Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 Tire Review

Last Updated

When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Products or services may be offered by an affiliated entity. Learn more.

Banner of Snowy road with Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 tire in the centre

When it comes to fitting winter tires to your vehicle, one of the most popular choices on the market is Bridgestone’s Blizzak WS90, but does it deserve this title? How does it really perform in different conditions and should you consider it when looking for a new winter tire?

In this review, we will take an in-depth look at the features and performance of the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 to help you decide if it is the right tire for your vehicle.

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 Tire

The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 tire is a Premium Winter Touring Tire manufactured by Bridgestone. It is an extreme winter tire designed to provide optimal traction and handling in wet, snowy, and icy conditions.

The Blizzak WS90 is engineered with the latest technologies to ensure superior grip and control on winter roads. Its unique tread design helps reduce hydroplaning and gives excellent performance in all winter conditions including snow, ice, and slush.

It has a lot to live up to, as the Blizzak WS80 (which is the tire it replaces) was one of America’s favourite and most popular winter tires, winning multiple awards.

Overall we have found the Blizzak WS90 to be an exceptional winter tire. It provides excellent traction and handling, even in the most extreme conditions. The tread design is effective in reducing hydroplaning and offers good grip on icy roads, helping it to outperform other winter tires in exceptionally cold weather below -10 degrees celsius.

Best Winter Tire
9.1/10We Try Tires Score
  • Class leading winter performance
  • Features unique biting edges
  • Very good wet performance
  • Excellent wear and longevity

Features of the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 delivers superior grip and control on wet, snowy, and icy surfaces thanks to its multi-cell compound. The special tread pattern features a unique multi-directional 3D sipe that creates biting edges for improved traction in winter conditions.

The tread is deep and allows the tire a large contact patch, further aiding it in wintery conditions with limited available grip. This will also help the tire to last a long time before wearing down to its minimum limit and needing replacing.

Its directional tread design helps channel water away from the tire surface to reduce the risk of hydroplaning and improve overall performance. The tire also features a tread pattern that enhances grip and braking performance in snowy conditions.

The Blizzak WS90 is engineered with Bridgestone’s Advanced Technology to help provide superior traction, handling, and stability in winter weather. Its high-performance rubber compound helps maintain optimal performance and wear life in winter temperatures.

Next we will break down how the Blizzak WS90 scores and performs in the various different road and weather conditions.

Snow and Ice Performance

As a winter tire, the most important test for the Blizzak WS90 is its performance in snow and ice. We were happy to find that this tire excelled in both conditions, offering fantastic levels of grip that inspire confidence in your vehicle and the ability to drive in even the most extreme winter conditions.

When on the road, we found the tire occasionally slip under heavy acceleration, but they quickly find their feet and we were very impressed with the handling and responsiveness of the tires, even when driving over both deep and compacted snow.

Another stand out achievement of the Blizzak WS90 was its ability to record the shortest braking distance of any winter tire we have tested. The tire was able to come to a full stop from 20 mph in only 24ft.

When comparing the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 to the other most popular and highest scoring winter tires, we found that WS90 excelled in temperatures below -10 degrees celsius and on hard packed ice in particular.

We found them still soft and grippy at temperatures as low as -30 degrees celsius, meaning you can be confident that the Blizzak WS90 will perform in even the most extreme winter conditions.

We want to stress the importance of extreme caution when driving in snowy and icy conditions as even the best winter tires will not be able to provide the same levels of grip as tires in warm conditions on dry tarmac.

This means you should avoid any harsh acceleration and sharp braking as any sudden inputs will likely unsettle your vehicle and cause the tires to lose grip with the road. This will mean you are not completely in control of the vehicle and is a very common cause of road accidents.

Wet Performance

Wet performance is an important test for winter tires as drivers expect their winter tires to be able to used in wet and slushy conditions.

The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 performed very well with excellent levels of grip and the ability to hold its line even when driving in heavy rain.

The tread pattern on the Blizzak WS90 helps disperse water away from the tire surface, reducing the risk of hydroplaning and helping to keep you in control even on wet roads. We never once found them hydroplane and were able to drive with complete confidence and control even when on wet roads.

We also found the braking distance to be reasonable with the tire responding quickly to our steering and braking inputs.

Another great feature of the tire is the deep tread design which also helps reduce the risk of aquaplaning and allows the tire to maintain traction on wet surfaces, even when driving at higher speeds.

This does mean that this performance is likely to decrease as time passes and the tire begins to wear. However if you need a versatile winter tire which is able to deal with rain and wet roads as well as slush, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 is one of the best.

Dry Performance

During our testing, we found that the dry performance was not the strongest aspect of the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90. Thanks to the tires softer compound, the tire was able to grip well on dry tarmac but the performance was not comparable to that of a summer or all-season tire.

At higher speeds, the tire wasn’t able to provide as much direct feedback as other more tires more suited to dry summer roads and felt slightly less responsive than expected. It was also tending to understeer slightly when cornering hard, however this is to be expected for a winter tire.

Also remember that extended use on dry roads will causes excessive wear on the tire, so you should always be cautious when driving in dry conditions.

