Car Review Wintertime Tires - Faqs - Bridgestone Blizzak Ws80
General Questions About Winter Tires
What is a wintertime tire?
Winter tires are designed to offering amend traction inward extreme cold, icy, snowy, or slushy conditions. The safe chemical compound is able to stay softer at sub-freezing temperatures, making it ideal for mutual depression temperature conditions.
What temperature arrive at are wintertime tires designed for?
Winter tires are designed for really depression temperatures, good below freezing, in addition to are designed to stay flexible in addition to pliable inward these conditions.
If you lot were to utilization wintertime tires year-round, what negative consequences would in that place be?
- Faster article of apparel - the safe of wintertime tires is significantly to a greater extent than flexible than all flavor in addition to summertime tires. This volition drive it to article of apparel downward speedily inward summertime temperatures.
- Decreased functioning - wintertime tread is a fleck besides flexible for a quick response inward warmer temperatures.
Is it smart to larn a narrower width tire for wintertime tires rather than the OEM tread width? People oftentimes say to a greater extent than pressure level tin give the axe endure beneficial for snow/winter driving. Is in that place whatsoever truth to this, or should people stick to OEM tread width?
There is no perfect answer, but it is mutual exercise alongside tire in addition to cycle packages to perish downward a cycle size in addition to department width. Part of the argue is the toll of the wheels in addition to tires volition endure cheaper. This tin give the axe endure beneficial inward deep snow. With deep snowfall environments wider tires volition direct maintain to a greater extent than of a plowing effect, where narrower tires volition larn deeper down. It's of import to realize that about complications tin give the axe occur alongside size changes, such equally ensuring the tires tin give the axe behaviour the load, direct maintain an acceptable speed rating, permit for clearance of the brakes, amid other considerations.
What techniques are used inward designing wintertime tires to optimize traction inward snow?
Studs, soft tire compound, deep tread width, sipes, multi-cell compounds, in addition to seize alongside teeth particles tin give the axe all assist inward wintertime traction.
Will wintertime tires offering amend stopping distance inward dry out weather condition versus a summertime tire, inward mutual depression temperature weather?
As temperatures are dropping below freezing, the wintertime tire’s pattern volition render amend performance.
When would it endure amend to direct maintain all-season tires?
There are typically 2 reasons why 1 would utilization all flavor tires.
- In a "middle" climate zone, 1 alongside mild winters that is brushed alongside snowfall occasionally.
- For those inward warmer regions, all flavor tires render greater tread life than summertime tires.
Is in that place a departure inward rolling resistance for wintertime tires versus summertime or all-season tires? In colder temperatures, which tire has the greatest rolling resistance?
As a full general rule, rolling resistance is non a primary do goodness that wintertime tires are looking to deliver, in addition to so wintertime tire would probable direct maintain to a greater extent than rolling resistance. These tires are focused on maximum traction rather than reducing rolling resistance.
What impacts on fuel economic scheme volition wintertime tires have?
As a full general dominion at a high level, a wintertime tire’s rolling resistance won’t endure quite equally good, in addition to so fuel economic scheme is probable to decrease.
Specific Questions on the Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 Tire
What specific features nearly the WS80 larn inward an ideal wintertime tire?
The WS80 is a studless wintertime tire, which achieves traction that long agone was solely possible alongside studded tires.
- One characteristic is the Multi-cell compound. At the microscopic level, it’s a porous compound. This is specially of import inward icy conditions (the worst conditions possible). In icy conditions, a sparse layer of H2O forms on the surface. This could endure from the pressure level of the tire, or from the environs (sun shining on ice). The chemical compound is designed to give you lot the best possible adventure to larn past times at these conditions.
- The hydrophylic multi-cell chemical compound draws H2O to it inward social club to maximize traction alongside the H2O ice below.
- Bite particles are also included inward the tread compound, these particles scratch the surface to give to a greater extent than grip.
- The tire chemical compound is pliable at depression temperatures (soft compound).
- The tread pattern pattern catches snowfall inward it. Snow on snowfall traction is genuinely really good, fifty-fifty though it's ordinarily persuasion that snowfall packed inward the tread reduces traction on snowfall surfaces.
What makes the tread design/pattern of the WS80 ideal for wintertime conditions (as far equally the channels, shapes, patterns, etc)?
The tread pattern has much to a greater extent than border quantity, in addition to significantly to a greater extent than siping versus a summertime or all flavor tire. The zig-zag sipes are beneficial for creating an extra edge. The shape helps stabilize the block, in addition to so the block doesn’t deform equally much if it was right away across, so improving handling. Zig-zag sipes also render an additional lateral edge.
What is “Tube Multi-Cell” in addition to how does it improve traction?
Tube multi-cell is the latest generation of multi-cell compounds. The pours are a fleck bigger than they used to endure to depict inward to a greater extent than water.
It’s stated that multi-cell chemical compound acts similar a sponge in addition to pulls H2O away from the surface equally it grips the pavement. How does this H2O larn out the tire?
Centrifugal strength equally the tire rotates.
The WS80 features “Increased block edges past times 20% (compared to WS70) for amend treatment on snowfall in addition to slush.” What does this mean? (Literature on the WS80)
The quantity of tread blocks is higher, in addition to in that place is to a greater extent than siping.
Does the increased block edges of the WS80 termination inward decreased tread life?
No.
No.
What are the minimal conditions someone should utilization wintertime tires? (Simply a personal recommendation)
If you lot alive anywhere where temps are consistently depression plenty that in that place is a threat that roads could endure covered alongside snowfall or nice, wintertime tires may brand sense. Also, if you lot direct maintain summertime tires on your car, amend safe than lamentable in addition to switch to wintertime tires during the winter.
The multi-cell chemical compound of the WS80 tire equally good equally the seize alongside teeth particles brand upwards nearly 50% of the tread wear. Will it all the same deed equally a practiced wintertime tire after the multi-cell chemical compound tread has been worn off?
The tire all the same delivers practiced wintertime traction from pliability in addition to siping, after the multi-cell chemical compound has worn off.
Is in that place a pause inward for WS80 tires?
Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 tires characteristic a micro-textured surface from the factory, in addition to so in that place is travelling steal correct from the start. It may endure nearly 500 miles earlier you've started to article of apparel into the multi-cell compound.
The Future Of Tires
Where does Bridgestone come across the futurity of Winter Tire tech going? What sorts of technologies are going to larn to a greater extent than mutual inward wintertime tires? Do studded tires direct maintain a long future?
- On the horizon - all the tire makers are looking at minimizing functioning tradeoffs. The persuasion is to create a wintertime tire that volition article of apparel longer in addition to handgrip better.
- In the non in addition to so nigh future, companies may endure looking towards adaptive tires - tires that tin give the axe arrange to unlike conditions.
- Airless solutions are the “holy grail" of tire manufacturers. People don’t proceed proper tire pressures, in addition to punctures do occur. Airless solutions do direct maintain a future. “DriveGuard” is a Bridgestone technology scientific discipline in addition to is an development of where things tin give the axe go. Airless tires tend to endure on low-cal weight vehicles for now, though overtime the technology scientific discipline volition improve.
- Studded tires may all the same serve a run on high mount passes or where regulation requires.