Bridgestone Launches ‘Advanced’ B250

Bridgestone has launched what the company calls its “most technologically advanced general use tyre to date.” The new tyre will replace the original equipment B391 and B390 tyres, and the B330 Evo, which is sold purely in the replacement market. The move is designed to simplify the company’s range of general use tyres, increase brand recognition, and make the ordering process easier for dealers, the company said in a statement.

Andy Lane, marketing manager of Bridgestone UK, said: “By replacing two original equipment and one aftermarket tyre with the new B250 we are making our general use range more recognisable for consumers and more convenient for the dealerships stocking them.

“The existing B-Series tyres have all performed extremely well in both the original equipment and replacement markets, and we’ve worked hard to produce a new tyre that exceeds the excellent standards set by them. The B250 will fulfil all the expectations of car manufacturers for a new generation of general use vehicles, as well as meeting the needs of drivers with an emphasis on safety and comfort,” he said.

Original equipment fitments to cars including the new Renault Clio and the Toyota Yaris have already been announced, and Bridgestone says it is expecting the tyre to be “just as popular in the replacement market” when it is launched in January 2006.

The B250 features large grooves, a high sipe density, and a high void ratio in the centre of the tyre to aid wet performance, helping it match the wet braking performance of the B330 Evo and improve on cornering hydroplaning by three per cent, according to Bridgestone.

Furthermore the company claims that Dry braking performance has been improved by seven per cent in comparison to the B330 Evo, thanks to solid shoulder blocks. The blocks are also said to provide a higher resistance to shoulder wear, with the estimated life-span of the tyre beating that of the B330 Evo by an impressive 13 per cent.

“The new B250 is a well-balanced, technologically advanced tyre that provides excellent overall performance. We expect it to have a major impact in both the original equipment and replacement markets very soon,” Andy Lane added