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Head-to-head Updated September 2026

Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 vs Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 — Compared (September 2026)

Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.

Tire A Bridgestone

Bridgestone Blizzak WS80

Winter Premium Touring tires

Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
82/100
5 owner reviews
Dry
74
Wet
76
Snow
96
Comfort
83
Noise
–
Treadwear
82
Handling
70

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Tire B Bridgestone

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

Winter Premium Touring tires

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
66/100
1 professional test
User signal (40%)
84/100
20 owner reviews
Dry
68
Wet
67
Snow
76
Comfort
84
Noise
77
Treadwear
79
Handling
65

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 — better snow, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.
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Category breakdown

7 categories, side by side

Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.

Dry

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Blizzak WS80 leads by 6
A — Bridgestone Blizzak WS80
74
B — Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
68
Why this score
SourceBlizzak WS80Blizzak WS90
Professional tests (TWG score) – 58
Tire Rack owners – 88
Tyre Reviews owners 74 70
SimpleTire owners – 88

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Blizzak WS80 leads by 9
A — Bridgestone Blizzak WS80
76
B — Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
67
Why this score
SourceBlizzak WS80Blizzak WS90
Professional tests (TWG score) – 55
Tire Rack owners – 91
Tyre Reviews owners 76 80
SimpleTire owners – 86

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Blizzak WS80 leads by 20
A — Bridgestone Blizzak WS80
96
B — Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
76
Why this score
SourceBlizzak WS80Blizzak WS90
Professional tests (TWG score) – 65
Tire Rack owners – 93
Tyre Reviews owners 96 100
SimpleTire owners – 91

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Blizzak WS90 leads by 1
A — Bridgestone Blizzak WS80
83
B — Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
84
Why this score
SourceBlizzak WS80Blizzak WS90
Professional tests (TWG score) – 86
Tire Rack owners – 85
Tyre Reviews owners 83 64
SimpleTire owners – 87

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — Bridgestone Blizzak WS80
–
B — Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
77
Why this score
SourceBlizzak WS80Blizzak WS90
SimpleTire owners – 77

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Blizzak WS80 leads by 3
A — Bridgestone Blizzak WS80
82
B — Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
79
Why this score
SourceBlizzak WS80Blizzak WS90
Tire Rack owners – 84
Tyre Reviews owners 82 73
SimpleTire owners – 82

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Blizzak WS80 leads by 5
A — Bridgestone Blizzak WS80
70
B — Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
65
Why this score
SourceBlizzak WS80Blizzak WS90
Tyre Reviews owners 70 65

Scores at a glance

Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 vs Bridgestone Blizzak WS90: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryBridgestone Blizzak WS80Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
Relative Score 80 73
Dry 74 68
Wet 76 67
Snow 96 76
Comfort 83 84
Noise – 77
Treadwear 82 79
Handling 70 65

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Neutral
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Important
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Bridgestone Blizzak WS80

The Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 is widely regarded as a top-tier winter tire, praised for its exceptional traction in deep snow and on icy inclines. While some users note a 'squishy' feel on wet pavement, the consensus highlights its reliability and longevity in harsh, rural winter conditions.

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and climbing ability on deep snow and ice
  • Impressive tread longevity when properly rotated
  • High confidence and stability in severe winter weather conditions
  • Quiet road noise levels

Cons

  • Noticeable 'squishy' or soft handling characteristics on wet roads
  • Potential for reduced performance in slush compared to newer compounds
  • Handling feedback can feel vague to the average driver

Observations

  • Subaru Forester owners report excellent capability in deep snow, even when conditions exceed subframe depth.
  • Small vehicle owners, such as those driving Scion XDs, noted significant performance advantages on steep, snow-covered hills compared to other vehicles.
Tire B Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 is widely regarded as a top-tier winter tire, consistently praised for its exceptional traction and confidence-inspiring performance on ice, deep snow, and slush. While users occasionally note increased road noise or less precise handling on dry pavement compared to all-season alternatives, the consensus remains that it is a premier choice for severe winter climates.

Pros

  • Outstanding grip and acceleration on ice and hard-packed snow
  • Excellent braking performance in hazardous winter conditions
  • Strong capability in slush and deep snow
  • High level of driver confidence in extreme weather

Cons

  • Increased road noise during highway driving
  • Less responsive or 'softer' handling feel on dry pavement
  • Potential for minor rubbing depending on vehicle fitment
  • Perceived as less refined in dry conditions compared to the previous WS80 generation

Observations

  • Users operating rear-wheel-drive vehicles without modern traction control reported high satisfaction with the tire's ability to maintain mobility.
  • Drivers of front-wheel-drive sedans noted significant improvements in winter handling and the ability to avoid using four-wheel-drive modes in moderate conditions.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 B · Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
CategoryWinter Premium Touring tiresWinter Premium Touring tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—45
Rim diameters—15″ – 19″
Tread depth—11/32″
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone

Bridgestone

Winner: Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 — better snow, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 scores 96 vs 76 on snow.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 scores 76 vs 67 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 scores 74 vs 68 on dry.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 scores 70 vs 65 on handling.

Tire A · Bridgestone Blizzak WS80
Tire B · Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.