Reviews & Comparisons

Both the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 and the Nokian Nordman 7 are renowned winter tires, lauded for their exceptional performance in adverse conditions. Let’s see which tire is a better pick for you?

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 Nokian Nordman 7 (review) comes in 34 sizes in 13 to 17 inches rims, with following specs.

• Speed ratings: T only.
• Load ratings: SL and XL.
• Tread depth: 13/32″ on all.
• Weight: 15 to 27 lbs.
• Tread warranty: None.

Tread Appearance

The Bridgestone Blizzak Ws90 with its robust and intricate directional tread pattern, stands as a testament to superior tire design.

The tread is characterized by three distinct ribs, the central one running continuously.

This central rib is made up with a variety of wave-like sipes and features straight, interconnected slits, that are then, seamlessly integrated with in-groove notches.

Moreover, you also see V-shaped incisions/notches, as well, which are aimed towards both sides, augmenting the tire’s traction capabilities.

And in a similar manner, the shoulder lugs incorporate notches facing the central rib. Though they also have additional notches on the sides (aligned longitudinally).

Other than this, as these lugs have wide lateral grooves/voids in between, you get superior self cleaning capabilities with them.

And of course with the numerous sipes situated on them, you get excellent traction too.

On the other hand, Nokian Nordman 7 features a little more complicated design, yet, its also directional.

Let me start on this tire form the middle, as that is the most interesting area of discussion.

So here, you get two ribs, where the middle most is almost continuous running.

This rib basically looks like a vine having thick leaves. So all lugs feature thick in-groove notches to them.

And adding to their aggressiveness, all these lugs have biting edges to them, and yes, of course a ton of siping.

Same is the story of surrounding lugs, though they also carry sharp off set edges to them as well.

Moving towards shoulders, things are more streamlined here.

You see slanted lugs here, with a lot of tread features including multiple siping designs, off set edges and stud holes.

Wet Performance

When tires grip on wet surfaces, a lot depends on how many grooves/sipes, they have and how well the rubber on the tread can absorb water.

Now having said that, although both tires have plenty of grooves to move water away and help stop the tires from sliding on water (hydroplaning), you still get to see slightly better performance on Blizzak WS90.

This is because this tire has different kinds of sipes that are good at taking in and moving water, which helps it grip well when the road is wet.

Especially around corners, it does a great job because it has lots of closely packed sipes that are both tough and flexible.

On the other side, the Nokian Nordman 7 although is not too far off, it still falls a little short to its counterpart, with its less aggressive overall siping, and a stiffer rubber compound.

Snow Grip

In snowy conditions, the Nokian Nordman 7 has the upper hand, especially when it comes to driving in light, fluffy snow, (even though it’s not as good on ice or hard-packed snow).

So why is that?

Well, because of its tread pattern. It has a lot more in-groove notches and voids and these act as snow particle trappers, allowing for a better contact on the ground with the lodged snow.

And its better because snow sticks better to itself than it does to rubber.

On the other hand, the Blizzak WS90 takes a simpler approach, especially with heavy snow. Its tread pattern is not as spacious, or you can say, aggressive, so it isn’t able to provide as effective of the snow to snow contact.

Vibration Absorption

Tires serve as the first line of defense against road irregularities, effectively acting as auxiliary suspension systems for vehicles.

And in this department, with the innovative compound used in the Blizzak WS90, the tire takes away, a larger piece of the pie.

It’s tread compound basically handles uneven surfaces better, where its construction adeptly absorbs these disturbances, delivering a ride that is considerably smoother.

The Nordman 7 on the other hand, may carry a stiffer rubber, which is lacking here, it still does better in the second half of overall comfort, that is noise reduction abilities.

Noise Generation

Tire noise primarily originates from two ways;

• When air hits the walls, (which mostly enters the tread through shoulders voids).
• And when that noise echos around, within the tread, creating what’s called in-groove resonance.

Now, the thing is, Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 has closed up shoulder voids, so it does not allow a lot of air to come inside, in the first place.

But since its softer rubber produces larger in-groove resonance, you still get a comparatively louder tire here.

On the other hand, the Nokian Nordman 7 gets to be quieter with its superior pitch sequencing technology.

This technology basically alters the tread block geometry. So when air particles hit around, different tones get generated, which then try to cancel out each other.

Ice Traction

On icy surfaces, where you need a lot of tiny biters, you see a superior traction on Bridgestone Blizzak WS90, as the tire comes with angled cuts and V-shaped notches that point in different directions.

These biters combined with the tire’s more aggressive siping, you get quicker braking and handling efficacy.

And speaking of sipes, these are also multi-angled, allowing for a grip in all directions, improving traction further.

