Truck tires & retreads
Commercial matchup Bridgestone pairs up Ecopia truck tires with Bandag retreads By Bob Bissler
I
n a matchup intended to reduce the costs of truck tire ownership, Bridgestone Commercial Solutions (BCS) has paired up its Bridgestone Ecopia truck tire line with complementary Bandag FuelTech treads. Te tires and retreads were covered in detail at a recent media tour at Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations’ (BATO) Warren County, Tenn., plant. Te fve new tires in the Bridgestone Ecopia line are for the steer, drive and trailer positions. Te four new tread designs, in the Bandag FuelTech line, are for drive and trailer tires. “Ecopia is trying to solve the great tire technology challenge of optimizing wear and rolling resistance without sacrifcing wet traction,” says Scot Damon, vice president of marketing. “With $4 diesel, fuel efciency becomes a huge issue. From a feet perspective, there are several variables that afect the rolling resistance of a truck. Tires are one of those elements, and trying to isolate the tire efect from that so it can have real meaning to a customer, it’s critical.” Damon says BCS added smarter designs and new technol-
ogy in Ecopia products. Te company also implemented technologies that extend the life of an Ecopia casing for Bandag FuelTech products. “Tese changes mean greater fuel savings for our customers that can contribute to a lower cost of ownership over the life of the tires.” Damon says the technologies BCS has developed ofer signifcant benefts for both Ecopia and FuelTech products. Within the tire tread, Bridgestone’s patented NanoPro-Tech polymer technology, available in all new Ecopia tires, helps control particle movement, which reduces energy loss. Tat translates into improved fuel economy through lower rolling resistance. Bridgestone says its proprietary Fuel Saver Sidewall compound reduces heat generation, which lowers rolling resistance and improves fuel economy. Te new IntelliShape sidewall, found in the M710 Ecopia drive radial and R197 Ecopia trailer tire, contain less bead fller volume, which lowers tire weight, improving fuel economy and conserving natural resources. A new Defense Side Groove feature has been incorporated
Bridgestone Commercial Solutions (BCS) has launched nine new commercial products that match Ecopia truck tires with complementary Bandag FuelTech treads. BCS developed the “high rigidity tread pattern” and added this element to all Ecopia truck tires and FuelTech tread designs to extend tread wear.
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MTD October 2012
