For those of us in Canada and the northern regions of the U.S., winter driving can be a terrifying experience. Even the most sure footed among us shudder at the thought of controlling a vehicle on ice- and snow-covered roads.
From December through mid-March, the instructors at the Bridgestone Winter Driving School, nestled in the snow-capped hills of Steamboat Springs, Colo., take the fear out of winter driving by offering courses that teach everything from the fundamentals of safe driving to World Rally racing techniques.
Over its 25-year history, the Winter Driving School has taught drivers of all skill levels and walks of life – from teenagers to professional racers – valuable winter driving skills. Each year, about 3,000 students attend.
Three ice- and snow-covered road courses each feature unique elevation changes, banked- and off-camber turns and surface changes.
Ranging in cost from $245 for a half day to $1,550 for two full days, classes are taught based on skill level. “First Gear” and “Second Gear” classes help students master the fundamentals – such as how to control a skid – and “Third Gear,” “Fourth Gear” and “Fifth Gear” classes teach more advanced skills.
The Winter Driving School was the perfect place for Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire (BFNAT) to launch its new Bridgestone Blizzak WS60 tire to dealers and media.
At a special driving event the week of Jan. 15, Bridgestone dealers and journalists were invited to try out the new winter tire on an indoor ice rink and on specially designed, snow- and ice-covered courses at the Bridgestone-sponsored school.
Attendees drove Toyota Camrys fitted with the new Blizzak tires through perilous conditions, while helpful (and patient) instructors shared techniques for recovering from oversteer and understeer situations. Drivers also had a chance to compare the new Blizzak tires to Michelin X-Ice and all-season tires.
Featuring BFNAT’s UNI-T technology, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS60 incorporates “NanoPro-Tech” and “RC Polymer” technologies. NanoPro-Tech, according to BFNAT, is a technology that controls the interaction between polymer; filler materials, such as carbon black and silica; and other rubber chemicals at the molecular level. RC Polymer is a type of NanoPro-Tech butadiene rubber specifically designed to react with silica. The RC Polymer, as a part of the overall tread rubber compound, improves tread flexibility for enhanced wet and snow traction, according to BFNAT officials.
The Blizzak WS60 also features “Tube Multicell” compound, which directs water away from the tire’s contact patch to improve grip, the tiremaker stated.
“Millions of microscopic pores within the compound wick away the surface film of water from ice,” Mark Johnson, BFNAT’s manager of product marketing, told dealers and journalists. “Pores are revealed as the tire wears, giving more edge area to bite into the snow and ice.”
The first 55% of the useable tread is made up of the Multicell compound, while the base 45% of the tread is a winter compound, Johnson said.
Bite particles, attached to the tubes of the Multicell compound and held tight by a special coating, bite into the surface of the ice, added Johnson. In addition, 3-D zig-zag sipes disperse water away from the tire’s contact patch.
“The WS60 has 50% larger tubes, which increases its ability to wick away surface film of water from ice,” Johnson said. “It’s that surface film that really makes ice slick.”
Designed to compete with the Michelin X-Ice, Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice and Dunlop Graspic DS-2 tires, this latest Blizzak version will be available for the 2007-08 winter buying season in 38 R-speed rated sizes, 70 to 45 series aspect ratios and 14- to 17-inch wheel diameters.
The Bridgestone Blizzak WS60 replaces the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 and the Blizzak Revo 1.
