Mastercraft Glacier Trex vs Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

Both the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 and the Mastercraft Glacier Trex, renowned in the world of winter tires, are set head-to-head, each boasting its own distinct capabilities and unique features for tackling challenging weather conditions. Let’s see which tire comes on top.

Blizzak WS90

Available Sizes

The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 (review) comes in 52 total sizes in 15 to 19 inches (wheels) with following specs.

  • Speed ratings: T or H.
  • Load ratings: SL or XL.
  • Tread depth: 11 or 12/32″.
  • Weight: 17 to 29 lbs.

On the other side, the Mastercraft Glacier Trex comes in 14 to 18″ with following.

  • Speed ratings: H and T.
  • Load ratings: SL and XL.
  • Tread depth: 12 and 14/32″.
  • Weight: 15 to 37 lbs.

Tread Appearance

The Bridgestone Blizzak Ws90 features a very powerful directional tread pattern.

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

The tread actually consist of just 3 ribs, where the middle most is made continuous.

This primary rib is adorned with numerous wave-like sipes, and it also features straight, interconnected sipes that are intricately paired with in-groove notches.

And these notches then join up with the V shaped incisions/openings, facing both sides, laterally, improving overall traction.

Moving towards shoulders, they also get to have notches facing the middle, along with longitudinal slits, which act as in-groove biters.

Additionally, the presence of zigzag-shaped slits further out on the lugs adds another layer of complexity and utility to the design.

On the other hand, Mastercraft Glacier Trex also features a directional design.

Mastercraft Glacier Trex
Mastercraft Glacier Trex

Here you get a more open structure of blocks, everywhere. Let me start off from its middle.

So here 3 ribs are seen which form very biting zigzag 4 longitudinal grooves.

The middle most rib has lugs with sharp edges (as they are somewhat arrow shaped), and contain laterally oriented wave-like sipes.

The surrounding ribs have two different types of blocks, and both of them carry multiple-angled siping along with snow vices facing the shoulders. And yes, every other block here also have stud holes for extra icy traction.

The shoulder lugs are pretty much the same, carrying similar features of snow-vices, sipes and stud holes. Though they also features rectilinear sipes, along with interlocking wave-like pattern ones.

Tread Life

Tread life depends on the tire’s weight and tread design.

Having said that, the lighter Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 fares better in terms of tread life. Its lighter structure doesn’t exert a lot force on its rubber, as they rub against the road, hence slowing overall tread burning rate.

On the contrary, the Mastercraft Glacier Trex not only offers a larger weight, but also a more voided up design. So a greater weights here gets divided on a relatively smaller surface area of the rubber.

So each lug getting more pressure on itself, gets to rub off the surface with greater friction.

So comparatively, you get to see an accelerated wear rate on Mastercraft.

Ice Performance

Undeniably, when it comes to ice performance, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 sets a benchmark.

And this superiority of this tire, on icy terrains, can be primarily attributed to its unique and complex tread design, which features a blend of varied-sized, angled cuts and V-shaped notches that slant in both directions.

Further enhancing its ice performance is the tread’s siped pattern which significantly improves braking distances and vehicle handling. Basically these sipes are distinctively more aggressive, with more, you can say, biting edges on them, offering enhanced ice gripping capabilities.

On the other side, the Mastercraft Glacier Trex struggles slightly with icy conditions due to its larger tread voids and fewer notches.

Its primary tread area finds it difficult to maintain a sturdy grip on compacted ice, while its shortage of multi-directional sipes reduces its overall ice performance.

However, it’s worth noting that the Mastercraft Glacier Trex does provide studdable lugs for improved traction on extremely icy surfaces.

Still, in the absence of studs, the Blizzak WS90 dominates when it comes to icy conditions.

Dry Traction

Transitioning to dry conditions, the Blizzak WS90 shines in terms of both directional grip and handling, the two crucial aspects of overall dry performance.

In terms of grip, which is heavily influenced by the central area of the tread, the Blizzak yields a streamlined, continuous rib design that offers a consistent contact patch with the road, facilitating faster braking and acceleration.

Furthermore, when it comes to handling, which depends on the tire’s shoulders, it presents more closely spaced lateral voids there, that improve the rubber-to-road contact during cornering.

In comparison, the Mastercraft Glacier Trex, besides having wider grooves, carries more weight, which can increase lug movement during cornering, thereby reducing steering feedback and adversely impacting handling.

Thus, in dry conditions, the Blizzak maintains an edge.

Wet Traction

The ability of a tire to grip in wet conditions is largely influenced by its tread design and rubber compound. In this aspect, despite both the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 and its competitor featuring substantial siping and soft, thermally adaptive rubbers, the former edges out the latter. Let me explain why.

The function of sipes is primarily to push air out and draw water particles in. And Blizzak with its dual siping system, which includes a blend of aggressive interlocking and rectilinear designs, you get a much better wet griping abilities.

Furthermore, you also get multi angled sipes on this tire too, and those offer a more effective cornering abilities, as you get a grip in all directions, with them.

