Bridgestone Blizzak WS50s

Post by **complacent** » Thu Nov 15, 2007 9:46 am

WRXWagon2112 wrote:
Most surprising find:
Article wrote:And by manufacturer, GM's domestic products are the most accurate, and BMW's are the least accurate by far.
--Alan

Wow, at least they got something right other than teh Z06...

Post by **ElZorro** » Thu Nov 15, 2007 11:54 am

Little tardy to the party on this one, but anywho... I LOVE THE WS50's!!!! Yea, I've got some crazy stories on those tires. The WS60's hit shelves a couple weeks back and are supposed to be an improvement in wet handling over the 50's, and only a little higher in price. I'd put WS50's back on the XT in a heartbeat. The best thing, they just look mean, as in 'don't get your hand to close, the tread will take a finger' mean.

I was going to put 60's on for this year, but I've got enough tread on my current tires I can't justify replacing them yet.

sirwilliam · Post by **sirwilliam** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:37 pm

Just got to try out my new WS-50s...these things are great!

Post by **ElZorro** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:44 pm

sirwilliam wrote:Just got to try out my new WS-50s...these things are great!

Excellent.

Mr Kleen · Post by **Mr Kleen** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:48 pm

sirwilliam wrote:Just got to try out my new WS-50s...these things are great!

in PA? the snow here in NoVA isn't worthy

TAPOUT · Post by **TAPOUT** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:43 pm

Mr Kleen wrote:
sirwilliam wrote:Just got to try out my new WS-50s...these things are great!
in PA? the snow here in NoVA isn't worthy

I was just wondering if you really even got a chance to use the Blizzaks this year?

Mr Kleen · Post by **Mr Kleen** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:47 pm

I ran on all-seasons all season long.

the money I saved is going to buy summer performance tires for my new-to-me BBS wheels.

sirwilliam · Post by **sirwilliam** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:57 am

Sorry, never posted up. I have gotten to play in snow, sleet, slush, ice, and rain this winter. These tires are great. Not as much grip on corners in the dry as my summer AS tires but I can't complain. Checked the wear on the tires yesterday and they are still looking great! I have been putting off swapping on my summer wheels and it has been fine since it snowed over the weekend in PA. Better safe than sorry.

ICE: Most noticeable was at lower speeds (5-15) and braking on ice, it came to an abrupt halt like there was no ice on the ground. Faster speeds (20+), you will get some sliding but that is expected.

SNOW: They do a great job and doesn't flinch an inch.

RAIN: Didn't want to push it hard since it is a dedicated snow and ice tire but it did pretty well w/ no hydroplaning.

SLUSH/SLEET: They did well w/ no slippage but didn't push it too hard b/c the family was in the car.

CN: Overall, love the tires and glad I got them. I have put ~8-9k miles on them so I have been driving on them for a while now...surprised on how well they are wearing (will get an accurate measurement of the tread depth when I get a chance)...been anal about checking the pressure weekly and rotating every two to three oil changes...which reminds me I need to rotate them this weekend.

Post by **ElZorro** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:00 am

sirwilliam wrote:CN: Overall, love the tires and glad I got them.

I'd put a pair back on the FXT. My current tires are on their way out, and with the AutoX class coming up in a couple months I'll be looking to replace them (probably the next day). Gonna start shopping around now, maybe get them ordered. And for sure WS-50's are on the list as an option.

WRXWagon2112 · Post by **WRXWagon2112** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:09 am

ElZorro wrote:And for sure WS-50's are on the list as an option.

Um... as a summer/all-season? For the AutoX class I'd recommend either a performance all-season or a summer tire. And since I'm a Kumho whore I'd recommend either the ECSTA ASX (all-season) or the ECSTA SPT (summer). Both cheap ($70-$75/tire) and very good performers.

--Alan

drwrx · Post by **drwrx** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:35 am

The next all-season tire I'm getting is the Falken Zeix 912.
You may want to look into them as well.

Post by **complacent** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:44 am

If you're looking for a summer only, tire rack is clearing out their dunlop direzza sport z1 inventory and can be had on teh cheap as well.

Post by **ElZorro** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:50 am

I have a set of Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S on right now, thats why I was going to wait until after the class to swap out.

I've been very happy with the Pilot's, they are much quieter and smoother than the WS-50's (understandable if you've seen the tread on the WS-50's...), but their dry handling is only a marginal improvement (say a B to a B+), there wet helps (B- to a B+) and their snow is really bad (A- to a C). They are still ranked very well at TireRack, and are second on the list as a candidate. At $95/tire there is alot of bang for the buck there. I'll look at the Falken's as well, good call Darrin.

avriette · Post by **avriette** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:26 am

sirwilliam wrote: A dedicated snow/ice tire will always outperform any AS tire in the winter inclement weather...and sometimes when it is nice outside, too. It is just that added safety I was going for.

(rant about all-season/winter tires omitted)

sirwilliam · Post by **sirwilliam** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:07 am

drwrx wrote:The next all-season tire I'm getting is the Falken Zeix 912.

Those are my summer tires

drwrx · Post by **drwrx** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 3:36 pm

sirwilliam wrote:Those are my summer tires

I'm not certain how good a snow tire the 912s will be (I suspect not great) but they have recieved rave reviews for their dry and wet performance so far. Better than the 512s and they were very highly rated.

My long-term plans are to put dedicated snow tires on the 16" FXT wheels next winter and keep the 912s on the 17"s.

sirwilliam · Post by **sirwilliam** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 4:06 pm

drwrx wrote:
sirwilliam wrote:Those are my summer tires
I'm not certain how good a snow tire the 912s will be (I suspect not great) but they have recieved rave reviews for their dry and wet performance so far. Better than the 512s and they were very highly rated.

My long-term plans are to put dedicated snow tires on the 16" FXT wheels next winter and keep the 912s on the 17"s.

Yeah, high ranking in CR for the 912s (i.e. top pick!). Snow traction isn't that great but good enough if you are surprised w/ some before swapping wheels over for the winter. I run the 215/55/17 WS50s for winter and will run the 225/45/18 912s for summer. That reminds me I have to get the falkens mounted.