Hello there mister cameraman.
But I decided against that. The Malibu is my daily driver, but it's not a new car by any means. Therefore, I believe it'd be unfair to hold it to the same testing standards as say, a 2010 Malibu. And I can't get a hold of one of those for a proper review (not yet, at least).
I also don't know any close friends who've recently purchased a new ride, but I do have one in mind for a future post - look out Scott, I'm gunning for that pretty new 135i of yours! I want to get video for that review as well, ala Top Gear. But without access to a track or closed road, it'll prove quite difficult to push the car (if you know a place or a person who could provide this, you know how to contact me, guys).
So then, onto the review! What is the Bridgestone B450? It's a standard DOT compound tire originally produced a few years back for some passenger cars and light trucks (like my Malibu).
On the Malibu, the B450 is a 205/65R15 size tires, with a speed rating of S and a UTQG of 360B B. What does that all mean? It means that it's a 205mm wide tire (across from top of one sidewall to the other) with a 65 series sidewall. What that means is that this tire size's sidewall height (from rim to tread) is 65% of its section width. The measurement is the tire's section height, and also referred to as the tire's series, profile or aspect ratio. The higher the number, the taller the sidewall; the lower the number, the lower the sidewall. Basically, a 65 sidewall is a CHUNKY tire, much like a truck's.
The R indicates that it's a radial tire. There are a few other classifications of DOT-legal tires, but it's not important to know them; radials represent the vast majority of tires sold (98% according to tirerack.com). The 15 indicates that the wheel (or rim) the tire's mounted on is 15 inches, a rather small rim.
The speed rating represents not what the tire's peak speed limit is, as it is often thought, but what the max speed the tire can handle is for roughly one hour. S represents 112MPH, but that's irrelevant since the Malibu is electronically limited to 108MPH.
Lastly, 360B B. The number is a code for treadwear, i.e. how much life you're gonna get out of your rubber (the higher the number, the better the treadwear, in theory). I've seen numbers from 200 to 600; generally, grippier tires will wear more quickly, since they're contacting the tarmac/concrete/various road surfaces better. The first letter stands for the tire's traction ability on a scale from AA to C. The B450 is rated as a B, which puts it on the lower end of the spectrum of grip. The second letter is also a B, but this time represents the temperature scale (another AA to C scale; the ability of a tire to disperse heat at higher speeds, i.e. not burst from temperature buildup). The B level is 100-115MPH, pretty much what you would reasonably expect from an S-rated tire.
If you didn't know what those numbers and letters on your tires meant (aside from the logo, obviously), now you do. And you can select tires with much more confidence.
Now, how have these tires fared on my Malibu? Remember, it's my daily driver, and I live in New York City. These all-seasons deal with just about any weather condition you can think of, so they've gotta perform at all times. Have they?
Well, let's look at some more numbers and abbreviations. The B450s are the OEM (Original Equipment from the Manufacturer) tires, which on my '04 Malibu makes them about 6 years old - ancient for tires. They've currently got about 50,000 miles on them, which is a decent amount of miles for a passenger car tire set. They're due to be replaced: the sidewalls are cracking, the compound is dissipating and the tread is dangerously low. Being the poor college student that I am, I toughed it out through the last winter with these, but they need to go.
How do they perform? Keep in mind the Malibu is by no means a performance-oriented vehicle, since its target demographic is the 35+ crowd. Which includes your mom, your dad, and likely your grandparents, likely people who wouldn't know to tell an apex from apex seals.
In the dry, they produce predictable understeer when pushed, as expected in any front-driver. They're also grippy enough to let you easily catch the car during lift-off oversteer. High-speed cruising is comfortable and reasonably quiet - there is a fair amount of tire noise, but nothing that'll really bother you. Turn on the radio. Braking from high speed is also what you'd expect for the tire, nothing to write home about but nothing that should cause major problems.
But throw some rain into the mix, and look out. You'll understeer badly even at 25MPH, traction control or not. The car is fighting to find grip that the tire simply can't give it. Hydroplaning can get pretty interesting at 65MPH, so I suggest you be quite awake with these guys. Braking performance does drop, as is reasonable to expect, but these tires border on dangerous in moderate to heavy rain. Coupled with a 3300lb. car, I sternly advise caution.
If you live anywhere that gets a fair amount of snow, though, get these off your car. They're horrendous in the snow, as I found out the hard way - a Toyota Tercel. A tire should not produce catastrophic understeer at 10-15MPH without warning. I could've forgiven it and marked the incident in the "I'm a moron" category if it was on ice or even heavy snow. But less that 3 inches of snow? Unacceptable. Dangerous.
The Bridgestone B450 is okay if you live somewhere without snow, but then, why not just get a summer tire compound? You'll get loads more grip. If you want an all-season in this size, I recommend these, a set of Continentals: Continental ContiExtremeContact
That's what I'm going with on my car.
'Til then, I won't be SPEED SHIFTing the Malibu.
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