In contrast, the Mastercraft Glacier Trex, you get siping which adopts a different methodology, with a purely lateral orientation, leading to a different traction outcome.

Though, its performance is notably commendable in hydroplaning resistance, as it gave out greater float speeds in both curved and straight aqua tests.

Float speed is just how fast a tire can go over standing water.

So to summarize here, the Mastercraft is a better pick when it comes to hydroplaning, while the Blizzak does better in the wet gripping section.

Snow Performance

When it comes to negotiating snow-laden terrains, both tires perform exceptionally well, notwithstanding the distinctive challenges different types of snow pose.

Nonetheless, I’d still go here with Mastercraft, as this tire offers a better tread pattern for this terrain type.

It features a more assertive directional tread pattern, complemented by lugs having spacious structures, where the loose fluffy snow particles are easily captured.

And helping to that are the tires numerous snow vices and interlocking grooves.

This trapped snow offers a better gripping contact on the ground, as snow stick better on itself compared to rubber.

In comparison, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90’s design is more compact, even though it, too, boasts a continuous running central rib.

And in addition, its absence of an interlocking groove structure prevents the tire from gathering as much snow as its rival, resulting in a somewhat diminished performance in snowy conditions.

Therefore, in terms of snow performance, the Mastercraft Glacier Trex holds a distinct advantage.

Ride Comfort

The comfort of a ride offered by a tire is a finely tuned balance between various factors including road noise, vibration absorption, the tire’s tread pattern, and its sidewall design.

When it comes to tread noise, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 secures a slight advantage, attributable to its less voided tread design.

This design configuration reduces the volume of air able to enter and move around, which in turn lowers noise generation.

And adding to overall comfort, it its lighter structure which gives you better response times, so you get an overall smoother and more refined ride compared to its competitor.

On the other hand, the Mastercraft Glacier Trex, although lacks in noise, and road smoothness, it does offer one area of supremacy with its softer rubber compound.

This rubber composition excels in cushioning against road irregularities, providing a noticeable difference in ride comfort compared to the Blizzak WS90.

Fuel Efficiency

Fuel efficiency in a tire is intrinsically associated with traction and structural weight, both of which impact the tire’s rolling resistance.

To simplify, the heavier the tire and the larger the tread voids, the more the tire lugs flex during cornering, braking, or acceleration.

This flexing or deformation of the lugs leads to increased energy expenditure, a characteristic observed with the Mastercraft Glacier Trex.

In stark contrast, the Blizzak WS90, engineered with streamlined, longitudinally aligned ribs, minimizes rolling resistance. This effectively leads to better fuel efficiency, giving you more miles per gallon with the Blizzak WS90.

Summing Up

So what’s the verdict? Well it all hinges on the following key points.

The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 displays remarkable performance on icy surfaces and provides exceptional traction in dry conditions, largely due to its detailed biting edges and unbroken center rib.

It also offers superior fuel efficiency, thanks to its lighter weight and aerodynamic design, and it outperforms in wet traction and road quietness.

In contrast, the Mastercraft Glacier Trex shines on snowy terrains and in vibration absorption, owing to its open tread pattern and effective shock-absorbing design.

While its heavier weight leads to quicker tread wear and lesser fuel efficiency, its performance on snow-covered surfaces and the comfort it provides on uneven roads are noteworthy.

Ultimately, the selection between the two would depend on the specific driving conditions and personal preferences of the driver.

Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra vs Michelin X Ice Snow

Michelin X Ice Snow and Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra, both being highly rated winter tires, outshine in different segments, setting new paradigms in performance, energy efficiency, and ride tranquility, providing an array of alternatives to suit different user choices and driving scenarios.

Winter Tire Comparison

Available Sizes

The Michelin X-Ice Snow (review) comes in 125 total sizes in 15 to 22 inches. They have following specs.

  • Speed ratings: T and H.
  • Load ratings: SL and XL.
  • Tread depth: 10.5/32″ on all.
  • Weight: 16 to 40 lbs.
  • Tread warranty: 40k miles.

On the other side, the Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra (review) comes in 15 to 18 inches with following.

  • Speed ratings: H only.
  • Load ratings: SL and XL.
  • Tread depth: 11/32″ on all.
  • Weight: 18 to 28 lbs.
  • Tread warranty: None.

Tread Pattern

Starting with the Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra, the tire is characterized by a three-rib design.

Goodyear WinterCommand ultra

At the center, the lugs may seem divided due to the presence of in-groove notches, as these incisions do not penetrate their full depth.

These lugs integrate smoothly with the adjacent blocks, creating a distinctive V-shaped pattern.

These blocks are further enhanced with an abundance of laterally positioned, interlocking sipes.

Moreover, the presence of numerous in-groove biters is evident, with the lugs separated by sinuous lateral grooves as well as longitudinal channels that cut across the shoulders.

The shoulder blocks are notably the most substantial.

Despite their sharp chamfered edges, they maintain a siping pattern consistent with the central lugs.

Of particular interest are the unique T-shaped biters found at the outer edges, or the sidewalls, as they might be referred to.

