Bridgestone Americas has introduced a new line of long-haul tires into the Firestone Classics tire line. The Firestone FS509 (steer radial), FD609 (drive radial) and FT409 (trailer radial) tires each combine proven tread designs with Bridgestone-engineered casings to provide fleets with long-lasting treadwear and mileage, plus the additional benefits of casing durability and retreadability, the company says.
The Firestone FS509, a steer radial, features the following innovations:
- Shoulder-wear protector to help minimize irregular wear at the shoulder ribs for long tread life;
- Stress relief sipes to fight irregular wear along main ribs by absorbing rib edge stresses in the footprint;
- Continuous shoulder rib for long, even wear and reduced rolling resistance.
The Firestone FD609, a drive radial, features the following innovations:
- Solid shoulder rib to distribute weight and torque evenly to fight irregular wear;
- Aggressive center lugs to help improve traction in wet or dry conditions for the life of the tread;
- Tie bars to control movement of center tread blocks to help minimize irregular wear, leading to longer original tread life;
- Multiple gripping edges to provide biting edges that help promote wet traction.
The Firestone FT 409, a trailer radial, features the following innovations:
- Straight, flow-through grooves to promote smooth rib-wear patterns and evacuate water effectively for solid wet traction;
- Fuel efficient tread design, utilizing shallow trailer-style tread depth and five-rib design to provide long even wear on free-rolling axles while achieving low rolling resistance .
All three Firestone Classics products feature an optimized belt package, providing durability and retreadability while delivering reduced weight for improved rolling resistance and improved payload, the company says. In addition, these products feature tough sidewall protection with thick ribs on both sidewalls, which fight curbing damage and help protect the casing. All three Firestone Classics products are backed by an industry-leading 90-day buy and try guarantee.
