Blizzaks are among the best “pure” snow tires. Whether they are the best choice for you depends on where you live and what kind of winters you have to go through.

At the risk of oversimplifying, I would categorize tires for the different climates in the following way:

1) (Pure) SNOW tires: Best suited for severe winters with snow on the ground most of the time. Blizzaks and Vredestein Snow are two examples. Some can be had studded, but this is a tricky issue, and not legal in many jurisdictions. They are less than H-speed rated (normally Q, T or S rated). They provide maximum traction on snow/ice, but rather lousy dry pavement handling (cornering and braking). Will wear fast at highway speed driving with air temperatures above freezing. Special feature/drawback of the Blizzaks: They are pure snow tires for the first half of their tread life; after they are half worn, they start behaving like all-seasons.

2) So-called “WINTER” tires: Ideal for winters with sporadic snow and ice on the road, and prevailing temperatures in the 0oF to 60oF range. Examples are the Pirelli 210, Pirelli Winter Asimetrico, Vredestein Winter and Dunlop Winter Sport M2. Usually H-speed rated. Will not provide the maximum traction grip in snow and ice as the pure snow tires, but will give you reasonably good handling on dry pavement. Can be used in mild non-winter temperatures (50-80 oF) with no fast wearing.

3) All-season tires: Best suited for the very occasional to exceptional snow-covered roads. Will not provide as good traction in cold temperatures and/or deep snow as the two categories above, particularly in very low temperatures (below 10oF). Advantages over the Winter tires: (a) Can be used in hot summer days at sustained high speeds with no accelerated wear (in fact, can be had with V- and Z- speed ratings); (b) Do not require storage space for the second set of wheels/tires; (c) Some of the best ultra-high performance all-seasons can handle in dry pavement almost as well as the pure “summer” tires, but at a high dollar price.

4) “Summer” tires: This is a misnomer. They are not just for summer, but rather for any non-freezing weather. Normally the best option for maximum handling capabilities.

In US Mid-Atlantic weather (Maryland), when I had no garage and no easy place to store a second set of wheels, I got by in shallow snow most of the time, but not always, with M&S all-seasons. And “getting by” meant controlling skids often. Sometimes fun, sometimes scary.......

Since I got a garage, I have really appreciated the advantage of driving with winter/snow tires during the winter months with no traction problems at all. I have been using the Pirelli Winter Asimetrico. They do what they are supposed to do. This has also allowed me to be able to wear no-compromise, maximum performance tires the rest of the year.

Andres Jaime

98 V70 T5 (that came with all-seasons from the factory that IMHO are too narrow for the horsepower and weight of the car.)