Moving on towards the Michelin X Ice Snow, you see another directional tread design.

Michelin X-Ice Snow
Michelin X-Ice Snow

Its tread is formed by 6 total ribs.

The narrowest and hardest to negotiate groove is centrally located, created by two ribs featuring blocks with multiple keen edges, wavy sipes, and chamfered sides.

Smaller, similarly designed lugs encircle these central features but are spaced more generously.

All blocks interconnect on a secondary rubber layer, lending stability to the lugs as the tire navigates.

The shoulder blocks bear somewhat softer edges, a squared-off look, and sport lateral rectilinear sipes and notches on their outer boundaries.

And yes, they also get the thickest of all siping (of rectilinear design).

Snow Performance

When it comes to handling in snow, both tires perform well. However, the Goodyear tire does have a small advantage, as seen after considering all.

But why is this so?

Well, if you look at its design, you’ll see it has wider gaps and notches in its tread that catch and hold snow. This design feature is important because snow sticks better to snow than it does to rubber, helping the tire get a good grip.

Moreover, the this tire has a special V-shaped lug design that helps push snow away and drive the tire forward, allowing for slightly quicker acceleration.

On the other hand, the Michelin X-Ice Snow tire performs a little less well in these conditions due to its tread design, which includes a continuous center rib and narrower notches.

Winner: Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra

Ice Performance

When it comes to ice, however, the Michelin X-Ice Snow tire takes the lead. In tests, it consistently stopped 11 feet shorter than the Goodyear tire.

It also has a slight advantage in acceleration, being one second quicker in the 0-40 mph test.

This superior performance is due to the unique biting edges distributed across the tread and the dual-angled design which enhances grip on densely packed snow surfaces.

On the other hand, the Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra tire struggles a bit on ice because of its wider tread gaps and fewer biting edges.

Winner: Michelin X Ice Snow

Wet Traction

Traction on wet surfaces is heavily influenced by two key elements: the tread design and the type of rubber compound utilized. These factors affect the grip and resistance to hydroplaning, so let’s talk about them both.

Now when it comes to grip, both tires put up a strong fight in this department, thanks to their ample siping and use of soft tread rubbers.

However, the Michelin X-Ice Snow tire manages to carve out an edge.

This superiority is attributable to its clever mix of linear and interlocking sipes that are capable of absorbing water and providing an exceptional wet grip.

Furthermore, their multi-angled design bolsters cornering and braking abilities, especially when the sipes align with the direction of the tire’s motion.

In contrast, the Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra primarily employs laterally oriented sipes, which fall short in providing comparable overall traction.

Consequently, it often displays longer wet braking distances and handling times.

However, this tire does outperform in hydroplaning resistance, a key component of overall wet traction. Its V-shaped lugs excel in clearing water, enabling higher average float speeds in both straight and curved aquaplaning tests.

Winner: Both!

Dry Traction

Dry traction is dependent on the tire’s overall ground contact and can be split into two components: directional grip and lateral traction.

In both categories, the Michelin X-Ice Snow tire outperforms its Goodyear counterpart. Its continuous central rib ensures dependable and consistent road contact, resulting in shorter braking distances and quicker acceleration times during tests.

The Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra, however, makes a comeback when it comes to dry handling.

Even though both tires showcase similar shoulder footprints in contact with the road surface, the Goodyear tire makes the most of its rubber’s contact, delivering superior performance.

Winner: Michelin X Ice Snow.

Comfort Levels

Tire comfort is primarily determined by factors like road noise generation and vibration absorption capabilities.

These attributes can vary based on the tire’s construction, the materials used, the tread design, and the configuration of the sidewalls.

In this respect, both tires offer a remarkably similar performance.

They provide a supremely smooth ride and are impressively adept at cushioning against road bumps.

Moreover, both tires exhibit comparable noise reduction abilities, a critical factor since noise is mainly produced when the air particles collide with the tire’s tread walls.

Winner: Both!

Fuel Economy

Factors such as the tire’s adherence to the road surface and the overall tread pattern significantly influence fuel consumption. In light of these considerations, it’s evident that the Michelin X-Ice Snow tire delivers superior overall performance.

Its longitudinally aligned central rib translates to a more streamlined tread design, promoting better, straighter rolling of the tire. This design leads to decreased overall rolling resistance, thereby consuming less fuel.

On the other hand, the Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra’s directional tread pattern featuring lateral tread voids poses more challenges as the tire rolls.

This results in increased overall rolling resistance, leading to more fuel consumption.

Winner: Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra

Verdict?

Upon a thorough comparison of these two stellar winter tires, it’s clear that each brings unique strengths to the table.

The Goodyear tire excels in deep snow conditions, thanks to its wider tread voids and notches, as well as V-shaped lugs for unmatched snow displacement. Moreover, it exhibits impressive lateral traction on dry roads.

The Michelin X-Ice Snow, on the other hand, showcases superior traction capabilities on icy terrain, owing to its abundance of biting edges and varied incisions.