In contrast, the Nokian Nordman 7 struggles with its larger tread gaps and fewer notches.

Though still main reason of it lacking is its less aggressive siping pattern. They just don’t have as many, you can say, teeth to them, as seen on Blizzak.

So overall, Bridgestone WS90 is taking the lead on ice.

Dry Gripping

The effectiveness of directional grip is primarily hinged on the central tread area, as this is where the brunt of the tire’s load is focused during straight-line cruising.

And considering this factor, it can be explained why you get to see superior performance here, with Nokian tire.

Although both tires yield continuous central ribs ensuring persistent road contact, the Nordman 7 steps ahead with its more enclosed pattern extending to the surrounding lugs.

This leads to a noticeable reduction in braking distance by an average of 4 feet in tests, compared to the Blizzak WS90.

Dry Handling

The ability to handle, or the tire’s lateral grip, is contingent on the design of the shoulder lugs and the overall tread flexibility. Given this, it is understandable why both tires exhibit similar lateral g forces and lap times in testing scenarios.

Both tires for one, feature similar footprints form the shoulders, so they provide almost identical contact patch.

And they both feature similar steering response and a same kind of susceptibility to over and under steering.

Tread and Fuel Usage

The correlation between tread life and fuel economy is chiefly determined by rolling resistance, a factor largely influenced by the tire’s weight, tread composition, and design.

In terms of fuel, the Bridgestone Blizzak Ws90 comes out better with its more streamlined lugs, coupled with less aggressive tread voids, particularly in the middle.

These allow for a smoother, more continuous central rib. This design minimizes obstructions during straight-line rolling, thereby improving fuel economy.

In contrast, when it comes to tread life, the Nokian Nordman 7 takes the lead due to its harder tread compound and greater tread depth.

Essentially, tread life is influenced by two factors: the rate of rubber wear and the duration before reaching a critical wear level.

And benefiting from a lighter weight and a harder rubber compound, the Nordman 7 counters wear more effectively.

Its greater tread depth, in turn, means it takes a longer time to reach the legally mandated limit of 2/32″ of tread depth, thereby prolonging its lifespan.

To Sum Up

In this grueling comparison, both tires have demonstrated their mettle, each excelling in different arenas.

Blizzak WS90 outshines with its superior wet traction, vibration absorption, and ice performance, whereas Nordman 7 takes the lead in snow performance, noise generation, and dry gripping.

Interestingly, both tires show neck-to-neck competition in dry handling.

Furthermore, while Blizzak WS90 scores on fuel economy, Nordman 7 trumps on tread life.

Therefore, the ultimate choice will hinge upon individual requirements and the specific conditions that the driver encounters more frequently.

In the fierce world of winter driving, the Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8, with its formidable ice-gripping technology, takes on the Blizzak Ws90, known for its unmatched slush performance. Let’s see which tire comes on top.

Tire 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.
• Tread warranty: None.

On the other side, the Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8 comes in 16 to 21 inches

• Speed ratings: R, S and T.
• Load ratings: SL and XL.
• Tread depth: 14/32″ on all.
• Weight: 21 to 40 lbs.

Tread Appearance

The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 is a strong directional tire made for extreme snow traction. Let’s understand it a bit better.

When you look at the tire, you’ll see three parts, or ‘ribs’.

The one in the middle doesn’t have blocks, so its a continuous running one.

It features a lot of siping, along with lateral slits, which get wider towards the edges.

They then meet V-shaped notches, which help the tire grip the road.

The two other ribs carry the shoulder lugs.

These look like they’re split but aren’t, because the slits aren’t full depth, so they only act as in-groove notches.

These shoulder blocks also have side-facing biters, and of course, like all over the tread, you also get a lot of wave-like siping here as well.

On the other hand, Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8 also features a directional pattern.

So dividing its tread in a similar way, we get to see 3 ribs, or you can say columns of blocks in the middle.

And these make 4 longitudinal channels.

The middle most rib is made continuous, meaning there aren’t any proper blocks formation there as the slits you see aren’t full depth.

So this rib is engraved with thick slits which look like a vine of leaves. These are basically considered as snow sipes, and with their angled orientation, they provide ample grip.

Though adding to that grip are numerous wave-like sipes and sharp off-set edges.

The surrounding ribs have blocks of bigger proportions. And they carry chamfered edges, off-set sides and in-groove notches along with those sipes.

Lastly shoulder lugs have zigzag edges, and they form widest of all longitudinal grooves in front of them.

Wet Grip

Both tires, here, have ample siping and flexible tread rubber, so you get amazing directional grip with them.

