Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 - 225/40R18/XL 92H Tire

Got these Blizzak 80s tires for a winter trip to Texas Hill Country from Washington state. Took the long way there and back, 5k miles, and drove three thousand miles in Texas, largely on wet and dry chipseal roads. All driving to/from on dry roads except for a couple down pours, one in Twin Falls Idaho and another in Texas. While people were hydroplaning all around us and going off the road we were having full control of our car and kept on going. We never did see snow until our return driving through Portland, Or. Traffic was at a stand still and all snarled. We worked our way through traffic and the ruts and made it to Vancouver, Wa. Everything was fine til we got to our driveway. One hundred feet of 12" snow. Our Kia has 6" of ground clearance, if that. Plus, the street department bladed a berm, by now frozen snow, in front of our house. Got a run at the driveway and those tires clawed their way to our garage door. It was awesome. After I had the factory tires put back on, i measured the tread depth. Still had 3/4 tire ware left. After 8000 miles. Thats amazing. Well, the factory tires are worn off now at about 48,000 miles and Im putting those 80s back on for this Winter. We get a lot of slippery wet year around driving that sends cars through intersections, off corners and into other vehicles, even when driving careful. We also get Winter freezing rain. These 80s are magic for traction when driving defensively for the conditions.

Got a new vehicle just at years end and decided to give the OEM all-season tires a chance. Prior vehicle was a 13 year old Subaru Legacy which did reasonably well with all seasons. Have had previous FWD vehicles and didn't feel trapped inside with the all seasons they had . Not the case here and the Blizzak WS90 saved the day. Had 2 storms come through and struggled to get up even the slightest incline and even go time on even grades was challenging. The experiment failed and Tire Rack came to the rescue. Got the new tires 3 days after order and locally installed the next. The Blizzak WS 90 is a game changer. Excellent traction on snow an ice, and no issues with icy intersections or inclines. So far most driving has been on snow/ ice covered conditions so will see what handling and noise is like on drive pavement, but so these tires do their job great. If at all on the fence about investing in Blizzak winter tires and / or the Tire Rack, don't be. Go for it