Frustrated-Bridgestone dueler HP Sport all season or not?
 

Half the websites I see say they are summer tires and the other half say they are all season. What are they rated? Anyone know officially? Costco, where I ordered them from rates them all season, but now I see every other site saying they aren't. It hardly ever snows here, maybe once or twice a year but it is supposed to snow this year a bit, already did once.

I really don't want to risk getting in an accident and insurance claiming it was my neglance for having summer tires. I already ordered these ones because they claimed all season and they were in my price range. I can't find any decent all season ones for less than 1600 :(

Anyone that has them please inform me if you know what they really are!! Thinking about it more, I guess what I need to know is if these tires have the m+s symbol on them. They may not be great all season tires but as long as they are marked that should be ok. I won't be able to see them until they come in, in a few weeks so would be great if anyone knew this.

Thanks

Summer tires!!

ughh costco lied to me. Said they were all season... Last question then, when I look further into things, the general grabber UHP are summer tires too, but they are branded M+S and meet the minimal standards to drive in the snow... So it seems some summer tires are rated snow worthy.

Is it possible this is the case with the dueler HP sport. Maybe this is why some places post all season and others summer. I guess only someone that has those tires would know so if someone does please let me know. I'm sure i could get a refund on them but then I have to find some other tires, which is proving difficult at the moment :)

Here's the link from the TireRack site:
Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport

Says several times it's a summer tire and even states "The Dueler H/P Sport is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice."

I'll let you know how they do in snow though. Love mine but haven't gotten around to putting my winter wheels/snows on yet and we're supposed to get some snow tomorrow.

I'll try them out on snow days on empty parking lot to check the limit on these tires, or maybe stay home until the snow is gone.

I drove my X5 using brand new all-season (Pirelli Scorpion) and made it up/down the hill on snow days but half-bald (2yr//20kmiles later) it'd be different story.

Here is a sample of the different info:

Dueler HP Sport RFT

Sport Truck All-Season

The Bridgestone Dueler range has now been expanded to include the Dueler HP Sport tyre. The Dueler HP Sport is primarily designed to deliver outstanding handling and grip for high performance 4WD Vehicles. Designed with a high silica tread compound, the Dueler HP Sport also offers class leading wet performance and steering response as well as a head-turning sidewall design

And from bridgestones website they just call it an SUV tire and say changing road conditions:
Bridgestone Dueler HP Sport with Uni-T Category: Light/Medium Truck The Dueler H/P Sport lives up to the high performance standards of your premium Sport Truck or SUV. The non-vent design and aggressive look of the sidewall fit the sleek lines of these imposing vehicles. In fact, the Dueler H/P Sport is an Original Equipment choice in the category. Expect the tops in wet performance with a power traction combination of UNI-T technology and high silica content to let you drive with confidence in changing road conditions.

Costco says its all season, every other site says its only a summer tire. Don't really want to put so much detail into this and drag it out on the forum just a bit confused and the problem is, if they have the M+S stamp on them, which no dealer seems to be able to confirm? Then it would be fine for insurance purposes. I will probably hardly ever use them in the snow so I'm not overly worried about traction. It snowed last week and I have bald diamaris and I was fine in it other than stopping. Anything will be better than those...

Anyways, if anyone that has them I would be very appreciative if you could take a quick look on the tire and see if it is stamped M/S, M+S or anything like that designating that it is at least minimally approved for mud and snow. :) Then I don't have to go through the hassel of canceling these tires and going with these cheap ugly looking atturo AZ800 that is the only other thing people can get in stock here right now :(

Suffix of the Bridgestone Dueler all season should either be HT (highway terrain) or AT (all-terrain).

Jamie,
Fwiw, TR says:
"The Dueler H/P Sport is a Street/Sport Truck Summer tire member of Bridgestone's Dueler family of light truck tires. The Dueler H/P Sport was developed for the drivers of sport utility vehicles and performance pickups. The Dueler H/P Sport is designed to deliver predictable handling, traction and control on dry and wet roads. The Dueler H/P Sport is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice. '

And, a look at a very large close-up pic from TR's site does not show the M&S label.
SuperView of the Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport

GL, mD

http://www.tirerack.com/images/trans.gif

The Dueler H/P Sport is a Street/Sport Truck Summer tire......No M+S stamp on the tire.
There are sitting in my garage for winter months....

There seems to be some confusion between a tire marked "M+S" and a tire marked with the snowflake in the mountain symbol, representing a winter tire meeting snow traction performance requirements.

The OP is in Vancouver, and has discussed km and degrees C, so let's assume it is Vancouver BC, and not Vancouver Washington. The relevant authorities are the BC Ministry of Highways, and ICBC, our beloved sole provider of motor vehicle insurance. Also important is Transport Canada, the federal authority who recognize the snowflake symbol.

An M+S tire is not a winter tire. It can be an all season tire, but snow traction does not equal cold weather traction. Given the temperatures in Vancouver, the OP is much more likely to have problems with icy roads, and freeze-thaw conditions, than with deep snow. Simply put, an M+S tire won't help in those conditions, and may be worse than a different summer tire, depending on the tread compound. You can be deemed at fault by ICBC for having summer tires in slippery conditions, whether or not there is snow on the ground.

The BC Ministry of Transportation states

Frequently Asked Questions

It is that last part that gets you. Your summer tires with an M+S tread are not primarily winter tires, they are summer tires with deep tread.

Your insurance won't be invalid, but you can be deemed to have partial or full responsibility for an accident. You can also be ticketed for causing any traffic blockage. You can be prevented from accessing a road in winter conditions, ie the Hope Princeton highway.

Short form: If you are going to buy winter tires, at least buy ones with a snowflake symbol. Otherwise, realize that they are just summer tires.