Winter tire responsiveness

I just got a new set of Bridgestone Blizzaks WS60 installed & balanced (+ an alignment) on an '05 LGT, and as I was driving home, found the steering to be sluggish & unresponsive. Is this normal behaviour for a softer tire? It's currently 6 degrees Celcius, so maybe they will be more responsive in colder climate?

check your pressure after leaving the car outside overnight. Adjust accordingly.

That is absolutely to be expected. It's a good idea to check the pressure though and make sure you're between 35-38 psi.

 

I was scared to death when I put on my Yokohama Ice Guards when they were new. Coming from my summer tires it felt like I was driving on Jello. You will get used to it and adjust your driving style. The tires will feel a bit better when they're broken in and continue to be less squishy as they wear.

what is the air pressure now?

You didn't buy Toyo's:lol:

currently 35psi. Thanks for your quick response.

I have the exact same tires. In addition to what you've found, they're noisier than regular tires too. PSI set at 37F/35R.

I personally think high TQ cars like the Legacy are probably better matched to a more performance oriented snow tire. I wanted to change mine in after 20 miles but it was too late. They worked out great though and I'm guessing their on snow performance may be better than the more high performance snows.

Just wait until you drive in some snow and ice. You will quickly forget about performance issues and be addicted to snow tires forever. I don't know why anyone in a snow climate uses all-seasons

Dunlop Wintersport M3's FTW. They feel almost as good as my RE050's. No sluggish performance at all.

^i just had those installed mabye 300 miles ago. So far they feel great. As a winter performance tire, they dont sell themselves short on the performance....lets just see what happens when the winter part gets put to the test. Cost me $140/tire mounted & balanced

Expected behavior.

 

Basically you put the equivalent of a mediocre non-performance all-season with incredible snow/ice performance on your car. Hopefully you get the weather in your locale to make you and sure you will be.

 

I owned two sets of true winter tires and never thought they were worth it as winter days are only 5-15 days total/year for me. I limp around in those few days of winter stuff with RE960's.

^i just had those installed mabye 300 miles ago. So far they feel great. As a winter performance tire, they dont sell themselves short on the performance....lets just see what happens when the winter part gets put to the test. Cost me $140/tire mounted & balanced

 

They work just as good in the snow. I can't believe how good they are on dry pavement for a winter tire. This is my second season on them.

Snow tires are just that, for snow. They feel squishy and loose on dry pavement, and at any temps much over 40*. But in sub zero temps, and a foot or more of snow, I wouldn't trade my Blizzaks for anything.

Just wait until you drive in some snow and ice. You will quickly forget about performance issues and be addicted to snow tires forever. I don't know why anyone in a snow climate uses all-seasons

I say that all the time when people complain that they have no grip with there all seasons.

The Blizzak LM-25 is Bridgestone's Performance Winter tire

 

OP should have checked out tirerack.com for a Performance Winter tire.

 

I could be wrong but I don't recall seeing the words Performance WInter tire in the WS line.

 

I'll check again in a few, busy at work now....yea right.

Who runs WS-50's?? Got myself a set used with awesome tread left im ancy in the pantsy for the snow to fall so i can stick em on and play

I just picked up some Michelin X-ICE winter tires (and some crummy wheels) i cannot WAIT for the next snowfall! a coworker spotted the new wheels and gave me some guff on not having replaced my summer slicks with all-seasons.

 

I said "it's cause mine is a sports car, and your wagon is an over-priced baby carriage!" a little harsh for a fellow Legacy driver, but man he rubbed a raw nerve on me that day!

I just got a new set of Bridgestone Blizzaks WS60 installed & balanced (+ an alignment) on an '05 LGT, and as I was driving home, found the steering to be sluggish & unresponsive. Is this normal behaviour for a softer tire? It's currently 6 degrees Celcius, so maybe they will be more responsive in colder climate?

 

Try the Nokian Hakk... those feel the same as the stock tires in terms of response. Damn i love those tires in the winter sooooo much grip and control.

And yes, they are squishy. I feel like I'm back in my old Neon...

Who runs WS-50's?? Got myself a set used with awesome tread left im ancy in the pantsy for the snow to fall so i can stick em on and play

 

I hope that you know that WS first 45% of tread is multicell compound that does magic on ice. The rest is regular all season compound.

 

Krzys

Just put the same Blizzaks on mine and noticed the same thing. Youch... Feels like driving on a half inch of marshmallow spread across the ground when it's warm out. Found myself weaving around my lane as I got used to the new play and response in steering. But all to be expected.

The Blizzak LM-25 is Bridgestone's Performance Winter tire

 

OP should have checked out tirerack.com for a Performance Winter tire.

 

I could be wrong but I don't recall seeing the words Performance WInter tire in the WS line.

 

I'll check again in a few, busy at work now....yea right.

 

Yes, surgical tire. Trouble is it's not so hot on ice.

Those winter tires are a R speed rating. The OE LGT tire has a W speed rating. Speed ratings start with Q R S T H V Z W Y rated. Winter tires made with much softer rubber compounds that allow the tread elements to stay flexible when the temps dip below 45 degrees. The tires themselves are also built with maximum traction in mind, they accomplish this by building millions of grooves and gripping edges called sipes into every winter tire. The combination of softer compound and tread element siping will result in a noticeable difference in handling feel on dry pavement vs the stock all season performance tire or another high performance a/s or summer tire.

 

However you will feel an incredible difference when the weather goes bad and the snow and ice are on the roads. The Winter tire handling elements that make the car feel sloppy in the dry are all working to your advantage in the snow/ice/sleet giving you the ability to confidently maneuver and brake when other drivers using all seasons cannot. Coupling the awesome Subaru awd system with a quality winter tire is the absolute way to go if you live in an area that has considerable snow during the winter.

I run a higher performance winter tire on my car, currently on Continental Winter Contact TS790's with an H Speed rating. The compound is designed for winter use, and the tire is highly siped, but they have built some dry road performance handling back into the tire for a "better" dry road feel vs some of the super soft tires that are out on the market. I've had the Firestone WinterForce with a Q rated with studs(super burly setup on my WRX spt wagon), The Pirelli Winter 240 H rated(another great HP winter), the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22's(the top of the line imho, now replaced with the new Blizzak LM-60), and a few others. I like the H rated versions to alleviate that sloppy feel, but can speak highly of all the tires above and winter tire use in general.