Writing about the
Bridgestone A001 given
90% (205-55-16-V)
Driving on
a combination of roads for 13000
average miles
After a terrifying experience with mixed budget tires fitted by the previous owner on my Golf I decided to quickly ditch them and go for a whole new set. I almost went with the Bridgestone T001 but since it was Autumn at the time and nearing Winter I thought it be wise to go for the All Season A001 tire and I’m glad I did in the end.
On the dry I found there is little difference in grip levels compared to a standard summer tire and it holds corners very well. In fact it has a sporty feel to it which is surprising for an All Season tire! It coped very well on Hot Summers too, I drove 120 MPH with these tires on the German Autobahn in 30c heat and it never felt like it was going to waver - safe and stable.
The wet however is the A001’s trump card, it is absolutely unstoppable in terms of grip and aquaplaning resistance in these conditions. The special compound and mixed tread pattern enables the A001 to cope standing water at high speeds (motorways) very well, a fantastic wet weather tire.
I found the A001 to have coped fine in the Snow & Ice, on a slippery snowy incline I saw a Mercedes C-Class tail sliding and got stuck midway, a tiny Nissan Micra followed after and tried to power its way up but failed in the end which surprised me. I had to stop on the incline to allow the two cars to clear a way. But once they did, while the A001 did slip slightly at first it had enough traction and bite to power my relatively heavy MK5 Golf up the snowy slope, I have to admit feeling a bit smug in the end! Generally it can cope compacted snow and ice fine but can struggle if there is really deep snow (like 4-5 inches) so you will need full on winters if deep snow is frequent.
Wear is good for an All Season tire, after over a year and covering 13,000 miles in various conditions the tires still have loads of tread left, I think they can last me another year at this rate. Overall if you want a single tire to cope the British weather all year round with confidence then the Bridgestone A001 is a fantastic choice, highly recommended.