Bridgestone launches ‘friendlier’ studded tyre

In developing its latest tyre for Nordic winter conditions, Bridgestone says it aimed to meet the challenge posed by increasingly strict environmental regulations on tyre studs. The all-new Blizzak SPIKE-01 replaces the Noranza 2 EVO and features studs that incorporate a “square-shouldered, round pin with revolutionary cross-edge to maximise edge and scratch effect while minimising road wear and associated dust pollution.” According to the tyre maker, preliminary internal tests already reveal the superiority of the Blizzak SPIKE-01 stud’s multi-directional biting effect on ice and snow and its retention rate over the lifecycle of the stud and tyre compared to on the predecessor tyre. Side-by-side tests of the new and previous generation tyres conducted in Sweden using size 205/55 R16 tyres fitted on a VW GOLF 2.0tdi also showed a 20 per cent better performance on ice and five per cent better performance on snow for the Blizzak SPIKE-01.

“The Blizzak SPIKE-01 is the outcome of a long history of developing premium winter tyres for the Scandinavian market,” said José-Enrique Gonzalez, director Consumer Marketing & Sales Support, Bridgestone Europe. “The tyre also incorporates the latest in stud design and construction technology developed exclusively for the Blizzak Spike-01 and produced by the global market leader, SITEK.”

Bridgestone shares that the Blizzak SPIKE-01 works by first evacuating surface water, enabling the tyre’s compound to grip frozen surfaces. The resultant friction is enhanced by the studs’ scratching. At the same time, engineered, sweeping grooves work to clear ice and snow dust away from the stud area while crossing grooves catch and release excess snow. The result, the manufacturer says, is a “marked improvement in all areas of winter performance over its predecessor with vastly superior ice traction.”