NASHVILLE, Tenn. — While all-weather tires may be creeping in on winter tire sales, Bridgestone Americas said it believes consumers who really need winter performance are going to seek out tires designed for snow and ice traction.
In that regard, Bridgestone's Blizzak winter tire line has long stood out thanks to its unique compounding, according to Ian McKenney, senior product manager, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, U.S. and Canada.
"Since the first Blizzak tire launched in 1988, the line has advanced tremendously and expanded to cater to drivers of just about every type of vehicle on the road," McKenney said, "but one of the biggest elements of the success of our Blizzak line has centered around our multicell compound technology. These little pockets inside the rubber allow drivers to get better rubber-on-ice contact and create millions of microscopic biting edges that create that next level traction in snow and ice.
"Additionally, pattern design and geometry contribute to the Blizzak WS90 tire having 15% more block edges and 30% more block stiffness than its predecessor."
Winter tires sell well when there's a foot of snow on the ground. Otherwise predicting segment sales is a lot like, well, predicting the weather.
"Dedicated winter tire sales are still strong in areas that receive heavy snowfall during the winter, and there has even been some slight growth for this segment in Canada," McKenney said. "On the other hand, areas in the United States that may face only occasional winter weather have seen more of a shift away from dedicated winter tires for the convenience of all-weather products."