Bridgestone Archives - Page 194 of 279 - Tyrepress

Based in Japan, Bridgestone Corporation is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company.

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Bridgestone Greatec Tyres Earn US SmartWay Certification

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) announced its Greatec wide base drive and Greatec wide base trailer radials have been added to the EPA SmartWay-certified list of commercial tyres. Besides meeting SmartWay’s fuel efficiency specifications, BFNT says that Greatec radials offer the additional advantage of allowing fleets to increase payloads.

Tyres that earn EPA SmartWay certification must achieve at least three percent better fuel economy than the average new tyre. Last summer, four Bridgestone-brand commercial truck tyres were approved for EPA-certified SmartWay tractors and trailers. The R287 steer, R280 steer, M720 drive and R195F trailer radials – and now Greatec drive and Greatec trailer radials – have earned EPA SmartWay certification.

20th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone and FIA Announce Joint Environmental Campaign

A collaborative effort between Bridgestone Corporation and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) to reduce the environmental impact of motoring is now underway. The campaign is called “Make Cars Green”, and Bridgestone, as a global partner of the FIA, will support and promote this campaign on a worldwide basis, working with national automobile clubs to promote more environmentally friendly and fuel efficient driving behaviour.

The Make Cars Green campaign will communicate “10 points for greener motoring*” throughout the world to encourage drivers to “think green” when they drive. Bridgestone will announce specific details of its programmes in June, 2008, however the fundamental 10 points are as follows:

20th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone China Opens Test Facility

On March 14 a ceremony was held to officially mark the opening of Bridgestone China’s new tyre testing facility in Yixing City, Jiangsu Province. More than 100 people attended this significant occasion for the tyre major’s Chinese operations, including Hideki Yokoyama, vice president and officer for Product Planning and Business Development, numerous municipal and city officials and media representatives.

At the opening ceremony Mr. Yokoyama commented that the new Bridgestone (China) Tire Assessment & Development Co., Ltd. test facility would further strengthen the development of Bridgestone’s tyre production and sales in China, and thus contribute to the development of China’s automotive industry.

20th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Ventus Prime Wins Auto Motor und Sport Test

Leading German motoring magazine Auto Motor und Sport has rated Hankook’s Ventus Prime as its top tyre in a recent magazine summer tyre test (issue 7/2008). “Excellent handling characteristics and superior braking ability on both wet and dry surfaces” steered it to first place for the automotive premium segment in a comparative test against eight tyres. The test examined tyres in dimensions 235/55 R17 W/Y from manufacturers like Continental, Bridgestone, Goodyear and Michelin on a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Only the Ventus Prime was awarded the coveted rating “exceptionally recommended,” taking the top spot in four out of 10 categories: Handling and braking on wet surface, traction and lateral stability.

19th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Glow In The Dark F1 Tyres?

An item on the PaddockTalk website suggests that the latest thing in Formula 1 could be glow-in-the-dark tyres. Bridgestone is said to be looking into the possibility of coating the sidewalls and grooves with special, fluorescent paint.

17th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Firestone Announces Production of IF Product Line

On March 13 Firestone Agricultural Tire Company (FSAG), a division of Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) previewed production plans for tyres built to a new industry standard that company officials say will “generate performance improvements on a scale with those produced by the switch from bias to radial technology a generation ago.”

The IF standard – “IF” stands for “Increased Flexion” – was approved by the European Tire Rim Technical Organization two years ago and has received experimental approval from the North American Tire and Rim Association. Tom Rodgers, Marketing Manager for FSAG said the increased size and power of modern four-wheel-drive agricultural tractors, which are increasingly used in pull-type scraper applications, are driving adoption of the IF standard.

14th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Appoints New First Stop BDM

Dean Dyoss has been appointed as a business development manager for Bridgestone’s First Stop network of independent tyre dealerships. Responsible for Bridgestone’s northern region, Dean will work with dealerships from Stafford to Scotland. Having joined Bridgestone from Kwik Fit, Dyoss is reportedly pleased to join the company as it aims to expand its First Stop Network by a further 30 outlets during the course of the year.

Commenting on his appointment, Dean Dyoss said: “Bridgestone is such a high profile brand and this role presented a great opportunity for me to work with the number one manufacturer in the industry. Having worked in the tyre retail industry for some time, I am looking forward to working in partnership with dealers to ensure that they benefit from key promotions and the wealth of support that the First Stop network provides.”

14th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone M775 Given US Debut

Following its popularity with logging and oil service fleets in Canada, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire is making its Bridgestone M775 on/off-highway drive radial available to US fleets. Bridgestone reports that the M775 is idea for severe-service applications, and delivers superior traction and exceptional removal mileage while being usable at highway speeds to 65 mph.

This superior traction is provided by the tyre’s block tread and open shoulder design, which digs into soft surfaces. Angled block sipes enhance wet traction by breaking up pocketed water for a solid grip on wet surfaces. With a tread over one full inch deep, the M775 offers more than exceptional tyre life, says Bridgestone. Tough tread compounds combat lug base cracking, a common problem with many ultra-deep drive radials.