Additionally, it offers better braking and handling efficiency on wet roads and edges out slightly in terms of fuel economy.

In the domain of comfort, however, both tires are evenly matched, delivering equally outstanding performances.

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 vs WS80

Journey with us on an exhilarating ride as we pit two titans of the tire world against each other, the resilient Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 and its formidable predecessor, the WS80. This is not just a clash of rubber and road – it’s a showdown of engineering brilliance, design innovation, and the relentless pursuit of perfect performance. Let’s get things rolling.

Blizzak WS90

Tire Sizes

The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 comes in 52 total sizes in 15 to 19 inches (wheels) with following specs.

  • Speed ratings: T or H.
  • Load ratings: SL or XL.
  • Tread depth: 11 or 12/32″.
  • Weight: 17 to 29 lbs.
  • Tread warranty: None.

On the other side, the Blizzak WS80 (used to) come in 15 to 19 inches, with following specs.

  • Speed ratings: H and T.
  • Load ratings: SL or XL.
  • Tread depth: 11 or 12/32″.
  • Weight: 16 to 35 lbs.
  • Tread warranty: None.

Tread Appearance

The The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 (review) stands out as a durable winter tire, characterized by a thoughtfully arranged tread pattern. Let’s break down its unique elements.

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

When you examine the tire, you get to see that there are actually 3 ribs. So let me start with the outer ones first.

So these shoulder lugs are brimming with biting edges.

They feature diagonal full-depth notches aimed towards the center, along with similar notches aligned longitudinally.

(This dual direction notch alignment enhances the tire’s traction).

In addition, towards the tire’s edges, you’ll notice zigzag slits running lengthwise, and as you’d expect, there’s a lot of wave-like siping here.

Moving towards the middle, the rib here is made continuous.

It contains full depth notches (just as seen on the notches). And these join up with the V shaped biters facing in both directions.

And yes, of course, there’s a lot of multiple-angles full depth siping here as well.

On the other hand, also features a directional pattern.

Bridgestone Blizzak WS80
Bridgestone Blizzak WS80

If you divide the tread into parts, you’ll find three ribs in the middle that look like columns of blocks.

This forms four channels that run the length of the tire.

The middle rib is a single piece just like it’s predecessor, as lugs here are sitting on a continuous running secondary rubber layer.

But unlike the WS90, this rib creates more biting edges, due to the lugs placed with an off-set.

Though, you do get similar in-groove notches and siping design, nonetheless.

Same goes for the shoulder lugs, apart form the slightly angle orientations of the sipes, and biters, you get almost similar shoulders here as well.

Dry Grip

Dry traction, a crucial aspect of tire performance, largely hinges on the design of the tire’s central tread area. This is because, during straight-line driving, the center of the tire bears the most weight pressure on itself.

That’s why it makes sense why out of both tires, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 comes out better.

The tire features a more streamlined central most rib, featuring fewer offset edges along its sides compared to its predecessor.

This configuration allows for a larger rubber-to-road contact area, leading to improved grip and shorter braking distances on dry roads.

On the other hand, the opposite happens on the Blizzak WS80, which besides featuring less streamlined design of its rib, also showcases larger tread voids/slanted incision.

So the overall braking efficacy of ws80 gets to be limited, relatively.

Dry Handling

Handling performance largely hinges on the design of shoulder lugs and the tire’s overall flexibility. And in this context, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 outshines its predecessor, by a lot of margin, I should add.

So why that’s the case?

Well because the Bridgestone WS90 is designed with a multitude of biting edges on its shoulder lugs, which also having narrower lateral grooves, interspersed, contribute to improved grip.

While on the flip side, the WS80’s lugs are thicker and have fewer biting edges, limiting its grip capacity.

However, a more significant factor influencing its overall poorer handling is its weight.

Basically, during cornering, the tire’s weight shifts towards its edges or shoulders, and the heavier WS80, under greater pressure, leads to increased flex in the lugs.

This flex results in delayed oversteer and understeer responses, limiting the tire’s overall responsiveness to steering inputs.

In contrast, the WS90’s lighter weight, coupled with its more flexible design, efficiently manages these cornering forces. Thus, it delivers superior handling performance, especially when navigating turns.

Tread Life

The longevity of a tire’s tread is significantly influenced by its rolling resistance, a factor governed by weight and tread design.

So to put things more simply, the lighter the tire, the better it fares in terms of tread life. The reason being, a lighter tire exerts less pressure on the road surface, thereby reducing friction and slowing the rate of wear.

So by this principle, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90, with its lighter frame, prevails, as its lugs aren’t pushed as much against the ground. This leads to less friction/heat generation, and of course greater resistance to wear.

On the other side, the Blizzak WS80 not only lacks with its larger weight, but also with less overall streamlined lugs, and older rubber composition.

All of these factors puts this tire behind its newly updated WS90.

Noise Generation

Tire noise is primarily a byproduct of air particles colliding against the tread walls, with its volume often influencing the overall driving experience. Efficient noise management, therefore, becomes a crucial aspect of tire design.

