Winter tires

I found some Bridestone Ws-50's for sale that are advertised as hardly used, $70 for all four. They are 195/60R14 and I would use them on a '04 Civic. Three questions: 1.) Are Ws-50's good 2.) Would a more narrow 175 or 185 make any better difference 3.) Would I be better off spending the money for brand new ones rather than used

The WS-50 is the original Blizzak - it's only good as a winter tire for the first few mm of tire wear; once you wear the super soft rubber off you're down to a basic all-season tire. I wouldn't buy them used without checking the tread depth on all 4 and understanding the limitations of that tire, though for $70 it's hard to go wrong.

How old are they? Even though they arelightly used, doesn't mean they aren't "worn out.". Tires will harden over time stored on their side or upright--doesn't matter.

If they are more than 5 years old, I think I'd pass. Good deal or not, you don't want tire delamination at 70mph in the winter.

Determine the age, look for telltale cracks, and take it from there.

WS-50s haven't been made for three or four years. They'd be better than all-seasons. Worth $70 if you can mount 'em yourself.

New Altimax Arctics are better than old (but full tread) Blizzaks.

pigeon wrote: The WS-50 is the original Blizzak - it's only good as a winter tire for the first few mm of tire wear; once you wear the super soft rubber off you're down to a basic all-season tire. I wouldn't buy them used without checking the tread depth on all 4 and understanding the limitations of that tire, though for $70 it's hard to go wrong.

It's still a good winter tire, as long as it has a reasonable amount of tread. It's just not the incredible ice tire it once was. That's the appeal of the Blizzacks.

buy new, and buy Hankook.

The studdable Winter I-Pike is the best winter tire for the money HANDS DOWN.

These should work fine...

The WS-50 is the second gen Blizzak. The WS-15 was the original. Blizzaks are a great winter tire. I'm up to WS 60's now.

I flat out LOVE the I-Pikes on my wifes E30. The car is unstoppable, and the tires were cheap.

I have the General Altimax Arctic snow tires for my MS3. They rock! You'll know you're on snow tires on dry pavement as the sidewalls are a bit soft, but they get amazing grip on wet and snowy pavement, even with a car that can vaporize front tires like the MS3. I've read on some Tire Rack customer reviews that the Generals are actually rebranded Gislaved NordFrost 3 tires.

They are studdable, but I run them without studs. Cheap and quiet to boot.

I have I Pikes on the wifes car, and I wasn't impressed. They're not bad, but not nearly as good as the house brand Canadian tire snows we've used for the 10 years previous.

The original WS-15 was downright danerous in the wet when more than a couple years old and worn even a little. And the age hardening here is more detrimental to overall perfomance than in a normal tire... a basic Blizzak already struggles everywhere but glare ice (where they excel). As others have mentioned, I'd skip if more than a couple of years old and worn more than a few MM.

In ice racing I ran a variety of tires... I had two favorites... Hakka Q's (slightly worse than Blizzaks on pure glare ice but head and shoulders better everythwere else) and (zomby woof) Canada Tire Ice Tracs... which by price (set of 4 one season old for $100 total) and by visual tread design had no right to be any good. But they were absolutely AWEOME.

I've been buying Hankooks and Kumhos recently... but living in MD my winter needs are not severe... even with the wife in an E30 commuter.

Bill

I think they were Ice tracs. I still ahve them, I'll check. I'll also check on those I pikes. IIRC, they are made in China (not that I care)

triumph5 wrote: How old are they? Even though they arelightly used, doesn't mean they aren't "worn out.". Tires will harden over time stored on their side or upright--doesn't matter. If they are more than 5 years old, I think I'd pass. Good deal or not, you don't want tire delamination at 70mph in the winter. Determine the age, look for telltale cracks, and take it from there.

Agreed, easier way to tell is to look at the last 4 digits of the DOT number on the side of the tire. Tells you week and year it was made. i.e. DOT XXXX XXXX 2609 was made on the 26th week of 2009.

If you don't see those last 4 digits in the DOT,look for it on the other sidewall. For some reason every company only puts the date on one side.

