t want to unstick. Never felt worried about getting stuck either.

^ Pictured—not a road. Snow depth between 5-8". Driving through a ditch necessary to gain access.

These tires now... they felt pretty glued down in 4wd, so I don’t think I’d get stuck with them either. But they definitely don’t have the same grip in the snow. I rarely needed 4wd with Blizzaks.

That said, I’ve changed my opinion since I posted this first. While they aren’t as good in snow or slush, they’re quite good on the hard-packed mix of snow and ice you get when they don’t bother to plow and the temp hits -10. So it seems they’ve traded off a little snow ability for extra ice ability.

"benjrblant" (benjblant)
12/13/2017 at 11:25, STARS: 1

Nice! That looks like a fun drive. Colorado (the state) gets cold but never really stays cold. I’m content to keep running my Nitto Terra Grapplers (M+S rating) all year long, though I might replace them with some BFG AT KO2's (3PMSF rating) when the time comes.

"e36Jeff now drives a ZHP" (e36jeff)
12/13/2017 at 11:51, STARS: 0

I’ve been using Pirelli’s for the last few years now, and I have to say I am very impressed with them. When I first got them on the ZHP we had a light snow, about 1-1.5" and I wanted to see how good they were, I had an unplowed, untouched parking lot. From a ~5mph rolling start in 2nd gear I floored it, expecting it to kick and the T/C to start doing its thing. Instead it just squatted down and took off, the T/C light never even came on. Two years ago I drove home 64 miles in 4-6" of snow, the car was 100% stable @40mph and that set was about 1/2 worn off.

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/13/2017 at 11:59, STARS: 0

Yeah they’re definitely more competitive now.

For my 335xi my available options were the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 and Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3.

According to this Tire Rack test the Pirelli was more sporty in dry/wet conditions butthe Michelin had the edge in winter conditions.

Both were competent in all areas but with the Michelin being a tad more winter biased I went that route.

"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
12/14/2017 at 10:21, STARS: 0

That makes a lot of sense. They work great for the colder temps but yeah they fall a bit short of the nokians on the icy stuff, they are acceptable on snow though. And for as well as they wear, they are a good winter option, especially on an AWD sedan that can overcome some of the Tire shortcomings by having 4 driven wheels. I can’t complain, they came with my S4 when I bought it 4 years back, I used them for 3 seasons on that car and then I’ve got another season on my S8 with them. And they were used at least one season by the S4s previous owner. So not too bad.

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/14/2017 at 10:35, STARS: 1

For a car like an S4 I would probably stick with a performance winter rather than a full-on winter like the Hakkas. Some of the other performance winters are better in snow and ice than the Dunlops. Blizzak LM001 or Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 would be an upgrade (still not up to the level of Hakkas) while maintaining sportiness. I have the Michelins on my 335xi and I’ve been happy with them.

"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
12/14/2017 at 10:46, STARS: 0

That’s good to know. I know the blizzaks wear too quickly, I haven’t really looked at Michelin’s. Might have to now. But that’s a purchase for next year.

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/14/2017 at 10:49, STARS: 1

I got 5 winters out of the old Blizzak LM25 on my Mazdaspeed 6. I don’t do a ton of miles but still. The LM series is the Blizzak performance winter option. The LM001 is new this year.

That said, I love the Michelin PA4 on my 335xi. Doesn’t have the tread hum of some other winter tires but still pretty sporty while providing plenty of winter grip.