Overall the dry performance was satisfactory, but we would suggest that you use a different set of tires when the roads are dry if possible. The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 is best seen as a winter tire with occasional dry use, rather than the other way around.

Tire longevity

We found that even after considerable use, the tire still had plenty of life in it. This is no surprise as the Blizzak WS90 is designed to be used in extreme winter conditions and not on dry tarmac. With proper care and maintenance you can expect these tires to last up to 40,000 miles on average.

Bridgestone have designed the Blizzak WS90 with longer lasting wear to get drivers through winter and offer “an extra season of wear”. This is thanks to its stiffer tread blocks which also contributes to the tires responsive and direct handling.

Generally, winter tires are purposefully made with a softer rubber compound to remain soft and pliable in sub zero temperatures. This increases grip and traction in cold weather. This does mean that the tires tend to wear down quicker than all-season or summer tires and will need to be replaced sooner.

If you drive mainly on dry roads then it’s important to take extra care of your tires and check the tread depth regularly, as the softer compound will cause them to wear quicker. However, we were very surprised to find that the Blizzak WS90 is capable of withstanding summer temperatures and at how well they perform even in hot temperatures.

Off Roading Performance

Whilst the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 is not designed for off road use, we were still impressed with its performance in this area. The tread pattern and deep grooves which help disperse water on wet roads also helped to increase traction in muddy and rough terrain.

We were also pleasantly surprised with the tire’s grip on loose surfaces and found its biting edges do give it some grip if needed. These are designed to provide good levels of traction even in more extreme conditions.

Prolonged off-road use will result in high wear on your winter tires because of their soft compound. It is also important when driving off road to be aware of which wheels are your driven wheels and to rotate your tires accordingly.

Comfort and Noise

For all the Blizzak WS90s improved performance in the wet and snow, it still does a very good job of remaining quiet and comfortable on the road. This was something that the outgoing Blizzak WS80 was also known for.

However when comparing the two tires, the new Blizzak WS90 isn’t able to offer much improvement and may suffer marginally in terms of tire noise. This doesn’t mean that you will be distracted while driving, but that you may be able to notice the tires running on the road at higher speeds.

We also found that the tire was comfortable enough, providing a smooth ride even in more extreme conditions. The Blizzak WS90 does come with Bridgestone’s ‘Silent Wall Technology‘ which helps reduce the noise from the tires and increase comfort on the road.

Economy

Winter tires are not designed to offer the best in fuel economy. This is because they are required to perform in conditions that eco tires are not designed for. So, the Blizzak WS90 is not as efficient as many other tires in terms of fuel economy.

However amongst winter tires, they were a small improvement on the WS80 in terms of fuel economy. The Blizzak WS90 does not sacrifice performance for fuel efficiency, but their superior grip does require more power from the engine to move them.

Price/value

The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 is currently available to purchase for between $90-220, depending on size and fitment. This makes it very competitively priced and cheaper than some of the other leading winter tires available to choose from.

When comparing the Blizzak WS90 to other winter tires, we think they are amongst one of the best bang for buck winter tires you can buy. This is just another reason for their popularity in the US especially.

Tire Size

Here are a list of the available tire sizes for the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90. For information on how to find your tire size, click here.

185/65R14175/65R15185/55R15185/60R15185/65R15195/60R15195/65R15
205/65R15215/70R15185/55R16195/55R16195/60R16205/55R16205/60R16
205/65R16215/55R16215/60R16215/65R16225/60R16225/65R16235/60R16
235/65R16205/40R17205/50R17215/45R17215/50R17215/55R17215/60R17
215/65R17225/45R17225/50R17225/55R17225/65R17235/45R17235/55R17
235/60R17245/45R17245/50R17215/55R18225/40R18225/45R18225/50R18
225/55R18235/40R18235/45R18235/50R18245/40R18245/45R18245/50R18
255/35R18235/50R19245/45R19245/45R20

Warranty

Bridgestone do not offer a Limited Mileage Warranty with their Blizzak WS90 tire. While this may be disappointing to hear for some, they do have a “Winter and Temporary Use Spare Tire Limited Warranty“.

This states that “A Bridgestone brand winter or temporary use spare tire will be replaced with an equivalent new tire for a pro-rated purchase price if the tire becomes unusable for any reason within the manufacturer’s control. “

A pro-rated purchase price will be calculated based on the remaining tread depth of the tire, with a minimum price set at 20% of the current retail price. This means that you are still able to get some money back if your Blizzak WS90 suffers from a manufacturing issue.

Pros
  • Class leading winter performance
  • Features unique biting edges
  • Very good wet performance
  • Excellent wear and longevity
Cons
  • No Limited Mileage Warranty
  • Slight loss of comfort

Conclusion

Overall, we found that the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 was a great tire choice for cold and wet conditions, with only a slight compromise in terms of dry road performance and tire noise.

If you live in an area where snow and ice is a regular occurrence and are looking for a dependable all round winter tire, then we strongly believe that the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 is one of the best tires you can buy.

Thank you for reading our review on the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 Tire! Be sure to leave us any questions and feedback in the comments and we will always do our best to answer any question you have.