Bridgestone Blizzak LM001 

I freely admit I'm going out on a limb here, but this is a review of a winter tire that has yet to actually be driven in the snow. However, due to a crazy issue of one of the OEM tires for my car not being available after a puncture, I went ahead and mounted my new winter wheels mid-October. So far, I think I made a great choice. Quiet and comfortable on the highway at all speeds. Spectacular in the driving rain as I'd expect any decent winter tire to be. A little drop in grip in the twisties, but quiet and predictable. Blizzaks have been my go to for 23 years and counting, and I don't think these will disappoint.

I drive frequently from the NYC area to northern VT in the winter, often in snowstorms. That sometimes means going 150 miles in the rain, 100 miles on black ice and 100 miles in snow. These tires are great in each condition. I drive a 2011 WRX and with these tires and AWD, I can confidently pass when the left lane is super sketchy, zoom up hills on mountain roads when other cars are fishtailing around and stuck sideways. Jay Peak got close to 500 inches of snow last winter. If you love skiing in powder, guess what? You got to drive in it too. The Blizzak LM001 tires are beasts for fast long distance driving in variable winter conditions. When you're going 350 miles you can't go 35 MPH all night - these tires will get you up to normal highway speeds in all manner of hairy conditions.

Outstanding performance on snow and ice. Obviously you're not going to drive on snow and ice as if you were on dry pavement but used with care the tires are about as good as you'll get just short of studs or chains. On the highway they are quiet and comfortable. They go on in November and come off in March but they could be used year round with good results. I live 15 miles to a slot canyon with plenty of curves and that's where the one shortcoming shows on these tires as they are just a bit wishy/washy pushed hard in turns. This is slight and does not negate the tires' good points. Highly recommended.

Excellent tire for snow, slush and ice.

Just love my new Bridgestone. They work great on both snow and dry roads.Corning is great and the tires are great on dry roads and very quiet. They are as comfortable as my summer tires which are Michelin pilot sport AS. Would highly recommend.

I am a cross country skier and end up driving in snow a fair bit, but most of my driving is on dry pavement during the winter. My summer tires are Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 which I get about 20,000 on before they are worn out. Blizzaks LM001 are good in snow and very good (for a dedicated snow tire) dry winter. I had Tire Rack mount them on Alutec wheels which they balanced perfect. Very happy with the package.

I got a set of 235-45VR-17 Blizzak LM001s to replace a set of brand new 225-50HR-17 Pirelli Sottozero 3s. The Pirellis were, for me, a bad choice.

My winter performance tire criteria is that the car be able to perform a quick lane change maneuver (like dodging a deer on a two lane road with oncoming traffic, with a swerve back) in the dry without a lot of squirming, tail wag, or drama. Why in the dry? Because that is where winter performance tires spend 90% of their time. Here in the mountains of Colorado I drive conservatively in the snow. For me, any winter performance tire performs light years better in the snow than any summer or all season performance tire. So for me, it is how the tire handles the remaining 90% of the time (where I drive spiritedly) that is important. And by handling, I primarily mean steering response: does the tire do what I tell it to do without a discernible time lag? Is it precise? Does it tail wag a time or two when I quit steering? Some survey responses may be made by drivers who define steering response some other way, and that's fine. Using my definition under spirited steering input, here is how these two tires handle in the dry:

Neither the LM001 nor the Sottozero 3 are quick tires. Neither have great steering response. The Blizzak is fair to good, the Sottozero 3 is poor. When I make a spirited steering input (not the sort that won't spill the milk coming home from the store), the Sottozero 3s just sit there; then they begin to move. I can actually feel the car accelerate laterally, its that slow. When I turn back, the tire unwinds and deflects in the opposite direction. When I quit steering, the wheels rebound over the tire patch a couple of times producing a tail wag or two. Lots of drama.

The LM001s are much better versus the Sottozero 3s. Not summer tire lightning quick, but much more precise, yielding but half a tail wag when I quit steering.

OBTW, both are awesome - and I mean awesome - on snow and ice.

The tires worked just as I hoped in the snow and ice conditions seen in the MI UP. The tires were quieter and ride quality better than what I have had in previous snow tires.

Great tire for heavy rain and snow. They don't wear as well as the summer tires, but that is to be expected.