Important Advice from Bridgestone

by editor on Oct.31, 2016, under Performance Pipeline

Like it or not – winter is coming for Canada (!) and industry leading Bridgestone has some important driving safety tips…

Bridgestone Urges Canadians to Prepare Now for Winter Driving Season

Installing winter tires is the first step to ensuring road-readiness With temperatures dropping and winter weather officially underway across Canada, Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) is reminding Canadian drivers to select the right set of winter tires and make installation arrangements.

“The storms we saw in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and northern British Columbia earlier this month served as a harsh reminder that now is the time to prepare our vehicles for incoming winter weather,” said Justin Hayes, product manager, U.S. & Canada, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. “Winter driving safety starts with installing the right set of winter tires for your vehicle and the driving conditions you will experience this season.”

The Blizzak tire line from Bridgestone is engineered to handle winter’s worst conditions, offering trusted performance and impressive grip in snow, slush, ice and on dry roads. Bridgestone has two flagship offerings in the Blizzak tire line: the Blizzak WS80 tire for cars and minivans and the Blizzak DM-V2 tire for crossovers, SUVs and pickup trucks. Both tires feature proprietary MultiCell™ technology from Bridgestone, which helps the tires stop safely on ice.*

Drivers taking their winter tires out of storage can perform a few simple checks to ensure they are capable of enduring another season on the road:

Visually inspect the tires for any cracks, bulges, cuts or snags.

Assess the tread by making sure tread wear is even across the tire.

Ensure tires aren’t too worn and that there is enough tread remaining to provide proper grip through the winter season. Tread depth is important because the tread pattern is designed to bite into the snow, creating effective snow-on-snow traction.

Once winter tires are installed, maintaining proper inflation pressure is critical. Drivers should check tire pressure regularly, particularly following significant changes in temperature. With every 5 degree Celsius drop in temperature, tires will lose 7 kPa (1 psi). Maintaining proper air pressure can help increase tires’ wear life and improve fuel efficiency.

Hayes also suggests performing a basic winter vehicle maintenance check at your local automotive service provider, “We tell drivers to remember the Four Bs of winter driving – battery, brakes, blades and Blizzak winter tires. Make sure you’ve replaced your wiper blades recently, or even switch them to winter blades, and have your brakes and battery checked by a professional.”

*Based on stopping distance in ice rink testing of Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 tires (235/55R17) versus Firestone FR710 tires (235/55R17). Actual results may vary based on proper tire maintenance, vehicle, driving style and road conditions.