Bridgestone Commercial Truck Tires

P R O D U C T F o c u s

While running coast-to-coast at highway speeds puts tremendous demands on tires, the fact is that regional hauls, pickup and delivery and in-city driving can be brutal, especially on steer tires.

That’s why the R250F and the R250 were created – to battle the incredible wear and tear of short-haul trucking. The R250 has proven itself to be a versatile performer in all sorts of tough applications.

We asked several fleets to share with us how the R250 is providing a real answer to their short-haul tire needs.

Why did you switch to R250 radials?
Rick Bunnell, Albertson’s Inc.,
Boise, Idaho responds:

"We haul groceries 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our operation will log about 70 million miles this year, much of it in short hauls, delivering to our stores.

"And although we take excellent care of our tires, checking pressures a minimum of twice a week and balancing tire and wheel assemblies every time we rotate tires, like everybody, we always want more miles.

"About 3 years ago, we switched from standard premium steer tires to the R250F. Since then, our miles per 32nd has nearly doubled. We’re not having problems with irregular wear, we can get upwards of 140,000 miles from a set of R250’s, and we can retread them at least a couple of times for drive and trailer use."

The R250 doesn’t have a Defense GrooveTM design. Is that a problem for you?

"Absolutely not. In fact, it’s a benefit. First of all, because of all the turning and maneuvering we do, any rib or groove near the edge of the shoulder takes a tremendous beating. On our previous tires, we were constantly tearing and damaging those ribs. And that was a far bigger problem than shoulder edge wear.

"With all the scrub we encounter, having a solid shoulder is very helpful. And most premium steers don’t have sidewall protection like the R250F. In our work, encounters with curbs are almost unavoidable, so that extra protection really helps. When we retread for trailer use, the sidewall ribs help us there too."

Special ribs on both sidewalls fight damage from curbing, cuts and abrasions. When one protector rib is worn away, or when the casing is retreaded, the R250F may be reversed to expose the other sidewall rib for continued protection.

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Solid shoulder construction on the R250 radial puts more rubber where scrub forces are most intense. It also eliminates the rib tear problems that may occur when Defense Groove™ designs are used in high scrub applications.

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Ask your Bridgestone representative for this free brochure on the R250F and R250 radials.

John Crisp of Hellums Services in Freer, Texas is in a very different line.
John, how do you use the R250?

"Believe it or not, almost half of our work takes us off the road. Our vacuum trucks haul wastewater—produced by oil and gas operations—from well sites to disposal locations. To get back to the well sites, we have to drive over lots of gravel and broken limestone roads.

"Those road surfaces are very abrasive and tend to chip and wear out treads very fast. We tried all kinds of other tires, but so far, the R250 has given us the best service.

"In spite of alternating between running empty and with heavy loads—often up to 80,000 pounds—and the rough surfaces we travel, we’re actually getting close to 100,000 miles from our R250’s. That’s a big improvement for us."

Wayne Lease is fleet manager for Hahn Transportation, which delivers bulk petroleum products and dry bulk cement in the Baltimore —Washington area. Wayne, what’s your experience with the R250?

"First of all, you’ve got to understand that we have to run over some of the worst roads in the country. And, everything is so crowded here that we are constantly maneuvering into and out of very tight spots.

"Before the R250 came along, we were doing pretty well if we got 40,000 or 50,000 miles from a set of steer tires. With the R250, we now get from 50,000 to 60,000 miles. And even though that might sound low to some people, that’s an increase of over 20% for us."

What makes your part of the country so hard on tires?

"We do lots of in-city deliveries, especially to gas stations. Some of them are so small that our truck barely fits on the lot. We run setback axles to help us maneuver, but they’re tough on tires because of the tight turns they allow and the extra weight they put on the front axles.

"We tried other tires, but so far, the R250F has done the best in terms of wear, and our drivers feel they handle really well on wet roads.

"And considering the fact that we have to jump a curb with practically every vehicle at least once a day, the sidewall protector ribs do a great job of reducing scuffing."

Thanks, gentlemen, for sharing the different ways you use R250 radials. And, we’d like to point out that because our customers asked for them, we now offer the R250F (with sidewall protector ribs) in 13 popular tubeless sizes, and have added 6 new tube-type sizes of the R250 (without sidewall protector ribs). Check the box on this issue’s reply card, and we’ll send you a brochure on both.

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