In the afternoon, we switched to Toyota Camrys with preproduction IcePeak tires, and the difference in the grip was tangible. The tires definitely bite sooner, and indeed almost immediately. In exercises, the stopping distances were shorter. On the slalom course, there was immediate grip for the initial turn-in; it was easy to forget you were on a sheet of ice. It imbued a confidence that became cocky—I entered a corner with too much speed, taking out a cone marking the course. Lesson learned. The highlight of the day was laps of the handling course where the car was allowed to drift, then correct, drift, correct. It showcased that having the right tools, in this case tires and instruction, is invaluable in keeping a car on the road in any conditions.
Tips for Winter Driving
The school teaches drivers to look down the road to where you want the car to go, not where you fear it will go, like a tree or snowbank. And, of course, always adjust your speed for the conditions.
Separation of controls: Tell the car to do one thing at a time. Brake, then steer, then accelerate out of the turn. Be aware of the weight transfer that shifts to the rear when you accelerate and reduces grip up front, or when you brake and the opposite happens. And remember, the shaking pedal feeling you get with ABS is normal, so don’t lift off the brake unless you’re deliberately doing cadence braking to gradually scrub speed.
Also, understand that understeer happens when the front of the car doesn’t turn as much as you want. Look where you want to go, stay off throttle, avoid braking, and reduce your steering to allow the wheels to get back on track for more grip.
Oversteer under braking, meanwhile, is when the car turns too much because there’s too much weight up front and the rear slides out. Steer into the skid, and don’t brake if you want to avoid spinning out. Instead, accelerate a bit to shift some weight to the rear wheels for traction.
Best Winter Tires on the Market?
Bridgestone officials think the new IcePeak tires are as good as or better than any winter tire on the market, including Nokian Hakkapeliittas. In Bridgestone’s own testing, the IcePeak improved compared to the old Blizzaks in ice acceleration, braking, and lap times.
While North America accounts for most of the volume, this is a global tire. It will be available for order in North America first, starting with Canada, where 40 percent of tire sales are winter tires. Then it will open to other countries, including Japan. The tires will be manufactured in several plants, including in the U.S. and Japan. Production is underway now and will hit full volume by March so retailers can stock them in late fall 2026.
Fun fact: One in five tires made in the world is manufactured by the Bridgestone Group. They range from a $70 tire for a scooter to a $7,500 off-road tire for mining equipment. There are 107 sizes, from 14 to 22 inches, covering 97 percent of the vehicles available today. The crossover/sedan/minivan market accounts for about 79 million tire sales per year, and SUVs bring another 48 million. Winter tires account for about 10 million sales of their own.