Regarding Blizzak's

[Duck 16]

General observation: They are total garbage. My Dad has religiously run them on his Volvo(s), and I had on my previous Toyotas and they were fine. For some reason on the smart they are total crap. Absolute garbage. Totally pissed with them.

Will be going back to ContiWinterContacts next year unless I can find studs or something. I may just MAKE MY OWN by drilling screws from the inside on these and using some hot glue to seal it.

LIVID.

-Iain

[Gent 1]

The only complaint I'd heard previously about the Blizzaks was that they wear out quickly and end up just being as useless as all-seasons in the snow.Yours are brand new this winter though, aren't they Duck?

[Duck 16]

Nope, last year.Winter tires shouldn't last one season... but I guess since I've now burned through... either 6 or 7 sets of tires total (can't remember), I shouldn't expect them to last very long at all. Big sigh. I really, really want to make my own chains/snow claws. I am sick of sliding all over the place.-Iain

[Gent 1]

You should take a run into Vermont - no problem getting studs added there...Road trip!

[MightyMouseTech 0]

The Blizzak offered for the smart (the LM-18) does NOT have the multicell compound that most other Blizzaks have. It is the multicell compound that makes them work really well on icy roads, and wear out quickly.Blizzak is just Bridgestones name they put on all their winter tires, it does not mean they are all made the same.I have also found, nobody makes a REALLY good winter tire in the stock 175/55/15. If you go up to a 185/55/15, the choices are greatly improved.

Edited December 31, 2008 by MightyMouseTech

[strawboss 5]

You should take a run into Vermont - no problem getting studs added there...Road trip!

Or Quebec, if that's closer.

[Francesco 71]

I seriously doubt you can get studs put on an "ice-grip" style tire like the Blizzak. If it's got solid blocks I guess you could, but if each block is siped, forget about it.FWIW, I've only ever owned one set of Blizzaks, back in the 90s, and after wearing them out within one winter (around 8000 Km) I swore I'd not bother with them again unless I had no choice.

[Duck 16]

Does 185/55R15 work on our rims?I get really stuck with all the numbers... is the 55 part not a percentage of the width, or something like that? So if you make it wider, it wouldn't then fit on the rim??How much are those studded ones that you got?-Iain

[MightyMouseTech 0]

Does 185/55R15 work on our rims?I get really stuck with all the numbers... is the 55 part not a percentage of the width, or something like that? So if you make it wider, it wouldn't then fit on the rim??How much are those studded ones that you got?-Iain

185 is the width in millimeters. The "55" is the sidewall height as a percentage of the width. So the 185 is 1.0cm wider than the 175 and 55% of 1.0 cm, or 5.5mm taller. I have the 185's on the stock pulse alloys.The studded tires worked out to almost $200 a tire once I got them into Canada. Not cheap. They do sell a non-studded version of the same tire that is cheaper. Tirerack also lists a Michelin X-Ice2 in that size, that is also a really good winter/ice tire. Also, much cheaper than the Hakka.

[Francesco 71]

Considering that the MB dealerships want about $150 each for WinterContacts, spending $200 each for a better tire isn't that bad.

[Duck 16]

But if you make the tire taller... won't it no longer fit on the rim? Or wait, is the 15 part of it the inside diameter, which will ALWAYS fit a 15" diameter rim? And the outside diameter just gets a bit bigger? (Who invented this system?!?! Mixing units???)I show that I paid $670 for these Blizzaks from OK Tire in Guelph. I don't have a cost marked down for the ContiWinterContacts. So $400 for the two... for something that is like an order of magnitude better, doesn't sound bad! I have 28 000 km on the Blizzaks that are on now and yeah they are as useless as summer tires. This is disheartening!-Iain

[cappytanjack 0]

Duck, I paid $87 (USD) a piece for my two rear Blizzaks back in September from Tire Rack. It pays to shop around and I live just across the St. Lawrence from Massena, N.Y. where I can pop over to pick them up. This is my first winter with them and I haven't gotten stuck yet but I will update you in the spring after my first winter with the car and the Blizzaks. So far so good. I find the lack of weight of the car to be a bigger issue driving in the snow. Icy roads with the smart like today's conditions here in eastern Ontario remind me of driving snowmobiles back in the 70's when all the traction was in the rear with very little steering capability especially at the speed limit. When I bought my car used in June 08 there was a set of Conti WinterContacts on it that were worn out on the inside of the rear tires from the camber I'm guessing. I will watch for that on the new ones this spring when I switch them out. My intent is to go to a wider 15" front and rear setup for next summer to hopefully improve upon the grip.Cappytanjack ...