In fact upon testing, you get to see that both tires come up with similar braking distances (calculated on average). So you get a similar grip on both.

Though in terms of handling, you get slightly better results with the Blizzak WS90.

This is because the overall sipes on this tire has some more engineering advancements. Not only they are more aggressively interlocked with each other, they also have multiple angles to them, allowing for gripping in both lateral and longitudinal angles.

Conversely, the Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8, which has laterally oriented sipes (for the most part), shows a deficiency in overall handling times during testing.

So overall, you can say, that Blizzak WS90 has the upper hand here.

Fuel Usage

Tire fuel efficiency is fundamentally connected to tread design and structural weight, as these elements dictate the rolling resistance, thereby directly affecting fuel consumption.

In this context, both the Blizzak and Dunlop demonstrate comparable efficiency, albeit for very distinct reasons.

Despite its lighter weight, the Blizzak WS90 utilizes a more thermally adaptive rubber that causes its lugs to flex more, thereby using more energy.

Conversely, the Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8 counterbalances this effect. While its heavier weight imposes greater force on the lugs, it still manages to achieve similar fuel consumption levels to the WS90.

In essence, both tires exhibit approximately the same rolling resistance values, thus resulting in comparable miles per gallon.

Fluffy Snow Traction

On soft snowy terrains, the Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8 manages to edge forward a little bit. And it achieves this through its extensive array of gaps or biters that function as snow traps.

If you consider the tread pattern of both tires, you’d note that the Dunlop carries more lateral and longitudinal grooves/in-groove notches, along with snow-vices on shoulder blocks (missing on its counterpart).

These snow traps promote a stronger snow-to-snow connection, which forms the tire’s contact patch with the ground, thereby increasing traction. But why?

Well, this effect is due to the fact, that snow adheres more effectively to itself, than it does to rubber.

In contrast, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 lacks these specific features. I mean don’t get me wrong, you still get a lot of biters here too, they are just a little behind in providing as much snow to snow contact as its competitor.

(With missing interconnected grooves on shoulder ribs, there’s aren’t just as many voids as you see on the other tire).

So the Dunlop SJ8 takes the lead here.

Dry Traction

Dry traction, an essential performance criterion for tires, hinges on the amount of rubber in contact with the road. And here two key factors dominate, directional grip, and lateral traction.

Let’s delve into each one.

Directional Grip

The effectiveness of directional grip primarily lies in the tread’s center, since it bears the majority of the tire’s load, especially during straight-line driving on highways.

This characteristic accounts for why the Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8 excels in this domain.

While both tires feature continuous central ribs for consistent road contact, the Winter Maxx SJ8’s more contained pattern, extending to the surrounding lugs, contributes to an average braking distance reduction of 3 feet in comparison to the Blizzak WS90.

Hence, the Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8 exhibits superior directional grip.

Handling

Handling quality primarily depends on the tire’s shoulder structure and overall weight. Let me explain, why that’s the case.

During cornering, inertia redistributes weight to the tread’s edges (shoulders/sidewalls), and although both tires offer almost similar footprints from there, the Dunlop still lacks more with its greater weight causing lugs to bend more.

This excessive flexing of the lugs then result in a reduced/limited balance between under and over steering, compromising on the tire’s overall steering feedback.

And so overall dry handling becomes better on Bridgestone Blizzak WS90.

Ice Traction

When evaluating performance on icy surfaces, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 is a relative standout.

The tire integrates advanced design features, like evenly dispersed specialized biters across the tread, fitted with V-shaped notches, simply allow for a better bite on packed up terrains.

And here the tire’s variety of siping angles, further add to that. As design choice supplies the tire with a comprehensive grip in all directions.

On the other hand, the Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8 lacks in as aggressive of an overall siping pattern, with missing (multiple) angles. So overall ice traction becomes limited here.

Comfort Levels

Ride comfort fundamentally consists of noise reduction and the tire’s capacity to absorb shocks from the road.

Let’s address noise first.

Noise primarily originates when air particles collide with the walls of the tire’s tread. The more worn a tire becomes, the noisier it tends to be.

However, there’s more to consider, such as in-groove resonance, and that’s where the Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8 excels, providing an overall quieter ride.

In-groove resonance essentially refers to the echoing effect within the tread walls, and of the two tires, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90’s softer rubber compound reflects a greater amount of noise.

In contrast, the Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8 not only produces less echo but also employs superior pitch sequencing technology. This technology utilizes varying tread block geometries to generate different sound tones from air particles. These tones eventually counteract each other, resulting in noise reduction.

Nevertheless, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90, with its softer rubber compound, shines when it comes to shock absorption. Its rubber composition more effectively absorbs the vibrations caused by the road, making it comparatively better in this aspect.