RexSeven wrote: I have the General Altimax Arctic snow tires for my MS3. They rock! You'll know you're on snow tires on dry pavement as the sidewalls are a bit soft, but they get amazing grip on wet and snowy pavement, even with a car that can vaporize front tires like the MS3. I've read on some Tire Rack customer reviews that the Generals are actually rebranded Gislaved NordFrost 3 tires. They are studdable, but I run them without studs. Cheap and quiet to boot.

I have them, too, and like them a lot. More info here:

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/pros-cons-of-tire-chains-vs-snow-tires-teach-me/16847/page2/

Scroll down for my post...

i also had the generals last winter.

my driveway is incredibly steep. I used to have to take a run at it and spin all the way up just to make it to my house. With the Altimax I can casually drive up, stop halfway, then start again with no effort.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/how-many-have-you-used/25711/page1/

BTW - I threw my Arctics on last fall, and drove on them all winter, spring, and summer. Tread still has 9/32 on the front, 11/32 on the rear.

Did I mention the autocrossing? The front tires are a bit rounded, but a nose heavy 3200lb car with understeer problems would probably do that...

I prefer a winter tire with a bit more dry performance. The WS50 is mush...it really is truly ONLY a "snow tire" pure and simple. I hated the set I had years ago in anything other than actual snow-on-the-ground. Peformance and response is well below even cheap all-seasons on dry roads.

Meanwhile, the Blizzak LM-25 (or whatever they replaced it with) or Dunlop WIntersport M3 or 3D can be put on the car at Thanksgiving and left on until the end of snow season. On dry days they feel just like a typical mid-performance A/S tire. They're very effective in ice, and good in all types of snow. I have had them on Integras (LM22), Accord (LM25), Maxima (LM25), and now the Subie (Wintersport 3D...going on their third winter with little visible wear after 15k+ miles). I have never been stuck in snow with any of them, aside from a few isses where I was high-centered (not the tire's fault). And I work at a ski shop, so I drive in search of snow in the mountains, trust me! The LM25s I actually did an autocross on (35 degrees, but dry) and they were great in a 3400lb car.

By the time you're into snow too deep/thick that you need a soft-sidewall snow tire like the WS50, your car is bottoming out anyways and the tire matters not.

cliffs: WS50 is fine if you only put them on when snow is on the ground, or if you like awful performance otherwise. If you want an all-around winter tire, go with Blizzak LM series or Dunlop WIntersport 3D/M3...

and because no thread is complete without photos.... Blizzak LM25

Wintersport 3D

Thanks for the input. Looking at new tires, I'm leaning General Altimax Artic. Some of the others didn't offer the small 14" size plus they were more expensive.

I'll just be doing what I usually do--going to the tire store and buying some cheapie snows--has worked for me for 2 other cars and 6 RI winters.

A 185-65-14 winter tire is going to dig into snow nicely prety much regardless of how high-end it is. I've had so much luck on the bargain ones I can't be bothered spending a bunch on anything.

I put Hankook Winter iPikes on the 745 last winter. They were great! Squishy in the warm, but very acceptable in both light and heavy snow.

Here in north-west NJ, where we get a moderate amount of snow, I have Bridgestone Blizzak WS60s on my Miata.

They are great in snow and dreadful in the dry. I can't use the car in Winter without them, but they totally spoil the car on a dry day. Really spooky to drive. I usually don't put them on until late Dec and get them off ASAP in the Spring.

For $70 you can't go wrong. Yeah, the "best" part might be gone, but you want a more aggressive tread rather than an "all-season" tire for winter snow and slop. Winter driving common sense and you'll be fine.

I don't get the "Blizzaks no good in deep snow" stuff. At least, the teeny tiny WS-50s on my Golf made the car unflappable even when it was deep enough that I was plowing the road with my airdam.

The biggest problem, I found, was learning to not park the car in deep snow. I'm not sure the mechanism, but the car would be able to move after stopping, but not after parking for a few hours. I remember one time turning onto a side street and found that it'd been unplowed, and unpassable due to the number of people who were stuck on the sides and in the middle of the road. So, i just reversed up to about 15mph, flicked the wheel, and stuffed it into 2nd as the car was coming around...

+1 on the Dunlop Wintersport 3D. I have them for my 525i and they are an excellent compromise between dry and snow/ice performance. Pretty quiet and very long-wearing, too.