The Dunlop Winter Maxx 03 model came to replace the Dunlop Winter Maxx 02, available on the market since 2016. As we can see from the performance diagram, the third-generation friction tire, introduced in 2020, does indeed surpass its predecessor in terms of ice braking and lateral stability. Another thing that was improved is the stability of the WM03 performance during the tire’s entire running life. At the same time, on asphalt and snow the new model performs slightly worse than the WM02. The thing that suffered most was the tire’s tread wear.

Speaking in terms of specific figures, the tire test of the Dunlop Winter Maxx 03 and Winter Maxx 02 models in size 195/65 R15 (91Q), which, at the tire maker’s request was conducted at the ice testing facility Healthpia Kurashiki, showed that the stopping distance (at the initial speed of 20 km/h and the ABS on), ensured by the Dunlop WM03 in a brand-new state is 22% shorter than that of the Dunlop WM02 (14.5 m versus 17.6 m). At the same time, during the parallel test for lateral stability on ice, it became clear that the Winter Maxx 03 lateral grip on ice is 11% stronger than that ensured by the previous-generation tire (0.127 G versus 0.114 G). The outstanding grip on ice ensured by the Dunlop Winter Maxx WM03 is due to the new rubber compound that makes the tread surface particularly rugged. Thanks to it, the water film, which forms on the icy surface and causes the tires to slip, is instantaneously cut through, which makes the tires literally “stick” to ice, thus increasing driving safety both when driving straight and while cornering. The concave/convex rubber layer applied to the tire surface on the Nano level keeps the tread supple at low temperatures and maintains its unique structure as the tire wears.

The tread compound also contains farnesene rubber, the material that the Kuraray Co., Ltd engineers specially developed for the Winter Maxx tire line in order to keep up the WM03 ice performance.