Tread Life

Tread life is shaped by a mix of factors such as tire weight, tread depth, design, and compound composition. And upon analyzing these elements, it becomes apparent why the Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8 holds the advantage.

Despite its heavier weight exerting more force on the lugs, the tire’s robust tread life can be attributed to its relatively harder rubber compound and deeper tread depth.

The harder compound resists rapid wear, and the greater tread depth means the tire lasts longer, as it takes more time to wear down to the legal tread depth limit of 2/32″.

Conversely, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90, while having a more thermally adaptive rubber that significantly aids its performance on icy terrain, exhibits quicker wear.

Furthermore, its shallower tread depth does not contribute favorably to its overall tread life.

Summing Up

So what did we learn here?

Well that each tire shines in different areas.

When it comes to fuel efficiency, although both tires show up with similar performances, the overall tread life is still seen better on Dunlop.

On snow, the Dunlop edges ahead with more snow traps, enhancing traction. Its robust directional grip on dry surfaces also stands out.

Though it lacks to its counterpart in terms of handling in both wet and dry areas, and same goes for icy terrains.

And yes, Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 is also a better pick when it comes to impact comfort, though the Dunlop Winter Max SJ8 is a quieter pick.

Both the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 and the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 are top-tier winter tires, each excelling in different areas and making a unique mark in terms of performance, efficiency, and comfort, thereby offering a wide range of options to meet varying user preferences and driving conditions. Let’s dive in to these tires in more details.

Sizes Takeaway

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.
• Tread warranty: None.

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.

Design Appearance

The Bridgestone Blizzak Ws90 commands attention with its sturdy and carefully devised directional tread pattern.

The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

The tread features three distinct ribs, with the central rib crafted as a continuously running piece.

This rib is enriched with a variety of wave-like sipes, along with straight, interconnected incisions, effortlessly merged with in-groove notches.

And those notches further have V-shaped openings (on both lateral sides), adding to overall tire’s biting abilities.

Moving towards shoulders, they may seem to be divided by longitudinal slits, they are considered as notches (as they are full depth).

Besides these, you also lateral notches facing the middle too.

Other than this, these lugs get to have multiple-angles sipes of wave-like pattern.

And as they features widest of all lateral tread voids, they also account for superb self cleaning tread abilities.

On the other hand, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 features a totally different tread pattern, though its also directional.

In the middle most area, you can see a continuous rib, here as well (just like its competitor).

This rib is structured with multiple in-groove notches, and very aggressive/biting wave-like sipes.

The surrounding lugs, are blocky/squared-off, though they carry similar siping pattern. Though further out, lugs get to be more, you can say, lengthier.

So, because of this the shoulder blocks get to be the most elongated.

These lugs carry saw toothed edges on their both lateral sides as well, and their siping pattern is also slightly more thicker.

And, worth reminding, all of these lugs you see (including central ones), sit on a secondary rubber layers underneath, which act as reinforced foundations.

Tread Life

Tread life is determined by a combination of factors including the tire’s weight, tread depth, design, and compound composition. Given these variables, it becomes clear why the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 outperforms in this aspect.

Firstly, the Blizzak WS90 is lighter, which means each of its lugs experiences less weight pressure, resulting in reduced friction as they engage with the road surface.

Additionally, the Blizzak WS90 boasts a slightly deeper tread depth. This is beneficial as the deeper the tread voids, the longer it will take for the tire to wear down to replacement levels.

On the other hand, while the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 benefits from a slightly firmer tread compound that resists wear, its overall tread life is still shorter when compared to the Blizzak WS90.

Comfort Levels

Ride comfort is essentially a combination of noise reduction and the tire’s capacity to absorb road shocks.

Talking about noise first, so this noise gets primarily produced when air particles strike the walls of the tread.

So to put simply, larger tread gaps tend to result in a noisier tire.

And so in this aspect, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 gains an advantage with its more compact design.

Moreover, the tire features superior pitch sequencing technology, where variations in the tread block geometry allow for the creation of different tones by air particles. These tones subsequently cancel each other out, reducing noise.

On the other hand, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 excels in dampening vibrations, thanks to its softer overall tread compound. Its relatively softer tread composition enhances its ability to absorb shocks, ensuring a more comfortable ride.

So in essence, while the Blizzak WS90 offers better performance in terms of impact comfort, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 provides a quieter ride, each excelling in their respective areas of comfort.

Fuel Usage

Fuel efficiency in tires is intrinsically related to tread design and structural weight, as these factors determine the rolling resistance, which in turn directly influences fuel consumption.

