RobY Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 It seems that they dont make WS-50 Blizzaks in the LGT size. Im questioning the effectivness of the "all season" potenzas. Up here in Buffalo, NY I dont have time to futz around with the snow we get alot and REAL fast. Any sugestions? Just intrested in protecting my investment for this winter season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeLoo Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 Forget the Blizzaks you can do so much better and get some excellent snows that ride smoothly and still handle well on dry pavement; Nokians, Gislaved, Pirelli Winter SnowSport to name a few. Forget about the 4 seasons, to me, as a Montrealer they would be worthless. Buffalo...I don't know, I would think that you get harsh enough winters as well plus lake effect snow which would tend to be a very slippery snow surface (the wet snow that accumulates at an infernal rate). 2005 Legacy GT Wagon Ltd 5EAT Garnet Red 1999 GTI VR6 Black - sold but not forgotten... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtguy Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 Yes they do Rob, according to a recent press release from Bridgestone. Don't trust Tire Rack, if that's who you searched. My local Bridgestone guy said the WS-50s do indeed come in 215-45-17, which is good news. Short of studs, there is nothing as good as the WS-series Blizzaks in the white stuff. The speed-rated Blizzaks fall short, I think, but the WS-series tires, at least until the magic multicell stuff wears down, are the bee's knees. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobY Posted August 20, 2004 Author Share Posted August 20, 2004 Kevin thats good to hear. Now time to find a supplier of rims that will fit around the massive brakes and of course a supplier of the tires... any more suggestions? :D TeeLoo I am still intrested in learning about the other brands you have mentioned. I am open to any good tire at this point and a decent set of winter rims. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eamiller Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 I second the sage advice of Kevin.. WS-50s are second to none for ice and snow traction.. Dry handling isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be, just take it easy in the corners.. A little noisy, but nothing compared to my Azenis tires :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeLoo Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 [quote name='eamiller']I second the sage advice of Kevin.. WS-50s are second to none for ice and snow traction.. Dry handling isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be, just take it easy in the corners.. A little noisy, but nothing compared to my Azenis tires :-)[/quote] I think people are forgetting that most of the time during winter, that is if you live near a large urban area, you will drive mostly on dry pavement, that is why I believe in a tire that will offer the best compromise between snow traction, dry pavement handling and bitter cold dry pavement traction (-20 c. and below) which become slippery conditions without people really knowing. Having owned blizzaks in the past I do not believe they are the best compromise and they do wear fast. 2005 Legacy GT Wagon Ltd 5EAT Garnet Red 1999 GTI VR6 Black - sold but not forgotten... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobY Posted August 20, 2004 Author Share Posted August 20, 2004 TeeLoo that is certainly true. Right now im looking for a compromise between price, value, and effectiveness. Buffalo in the winter gets bitter cold but there is not snow on the ground most of the time. It does come on fast slippery and wet and thats when I would imagine the Blizzaks would do its best work. I would also like some good all around performance on those days that there is not snow on the road which perhaps another tire could afford. However I am very impressed with the effectiveness of the WS-50s as my friend had them on a honda S2000 last winter and I never got a call from him for me to tow him out.... Confused :| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxerGT2.5 Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 I have had good success with Blizzaks and Nokian Hakkapilitta's. Both are excellent in the snow. OBAMA......One Big Ass Mistake America! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outahere Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 [quote name='gtguy']...........Short of studs, there is nothing as good as the WS-series Blizzaks in the white stuff. The speed-rated Blizzaks fall short, I think, but the WS-series tires, at least until the magic multicell stuff wears down, are the bee's knees. Kevin[/quote] In one of TireRacks tests, the WS50 out performed a studded Firestone winter tire on ice. RobY, look in the tire/wheel forum and you will find numerous winter tire threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drift Monkey Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 maybe this should be moved to the wheels/tires section? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtguy Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 Don't be confused. Tire opinions will differ as much as driving styles. Fundamentally, there are three kinds of snow tires: Studded--self-explanatory; metal carbide studs embedded into the tire's surface to provide grip on snow and ice. Studless--a soft multi-cell or high silica content tread composition, that grabs lots of snow and holds it, on the (very effective) theory that snow on snow yields the best traction. The Hakkas and the WS-series Blizzaks, as well as the Arctic Alpin tend to rule this roost. Speed-rated--a "performance" snow tire, that offers compromised snow performance at the expense of improved dry performance, for those who live near urban areas. Now, the Nokian WR almost calls for a third category, the "all-weather" tire as they market it. Technically, it's an all-season tire, but it gets the vaunted snowflake on its sidewall, which means that it also passes muster as a snow tire. To my knowledge, no other all-season tire gets the snowflake. I used a set on my WRX last year, and they are pretty good as a snow tire, but nowhere near as exceptional as the WS Blizzaks. When choosing a snow tire, decide upon your driving habits. Are you tail-out, high-speed all the time? In that case, you might want to opt for a speed-rated snow, and take it easy in the white stuff. For example, I had WS Blizzaks and a friend had speed-rated Pirelli snows. In about 4-6" of snow, he couldn't keep up with me. We both had WRXes, MT transmission. If you want a no foolin' around snow tire, short of studs, the WS Blizzaks are your best option. As I said, the speed-rated Blizzaks aren't quite as hot, but still good. Upping the tire pressure to about 37 psi helped mine ride and work a lot better in the dry, as well. I got four winters out of a set of WSes, before the multi-cell stuff wore down. I don't like Tire Rack, because they aren't an unbiased source. If you know what you want and they have it, you're good to go. But if you don't, they will push what they have, and slag what they don't. So be careful. Also, when looking at tire reviews, note the type of car and driving style. Anybody with a Subaru, for example, will think that almost ANY snow tire is pretty darned good. But there are differences. For example, in deepish snow, you can do a 4K launch and just take off in a WRX with WS Blizzaks. With Nokian WRs, you get some wheelspin before the car hooks up, and that initial progress is a bit timid. Those difference might or might not matter to you, but they are significant. Generally, I would rather slow down a bit in the dry, than get caught out by a big, freak storm, or have to stay inside because there's lots of snow. This is why I tend to favor a pure snow tire. Others will have different opinions. Good luck, Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndchildhood Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 What about the Michelin Pilot® Alpin® PA2® Tires? I've heard they are very good in both Snow & handle well Dry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtguy Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 [quote name='2ndchildhood']What about the Michelin Pilot® Alpin® PA2® Tires? I've heard they are very good in both Snow & handle well Dry?[/quote] A friend ran the Pilot Alpins and liked them a lot. I have no experience with them in real snow, so I can't say, but he has nothing but raves. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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