Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus Review(Jun 2023): New Generation Run-Flat Tire

A short note here: As a former Bridgestone engineer, I strongly recommend checking Discount Tire - Treadwell out. Now, you can effortlessly get recommendations based on value, performance, and local favorites without going to the Discount Tire store.
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Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus is a run-flat all-season tire that is mainly built for coupes, sedans, CUVs, and SUVs. DriveGuard Plus is released at the same time as Bridgestone Weatherpeak.

So, you may wonder, why Bridgestone released two all-season tires at the same time. The simple answer is they categorize customer needs.

While our hero product of this article, Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus’s priority is combining 3-season traction with light snow and offering smooth and quiet driving, Bridgestone WeatherPeak is a more winter and performance-oriented tire that offers solid 4-season traction.

So, if the winter traction is your priority, I recommend you to read Bridgestone WeatherPeak Review, for the rest, let’s analyze Bridgestone Drive Guard Plus!

At a Glance

	Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus
Best for	Warm & squishy regions, durability-focused drivers, smooth driving
Pros	Jack of all trades, satisfying light-snow traction for a non-3PMSF tire
Cons	Poor cold weather performance
Vehicle	SUV, CUV, Sedan, Coupe
Available Sizes	16”, 17”, 18”, 19” (Check if it fits your vehicle)
Test Report	vs ComfortDrive & P7 AS Plus3 (May 23, 2022)
Made In	US, Mexico, Japan
Labels	None
Warranty	65,000 miles
Prices	TireRack: Check Price DiscountTire: Check Price SimpleTire: Check Price Amazon: Check Price

As a former Bridgestone engineer, from my standpoint, Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus is one of the best run-flat tires for mostly warm and squishy regions. This tire offers a smooth but a bit noisy driving experience. While it performs perfectly in wet and dry conditions, its winter performance is limited to light snow traction. Even though Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus lasts longer than most run-flat tires, it’s not the best option if fuel efficiency is your priority.

NOTE: DriveGuard Plus run-flat tires are only recommended for vehicles that are equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system.

In case of any puncture, you can still use Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus 50 miles at 50 mph.

All-Season Tires Cheat Sheet

Finding the most suitable one for you among thousands of tires is very difficult.

My team & I have analyzed 100 different tires and generated this ‘Quick Answer Sheet‘ for those who don’t wanna spend too much time during tire selection.

Before we start, here are the incredibly helpful articles I highly recommend to take a look at;

How to keep tire noise down:
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-noise
Fuel-Efficiency:
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/rolling-resistance
Is it time to change your tires?
https://simpletire.com/learn/tire-news-information/tire-wear-bar
Tire rating charts & reviews
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/rating-chart&reviews
Tire test report
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests

Below the table, you can find my favorite tires that I have classified according to your needs.