In this regard, both the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 and Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 exhibit similar levels of rolling resistance. While the Blizzak WS90 has a lighter overall structure (on average across all sizes), it features marginally wider tread voids which induce additional lug movement during maneuvering. This action necessitates extra fuel consumption.

However, this effect is balanced out by the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5, which, despite its heavier weight exerting more force on the lugs, results in comparable levels of fuel consumption.

Thus, in terms of fuel economy, it’s a draw between the two tires.

Fluffy Snow Traction

On soft snowy terrains, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 manages to edge forward a little bit. And it achieves this through its extensive array of gaps or biters that function as snow traps.

These snow traps promote a stronger snow-to-snow connection, which forms the tire’s contact patch with the ground, thereby increasing traction. This effect is due to the fact that snow adheres more effectively to itself than it does to rubber.

Further enhancing its performance is the tire’s streamlined and curvilinear tread pattern. This unique design generates a paddling effect, facilitating the scooping and ejecting of snow, which propels the vehicle forward.

In contrast, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 lacks these specific features.

Although its tread pattern is also directional, it lacks the streamline effect of the Hakkapeliitta R5, reducing its effectiveness in propelling snow backwards to create forward momentum.

Furthermore, upon closer examination of its tread, it becomes clear that it doesn’t have as many interconnected tread voids as its competitor, thus resulting in less efficient snow-to-snow contact.

So Nokain’s tire is overall better here, providing superior fluffy snow traction.

Dry Traction

Dry traction, a pivotal performance metric for any tire, depends on the amount of rubber making contact with the road surface. Here, two critical aspects come into play: directional grip and lateral traction.

Let me talk on them one by one.

Directional Grip

The efficiency of directional grip is mostly concentrated in the tread’s central area, given that the majority of the tire’s load is focused there, particularly when driving straight on highways.

This attribute explains why the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 outperforms in this area.

Although both tires have continuous central ribs ensuring consistent ground contact, the Hakkapeliitta R5 has a more enclosed pattern, even on the surrounding lugs, which contributes to an average braking distance reduction of 4 feet in tests compared to the Blizzak WS90.

Directional Grip is superior on Nokian Tire.

Handling

The quality of handling primarily relies on the tire’s shoulders and total weight.

During cornering, due to inertia, the weight is shifted to the tread’s edges.

Despite the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 featuring more closely packed shoulder voids, its higher weight becomes a disadvantage.

Its larger weight leads to increased lug movement when cornering, thus reducing steering feedback.

In contrast, the lighter Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 offers a more balanced relationship between understeering and oversteering, improving overall steering response.

So handling is better on Blizzak.

Ice Traction

When it comes to performance on icy terrains, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 reigns supreme, relatively speaking.

The tire incorporates innovative design elements, including specialized biters uniformly scattered across the tread and equipped with V-shaped notches.

And these, when combined with the array of siping angles, you get a tire with outstanding braking and acceleration capabilities on icy surfaces.

Moreover, worth reminding, the Blizzak WS90 tire’s comprehensive grip from all angles further adds to that.

In contrast, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5, despite having an ample number of in-groove notches, lacks an aggressive siping pattern.

The sipes, while interlocking, don’t accommodate as many biters and lack the various angles present on the Blizzak WS90. Consequently, its overall grip on ice is relatively compromised.

So overall, when confronted with icy conditions, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 indisputably comes out on top.

Wet Grip

Both tires, here, have ample siping and flexible tread rubber, so you get amazing directional grip with them.

In fact upon testing, you get to see that both tires come up with similar braking distances (calculated on average). So you get a similar grip on both.

Though in terms of handling, you get slightly better results with the Blizzak WS90.

The advantage in handling is primarily due to the Blizzak WS90’s superior water clearance abilities, attributed to multi-angled sipes and notches that face both lateral and longitudinal directions on its shoulders.

This design enables grip in all directions when cornering, reducing the risk of slippage.

Conversely, the Hakkapeliitta R5, which only has laterally oriented sipes on its shoulders, shows a deficiency in overall handling times during testing.

So overall, you can say, that Blizzak WS90 has the upper hand here.

Summing Up

So what did we learn here?

Well that each tire shines in different areas.

The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 excels on snowy terrain due to its extensive snow traps and streamlined tread design, providing superior snow traction. And you get better directional traction on this tire in both wet and dry roads.

Conversely, the Blizzak WS90 outperforms in icy conditions due to its specialized biters and comprehensive grip from multiple angles. And this tire features superior handling capabilities in both wet and dry.

In terms of treadwear, the Blizzak comes out better, offering longer tread life.

And fuel economy is almost similar on both.