Test drive Bridgestone Blizzak LM005: Maybe winter
The new tire is made on the basis of a special technology in order to maintain the qualities
A car tire is one of the most underestimated and at the same time one of the most important elements of a car. This complex high-tech product must transfer all forces to and from the road - traction, braking, lateral and vertical.
Tires may look the same, but they handle these tasks differently. Tires, subject to complex laws that combine traction and the effects of such forces, are one of the most important safety factors. And with the approach of winter, attention to them becomes even greater. Maybe because when it snows and the summer tire loses strength, it suddenly becomes clear what we are talking about.
A tire model presentation is not like a car presentation and has much more precise and pragmatic goals. It is impossible to even imagine what a quality tire is exposed to and what it is capable of, and the qualities in question are the result of long development work, from strict control of a complex manufacturing process to the use of high-tech materials. All this is done in close cooperation with automotive brands.
Winter tires, in particular, are subjected to extremely harsh operating conditions in which they must retain their properties - they must have good grip on snow, but maintain good contact with the road and in the rain at low temperatures, and finally retain their properties on snow. dry asphalt. Such diverse conditions with a predominance of the second and third components are typical for the roads of Bulgaria.
Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
Bridgestone introduced its LM005 winter model at the end of last winter, and now that winter tire season is upon us, it can showcase its full potential. For example, in conditions such as at the foot of the Matterhorn in the Alps, there is an alternation of dense snow cover, frozen by low temperatures, and melted wet areas at the bottom of the mountain.
Critical to the qualities of the Blizzak LM005 is the fact that they are made from a high-tech Bridgestone compound called Nano Pro-tech with a high silica content. The specific process of its combination with a high level of dispersion and a complex chemical bond with rubber and carbon molecules is the basis for the possibility of maintaining the properties of a tire on wet and snowy surfaces. In fact, the success of Bridgestone engineers lies in creating stable molecular structures with a high silica content, and this is reflected in the property of the mixture to remain soft even at very low temperatures and is a factor in good adhesion. At the same time, however, the mixture retains its strength to give the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 stable performance in all winter conditions.
Tread design and architecture also make an important contribution to tire behavior. Increasing the size of the side grooves increases the likelihood of tire engagement in snow and ice conditions and optimizes the contact pressure of the shoulder blocks when stopping. The area of the center channels has also been increased to improve water drainage and snow retention in the name of better traction. It is pertinent to mention here that the pressure on the tires of a car is much less than on a truck, and they must compensate for this with their special design of sipes, which, in addition to sticking to the snow, keeps the snow in the channels themselves. ... Such snow holds better on snow than on asphalt. The use of zigzag channels in the LM005 provides just such a snow collection effect.
However, small slats should not only stick to the snow, but also block when pressed on a flat (asphalt) surface. To achieve this effect more fully, the LM005 uses a XNUMXD slat design in the center and a XNUMXD side slat design (which is subjected to large lateral forces), and the side channels are combined to provide more-good grip in ice conditions. Larger tires have longitudinal grooves that have more water flow capacity. It all seems simple and trivial, but here the devil is in the details - in extremely high-tech materials and complex architecture. The fact is that regardless of tire size, they all receive an A rating for wet behavior on the new standardized labels.
Designed and built in Europe, the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 will be available in 2019 sizes (116" to 14") in 22, with 40 more available in 2020. The range includes 90 percent of sizes over 17 inches for SUV models, and 24 will be available with DriveGuard Run-Flat technology. In auto-moto and sports tests, the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 excels in the critical safety disciplines of snow and wet stopping, as well as excellent traction and handling qualities. The test can be found in the November issue of the Bulgarian edition of the magazine.
Text: Georgy Kolev