All-Season Tires Cheat Sheet
Name	Best for	Works Best on	Articles	3PMSF	Road Noise	Mileage	Responsiveness	Riding Comfort	Warranty	Fuel Economy	Wet Performance	Mild Winter	Severe Winter
Michelin Crossclimate 2 (Test Report – Check Price)	Year Round Usage & Tread Life	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs, minivans	Review	Yes	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	Decent	60,000	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	Decent
Michelin Primacy Tour A/S (Test Report – Check Price)	Everything but severe winter traction	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs	Review	No	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	45,000 – 55,000	Decent	Elegant	Average	Fairy Well
Bridgestone WeatherPeak (Test Report – Check Price)	Smooth & quiet 4 season driving	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs, minivans	Review	Yes	Elegant	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	70,000	Elegant	Decent	Elegant	Average
Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus (Test Report – Check Price)	Great all-round run-flat tire	SUV, CUV, Sedans, Coupes	Review	No	Average	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	65,000	Average	Excellent	Decent	Average
Vredestein Quatrac Pro (Test Report – Check Price)	4-Season performance-driven riding	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs	Review	Yes	Elegant	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	50,000	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	Average
Vredestein HiTrac All-Season (Test Report – Check Price)	Year round performance with great handling	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs		No	Decent	Decent	Elegant	Decent	70,000	Decent	Elegant	Decent	Average
Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 (Test Report – Check Price)	Great all-round performance + mild winter	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs	Review	No	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	70,000	Elegant	Decent	Decent	Average
Nokian WRG4 (Check Price)	Traction focused 4 season driving	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs, minivans	Review	Yes	Decent	Decent	Decent	Elegant	65,000	Average	Elegant	Elegant	Decent
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady (Test Report – Check Price)	Year-round traction + handling	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs, minivans	–	Yes	Average	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	60,000	Average	Elegant	Elegant	Average
Firestone WeatherGrip (Test Report – Check Price)	Winter-focused 4 season driving	Sedans, coupes, crossovers	Review	Yes	Average	Fairy Well	Average	Decent	65,00	Fairy Well	Average	Elegant	Elegant
BF Goodrich Advantage Control (Test Report – Check Price)	Quiet & smooth 3 season traction + light snow	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs	Review	No	Decent	Decent	Elegant	Decent	65,000 – 75,000	Elegant	Decent	Average	Poor
Kumho Crugen HP71 (Test Report – Check Price)	Decent all-round performance + light snow	CUV, SUV	Review	No	Average	Average	Decent	Decent	65,000	Decent	Decent	Decent	Fairy Well
Bridgestone Alenza AS Ultra (Test Report – Check Price)	Long lasting performance for squishy regions	Crossovers, SUVs, light trucks	Review	No	Decent	Decent	Decent	Decent	70,000	Decent	Elegant	Decent	Fairy Well
Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring AS (Check Price)	Affordable 3 season traction	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs	Review	No	Average	Average	Decent	Decent	70,000	Decent	Average	Fairy Well	Poor
Goodyear Assurance All-Season (Test Report – Check Price)	Affordable all-round 3 season + light snow performance	Sedans, minivans	Review	No	Decent	Decent	Decent	Decent	65,000	Decent	Decent	Average	Fairy Well
Goodyear Assurance MaxLife (Test Report – Check Price)	Longevitiy focused 3 season traction + light snow	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, minivans	Review	No	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	85,000	Elegant	Decent	Average	Poor
Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack (Test Report – Check Price)	Comfort-focused 3 season traction + light snow	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, minivans	Review	No	Elegant	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	80,000	Elegant	Elegant	Decent	Fairy Well
Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive (Test Report – Check Price)	Above average all-round performance	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs	Review	No	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	60,000	Average	Elegant	Decent	Average
Michelin Defender T+H (Test Report – Check Price)	Efficiency focused 3 season performance	Sedans, coupes, crossovers	vs Crossclimate 2	No	Decent	Decent	Decent	Decent	80,000	Elegant	Decent	Fairy Well	Poor
BF Goodrich Advantage T/A Sport (Test Report – Check Price)	Long lasting 4 season performance + handling	Sedans, coupes, crossovers	–	No	Average	Decent	Decent	Decent	60,000 – 70,000	Average	Decent	Decent	Fairy Well
Continental TrueContact Tour (Test Report – Check Price)	Smooth & long-lasting 3 season performance + light snow	Sedans, coupes, crossovers	–	No	Decent	Decent	Decent	Decent	70,000 – 80,000	Decent	Elegant	Average	Fairy Well
Yokohama Avid Ascend LX (Test Report – Check Price)	Long-lasting & responsive 4 season performance	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, minivans		No	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	85,000	Elegant	Decent	Decent	Fairy Well
Laufenn S Fit AS (Check Price)	Long-lasting sporty driving	SUV, CUV, Sedans, Coupes	Review	No	Decent	Decent	Excellent	Decent	45,000	Decent	Decent	Average	Poor

If you’re in a hurry, here are the tires worth every penny;

Michelin Crossclimate 2 – Best for All-Round & Heavy Snow
Michelin Primacy Tour A/S – Best All-Round & Moderate Snow
Nokian WRG4 – Best for Comfort & Heavy Snow
Nokian WRG4 SUV – Best for Comfort & Heavy Snow
Bridgestone WeatherPeak – Best for All-Round & Moderate Snow
Goodyear ComfortDrive – Best All-Round & Light Snow
BF Goodrich Advantage T/A Sport – Best for Longevity & Light Snow

Depending on your needs, the below article might help;

I highly recommend checking the below pages out before making any purchase:

DiscountTire Deals:
https://www.discounttire.com/promotions
TireRack Deals:
https://www.tirerack.com/specialoffers
SimpleTire Deals:
https://simpletire.com/tire-deals

Run-Flat Technology

I generally don’t talk about this kind of thing in my articles but this tire is special for me.

