Bridgestone’s new van tyre tested as ‘best-in-class’ for efficiency and braking

The new Duravis Van is suited to ICE and electric powered vans, Bridgestone adds, conforming to the manufacturer’s E8 Commitment

Bridgestone has launched the new Duravis Van tyre, a premium summer tyre for light commercial vehicles (LCV). The manufacturer says the tyre has been designed to minimise the total cost of ownership to van fleet operators. The tyre is also suitable for fitment on electric vehicles. TÜV SÜD testing shows the tyre offers “best in class” mileage and braking in wet and dry conditions, Bridgestone adds. The tyre was developed at the European R&D Centre and will be available in 26 sizes from January 2023.

Steven De Bock, vice president consumer replacement and OE at Bridgestone EMIA explained the market demand to which the new Duravis Van is responding: “Fleets today are facing several sizeable challenges. They need to bring down their total cost of ownership, optimise their operations, reduce CO2 emissions, and overcome the logistical challenges of the last-mile delivery model. The new Bridgestone Duravis Van tyre is the answer to all of these – it brings a range of benefits to both ICE and electric vehicles, delivering sustainability benefits, reduced total cost of ownership, and seamlessly connecting heavy load transportation with last mile delivery. It is the tyre to ensure businesses are prepared to perform.”

Bridgestone Duravis Van performance characteristics

Bridgestone Duravis Van (Photo: Bridgestone)

The Bridgestone Duravis Van is designed for applications between regional and last mile delivery. The tyre minimises downtime and contributes to reducing total cost of ownership. The EV-ready tyre was developed to meet customer demands and boost business efficiency. The Bridgestone Duravis Van also achieves the highest EU label rating for wet grip, increasing safety, even in challenging wet-weather conditions.

Compared to its predecessor, the Duravis R660, the Bridgestone Duravis Van delivers a 21 per cent improvement in rolling resistance, securing an EU label Grade B for fuel efficiency in most sizes. This translates to enhanced fuel savings or extended battery range. The tyre is the result of many pioneering technologies including the innovative and sustainable Enliten Technology. This has helped Bridgestone to deliver these sustainability benefits.

The Bridgestone Duravis Van presents various innovations including a new symmetric tread pattern, cavity crown optimisation, and new sipes design and void distribution. These all benefit from a new enhanced contact technology to amplify its performance capabilities. Innovative mixing also improves chemical reaction control, balancing the reinforcing mechanism and rolling resistance.

For EV drivers, the Bridgestone Duravis Van’s higher wear tolerance counters the increased weight and higher torque of EVs, while its low rolling resistance saves battery life. Compared to its predecessor, the Bridgestone Duravis Van tyre also delivers decreased noise for EV driver comfort owing to the near silence of EV engines — offering a reduction of 2dB in pass-by noise, earning it an EU label A grade.

Bridgestone said it is evolving R&D process to become more efficient and sustainable. The Bridgestone Duravis Van was developed using its Virtual Tyre Development technology. The digitally modelled tyre helped Bridgestone to predict how a tyre will perform in different conditions before physically building prototypes. Bridgestone says this approach led to a saving of 38 per cent of raw materials and CO2 emissions, while cutting 20,000km and 4.2 tonnes of CO2 from outdoor testing in the development phase. Bridgestone added that these innovations are part of its E8 Commitment to provide customer and social value as a sustainable solutions company. It says the Bridgestone Duravis Van embodies the Energy, Efficiency, Ecology, Ease and Economy components of the vision.

TÜV tests show Bridgestone Duravis performance against rivals

The TÜV SÜD tests were conducted on the request of Bridgestone in July-August 2022 with the VW Caravelle 2.0 TDI, on tyre size 205/65 R16C Duravis Van. Bridgestone compared the performances of its major competitors in the van segment: the Michelin Agilis 3, Continental VanContact Ultra, Goodyear Ultragrip Cargo 2. The TÜV SÜD report (number 713262236) finds the Bridgestone tyre delivered the best mileage performance.

Wet and dry braking tests (TÜV SÜD report 713262224) were performed in July-September 2022 at ATP Papenburg, Germany with tyres fitted to the VW Caravelle and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, size 205/65 R16C. The test pitted the Duravis Van against the same selection of competitors, plus the Pirelli Carrier. In wet braking from 80 to 20km/h, the tyre performed up to 4.7 per cent better than its competitors, while in dry braking from 100 to 0km/h, the tyre performed up to 3.7 per cent better.