- Volkswagen Passat
- 225/45 R17
- 5,000 miles
Just wanted to give my review of my new-ish Bridgestone Ultraweather tires. For context, my car previously had the Continental ProContact TX, which came factory installed from VW. I live in New England, so I wanted to try some all-weather tires for the snow as the car is FWD. I have had all-weather tires before, with Michelin CC 2 on my previous Acura ILX.
So far, it's certainly softer than the Continental's the car came with. The handling does feel less precise / responsive, but not by much. On highway on-ramps, for example, it feels a little bit more floaty than before. My 2022 Passat isn't exactly the sharpest handling to begin with. In dry conditions, the car stops great, once again, way shorter than my previous tires. I'm not sure what metrics will show, but in real world, it's certainly improved for me. It also feels confident in wet conditions. It's only October and I got the tires in August, so I haven't had a chance to drive them in snow yet.
In comparison to the Michelin CC 2s, I would argue that the Ultraweathers are both more comfortable & quieter than the Michelin's. Handling wise, the Michelin's were a bit better, and it handled great in the snow. I'll update my review for these tires after my first snow, but no regrets to this point with the UltraWeather purchase. I was considering the Continental SecureContact AW before purchasing these, but I was a bit disappointed in the performance in the ProContacts that the car came with, hence why I decided not to. The Ultraweathers are also symmetrical, so easier rotations wherever I go. I've unfortunately had rotations done incorrectly with asymmetrical tires in the past.