Bridgestone is the originator of run-flat tires. For this reason, as a former Bridgestone engineer, I can confidently say that they don’t want to stop being the best run-flat tire manufacturer.

I personally found run-flat tires a bit fragile because of their extra stiff sidewalls.

So, the fragile part is caused by the stiffness difference between the tire shoulders and sidewalls. When this difference is too much, this causes too much force at some specific locations and if anything hit that spot, you have a new flat tire. But, run-flat, lol.

In this case, manufacturers have to decide something. They can fix this issue by using stiff shoulder blocks and sacrificing some of the good on-road manners (road noise, smooth driving), or they can use fluffier shoulder blocks and make the tire open to any damage.

Of course, they choose the second option but this one is different.

It seems like Bridgestone is keeping up with the idea behind the run-flat tires. Safety. So, they use stiff shoulder blocks on this tire.

In my point of view, Bridgestone Drive Guard Plus is gonna be announced as the best run-flat tire soon. It’s not going to be the most smooth or quiet one, it’s gonna be the most durable and trustworthy one for sure.

Pro Tip: If you’d like to learn more about the difference between run-flat and regular tires, you can check this article out!

Handling

Since we’ve already talked about the stiff shoulder blocks, let’s move on with the handling.

Handling could be evaluated under two different dimensions. Steering response and cornering stability.

While the steering response is related to pattern design, regarding cornering stability, the stiff and durable shoulder blocks and sidewalls do most of the job.

Steering Response

Steering response generally is an issue of all-terrain or winter tires.

While winter tires offer slower steering response because of their fluffy compound, all-terrain tires have tons of void area on the tread, and this decrease the response time dramatically.

So, I think we all understand the crucial metrics out here. Stiff compound and compact tread.

The center rib on the tread plays a big role out here. Especially if the compound is soft. Luckily, Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus has 640UTQG which is a highly acceptable number for a decent steering response. In fact, the number is higher than most all-season tires in the market which means Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus has a stiff compound.

If I’ve to come back to the center rib, a continuous and relatively less siped center rib works best in this case. Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus has neither. Yet, its stiff compound and compact pattern do the work.

Since Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus is only available on V, W, and H speed rates, compound stiffness is way much more important than continuous center rib.

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus provides a satisfying steering response.

Cornering Stability

I’ve never seen someone complaining about the cornering stability of the run-flat tires.

Cornering stability is related to strong and solid internal structures. In this case, stiff shoulders and thick sidewalls do the most work.

I’ve already talked about the stiff shoulder blocks, regarding thick sidewalls, run-flat tires have a thick sidewall because of their nature.

The robust shoulder section stays stable while cornering, besides that, its tread compound is also stiff enough.

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus offers extremely stable cornering. I highly recommend this tire for aggressive drivers.

Wet Performance

The wet performance of all-season tires is generally good. But it is very important to divide the wet performance into two in this regard.

Hydroplaning resistance and wet traction.

While hydroplaning resistance is more important for aggressive drivers, wet traction is crucial if you have a bit softer driving habit.

Let’s analyze them one by one!

Wet Traction

Wet traction is mostly related to compound stiffness.

In this case, the best way to check this out is the UTQG rating.

UTQG rating has 3 digits numbers and two letters come after that. For instance, the UTQG rating of Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus is 640AA.

While 640 means that DriveGuard Plus lasts 6.4 times more than the test default tire, first A means it provides one of the best-wet traction. The second A means it resists heat perfectly. I’ll come back here in the longevity section.

So, according to my past experiences, if the tire has below 700 UTQG, it provides decent wet traction. But, this isn’t the only thing to take a look at.

When it comes to tread design, Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus is perfectly optimized. You can clearly see the full-depth sipes and notches. These notches and sipes increase the amount of biting edges and provide better traction on slippery ground.

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus could be on your list if wet traction is your priority. It’s great in this case.

Hydroplaning Resistance

Hydroplaning resistance is the key to safe wet driving. It’s simply the water evacuation capability of the tires’ tread. If the tread holds the water inside, at one point, while wheeling, the tire loses connection to the surface and you feel this floating feeling. Especially, if you ever bread on puddles, you probably experience this.

Well, this metric is crucial. Especially for aggressive drivers because the chance of hydroplaning correlates with velocity.

