Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 Winter 235/50R18 101H XL Passenger Tire

The Camry Hybrid has traction control that cannot be defeated. Perhaps this is done to protect the electric motors, but last year it was enough of a problem that I had trouble parallel parking on the hump of snow that tends to build in the parking lane along the road. I literally couldn't park on the side of the road. My car wouldn't make it into the spot. My wife has had WS60's on her car, and that thing can go ANYWHERE, so this winter, when I had to drive on snow covered roads in my car and had virtually no traction in a few steering and braking situations, I knew it was time to bite the bullet and buy some winter tires. I had heard that the WS60's wear quickly, and while that may be true, I've been satisfied with the rate of wear on those tires. Hearing that the WS80's should last longer is a good step. As far as grip, as with previous blizzaks, these things completely transform the vehicle. They actually do grip ice, they're unbelievable in any type of snow, and in my car, I'm never facing a situation where being unable to cancel traction control causes me any issue. The tires are relatively quiet. I'll have to see how they affect mileage overall, but they didn't seem to have a noticeable affect in the initial few hundred kilometres that I've used them. I've rated these as 4 stars for durability only because I don't know, but I don't expect them to be 5 stars. I rated them 3 stars for value because they're very expensive. If you just need basic snow tires, and you don't have top notch expectations, there are probably better values. Bridgestone seems to sell every WS80 that they make, so it's tough to find a deal (although I was able to negotiate a better price with my dealer, despite there being no other stock in any local competitive shop). Buy these if safety really matters to you. All the fancy traction, stability, and other electronic systems are completely useless without some level of grip. These tires take an ordinary two wheel drive car, and allow you to drive in absolutely any condition, and be safe. If that matters to you, buy these. If you're worried about wear, you may want to do what I do, don't put the winter tires on at the first scent of snow. If you can make it through the first snowfall of the season without having to drive in a storm, or by driving on fully plowed roads, you can often go another month before you need to swap your all season's for winter tires. Once winter hits, you want these on. They're amazing.

I have never owned winter tires before but after this last winter using Goodyear triple tread tires I decided that where those tires are good I really needed something more. Putting my new Blizzack WS-80's has literally transformed this vehicle. I have owned AWD and four wheel drive vehicles but putting these new Blizzack WS-80 tires on this car has given me the confidence level that i had when I owned a vehicle that was driving all four wheels. Believe me when say that you don't need four wheel drive and you don't need AWD you just need Blizzack!