In this respect, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 showcases an advantage over the Blizzak WS80, owing to a less voided tread pattern. Fewer voids equate to reduced air cavities for sound propagation, generating less noise as the tire rolls over the road. This design attribute renders the Blizzak WS90 a more silent performer, enhancing comfort levels for both driver and passengers.

Wet Traction

The effectiveness of a tire’s performance on wet surfaces is determined by the design of its sipes and the composition of its tread (rubber).

And in this regard, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 outperforms its counterparts across various subcategories including grip, handling, and hydroplaning resistance.

Basically, the Blizzak WS90’s latest rubber compound yields a more enhanced water dispersion capabilities, which significantly improve the tire’s traction on wet surfaces.

Additionally, its updated sipe design, featuring multiple angles, facilitates rapid water evacuation from the contact patch. This quick water clearing ability results in improved grip, particularly on wet roads.

Furthermore, its superior inter-connectivity of tread voids/grooves offer a better, and exceptional water channeling capabilities in all directions.

This robust design allows for higher hydroplaning resistance, giving the vehicle more control, even at higher speeds during straight-line and curved aquaplaning tests.

Fuel Economy

Fuel economy in tires is primarily determined by two factors: the tire’s interaction with the road surface and its overall weight. These aspects directly impact the tire’s rolling resistance, which plays a pivotal role in the vehicle’s energy consumption.

In this respect, the heavier Blizzak WS80 lags behind, with its weight forcing its lugs to flex more against the road, especially during maneuvers such as cornering. This flexing consumes extra energy that would otherwise contribute to the tire’s rolling motion.

The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90, lighter and crafted with longitudinally aligned ribs, offers superior aerodynamic efficiency compared to the larger-spaced pattern of the Blizzak WS80.

The result is smoother, more energy-efficient straight-line travel, like highway driving. Therefore, the Blizzak WS90 excels in terms of fuel economy.

Vibration Absorption

Tires are the initial shock absorbers against road irregularities. Think of them as secondary suspension systems of the vehicle.

And with the new gen compound, seen on Blizzak WS90, you get better results here.

The tire encounters uneven surfaces in a better way, its construction adeptly cushions these disturbances, yielding a smoother ride.

And yes, since, its lighter weight also offers better steering feedback, you get a more smoother ride experience on roads, compared to Blizzak WS80.

Ice Performance

On icy terrains, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 confidently steals the spotlight, braking an impressive 11 feet shorter than its predecessor on average.

This is because its tread pattern has a crafted blend of its next-generation tread compound and meticulously designed biters scattered all over. Let me explain.

So the WS90 sports an enhanced biter design, characterized by more streamlined, slanted incisions harmoniously teamed with V-shaped notches oriented in both lateral directions. This innovative design boosts the ice grip substantially.

And adding to that, is its more aggressive siping pattern which simply grips on icy surface in a much better way.

The Blizzak WS80 on the other side, lacks to its newer update on icy terrains. Though its surprisingly great when it comes to fluffier snow.

Fluffy Snow Performance

Navigating through fluffy snow differs greatly from handling ice, and in this scenario, the WS80 edges ahead with its marginally open tread design.

But why is that?

Well because of its biters, which are specifically designed to accommodate soft snow particles, effectively trapping them within the tire’s tread.

This process facilitates a more efficient snow-to-snow contact, which enhances traction because snow adheres more effectively to its own kind than to rubber.

Conversely, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 exhibits a minimalistic approach towards snow handling.

It has a more compact tread design characterized by aggressive tiny biters can’t retain as much snow, so overall you see a slightly lacking performance here.

So What’s the Verdict?

In this comparison between the Bridgestone Blizzaks, the WS90 is largely superior, as it offers improved dry traction and handling due to a more streamlined central rib and multiple biting edges on its shoulder lugs.

Moreover, the tire’s lighter frame also allows it to have superior fuel and tread efficiency, and its smaller tread voids leads to a quieter ride.

Moreover with a lot of intricate biters you also get superior wet and icy terrain traction.

Though in case of fluffy snow, the Blizzak WS80 has the upper hand still.

General Altimax Arctic 12 vs Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

Up for the challenge is General Altimax Arctic 12, famed for its superior load-bearing capacity, against the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90, admired for its reliable traction. Who will emerge victorious in this intense winter tire battle?

Blizzak WS90

Tire Sizes Info

The General Altimax Arctic 12 (review) comes in 14 to 19 inches with following.

  • Speed ratings: T only.
  • Load ratings: XL only.
  • Tread depth: 12/32″ on all.
  • Weight: 16 to 35 lbs.

On the flip side, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 offers you with 52 total sizes in 15 to 19 inches (rims) with following specs.

  • Speed ratings: T or H.
  • Load ratings: SL or XL.
  • Tread depth: 11 or 12/32″.
  • Weight: 17 to 29 lbs.

Tread Appearance

The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 (review) tire’s tread design really impresses you with its resilient and well-thought-out directional pattern.

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

The tread primarily consists of three notable ribs, where the middle one is being continuous, meaning, there are no proper blocks formation there.