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus has a trustworthy design in this case. It has 4 circumferential grooves that throw the water out. Better than that, it has an open shoulder block design that increases the water evacuation capability.

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus offers reliable hydroplaning resistance.

Winter Performance

The winter performance of all-season tires should be well analyzed.

Unlike most people think, these tires aren’t built for winter performance. In fact, they perform best above 7 Celcius (44.6 Fahrenheit) degrees.

This doesn’t mean these tires can’t perform on the snow but their maximum performance on the snow is average.

Still, dividing winter performance by three is the best way to analyze it.

Light-Snow Traction

Light-snow traction is the only metric you should look at if you’re going to buy all-season tires. I isolate all-weather tires in this case because all-weather tires are marked with 3PMSF which means their compound is resistant to cold weather. If you’d like to learn the difference between these two, I briefly talked about it in this article.

So, Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus doesn’t have a 3PMSF marking. Hence, the maximum performance you should expect from this tire is average.

Well, luckily, it provides one of the best light snow traction among the competitors.

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus’s divided ribs (looks like ribs but it contains lugs) and open shoulder blocks provide enough biting edges for light snow traction. Hence, Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus is a trustworthy tire on light snow.

Deep-Snow Traction

All-season tires sometimes can handle deep snow. In this case, a bit aggressive pattern (lugged-type like Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus) works better.

In my point of view, tread depth is highly important regarding deep snow traction. Since Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus has a shallow tread, it has limited deep snow traction.

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus doesn’t suitable for a long-range trip on the above 3-4” of snow. However, its C and E-shaped rib lugs create a good amount of horizontal and vertical biting edges.

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus can take you out of occasional snow but this isn’t a winter-dedicated tire. Limiting winter time usage is best for your safety.

Ice Traction

Due to its stiff compound, I don’t recommend using this tire on ice.

If you need ice or slush traction, you need a dedicated winter tire, at least an all-weather tire.

Riding Comfort

After the radial tires entered the market, the comfort of the tires increased to a high level. Indeed, it’s really hard to find a rough-ride tire on the market.

So, while reading this section, please keep in mind that the worst tire in the market is average regarding riding comfort.

Internal structure does most of the work in this case.

Regarding internal structure, Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus contains one nylon cap over the two-ply polyester casing. Hence, it absorbs the road forces very well. Besides that, it has relatively lower tread depth which is a huge advantage for a smooth driving experience.

I’m not going to say it’s the best one but for a run-flat tire, Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus offers insane riding comfort.

Road Noise

So, the robust shoulders I love are the disadvantage in this case.

The noise reduction of the tires is related to the center section void area. For the all-season tires, less void area means rib type pattern.

Well, Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus has a rib-type pattern but these ribs are divided into lugs. Moreover, as you can see its shoulder blocks are also dived into smaller blocks.

Due to its blocky pattern and robust shoulder blocks, Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus is a noisy tire in cold weather. The noise level will be acceptable in warm weather but below 7 Celcius degrees, I’m pretty sure you’ll need to turn up the volume of the radio a bit.

Longevity

Long-lasting isn’t a common feature for run-flat tires due to their heavier internal structure. So, expecting a long-lasting tread life is a bit of dreaminess.

Well, it has advantages and disadvantages in this case.

First of all, the tire has a blocky pattern which means it tends to wear unevenly. Yet, the stiff compound is an advantage in this case.

So, it has a stiff compound but it has tons of biting edges which creates too much force and the tire wears quickly. Besides, those run-flat tires are heavy tires. They wear faster than normal all-season tires.

I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be the strong contester between the run-flat all-season tires. Yet, if you prefer long-lasting rubber to safety, you better don’t prefer RFT (run-flat tires).

Fuel Efficiency

Fuel efficiency is similar to longevity.

In this case, a stiff compound provides lower rolling resistance. However, as I’ve mentioned above, the notched pattern needs more power to roll, hence, this feature decreases the fuel efficiency a bit.

If you’re buying a run-flat tire, I suppose you don’t care too much about MPG.

For those who care, I strongly believe that this tire is one of the most fuel-efficient run-flat tires on the market. Its compound is far away stiff compared to competitors.

