WS60's on the snow and ice

[From the Helm]

Finally got a decent snow and we had ice on Saturday in freezing rain conditions.
This is the first chance to drive my 335 in snow on the 225 45 17 Blizzak WS60's. They are much better than I expected. Acceleration is excellent, with any combination of settings on snow "normal" "DTC" and "disabled" the car drove very predictably and felt completely composed. I was able to drive around nice curves at 40 MPH in 4" (just brushing the bottom of the car) with no slipping.

The WS60's seem far more forgiving than the Dunlop M3's I had on my Legacy GT. Once the Dunlops lost traction sideways they were a long time in getting back under me, the WS60's seem to regain grip quicker and break away at higher levels. Of course that's an H rated vs. QR rated tire so perhaps I'm stating the obvious.

Ironically I was able to "drag race" an A4 Quattro last night on hard pack snow, he/she was on an all season (by site they were not a high performance summer tire) and there was no way the A4 could stay with me in straight line acceleration. Pretty ironic to find an agressive A4 on a snowy night! Flame away if you want but at 9:00 PM on a snow covered deserted road we were at most risking our wheel finishes!

All said the WS60's get a thumbs up.

[vadim]

... Of course that's an H rated vs. QR rated tire so perhaps I'm stating the obvious...
This is speed rating which has nothing to do with the ability to "grip" in the snow and slush. The speed rating states what the maximum allowed speed is for this type of tire on a (clear) highway.

[From the Helm]

This is speed rating which has nothing to do with the ability to "grip" in the snow and slush. The speed rating states what the maximum allowed speed is for this type of tire on a (clear) highway.

You are correct about the speed rating, but there are no "ice" specific tread compounds available in H rated, which is why the speed rating counts. No it's not a measure of traction, it's a measure of sustained speed at load, but you will not find any H rated snows that can hold a candle to the Q or R rated snows in the snow and ice.

Also, a great snow tire will be a lousy tire at speed on dry due to tread squirm and sidewall flex that allows the tire to conform more to the snow.

Making a specific choice about snow traction vs dry cold days is always a big consideration in the snow tire game. Hopefully some tire company will come up with a compound that can be both stable at speed and sticky on ice.....so far none have it.