On August 1, Bridgestone introduced five sizes of its new winter tire on the Japanese market. Engineered for CUVs and SUVs, this studless tire got a name of Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V3 and is coming to replace Blizzak DM-V2 that has been manufactured since 2014. Another 32 sizes of this new product will be available from September 1. The full range of this new model will cover sizes ranging from 175/80 R15 to 275/40 R20.

Compared to the second-generation tires, this new model of the Bridgestone Blizzak studless tire line delivers several improvements over its predecessor. It uses the manufacturer-patented technology Active Foam Rubber 2 that is successfully employed in the passenger car tires Blizzak VRX2. This technology made it possible to shorten the Blizzak DM-V3 braking distance on ice by 9%, which ensures safer driving on winter roads.

The increased number of circumferential grooves (four instead of two) resulted in a higher water drainage rate, which improved the wet braking performance of this new SUV studless tire by 6%, compared to its predecessor.

As for the 25-percent improvement in wearing resistance of Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V3, the developers explain it by the use of Active Foam Rubber 2 compound and optimization of the directional tread pattern that was specifically designed to be used on vehicles with a high gravity center.