Bridgestone introduces three tires to Firestone Classics line

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Bridgestone Americas Inc. has added a trio of long-haul tires to its Firestone Classics line.

The tire maker July 19 introduced the Firestone FS509 (steer radial), FD609 (drive radial), and FT409 (trailer radial), saying all three take advantage of Firestone's "proven tread designs" as well as Bridgestone-engineered casings.

"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," Chris Tavares, executive director of Commercial Truck Group marketing at Bridgestone Americas. "We are thrilled to be able to expand the Firestone Classics line of tires that deliver value for our customers and fleets without compromising on performance."

Bridgestone touted the durability and retreadability of the newly introduced tires, noting that they are designed to maximize rolling resistance and payload with overall reduced weight. The FT409, particularly, shows a 17-percent improvement rolling resistance when compared to its predecessor.

Each of the three new tires also features tough sidewalls, the tire maker said, pointing to thick ribs that protect casing and limit curbing damage on each of the sidewalls

Individually, Bridgestone touted the advantages of each tire.

The Firestone FS509 steer radial, features:

• 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; and
• Continuous shoulder rib for long, even wear and reduced rolling resistance.

Meanwhile, the Firestone FD609 drive radial boasts:

• 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; and
• Multiple gripping edges to provide biting edges that help promote wet traction.

Bridgestone noted that the Firestone FT409 trailer radial tire's features include:

• Straight, flow-through grooves to promote smooth rib-wear patterns and evacuate water effectively for solid wet traction; and
• 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.

Nashville-based Bridgestone Americas, an arm of Tokyo-based parent company Bridgestone Corp., is the largest rubber products maker in North America, according to Rubber News' latest data. The company, which posted sales of $11.5 billion in 2021, manufactures tires, hoses, belts and NVH products. The tire maker, which recently christened a race tire plant in Akron, also has been active in its support of legislation that would prioritize and incentivize retreading among commercial fleets.

Bridgestone, globally, is considered the second-largest tire maker, according to Rubber News' annual Global Tire Ranking.