This rib has a lot of tiny tread features. You see multiple wave like sipes, along with lateral slits, which vary in thickness.

Moreover, you also see bigger notches, shaped as V, looking at both sides of the tread (laterally).

The shoulder lugs also features multiple notches.

You can see on of those facing the middle, and the other, which seem to be splitting up these blocks further.

Apart from that, you also see multiple-angles sipes on these blocks, which add to the overall biting abilities.

And yes, as these lugs are separated by wide tread voids, you also get superb self cleaning abilities as well.

On the other hand, General Altimax Arctic 12 features a more blocky tread design (of directional pattern).

General Altimax Arctic 12
General Altimax Arctic 12

Here the central lugs are sitting on a continuous running secondary rubber layer, underneath.

These lugs feature a lot of sides to them, and have a ton of rectilinear sipes.

Moreover, their arrow shaped design allow them to have powerful in-groove notches too.

The surrounding blocks are thicker/fuller, and you see wave-like siping on them, as well as stud holes.

These blocks also have sharp edges to them, just like the central blocks. And they have in-groove notches too, though, they are facing the shoulder lugs.

Speaking of which, the shoulder blocks run in pairs, and are surrounded by widest of all tread voids (laterally arranged).

Moreover, these studable lugs are less aggressive and blocky, as they have minimal edges to them, and they are missing with any kind of notches, though they have wave-like sipes.

Ice Performance

When driving on ice, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 stands out as one of the best options available. It owes its superior performance to its unique tread design, featuring angled cuts and V-shaped notches that vary in size and slant in both lateral directions.

This, combined with an aggressively siped pattern, results in shorter braking distances and handling times.

On top of all that, the sipes you seen on Blizzak are just much more aggressive. Sure both tires have sipes with interlocking designs, but on WS90, the sipes have much more biting capability.

In contrast, the General Altimax Arctic 12 seems less equipped for icy conditions, given its larger tread voids and a smaller number of notches. Its main tread area struggles to keep a firm grip on packed ice, and its lack of multi-angled sipes reduces its overall ice performance.

That said, the General Altimax Arctic 12 does offer studdable lugs which can provide better traction in extreme icy conditions.

But overall, without studs, the Blizzak Ws90 takes the cake on icy terrains.

Dry Traction

In dry conditions, the Blizzak WS90 excels in both the directional grip and handling, the two main parts of overall dry performance.

In terms of grip which depends on the tread’s central area, the Blizzak comes with a more streamlined, continuous running rib, which offers a consistent contact patch to meet with the road.

This allows for faster braking and acceleration efficacy.

And in terms of handling which depends on shoulders, the tire offers more closed up voids, which provide greater rubber to road contact as the tire corners.

The General Altimax on the other side, besides lacking with wider grooves, also comes with a larger weight which causes an increased lug movement when cornering, reducing steering feedback and negatively affecting handling.

So Blizzak has the upper hand here too.

Tread Life

A tire’s tread life is significantly influenced by its rolling resistance, which, in turn, is determined by the tire’s weight and tread design.

It is for this reason that the lighter Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 outperforms in terms of tread life. Its lightness reduces the pressure with which its tread is pushed against the road, thereby minimizing friction and slowing down the wear rate.

Conversely, the heavier General Altimax Arctic 12 places more weight on a smaller area of the tire because of the larger gaps between its treads. This increases the wear rate and can potentially reduce the overall lifespan of the tire.

Wet Traction

For a tire, the ability to maintain grip on wet surfaces is paramount. The tread pattern and the rubber’s texture primarily influence this capability.

Now as you can see, both tires possess numerous tread voids that assist in dispersing water and reducing hydroplaning risk.

However, the Blizzak WS90 takes it a step further by featuring a mix of interlocking and straight sipes that efficiently channel and absorb water, leading to superior wet traction. Its densely packed sipes and optimal balance of rigidity and flexibility provide enhanced grip, especially during cornering.

While the General Altimax Arctic 12 does feature laterally oriented sipes and exhibits commendable resistance to hydroplaning due to its larger grooves, its overall wet grip does not compare to the Blizzak WS90.

Snow Performance

When evaluating the performance of tires in snowy conditions, both tires prove their worth with stellar performances, as they have been designed and built to function at optimum levels even in the face of the most challenging snowy terrains.

Though still, the General Altimax Arctic 12 stands out here, in comparison, as it manages fluffier snow better (where it lacks on ice, and packed up snowy terrains).

This is primarily due to the unique design of its tread pattern, which is more spacious and features lugs that provide snow to snow contact.

It’s tread voids capture snow particles in, more effectively, and provide contact on the ground with that lodged snow. This offer superior traction, as snow adheres better to snow as opposed to rubber.

In comparison, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 adopts a more minimalist design, especially when dealing with thicker snow, as it features more closed up, less aggressive tread pattern, which isn’t able to pick up snow as efficiently.

