» In the mid-1980s, studded snow tires were outlawed in parts of Japan (due to wear of road surfaces and dust). Similar bans and use restrictions also began to occur in the United States. Bridgestone® developed different versions of studless snow tires to address these situations. In 1988, Bridgestone introduced the first Blizzak™ tire for consumers (in Japan).

» In 1992, Blizzak tires made their first appearance on the North American continent with sales beginning in Canada. In early 1993 at Steamboat Springs, Colo., Bridgestone Firestone introduced the Blizzak tire to the U.S. marketplace. The first two U.S. cities to have the tires—Denver and Minneapolis—experienced brisk sales, encouraging Bridgestone Firestone to enter additional markets.

»  In 1994, Blizzak tires were introduced in European markets. (By 1999, Blizzak was being sold in 15 countries including, Japan, United States, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Switzerland, Iceland, Russia, Turkey, Austria, Denmark, Germany and Australia).

»  In 1995, Bridgestone Firestone introduced and marketed Blizzak tires in P-metric sizes to support the rapid growth of the light truck and sport utility vehicle (SUV) market segments.

»  In 1998, Bridgestone Firestone announced it would begin marketing the first Blizzak tire to incorporate UNI-T® technologies. That year, the company introduced the Bridgestone Blizzak MZ-02, “The Ice Gripper.”

»  In 1999, Bridgestone Firestone introduced a new generation of Blizzak tires in Steamboat Springs, Colo. The capabilities of the Blizzak WS-50, Blizzak MZ-01 & MZ-02 and the Bridgestone Winter Dueler DM-Z2, sized for popular light truck and SUV market segments, were featured.

»  In 2000, the Blizzak LM-22 was introduced as an H-speed-rated tire. Today, the tire also includes thirteen V-speed rated sizes.

»  In 2001, the company introduced the first Blizzak for commercial light trucks, the Blizzak W965, and the Blizzak MZ-03 run-flat tire, which is designed for use on the Lexus SC430. The combined Blizzak lines now include nine different run-flat sizes.

»  In 2004, the Blizzak DM-Z3 was introduced for SUV and light truck fitments and is now available in 36 sizes. The Blizzak LM-25 premiered as an H-and V-speed rated tire and is now offered in 30 separate size and speed rating combinations.

» Also in 2004, Bridgestone Firestone celebrated the manufacture of its 100-millionth Blizzak tire. And in 2005, the three-millionth Blizzak tire was shipped from Bridgestone Japan to the US. The Blizzak is now available in more sizes than any other tire line in the company’s inventory.

» In 2005, the Blizzak Revo1 was announced in eleven Q-speed rated sizes with a non-directional tread design for the 65-60 series sizes and a directional tread design for the 55-45 series sizes.

» In 2006, Bridgestone introduces the Blizzak LM-25 4x4, a studless lamellen winter tire developed for premium SUV and CUV vehicle owners available in 7 H-rated sizes.

Download Hi-Res images of the Blizzak tire and the Blizzak tire in winter driving conditions at www.bridgestonetire.com/media.