Which Snow Tires to Pick

[dog2bert]

Trying to decide between these two kinds of Blizzaks:


BLIZZAK WS80

and


Blizzak LM-32

[mjfloyd1]

I think I'd choose the BLIZZAK WS80 (since that was your only choice...)

[dog2bert]

Updated

[REVOofRustler]

I've got LM32s on my winter wheels and they did great last year! I was never in any really deep snow, but I'm sure they could handle a fair bit when paired with quattro

[mjfloyd1]

Looks like LM are better if your roads are less snowy/icy - they handle better than the WS on dry cold roads.

The WS are more of a dedicated winter tire for snowy and icy roads but will feel more "mushy" on cold dry roads.

I would think that midland MI would be more snowy and icy so I would pick the WS. If it's really more cold and dry roads then I'd go with the LM

[AllroadMass]

I've got LM32s on my winter wheels and they did great last year! I was never in any really deep snow, but I'm sure they could handle a fair bit when paired with quattro

Our Allroad is running the LM32s here in New England and it was great as well. Supposed to be a bad winter this year so we'll let you know.

[ak-s4]

Looks like LM are better if your roads are less snowy/icy - they handle better than the WS on dry cold roads.

The WS are more of a dedicated winter tire for snowy and icy roads but will feel more "mushy" on cold dry roads.

I would think that midland MI would be more snowy and icy so I would pick the WS. If it's really more cold and dry roads then I'd go with the LM

I agree with this, and I will clarify by saying that if you do a fair amount of freeway driving you will want the performance oriented tire like the LM-32. Due to the softer compound in the WS80 and similar tires, freeway handling and braking is quite poor and they wear out quickly. However, I did have WS80-like tires on my crew cab which I only drove occasionally and for dedicated winter driving they were great.

So, from a purely traction standpoint in snow/ice, softer is better but comes with the penalties as mentioned.

[gojcaj]

In the same boat as you. Does it have to be Blizzaks though? Trying to see if I can score something off of craigslist but might just outright buy some Michelin's or Nokian's.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...ce-data-page-3

[ak-s4]

In the same boat as you. Does it have to be Blizzaks though? Trying to see if I can score something off of craigslist but might just outright buy some Michelin's or Nokian's.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...ce-data-page-3

Buying used made me think of this: be sure to contemplate tire age, especially for winter tires. I have some on a second car that are 7 years old from date of manufacture and despite low usage and proper storage, the rubber is getting hard and some tiny cracks are forming. Tread depth is not a good metric in this case. It can be tricky to find and interpret the date stamps in some cases, so some homework may be prudent.