Blizzak WS70 Snow Tires FTW

[TM]

Another storm as hit and I am so glad I have snow tires this time.

I was worried about leaving work and going home in this weather, but the snow tires handled the conditions like a champ!

I felt like I was in complete control for the whole 15-mile drive home. The only time I slipped a little was on a turn on the last intersection before I got home.

Stock tires - 5% confidence
Snow tires - 80% confidence

[OrbitalEllipses]

With the right tires, some ballast in the trunk, and proper throttle/clutch/brake/steering input this car does beautifully in the snow.

[buzznasa]

Damn, that is some serious Winter Wonderland stuff right there!

[EAZYBRZY]

What's the best snow tires to get for the brz?

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[TM]

I really like my blizzaks. I feel so much more safe when driving with them. But honestly, any snow tires would be a huge improvement over the stock summers.


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[Kelbyat07]

If you don't mind me asking, how much are these bad boys?

[kALMIGHTY]

I have the Blizzak WS70's as well and man they are amazing tires. Not perfect in dry conditions but they shine when the snow and ice hits the ground. Haven't gotten stuck even once so far in the Canadian winter I've been experiencing, and it's the worst snow we've had in years.
I completely agree, you feel so confident in them, and you actually have to PUSH the car even in icy conditions to get it to slide around. I love them.
And @PursuitOfPerfection, I got a good deal on mine and got them for $800 in stock tire size for the stock wheels. You can probably find them cheaper since Canadian prices are always jacked up compared to US prices.

[TM]

Originally Posted by PursuitOfPerfection

If you don't mind me asking, how much are these bad boys?

I got mine for 16 inch wheels for $476.00 at tire rack. They didn't have steel rims in stock at the time so I got the cheapest alloy rims for $356, so total of $832.

I think the same tires for 17 inch wheels would've costed about $700-$800 (for just tires). And then you consider the cost of getting them mounted and dismounted onto your stock rims, etc, it'll come out to be just about the same.

Besides, I read that 16 inch wheels are narrower and better at cutting through the snow.

[Kelbyat07]

Originally Posted by kALMIGHTY

I have the Blizzak WS70's as well and man they are amazing tires. Not perfect in dry conditions but they shine when the snow and ice hits the ground. Haven't gotten stuck even once so far in the Canadian winter I've been experiencing, and it's the worst snow we've had in years.
I completely agree, you feel so confident in them, and you actually have to PUSH the car even in icy conditions to get it to slide around. I love them.
And @PursuitOfPerfection, I got a good deal on mine and got them for $800 in stock tire size for the stock wheels. You can probably find them cheaper since Canadian prices are always jacked up compared to US prices.

Can you please explain what you mean by they are not perfect in dry conditions? Does it drive different?

[TM]

They feel a little floaty at higher speed or when accelerating quickly in dry condition. But realistically, you shouldn't really be driving that fast in the winter anyway. In everyday driving, that are completely fine.

[Burrcold]

I have them as well in stock size (have a dedicated 2nd set of OEM rims). Awesome tires, but as others have mentioned, not so great when dry (mainly at higher speeds). Harder for the car to track perfectly straight at highway speeds, and the car floats around. Still, a balanced trade-off for their intended use...snow/ice.

I paid $750 for mine.

[kALMIGHTY]

Originally Posted by PursuitOfPerfection

Can you please explain what you mean by they are not perfect in dry conditions? Does it drive different?

Yeah, they kinda feel like you are floating on the road, especially when you first make the transition from summer tires to these tires. You get used to it, even the lighter feeling steering wheel, but that's to be expected with the softer winter tires anyway.

They tend to break traction easily on dry roads if you try to corner too hard or fast, so you definitely can't throw it into corners as easily as you could on even the stock summer tires.

It was just a strange feeling when I first drove home after getting the tires mounted, but I've honestly forgotten what the summer tires even felt like. These just feel "stock" now. You lose a bit of dry road performance, but you gain a tremendous amount of snow/ice performance.

[Kelbyat07]

Originally Posted by kALMIGHTY

Yeah, they kinda feel like you are floating on the road, especially when you first make the transition from summer tires to these tires. You get used to it, even the lighter feeling steering wheel, but that's to be expected with the softer winter tires anyway.

They tend to break traction easily on dry roads if you try to corner too hard or fast, so you definitely can't throw it into corners as easily as you could on even the stock summer tires.

It was just a strange feeling when I first drove home after getting the tires mounted, but I've honestly forgotten what the summer tires even felt like. These just feel "stock" now. You lose a bit of dry road performance, but you gain a tremendous amount of snow/ice performance.

Thanks! Can't wait to get mine for next winter.

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by PursuitOfPerfection

Thanks! Can't wait to get mine for next winter.

How much snow are you getting in Cali? lol

If it's just a bit, assuming you're in NorCal, I would look at the LM series rather than the WS's. Better dry performance, still decent snow performance...perfect compromise IMO.