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Bridgestone launches robust truck tyres

Bridgestone is progressively replacing its top-selling R297 steer and M729 drive tyres with newly-developed R-STEER 001 and R-DRIVE 001 truck tyres for regional application in Europe. The new tyres are designed for robustness in versatile usage, providing high-level performance and a long lifecycle in a wide range of operating conditions.

The new R-STEER 001 and R-DRIVE 001 tyres have been developed in response to the trend towards changing fleet operating conditions from one day to another and a broader mix of usage conditions in regional applications, ranging from highway driving to light on- and off-road usage.

This “regional” segment, which represents around 42% of the total truck tyre market, also covers various types of vehicles – general cargo trucks, tankers, refrigerated trucks, coaches, and specialized areas such as timber and waste transport – adding further to the versatility of conditions.

To meet this market situation, Bridgestone has designed the R-STEER 001 and R-DRIVE 001 truck tyres with more robustness for versatile conditions and broader usage, without loss of performance or safety. They are also more able to cope with low inflation pressure and overloading – identified in a Bridgestone survey as common behavior in today’s mixed operating conditions.

Longer service life and improved retreading potential

Specifically, R-STEER 001 and R-DRIVE 001 truck tyres are designed for trips of between 50 and 1,000 km, with up to 5% on/off usage, for customers looking to improve their mileage and cost per kilometer.
Performance features include a long life with balanced rolling resistance coefficient, excellent traction for R-DRIVE 001, highly durable casings for maximum retreading potential, and improved re-grooving potential versus the predecessors R297 and M729.

Exclusive compound technology

To achieve these performance levels, Bridgestone engineers have employed the company’s proprietary NanoPro-Tech™ compound, which reduces energy loss in the top compound as the tyre rotates. Reduced energy loss leads to reduced rolling resistance, which guarantees durability and abrasion resistance, without compromising tyre performance.

The advanced tread patterns are designed with Bridgestone’s top tread technologies: Tie-bar between the tread blocks on the unidirectional R-DRIVE 001 for increased stiffness and service life; Square Shoulder design on R-STEER 001 for stable cornering and increased tyre life, together with Stone Ejectors for improved retreading potential and Dual Sipe technology for improved wet and winter handling.

“These new R-STEER 001 and R-DRIVE 001 truck tyres retain the performance strengths of their Bridgestone predecessors but give fleets more durability and wear life in versatile conditions, for a lower cost per kilometer than their predecessors” says Harald Van Ooteghem, Senior Manager, Marketing Planning, Commercial Business Unit, Bridgestone Europe.

Extensive field tests in 18 EU countries, ranging from severe on- and off-road usage to 100% highway, have demonstrated the excellent durability and improved retreading and regrooving potential of R-STEER 001 and R-DRIVE 001, while maintaining the performance level expected of premium Bridgestone truck tyres.
Bridgestone R-STEER 001 and R-DRIVE 001 truck tyres will be introduced progressively across Europe from October 2012, initially in the major size for regional applications: 315/80R22.5. Other sizes will be added in the future.