Bridgestone has introduced a line of three long-haul tires into the Firestone Classics tire line: Firestone FS509, FD609, and FT409.
“The Firestone Classics product line gives our small and medium fleets access to premium, high quality and retreadable products from an iconic American brand at an affordable price point,” said Chris Tavares, executive director of marketing for the commercial truck group of Bridgestone Americas.
The Firestone FS509, a steer radial, features:
- A 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:
- Solid shoulder rib to distribute weight and torque evenly to fight irregular wear
- Aggressive center lugs to help improve traction in wet or dry condition 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:
- Straight, flow-through grooves to promote smooth rib-wear patterns and evacuate water 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. In addition, these products feature tough sidewall protection with thick ribs on both sidewalls, which fight curbing damage and help protect the casing.
Meanwhile, the FT409 trailer radial provides 17% improved rolling resistance when compared to its predecessor, the FT455+.