Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

This morning I drove on mostly dry roads at 23f/5c going an average of (55mph/88.5kmh). It handled well during any lane changes, has good acceleration from a stop and has a pleasant feeling ride. On a separate road trip last week, also dry roads, but almost exclusively highway driving (65-80mph/100-130kmh) I had a similar experience albeit with a little more road noise than I cared for. In dry or wet I don't like the handling too much for roundabouts and in general turns at speed. The tires are excellent in snow, slush and ice.

Incredible snow traction, almost impossible to get stuck with these on. Even in the worst wet and icy snow conditions, they simply dig in until they find grip and get you out again, and hold the road well in ice and freezing rain. A true winter specific choice that is worth the purchase if you live where there is snow on the ground up to five months out of the year.

On my car, a classic old fashioned RWD full size car with no traction controls and good ground clearance, it will easily climb through snow that comes to the very bottom of the undercarriage, even up a grade. With some skill and weight on the rear axle, you can escape about any snow condition as good as a 4x4. Even tonight I was driving in freezing rain, and it wanted to handle as if it were near dry pavement. Impressive.

My only complaint is ride quality, as it certainly rides much rougher than all season tires. I drive luxury cars that have extremely good ride quality, and the difference is easy to feel. Not sure if it is the tread pattern, as it almost seems to be riding on cogs rather than a smooth tire. No real road noise of vibration, but a very definite "firm" feel that translates back into the ride quality.

I use these tires exclusively in the long winters we have, so dry condition driving is limited in my case. They certainly don't feel as nice or seem to grip as well as all season tires I've had of similar size on this and similar cars of the same type on dry, warm conditions. I cannot comment on tire wear, as I drive several old automobiles, and have a limited mileage lifestyle.

All in all, they are exactly what a winter setup should be expected to be. Almost unbelievable high snow and cold performance, all at the sacrifice of warm weather comfort and control.

WS90 work much better than Michelin CrossClimate2s in below -10°C weather and on hard ice. The CC2s are excellent on snow. WS90s allow decent acceleration on a front-two wheel drive camry. There is a small amount of slip on initial acceleration on ice. I found them better than my previous Michelin Xi2s for handling and braking dry and wet. They also cost less than Michelin X-ice tires. But, have not had them long enough (bought mid-Jan 2022) to know how well they will wear. Overall, a great tire for extreme cold -35°C and icy roads in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. P.S. check your report of Consumer Reports test. Their test says braking in wet conditions is fair not handling which is good in their test. You stated that Consumer Reports said that handling is below average. Not so.

I bought a used set of these tires already mounted on rims for my XDrive BMW Wagon. They already had about 2 seasons worth of wear on them but had plenty of life.
Snow and ice grip was unbelievable--driving up to Quebec from Massachusetts in a blizzard I was able to maintain speed and grip the entire time without so much as a wiggle on greasy, slushy, and snowy roads. Highway performance was fantastic, crossing lanes did not cause my car to dive to one side or the other while driving over the slush humps between lanes. These tires excel in the worst conditions and I felt a ton of confidence driving in the winter with these. Snow feels like it isn't even there, I cannot overstate how planted these tires are.
That's not to say there are no tradeoffs, however. These tires are LOUD. From about 10 mph on up there is an audible hum that got worse as the tires aged, not so loud as to be annoying but I had to turn my stereo up; my car was noticeably quieter when re-mounting my all seasons in the spring. The soft rubber in the compound leads to very vague steering, lots of sidewall flexing, and a very underwhelming handling in the dry. They also get softer in the warmer ends of the season which exacerbates these characteristics. The plush sidewalls do help make frost heaves much less violent so I see it as a plus in deep winter driving. They also never cold spotted on me.

Ultimately these are fantastic winter tires for extreme conditions. I replaced mine after 3 more seasons of use because they were beginning to dry rot (2019 mfd) and I was beginning to notice uneven wearing across the tread which I cannot fault the tires for necessarily. Living in New England as of late we don't get much in the way of blizzards and often get mid season rain/ice, and these tires felt like more extreme winters than I needed. I opted to purchase a set of Vredestein Wintrac Pros (no +) to replace them because I no longer drive in the worst of conditions. If I lived in a snowier climate or was obligated to travel no matter the weather I wouldn't hesitate to buy these again. These are some exceptional winter tires, but know that they are all about utility.
As I bought mine used I am generous with the wear rating.

They do not feel as good as my previous set of WS80s. They are louder than the WS80s were and a but harder or rougher feel in dry condition. In cold rain and in ice and snow, they are exactly what is needed. Just disappointed in dry conditions compared to the WS80's I used previously.

These tires have been held up really well. I have just over 30,000 miles on them with maybe 15-20% life left. I have used these tires year round due to my seasonal lifestyle. Alaska for the summer and western ski areas during the winter. They have great grip in all directions in snow and ice and when they do break free it's very smooth and controlled. They held up well in warmer conditions holding a surprising amount of grip when the temps got above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I can't speak to noise since I have a roof box and basket that create plenty of racket.