[Duck 16]

How many km, though? That's a better indicator, rather than time. I drive a lot.-Iain

[cappytanjack 0]

I've got just over 10K on them so far and they still look new. I'm curious to see how they wear through the winter. The problem with wearing through the winter is my drive to a from work appears to be more and more on snow covered roads as I'm usually in front of the plow. I don't know where he hides but he does a shitty job of clearing hwy #2 from Summerstown to Cornwall. As soon as I hit Cornwall city limits the roadsalt has already melted the ice and I can see bare pavement. This is the case for every snowstorm. I will give him consistency points for sure.Cappytanjack ...

[MightyMouseTech 0]

I had to use my Blizzaks in the summer for 1.5 weeks while my summer rims were being straightened. That 1.5 weeks absolutely killed them, the wear was almost visible from day to day. If you use them in temps above +7 or 8 for any length of time at the beginning or end of the season, you will have tremendous wear on them as compared to driving on them just in the winter.

[Duck 16]

Useless.

[cappytanjack 0]

I'll be keeping an eye on the Blizzaks for sure. I still have the old set of Conti winters on the front from when I purchased the car as they don't seem to wear at the same rate as the rears did.Cappytanjack ...

[Frankie X 0]

This is my third winter on my LM-18s, and I've got nothing but great things to say about them to anyone who asks!

Good traction, great braking, decent life, and most important to me, excellent ride quality for a snow tire. I find them such a great handling tire I dread putting the stinking, choppy, harsh, Continentals back on in the spring (Duck, I'm the opposite to you. I HATE everything about Continentals. Ford has started using them on a lot of the product lines, so I have a lot of experience driving different Contis on various vehicles and they all suck.)

This will be their last winter; tread depth is down and I can feel traction is less than it used to be. By spring they'll be kaput. Three winters of 160km-a-day commuting on often dry 407 and 401 highways is pretty good to me.

One small addendum: The smart has never been stuck once. As much as I want to brag and credit the Blizzaks, part of the reason has been having the ability to turn off the ESP/traction assist and getting a good spin on when I need it. I wouldn't drive in winter without SmartieParts's Traction Control disabler.

Check it out: smartieparts

[Duck 16]

: blinks :Wow. Is the sky red in your world, too? -Iain

[Frankie X 0]

Now that was really uncalled for. By disagreeing with you my statements are so stupid and bizarre I must be from another planet???

[Duck 16]

No harm meant. I just find it incredible that we could have such equally firm standpoints, at opposite ends of the spectrum! It's the same car, with the same tires. -Iain

[Frankie X 0]

It is peculiar.I've been a mechanic for 27 years; I've seen and felt many winter tires on many cars. Presently, both Lincolns are running on Goodyear Ultragrips (my dealership gets bulk buy rates to meet the needs of our OPP Port Credit Division service contract). They're pretty good, but unavailable in smart sizes. The Focus is on Nokian Hakkapeliittas, which are amazing, but are also not smart-sized.When I considered the choices available for the smart, the Blizzaks were the winners. After three winters' driving, I tell you, the smart will go places in bad weather I would never dream of taking the big cars, particularily the RWD Mark VIII.I am not trying to prove you wrong, Duck, but merely agreeing with you. It is incredible that we have such different perceptions of a truly non-quantifiable experience.

[Duck 16]

Well, I guess my inexperience in age/driving distance (11 years/only 500 000 km on just 3 vehicles) has proven itself inferior. You have a lot more experience than me.I don't know where to go from here, though, as all I can say is that I am very disappointed in the performance of the Blizzaks in the smart sizes. I guess I just say "screw it" and get chains... if I get pulled over I hope for a hot cop.-Iain

Edited January 2, 2009 by Duck

[mattdaddy 0]

I have to replace my original Conti Winters... I think my coworker is running Hankook IceBears that he snagged pretty cheap some place in Toronto. I'll get more info from him next week and let you know.

My plan was to get a set of Blizzaks, but not I fear not being accepted by Duck

[MikeT 744]

From my limited experience, the Hankooks seem OK. I would rather have Hakkas though.