Comfort

The comfort level offered by a tire is a multifaceted attribute and is influenced primarily by two key factors: road noise and the capacity to absorb vibrations. Let’s dive deeper into these elements to grasp their implications on tire performance better.

Road Quietness

Road noise, an often overlooked but critical aspect of driving, is primarily a byproduct of air particles clashing against the tire tread walls. This generated noise can significantly influence the overall driving experience, making its reduction a crucial facet of tire design.

From this perspective, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 holds a clear advantage over its counterpart. This superior performance can be attributed to the WS90’s tread pattern, which incorporates a less voided or less open structure. The limited voids mean there’s less space for air to ricochet, reducing the noise generated as the tire rolls over surfaces.

This meticulous design consideration results in a quieter ride with the Blizzak WS90, thereby amplifying the comfort levels for both the driver and the passengers.

On the other hand, the General Altimax, characterized by its larger tread voids, offers more space for air to clash against the tread walls.

So you get a quieter ride on Blizzak WS90.

On Road Vibrations

A tire serves as the vehicle’s primary buffer against the irregularities of the road, its a secondary suspension system, if you will.

So tire’s ability to effectively absorb and mitigate vibrations caused by bumps, potholes, and other surface imperfections is a significant contributor to ride comfort.

And in this regard, we have a clear winner, the General Altimax, which offers exceptional vibration damping capabilities.

The tire’s distinctive tread design and compound composition equip it with superior abilities to absorb shocks.

When it encounters uneven surfaces or obstacles, its design allows for effective cushioning of these impacts. This leads to a smoother ride, minimizing the transmission of road vibrations to the vehicle’s chassis and thereby enhancing the overall comfort levels.

On the other side, the Blizzak lacks here, with its slightly lower capabilities to dampen the same degree of impacts.

Summing Up

Ultimately, the verdict comes down to this.

The Blizzak WS90 shows exceptional performance on icy surfaces and provides remarkable traction in dry conditions, all thanks to its detailed biting edges and unbroken center rib.

Moreover, it delivers superior fuel efficiency, courtesy of its lighter weight and aerodynamic design.

Additionally, it holds a slight edge in wet traction and offers a quieter ride, enhancing the overall driving experience.

On the other hand, the General Altimax Arctic 12 takes the lead on snowy terrains and showcases superior vibration absorption.

This superior performance is largely due to its open tread pattern and effective shock-absorbing design.

Although it carries more weight, leading to accelerated tread wear and reduced fuel efficiency, its performance on snow-covered surfaces and level of comfort on uneven roads are commendable.

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 vs Michelin X-ice Snow

Both the Michelin X Ice Snow and Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 are distinguished performers in winter tire technology, each specializing in different aspects of grip, tire longevity, and ride comfort, providing a variety of choices for a range of driver expectations and driving environments.

Winter Tire Comparison

Available Sizes Info

The Michelin X-Ice Snow (review) comes in 125 total sizes in 15 to 22 inches. They have following specs.

  • Speed ratings: T and H.
  • Load ratings: SL and XL.
  • Tread depth: 10.5/32″ on all.
  • Weight: 16 to 40 lbs.
  • Tread warranty: 40k miles.

On the other side, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 comes in 14 to 20 inches with following.

  • Speed ratings: R and T.
  • Load ratings: SL and XL.
  • Tread depth: 11.5/32″
  • Weight: 15 to 35 lbs.
  • Tread warranty: None.

Tread Design

Starting with the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5, the tire while also boasting a directional tread pattern, presents a distinctly different design.

Nokian hakkapelitta R5
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5

In the central area, there is a continuous rib, much like what you would find in its competition. This rib is intricately structured with numerous in-groove notches and particularly aggressive wave-like sipes.

The lugs that surround this rib have a blocky, squared-off design, though they mimic the central siping pattern. As you move further outward, you’ll notice the lugs becoming increasingly elongated, resulting in the shoulder blocks being the most elongated.

These shoulder lugs display saw-toothed edges on both lateral sides, and their siping pattern is slightly thicker.

It’s important to note that all the lugs, including the central ones, are seated on a secondary rubber layer beneath, serving as reinforced foundations.

The Michelin X-Ice Snow, on the other side, also proudly presents a distinctive, directional tread design.

Michelin X-Ice Snow
Michelin X-Ice Snow

This tread design features four circumferential channels centrally located, exclusive of the shoulder ribs.

At the core of the tread lies a challenging interlocking, zigzag groove, contributing to its tough nature.

This central channel is shaped by lugs on each side, endowed with a combination of straight and wave-like siping, offset edges, and snow vices. These snow vices refer to the stepped edges located on the corners of the lugs.

Moving outward from the center, the tread transitions to more squared-off blocks, each bearing only wave-like sipes.

The shoulder areas of the tread are characterized by robust, thick siping slits, complemented by the serrated edges visible on the lateral sides.

Comfort Levels

Ride comfort can be distilled down to noise dampening and shock absorption capacity of the tire.

Let’s start with noise, which is primarily generated when air particles collide with the tread walls. So, wider tread gaps result in a louder tire.

That’s why here the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 is taking the lead with it’s compacted up tread pattern.

