# Winter tire test



## CharlieRomeo (Feb 25, 2013)

Hi, everyone. We bought our 2013 Cruze LTZ in February and decided to put winter wheels & tires on it this year to protect the very expensive stock wheels. I went with the 16" wheels and Bridgestone Blizzak tires both from Tirerack.com. Last night we got some freezing rain, so I decided to go try them out before the roads are salted. I couldn't believe how much they improve the handling on ice. Turning and accelerating were almost normal, and stopping ability was greatly improved. Just for comparison, I then drove our 2006 Jeep Liberty with Wrangler Adventure tires. The Cruze definitely stopped better. With the Jeep in 4WD, the cornering and accelerating were about equal. Very impressive for the Cruze. I won't ever go back to using all-seasons year round. The only drawback is that my wife gets comments that her wheels look "ghetto." She doesn't want wheel covers though, and I agree with her that the all black wheels look good.


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## giantsnation (Oct 11, 2012)

Blizzaks are the one of best winter tires just expensive. Firestone's winterforce are a good knockoff and about half the cost too.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

giantsnation said:


> Blizzaks are the one of best winter tires just expensive. Firestone's winterforce are a good knockoff and about half the cost too.


It all depends on the purpose. The Blizzaks do far better on ice. Less road noise, more ride stability, and reportedly bettrr life. Winter force tires do much better in deep snow. It all depends on your region. 

If you think Blizzaks are expensive, go look at the Michelin X-ice. 

Sent from mobile.


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## MilTownSHO (Oct 9, 2013)

Just installed my Blizzack WS-70s today on stock rims , bring on the snow!


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## zeoalex (Aug 24, 2013)

XtremeRevolution said:


> It all depends on the purpose. The Blizzaks do far better on ice. Less road noise, more ride stability, and reportedly bettrr life. Winter force tires do much better in deep snow. It all depends on your region.
> 
> If you think Blizzaks are expensive, go look at the Michelin X-ice.
> 
> Sent from mobile.


if you do it right, they're not TOO much more expensive...I think it was like +70 for the xice3's over my blizzaks...and they were offering a $50 rebate. If I wasn't getting wheels too, I probably would have done them


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## Vetterin (Mar 27, 2011)

Just remember that even 10 wheel drive will not help you STOP better than a set of snow tires will.


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## PanJet (Jun 18, 2013)

CharlieRomeo said:


> I won't ever go back to using all-seasons year round.


I hear you. I used to be an all-season purist (grew up in NE Montana winters and that's all we ever used), but my wife convinced me to get snow tires "for her." I have to say the difference is amazing. I can get by just fine with a good set of all-seasons, but I feel far more confident on a good set of snows in the winter now.



XtremeRevolution said:


> It all depends on the purpose. The Blizzaks do far better on ice. Less road noise, more ride stability, and reportedly bettrr life. Winter force tires do much better in deep snow. It all depends on your region.
> 
> If you think Blizzaks are expensive, go look at the Michelin X-ice.
> 
> Sent from mobile.


Depending on how you hit the rebates, the Michelins can be about the same or just slightly more, although right now the Michelins went off rebate and the Blizzaks are on, so the difference is about $150 at the moment.

That being said, I love my Michelin Xi3's. They are quiet, efficient (for a snow tire), and do quite well on snow/ice. The Blizzaks probably do better on snow/ice, but they also don't do as well on dry roads, which I wanted.


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## GoSpeedGo88 (May 3, 2013)

Another good alternative is the Goodyear Ultra Grip. They got great reviews on Tire Rack. Cost $152 each (Blizzaks and X-Ice are $199 each). I am getting a set of Goodyears this time. I have had both the Blizzaks and X-Ice on different cars, liked the X-Ice better.


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## NYCruze2012 (Jan 16, 2012)

Personally I happen to like to Firestone Winterforce tires. Not that expensive and they really get the job done.

Sent from my last surviving brain cell


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

winter tires make all the difference in the world.


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