Blizzak 275 55 20 on LE (pics)
- Thread starter JohnJerk
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I don't drive it too much (no commute) and live where summers are relatively short. Can't see myself putting the stockers back on when summer comes, but time will tell. I would expect 30K out of a set run year round and am optomistic that they will perform well for mild off road use.
MeBe4running
New member
Best winter tire out there IMO! Good choice! I also kept mine on year round due to pure laziness.... In fact I drove across county with them on.
The one thing I would say is due to them having such a soft compound (reason there awesome on snow/ice) they make a very poor choice for any rough terrain, like loose rocks, loose gravel etc... I know this may seem obvious however thats how I ended up replacing mine. I ripped a few chucks off here and there on them causing slow punctures and replacement. If I was to purchase them again, I would take them off for summer and use a stiffer compound tire like an AT/MT tire for summer.
Just some food for thought, you have made a good choice though!
The one thing I would say is due to them having such a soft compound (reason there awesome on snow/ice) they make a very poor choice for any rough terrain, like loose rocks, loose gravel etc... I know this may seem obvious however thats how I ended up replacing mine. I ripped a few chucks off here and there on them causing slow punctures and replacement. If I was to purchase them again, I would take them off for summer and use a stiffer compound tire like an AT/MT tire for summer.
Just some food for thought, you have made a good choice though!
Good info. Thanks. I have already noticed that the soft compound sucks up and hold on to small rocks. Left a dirt road and rocks where pinging off for a few miles.
So, my LE is now gone but I did ride the Blizzaks for 13000 miles and in all seasons. Here is what I found:
- they looked almost new after 13k miles; there was minimal but noticeable wear on the outer edge of each tire as a result of cornering; the tread depth remained super deep and with great siping throughout.
- they did not inspire hard cornering because of an ever present concern for wearing them out and because they feel more mushy than stock.
- they looked great over stock in terms of aggressive tread and increased width
- they kicked ass in the snow in both winters I drove them (albeit a short time this winter)
- I had no noticeable change in mpg
- my initial note of them being pebble grabbers became a non issue
- they are way better than the Duratracs on ice (DTs are on our FJ); DTs are great in deep or packed snow; DTs are loud; DT are studdable but I have not gone there
Bottom line is that the Blizzaks can definitely work as a year round tire; best for those who don't drive a ton of miles and don't do a lot of aggressive driving. What to put on my next vehicle? Blizzaks or BFG TA/KO. BFG are e rated only which is the problem and they suck on ice; they are quieter than DTs by a lot based on my experience. Blizzaks would continue to slow me in corners and not sure I want to live with that; Blizzaks sidewall must be crap for offroad. DTs are too loud to put on two vehicles. Maybe Michelin MS2 is a good compromise.
- they looked almost new after 13k miles; there was minimal but noticeable wear on the outer edge of each tire as a result of cornering; the tread depth remained super deep and with great siping throughout.
- they did not inspire hard cornering because of an ever present concern for wearing them out and because they feel more mushy than stock.
- they looked great over stock in terms of aggressive tread and increased width
- they kicked ass in the snow in both winters I drove them (albeit a short time this winter)
- I had no noticeable change in mpg
- my initial note of them being pebble grabbers became a non issue
- they are way better than the Duratracs on ice (DTs are on our FJ); DTs are great in deep or packed snow; DTs are loud; DT are studdable but I have not gone there
Bottom line is that the Blizzaks can definitely work as a year round tire; best for those who don't drive a ton of miles and don't do a lot of aggressive driving. What to put on my next vehicle? Blizzaks or BFG TA/KO. BFG are e rated only which is the problem and they suck on ice; they are quieter than DTs by a lot based on my experience. Blizzaks would continue to slow me in corners and not sure I want to live with that; Blizzaks sidewall must be crap for offroad. DTs are too loud to put on two vehicles. Maybe Michelin MS2 is a good compromise.