Moreover, the tire also offers superior pitch sequencing technology. This approach utilizes variations in tread block geometry to generate different tones which cancel each other out, reducing noise.

Meanwhile, the Michelin X-Ice Snow excels in vibration dampening, courtesy of its softer overall tread compound. The softer tread construction improves shock absorption, leading to a smoother ride.

Winner: Both!

Tread Mileage

Tread longevity hinges on a mix of factors like the tire’s weight, tread depth, design, and material composition. In light of these factors, the Michelin X-Ice Snow shines.

This tire is lighter, so there is less weight stress on each lug, which reduces friction against the road surface.

Additionally, the tire’s relatively stiffer rubber prolongs the tire’s life, as it takes longer to wear down to replacement levels.

In comparison, although the Nokian tire also offers a decent tread life, thanks to its larger tread depth, it still falls short compared to its counterpart.

That’s why it makes sense why Michelin offers 40k miles warranty here, whereas Nokian doesn’t come with any.

Winner: Michelin.

Fuel Usage

Fuel efficiency in tires is closely tied to tread design and weight, as these factors tell you about the overall rolling resistance, (which directly impacts fuel usage).

Having said that, both tires here, offer comparable rolling resistance levels, meaning, you can’t put one tire over the other here.

Although the Michelin X-Ice Snow is lighter and has wider tread voids which would create additional lug movement during maneuvers, leading to increased fuel usage, its only equal to that seen on its counterpart, which is heavier (pushing its lugs against the road with greater force).

Winner: Both!

Fluffy Snow Traction

In softer snowy conditions, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 takes a slight lead, and this is attributed to its comprehensive array of biters that act as snow traps.

These snow traps foster robust snow-to-snow interaction, forming the tire’s contact patch with the ground and boosting traction. The reason being that snow bonds better to itself than to rubber.

Moreover, the tire’s streamlined and curvilinear tread pattern enhances performance by creating a paddling effect that scoops and ejects snow, driving the vehicle forward.

In comparison, the Michelin X-Ice Snow lacks these specific traits.

While its tread pattern is also directional, it lacks the streamlined pattern, as seen on its competitor, thus decreasing its ability to move snow backwards to generate forward momentum.

And yes, this combined with the fact that this tire has fewer interconnected tread voids than its competitor, it makes sense why Nokian is taking the lead here.

Winner: Nokian.

Wet Grip

In terms of wet grip, both tires benefit from abundant siping and flexible tread rubber, offering excellent directional grip.

And here, our testing reveals similar braking distances for both tires, demonstrating comparable wet grip.

However, the Michelin X-Ice Snow outperforms slightly in terms of handling, owing to its superior water clearance capabilities. This advantage is a result of multi-angled sipes and notches oriented both laterally and longitudinally on its shoulders.

This design fosters all-directional grip during cornering, mitigating slippage risk.

Conversely, the Hakkapeliitta R5, featuring only laterally oriented sipes on its shoulders, exhibits minor deficits in overall handling times during testing.

Winner: Michelin.

Directional Grip

Directional grip effectiveness primarily relies on the tread’s central zone, as it shoulders most of the tire load, particularly during straight-line driving on highways.

And given this parameter, it’s clear why the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 gets to have the upper hand.

While both tires feature continuous central ribs for persistent road contact, the Hakkapeliitta R5 features a more enclosed pattern, extending even to the peripheral lugs.

This attribute contributes to an average braking distance reduction of 4 feet in tests, outperforming the Michelin X-Ice Snow.

Winner: Nokian.

Lateral Traction

Handling quality largely depends on the tire’s shoulders and overall weight.

During cornering, inertia shifts the weight to the tread’s periphery.

Despite the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5’s closely packed shoulder voids, its heavier weight proves a setback.

The increased weight results in elevated lug movement when cornering, thereby diminishing steering feedback.

In contrast, the lighter Michelin X-Ice Snow maintains a better balance between understeering and oversteering, enhancing overall steering responsiveness.

Winner: Michelin.

Ice Traction

Regarding performance on icy surfaces, the Michelin X-Ice Snow indisputably leads the pack.

This tire features innovative design components, including dedicated biters scattered across the tread equipped with snow vices.

Coupled with a diverse range of siping angles, the Michelin X-Ice Snow provides impressive braking and acceleration capabilities on icy surfaces.

On the other hand, despite featuring numerous in-groove notches, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 lacks an assertive siping pattern.

Although its sipes interlock, they accommodate fewer biters and lack the diversity of angles present in the Michelin X-Ice Snow, resulting in a compromised grip on ice.

Winner: Michelin.

Summing Up

So lets see what it all comes down to.

The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 demonstrates prowess on snowy terrains with its comprehensive snow traps and streamlined tread design, offering superior snow traction. It also provides better directional traction on both wet and dry roads.

On the other hand, the Michelin X-Ice Snow excels on icy terrains, courtesy of its specialized biters and all-directional grip.

Moreover, this tire also delivers superior handling performance in both wet and dry conditions.