Sizes

16”	17”	18”	19”
205/55R16 91V SL BSW 640 A A	205/45R17 88W XL BSW 640 A A	225/40R18 92W XL BSW 640 A A	245/40R19 98W XL BSW 640 A A
	205/50R17 93V XL BSW 640 A A	235/40R18 95W XL BSW 640 A A	245/55R19 103H SL BSW 640 A A
	205/55R17 91V SL BSW 640 A A	235/55R18 100V SL BSW 500 A A
	215/45R17 91V XL BSW 640 A A	245/45R18 96W SL BSW 640 A A
	215/50R17 95V XL BSW 640 A A	255/35R18 94W XL BSW 640 A A
	215/55R17 94V SL BSW 640 A A
	225/45R17 91W SL BSW 640 A A
	225/55R17 97V SL BSW 640 A A
	225/65R17 102H SL BSW 640 A A
	235/65R17 104H SL BSW 640 A A
	255/40R17 94V SL BSW 640 A A

Spec

	Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus Spec
Vehicle	SUV, CUV, Sedan, Coupe
Available Sizes	16”, 17”, 18”, 19”
Test Report	vs ComfortDrive & P7 AS Plus3 (May 23, 2022)
Made In	US, Mexico, Japan
Labels	None
Warranty	65,000 miles
Prices	Check Price Section to See Possible Best Prices

Price

The tire market has a dynamic price policy. Hence, in my point of view, sharing tire price is pointless.

Though, I’ve analyzed the top 10 brands of most popular tire brands.

Here are the dealers with a reasonable price range,

DiscountTire

Biggest dealer in the US. Founded in 1960
1000 stores in 35 states. You most probably find one on your parallel street
Free rotation and balancing
5% off for DiscountTire cardholders on online purchases
Highest-rated online tire dealer in Consumer Affairs
Almost all brands are available
Delivery takes 2-4 days (30% shorter average waiting time when you book online)
Frequent discounts and promotions

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/bridgestone-driveguard-plus

TireRack

Fast and Free shipping
Usually delivered in 1 day
Joint venture with DiscountTire(their installers and dealers are on your service)
Tons of installer options, and they also help you to choose the best one
Mobile installers in many areas, your tires will be replaced while you’re working in the office
Tire test results and comparisons can be found on the most product page
4.6/5 points on Google rate

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/bridgestone-driveguard-plus

SimpleTire

Free shipping
Delivered in 2 days
Verified shops near you(for mount and balance)
Mobile installation option
7 million customers since 2021
4.7/5 points on Google rate
Top-notch customer service, you may even request a price match

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus: https://simpletire.com/brands/bridgestone-tires/driveguard-plus

Amazon

Fast and free shipping (mostly in a day)
Get your tires shipped to a selected service center or get them installed at home or work (how does it work?)
Installation on Mavis Discount Tire (15$ per tire)
Installing new stem valves supplied by pro
Balancing your tires
Road/safety test
Since Amazon provides wholesale and affordable prices, they don’t offer a road hazard warranty

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bridgestone+driveguard+plus

While choosing dealers, I especially pay attention to reliability. All of the dealers on this list have 15-20 years of experience in the online tire business. Therefore, I can guarantee a smooth and fast tire-buying process.

Conclusion

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus is a jack of all trades but a master of wet driving and smooth riding.

This is rare because run-flat tires generally fail on one feature. Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus isn’t one of them.

	Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus
Best for	Warm & squishy regions, durability-focused drivers, smooth driving
Pros	Jack of all trades, satisfying light-snow traction for a non-3PMSF tire
Cons	Poor cold weather performance
Vehicle	SUV, CUV, Sedan, Coupe
Available Sizes	16”, 17”, 18”, 19” (Check if it fits your vehicle)
Test Report	vs ComfortDrive & P7 AS Plus3 (May 23, 2022)
Made In	US, Mexico, Japan
Labels	None
Warranty	65,000 miles
Prices	TireRack: Check Price DiscountTire: Check Price SimpleTire: Check Price Amazon: Check Price

Take-Home Points,

XL sizes tend to carry more load and offer better handling. Hence, they might be a better pick for bigger vehicles( XL vs SL tires)
Please pay attention to the load range and speed index. These metrics are essential if you expect decent tread life
There isn’t a bad tire in the market right now, you should just know what to expect from tires

A side note here: If you’d like to get local advice and find the best fit for your driving habits, location, and road conditions DiscountTire – Treadwell Tire Guide can give you masterpiece recommendations.

I hope the article was helpful. If you need any further support, please leave a comment below section.

Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus Review