Studded snow tires VS Blizzaks?

[Deva]

2024 Hybrid BAP pkg

so I am in a debate with myself and a few friends. on what is better so me*

I live in a very snowy resort town where winter last from about oct. 31 to may.
on the mountain we average 400-500" of snow per year.
I drive 25 miles each way to work over a step mountain pass up to 10% grade

in the past I have always ran studded snow tires on a FWD manual little car scion Xa the thing was a goat it very will in snowy conditions. drove it for 10+ years that way.

so now that I have my fancy new mav. its time to get proper winter tires.
I am leaning towards studded but have no ruled out the blizzaks...

thoughts

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[oysterville]

No studs. Quality snow tires.

 

[Stradbash]

I'd say a lot depends on how much ice builds up on the roads you drive daily.

 

[ShadowBlack XL440]

2024 Hybrid BAP pkg

so I am in a debate with myself and a few friends. on what is better so me*

I live in a very snowy resort town where winter last from about oct. 31 to may.
on the mountain we average 400-500" of snow per year.
I drive 25 miles each way to work over a step mountain pass up to 10% grade

in the past I have always ran studded snow tires on a FWD manual little car scion Xa the thing was a goat it very will in snowy conditions. drove it for 10+ years that way.

so now that I have my fancy new mav. its time to get proper winter tires.
I am leaning towards studded but have no ruled out the blizzaks...

thoughts

If the roads hold a good snow pack most of the season, I would run a good snow tire with studs. Just my preference but you should know what is best based on your past experience. If you needed studs before, keep using them.

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

Studs really help with ice. If you don't encounter ice, but mostly snow, snow tires without studs are appropriate. Tires like the Blizzack have the right rubber formula (and tread design) to work well in the snow, retaining some flexibility in the extreme cold weather.

I'd check testing done at Tirerack and Discount tires to see how the different brands perform relative to one another. The Blizzaks do pretty well even on ice.

 

[colinl]

I would certainly stick to studded tires that you've used before considering your fwd hybrid maverick is not that different from fwd cars you have driven before. get a cheap set of XL steel wheels, or cheap alloys if you want that instead, and studded snows. swap back to your BAP wheels and stock tires when the melt finally comes.

the other thing is that I would think about getting a hard tonneau cover if you park outdoors because a bed full of snow is really heavy and it's probably far easier to scrape it off the top rather than shovel it out of an open bed. (I say probably because I've never had to personally deal with 400-500" annual snow, lol.)

 

[EVH5150]

Blizzaks 100%. I've been running them for years on everything that I've owned. Except the ST, which has never seen snow or road salt, and never will.

 

[jahaas13]

I live in Northern Vermont, and while we don't get 400-500" of snow per year, we do get our fair share. I am also at the mountain every weekend for my kid's ski lessons. In the past, I've used studded and non studded snow tires on my previous car (VW Golf). I went with Michelin x-Ice snow tires on the Mav last year and couldn't be happier. As others have said, if ice on the road is big concern, then studded tires may help a little more. I haven't run studded tires in at least 6 years, and never noticed a drop off in grip.

 

[dadd75]

2024 Hybrid BAP pkg

so I am in a debate with myself and a few friends. on what is better so me*

I live in a very snowy resort town where winter last from about oct. 31 to may.
on the mountain we average 400-500" of snow per year.
I drive 25 miles each way to work over a step mountain pass up to 10% grade

in the past I have always ran studded snow tires on a FWD manual little car scion Xa the thing was a goat it very will in snowy conditions. drove it for 10+ years that way.

so now that I have my fancy new mav. its time to get proper winter tires.
I am leaning towards studded but have no ruled out the blizzaks...

thoughts

Lucky you. I lived in Michigan for the first 64 years of my life, studded tires were outlawed for tearing up the roads.

 

[Timothyd]

2024 Hybrid BAP pkg

so I am in a debate with myself and a few friends. on what is better so me*

I live in a very snowy resort town where winter last from about oct. 31 to may.
on the mountain we average 400-500" of snow per year.
I drive 25 miles each way to work over a step mountain pass up to 10% grade

in the past I have always ran studded snow tires on a FWD manual little car scion Xa the thing was a goat it very will in snowy conditions. drove it for 10+ years that way.

so now that I have my fancy new mav. its time to get proper winter tires.
I am leaning towards studded but have no ruled out the blizzaks...

thoughts

I think studs are illegal where I live because they tear up the roads. Driving around Wisconsin I've had good luck with good snow tires and "quick install" chains.

 

[TheSEARCH]

If your roads are rarely clean down to pavement I would go studded. But if you drive on clear roads to pavement studded would drive me crazy with the noise. I have WS90 Blizzaks on My 2023 Hybrid.

 

[jasonojordan]

Of the options given unless sheets of ice is an issue I would just do the Blizzaks.

Other snow tires I have run over the years that also worked well were the Cooper Weathermasters. The weather masters also did not wear as bad on the dry pavement in the fall/spring of the year when you run them waiting for the frozen white stuff.

 

[Optimus]

If it were allowed here, I would probably run studded tires. If you ran them and used them before on previous vehicles, then you will know what they bring to the table. Your next vehicle being a first time Maverick, won’t really change the driving experience, vs. other FWD you’ve driven on snow/ice. It’s all about tires. I run Nokian or Blizzaks here 5 months of the year, with lots of other brands tried too.

i do run studded tires on bicycles in winter. No question there; it’s much safer!

 

[James K]

2024 Hybrid BAP pkg

so I am in a debate with myself and a few friends. on what is better so me*

I live in a very snowy resort town where winter last from about oct. 31 to may.
on the mountain we average 400-500" of snow per year.
I drive 25 miles each way to work over a step mountain pass up to 10% grade

in the past I have always ran studded snow tires on a FWD manual little car scion Xa the thing was a goat it very will in snowy conditions. drove it for 10+ years that way.

so now that I have my fancy new mav. its time to get proper winter tires.
I am leaning towards studded but have no ruled out the blizzaks...

thoughts

I agree with Stradbash. Studs are a bit better on ice and in extreme cold.

 

[James K]

Lucky you. I lived in Michigan for the first 64 years of my life, studded tires were outlawed for tearing up the roads.

Of course they are. That's the snowplows' job to tear up the roads. Your job is to pay for the roads. Now be a good little subject of Michigan and do as you're told.

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