Bridgestone Firestone North America Adds New Winter Tires - Cool
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 28, 2005) – Summer heat
continues, but Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is
already
preparing for the winter months ahead with size additions to the
Bridgestone® Blizzak™ LM-22 RFT, Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25,
Bridgestone
Blizzak DM-Z3 and Winterforce™ tire lines.
“It may be hot outside now, but winter is just
around
the corner - and with it comes hazardous snow and ice conditions,”
said
The Bridgestone Blizzak family of Winter Tires was named
as
official tires of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press group, an
organization of
professional automotive journalists who live and drive in the diverse and
rugged
The Bridgestone
Blizzak LM-22 is a uni-directional, studless winter tire developed for
high-performance vehicles. The new sizes are targeted for the new BMW 3
Series
vehicles, which will be facing their first winter season this year. The
Blizzak LM-22 provides well-balanced overall performance in winter and in
wet
or dry conditions. The uni-directional tread pattern features super-slant
grooves to reduce the risk of hydroplaning, while the tread
compound’s
high silica content enhances both winter and wet performance. UNI-T®
technology further improves handling performance in all
conditions.
The new sizes of the Blizzak LM-22, available now, and
their
target vehicles are:
Size |
|
Target vehicles |
225/45R17 |
BW
RFT |
BMW 3
Series |
205/55R16 |
BW
RFT |
BMW 3
Series |
The Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 (conventional and RFT
fitments) with UNI-T, a directional, studless H- and V-speed rated winter
tire,
delivers excellent snow and ice traction for high-performance vehicles.
With its 3D sipes, the Blizzak LM-25 provides great dry performance, and
the UNI-T technology provides well-balanced performance in wet conditions.
Silica added to the tread further enhances winter and wet
traction.
The new sizes of the Blizzak LM-25, available now, and
their
target vehicles are:
Size |
|
|
Target
vehicles |
195/55R15 |
|
BW |
Acura RSX,
Honda
Civic, Hyundai Tiburon
|
205/50R16 |
|
BW |
Ford Focus,
Mitsubishi Lancer, Volvo 850, SAAB 900 |
215/55R16 |
|
BW |
Saturn L300
Sedan, Audi A4, Mercedes-Benz E320, Saab 9-3 & 9-5, Vol S60 &
S80 |
225/55R16 |
|
BW |
Audi A6, BMW
525, Jaguar S-Type, Lexus GS430, Mercedes-Benz
E320 |
225/45R17 |
|
BW |
Audi TT; Mercedes-Benz C-Class,
CLK-Class & SLK-Class; Porsche Boxter; Saab 9-3 & 9-5;
Volkswagen Jetta & Passat |
235/45R17 |
|
BW |
Audi A4, BMW
528, Mercedes-Benz E420 |
245/45R17 |
XL |
BW |
Lexus IS300,
Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz E320 & E500 |
*245/40R18 |
XL |
BW |
Audi A6;
Mercedes-Benz E320, E500, CLS500 & SL500, BMW
545 |
*255/40R18
|
XL |
BW |
Lexus IS300; BMW M3; Mercedes-Benz
SL55,
SL500 & SL600 |
*265/35R19 |
|
BW |
Nissan
350Z |
**205/45R17 |
|
BW RFT
|
Mazda
Miata |
*Available Nov.
2005
**Available
With a winning combination of technologies, the
Bridgestone
Blizzak DM-Z3 with UNI-T technology handles ice and snow conditions. The
TUBE
MULTICELL compound improves control on ice by cutting through thin layers
of
surface water. The 3D sipes enhance dry performance while UNI-T
technology combined with silica helps keep traction strong in wet
conditions.
The new sizes
of
the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-Z3, available Nov. 1, and their target vehicles
are:
Size |
|
Target vehicles |
P205/75R15 |
BW |
Chevrolet
Blazer
& S-10, GMC Canyon & Sonoma |
P215/75R15 |
BW |
Dodge Dakota, Ford F150, Jeep
Wrangler |
P225/75R15 |
BW |
Chevrolet |
P235/75R15
|
BW |
Chevrolet |
215/70R15 |
BW |
Pontiac
Aztek,
Toyota Tacoma |
P225/75R16 |
BW |
Jeep |
P245/75R16 |
BW |
Chevrolet
Silverado,GMC Sierra, Mazda B4000, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan
Pathfinder |
P265/75R16 |
BW |
Chevrolet
Silverado, Hummer H3, Nissan Frontier, Nissan Pathfinder &
Xterra |
225/70R16 |
BW |
Hyundai
SantaFe,
Toyota Highlander, Lexus RX300, Volvo
XC90 |
P255/70R17 |
BW |
Ford
F150 |
265/70R17 |
BW |
Chevrolet
Tahoe
& Silverado, GMC Yukon |
P245/65R17 |
BW |
Chevrolet Trail Blazer, Ford
Explorer, GMC Envoy, Infiniti QX4 |
P255/65R17 |
BW |
Ford
F150 |
*235/60R18 |
BW |
Mazda
Tribute |
*P265/50R20 |
BW |
Infiniti
FX45
& FX35 |
LT235/75R15 |
BW |
Small
pick-up |
*Available
The Winterforce
is
designed for excellent winter performance. With its directional,
computer-modeled tread design, this tire delivers confident snow, wet and
ice
traction. The Winterforce provides a quiet and comfortable ride regardless
of
the weather conditions.
The new sizes of the Winterforce,
available
now, and their target vehicles are:
Size |
|
Target
vehicles |
P265/75R16 |
114S |
Chevy C/K, Chevy Silverado, Chevy
Tahoe,
Dodge Ram, GMC C/K, GMC Sierra, GMC |
P265/70R16 |
111S |
Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Avalanche,
Chevy Suburban, Chevy Tahoe, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Durango, Ford F-150, GMC
Yukon, Nissan Frontier, Nissan Xterra, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Sequoia,
Toyota
T100, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra |
P265/70R17 |
113S |
Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Avalanche,
Chevy Suburban, Chevy Tahoe, Dodge Ram, Ford Expedition, Ford F-150, GMC
Sierra, GMC |
205/60R16 |
92S |
Acura CL, Acura TL, Chrysler
Sebring,
Dodge Stratus, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai XG350, Lexus ES300,
Mazda6, Mercury Sable, Toyota Avalon, Toyota
Camry |
225/55R17 |
97S |
Audi A8, Audi Quattro, Chrysler
300M,
Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler LHS, Dodge Intrepid, Infiniti Q45, Land Rover
Freelander, Lexus LS430, Mercedes CL, Mercedes S, Mitsubishi 3000GT,
Nissan
Maxima, Pontiac Grand Prix |
About Bridgestone Firestone North
American Tire, LLC:
Nashville-based Bridgestone Firestone
North American
Tire, LLC is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose
parent
company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber
company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and
associate and private brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and
original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial
vehicle, off-road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its
customers in
For downloadable images of these tires, please
visit:
http://www.bridgestone-firestone.com/news/2005/images/BlizzakLM25.jpg
http://www.bridgestone-firestone.com/news/2005/images/BlizzakDMZ3.jpg
http://www.bridgestone-firestone.com/news/2005/images/Winterforce.jpg
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