13th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

XSensor Releases New Tyre Tread Analysis Tools

XSensor Technology has released a new tyre tread analysis range as part of its 2008 product line extension. According to the company, the new tread analysis range has been produced based on input from companies including: Nokian, Bridgestone, Kumho, and Goodyear.

“We’re concentrating our efforts in the automotive test market in early 2008. There is a lot of potential in our current framework to support the work of test engineers and the products they hope to build. We are confident XSensor can meet their needs with this next generation of tools”, says Karl Schilling, XSensor’s Director of International Sales.

13th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

TW Tyres Host Rugby Tyre Safety Event

First Stop dealership, TW Tyres recently hosted an afternoon for female drivers with practical advice on maintaining their vehicles and a specific focus on all-important tyre checks. Recent research has shown that up to 90 per cent of drivers do not know their correct tyre pressures and TW Tyres aimed to address this issue and offer practical help to local drivers. Carl Williams and Sally Smith from Bridgestone were on hand giving presentations and offering their expertise along with technical adviser Chris Scott and the TW Tyres team.

Following the event TW Tyres will undergo a major refurbishment in order to create a more appealing environment for customers. This reportedly comes as part of Bridgestone’s continued investment in the First Stop network.

Rugby FM also joined up with TW Tyres on the day by holding a phone-in clinic on car maintenance issues for all those who couldn’t make it.

13th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Top Tyre Maker in Fortune’s Most Admired List

Goodyear has secured a slot in Fortune magazine’s Most Admired Companies 2008 list. The publication surveyed executives, directors, and securities analysts to compile its list of the companies they esteem the most highly, and Goodyear received the highest ranking of any tyre manufacturer, edging Bridgestone into second place.

The manufacturer has expressed pride in the high score it received in four key attributes: innovation, people management, use of assets and global orientation. Among motor vehicle parts companies appearing on the list, Goodyear was also judged the best in regard to innovation and the quality of its products and services. “This recognition by our industry peers is something for which we are extremely proud,” said Robert J. Keegan, Goodyear chairman and CEO. “Not only did Goodyear lead our industry category, but we were ranked well ahead of our global tyre competitors,” he added.

11th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Field Tests Prove Superiority, Firestone Ad Claims

Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire’s Firestone Agricultural Tire Co. has released a new video it claims proves that its tractor tyres deliver better traction than Michelin products. Named “Firestone’s “Tread to Tread Traction Demonstration,” Firestone Ag said the video is “a direct response to Michelin North America claims that the traction of the Michelin Agribib R-1W is equal to or better than that of the Firestone Radial All-Traction 23 R-1,” said company vice president Ken Allen.

“When Michelin released a video challenging the superiority of Firestone tyres and our 23-degree bar design, we decided to conduct a test to set the record straight,” he said. According to Firestone Ag, the company conducted head-to-head testing using identical tractors last November in Slater, Iowa. “Because farm operators have significant amounts of time, fuel and money at stake when they make their tyre choices, we decided to conduct a controlled demonstration that compared performance of the two tyres,” Allen said. “We believe that our Tread-to-Tread Traction Demonstration does just that.”

10th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Voted Manufacturer of Year at Cologne Expo

At this year’s Tire Technology Expo, held in Cologne, Germany, a new series of awards acknowledging excellence in the tyre industry was launched, and Bridgestone was named the inaugural “Tyre Manufacturer of the Year”. This honour was announced at the 2008 Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence ceremony and gala dinner, held on February 20.

10th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Stoner Lights Up Losail with 11th MotoGP Win

The first ever night MotoGP race has been added to the impressive tally of Casey Stoner victories after the 2007 champion rode his Bridgestone shod Ducati across the line in 42 minutes 36.587 seconds, narrowly edging out pole position holder Jorge Lorenzo at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit. The Losail victory, Stoner’s eleventh in MotoGP, came despite what the tyre major has described as “challenging night-time track conditions…which have made for a difficult weekend for Bridgestone.”

“At the start of the race, I hung back a bit because I wanted to wait until things calmed down a bit, keeping out of trouble and not losing pace with the front pack,” commented Stoner. “Although qualifying did not go too well, we knew we had quite a good race pace, but this win is a fantastic result and I don’t think we really expected it. At the start, I lacked side traction and traction in general, but once the tyres warmed up, we could put in some good lap times. The rear grip was dropping towards the end of the race and we had a couple of front end slides, but as the fuel level dropped, the pace was still good.”

10th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Awards Recognise Eco-Friendly Innovations

The inaugural Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence were presented at the recent Tire Technology Expo, in Cologne and there was a marked emphasis on environmentally-friendly technologies and products.

Michelin picked up the Tire Technology of the Year Award for its continuing development of its already-established Energy Saver range of tyres. In the latest development (for tyres for the Peugeot 306) a new silica-based compound helps reduce rolling resistance, saving fuel and lowering carbon emissions.

7th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors