Firestone WeatherGrip vs Bridgestone WeatherPeak

Both the Firestone WeatherGrip and the Bridgestone WeatherPeak are premium Grand Touring All-Season tires. Let’s see how well they perform next to each other.

Being a tire engineer, my tests reveal that the Firestone WeatherGrip stands out for its superior directional grip, remarkable snow traction, and overall ride comfort. Conversely, the Bridgestone WeatherPeak distinguishes itself with exceptional wet performance, adept handling on icy surfaces, and a notably longer tread lifespan.

Available Sizes and their Specs

Firestone comes in 15 to 19 inches rims, whereas the Bridgestone’s tire comes with 15 to 20″. Their sizes have following specs.

Specifications	Firestone WeatherGrip	Bridgestone WeatherPeak
Speed Ratings	H and V	T, H, and V
Load Ratings	SL and XL	SL and XL
Tread Depth	10/32″ on all	10/32″ on all
Weight Range	17 to 30 lbs	17 to 30 lbs
Tread Warranty	65k miles	70k miles
UTQG Rating	640 AA	700 A A

Also both tires, offer both, the 3 peak mountain snowflake rating and the M+S.

Construction of these Tires

The WeatherGrip tire offers an aggressive directional tread pattern.

Its lugs are pretty voided up, where 3 ribs are formed in the middle, which create interconnected circumferential grooves (with shoulders).

The central most rib is continuous running, and is the narrowest of all.

While the adjacent ribs are a little more, you can say, blocky.

All of them have thick longitudinal slits in them, along with of course a lot of wave-like siping.

This also goes for shoulders, though they also carry snow vices (biting edges you see facing the middle).

(These snow vices are also common with central most rib).

Internally, the tire comes with a single ply polyester casing, with dual steel belts and a single ply nylon cap ply on top.

The Bridgestone WeatherPeak on the other hand, is although not directional, its still symmetrical.

It’s tread features very independent and squared off lugs, with a lot of biters.

The central 3 ribs have lugs with similar interlocking sipes and chamfered edges.

While the shoulders are characterized by thick longitudinal slits and linear lateral siping.

Together all these lugs offer a very voided up structure, forming 4 tough passing circumferential grooves, which disperses off water very effectively.

Speaking of its internal construction, its very similar to that of Firestone.

I mean it has the same 2 ply polyester carcass and nylon cap ply with 2 steel belts in between.

So it makes sense why both tires have almost equal weighing structures.

Dry Performance

The effectiveness of a tire in dry conditions largely depends on its grip and handling capabilities.

Let’s talk both in details.

Directional Grip

Factors that influence directional grip include tread composition, the area of rubber in contact with the road, tire weight, and rolling resistance.

And considering them, it can be seen why the Firestone WeatherGrip is taking the lead here.

It’s softer rubber compound, basically enhance its adhesion to the road. And that coupled with its more streamlined design (directional pattern), you get superior straight-line grip.

Additionally, the tire is marginally lighter in comparison, and that decreases its momentum inertia, allowing it to stop easier and quicker, (which is significant because braking distance is the direct measure of directional grip).

And that is helped further by the tire’s rounded contact patch, which puts less weight pressure on the lugs, in the first place, (as the weight gets more evenly divided).

On the other hand, the Bridgestone WeatherPeak, despite having a similar voided up design compared to its competitor, still isn’t able to make as much rubber to road contact.

This is mainly because it does not have a continuous running rib in the middle.

So you see Bridgestone lacking by almost a feet in braking, compared to Firestone.

Dry Cornering

Although Firestone offers superior directional grip, it still lacks in overall handling compared to its counterpart.

Even though the WeatherGrip is designed with interconnected biters on its shoulders, marked by thick longitudinal slits and linear lateral lines combined with interlocking siping, it still trails the WeatherPeak by about 1 second on average.

So why is that? Well its pretty simply actually.

First, the WeatherGrip has noticeable voids, particularly in its outer circumferential grooves and between its shoulders (lateral voids). This design reduces the tire’s effective rubber-to-road contact.

But still that isn’t causing as much damage as its lagging steering response.

While the Bridgestone WeatherPeak provides smoother steering feedback, the steering response of the Firestone WeatherGrip is sluggish, and slow, (which basically remind you of a snow tire).

I mean it’s tread is relatively softer, and that causes its lugs to bend more as the tire corners. And with lugs flexing a lot more, sharp or intense maneuvers result in a loss of control (of the vehicle).

Tread Longevity

Assessing tire longevity requires a comprehensive approach, taking into account factors such as tread depth, rolling resistance, and the materials used in the tire’s construction.

Now although both tires aren’t so bad here, the Bridgestone WeatherPeak still offers slightly greater tread longevity due to its relatively stiffer rubber compound.

I mean sure, both tires are relatively softer compared to other tires in the all season category, where their tread life is traded off with their winter performance, courtesy of their superior thermally adaptive compound.

But you still get a more durable tread on Bridgestone’s tire. And so it makes sense why you get 5k more miles warranty with this tire compared to Firestone.

Winter Performance

If you’re looking for an all season tire that can handle snowy roads really well, both these tires are superb.

I mean each tire stands out in critical performance categories, including acceleration, braking, and snow handling, with a notable quickness and precision in steering responsiveness.

So it’s also not a surprise that both have earned the 3 peak mountain snowflake rating, in addition to the M+S classification.

Essentially, both tires lean towards winter capabilities, incorporating snow traction claw technology. This ensures users benefit from sharp, interlocking sipes, snow vices, and robust lateral and longitudinal slits.

Though still if you want to pick one over the other, you should know that the Firestone offers a little better snow traction, whereas the WeatherPeak deals with ice better.

But keep in mind, the difference is very low, I mean it’s the extensive testing here, that’s setting them apart, and in real world scenarios, you’d feel both tires to be up to the mark, on both these terrains.

But sure, upon closer examination, the biters on Firestone basically offer better snow-to-snow contact.

For those curious about this advantage, it’s worth noting that snow naturally adheres better to other snow than to rubber, (that’s why we have the term “the snowball effect”).

Additionally, the tire’s directional pattern is also a huge advantage here, as it gathers and expels snow backwards, generating better forward momentum/acceleration for this tire.

On the other side, the Bridgestone WeatherPeak demonstrates its abilities on compacted snow and icy tracks with its winter-tire-like siping structure.

I mean its siping structure blends both linear and wavy patterns, which enhances its ice-handling capabilities. And here its lugs having chamfered edges further help, adding to its directional grip.

Ride Comfort

Ride comfort in tires is determined by a range of factors, including tire’s inner and outer construction, tread composition, and design.

And looking at those, it can explained why the Firestone WeatherGrip provides better overall comfort levels (concluded from my subjective testing).

The tire is softer in comparison. And for all-season tires, this softness can offer the advantage of a smoother ride by effectively absorbing road imperfections.

Side Note: Some folks also add “stability” factor here as well. And that changes everything, as softness of a tread also mean less motion control, which makes the tire feel less responsive or “floaty” at certain speeds or conditions.

Overall Wet Performance

Wet performance comes form two key areas, wet traction, and resistance to aqua or hydroplaning. Let’s discuss both.

Hydroplaning Resistance

For optimal performance in wet conditions, it’s crucial for tires to evacuate water quickly. This is primarily due to the fact that water isn’t compressible, meaning if it isn’t removed swiftly enough, it can settle between the tire tread and the road, leading to slippage and a loss of traction.

To combat this, tires are designed with grooves, ensuring that a majority of the water is effectively displaced in time.

Having said that, both tires with their spacious tread voids, don’t have any issues here. Though still, as Firestone has the edge of its directional tread pattern, you see better float speeds on this tire compared to Bridgestone.

Basically with having a V-shaped or arrow-like tread pattern on WeatherGrip, water is better guided out from the middle towards shoulder voids and out of the tread.

Wet Traction

While grooves play a pivotal role in expelling majority of water, some residual water particles can still remain beneath the lugs, posing a risk for slippage. And that’s where sipes come in.

Sipes are intricate cuts in the tread that absorb the residual water, ensuring optimal wet grip. Basically these slits contract and expand, creating a suction effect that draws in water particles.

Now although both tires are pretty siped up, the Bridgestone WeaterPeak still takes the lead, as it employs a better siping structure of both linear and wavelike siping patterns.

Such a siping design offers multi-directional grip, where they adjust in a better way, based on the surface and encountered g-forces.

Fuel Efficiency

Fuel efficiency is influenced by tread composition, weight, and a tire’s rolling resistance.

That’s why this one’s a tie between the two tires.

I mean both tires feature almost similar rubber to road contact, speed ratings (up to V), tread depth of 10/32″ (on all sizes), thermally adaptive rubber for winter, producing overall similar rolling resistance values.

So you aren’t going to see any change in MPG readings, switching form one tire to the other.

Road Noise

Road noise is the result of various factors working together. And here air plays a lot of contribution.

Basically, as the tire rolls, air particles, mainly entering through the tire’s shoulder area, collide with the tread walls, generating noise.

That’s why it makes sense why both tires aren’t by any means quieter options.

I mean since they are more voided up, they allow air particles to hit around the walls with full force, creating a lot of cavity noise. And with both of them offering winter-tire like siping structures, there’s a lot of growling sounds too.

About the cavity noise: It refers to the resonance or noise generated within the cavity (or the enclosed air chamber) between the tire and the wheel.

So What’s The Takeaway?

So which tire is better? Well both have their pros and cons. let’s break it down.

The Firestone WeatherGrip excels in:

• Superior directional grip in dry conditions due to its streamlined design and lighter weight.
• Impressive snow traction, especially with its snow-adhering attributes.
• Resisting hydroplaning in wet conditions thanks to its directional tread pattern.
• Offering a smoother ride experience by effectively absorbing road imperfections due to its softer tread.

On the other hand, the Bridgestone WeatherPeak stands out for:

• Improved wet traction capabilities due to its intricate siping structure.
• Superior handling in icy conditions, which is again a result of its unique siping and lug design.
• Extended tread life due to its relatively stiffer rubber compound, promising more durability.

Moreover, both tires have equal scores when it comes to their winter performance and fuel efficiency.