Very well,
thank you.
Nearly three years after its introduction, the R227 radial
is proving to be one of Bridgestone's most popular rib
radials.
We asked a couple of fleets to share their experience
with us.
Here's what they had to say.
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The
Tire Maintenance Team Makes A Visit.
Ryder
Transportation Services,
El Paso, Texas 2
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What the Bridgestone representative saw.
In May of 1998, the "Tire Maintenance Team," composed
of representatives from Ryder, Bridgestone and Bandag,
made a routine inspection at the Ryder facility in El
Paso. Bridgestone representative, Frank Gassner, spotted
a couple of R227 radials that concerned him.
Frank, what did you see?
Frank Gassner, Bridgestone account executive:
"Both tires had evidence of some irregular shoulder
wear, so I decided to ask Art Serna, Ryder's service
team leader, how many miles were on these tires. Both
Art and I were pleased to discover that the right front
R227, which was about 9 months old at the time, had
already provided over 130,000 miles of service.
"What was even more surprising was that the
left front R227, which was about 17 months old, had
over 247,000 miles on it. So, the little bit of irregular
wear I noticed became a much smaller concern."
Where are those tires now?
Art Serna, Ryder service team leader: "They're
still on the same unit. At the time of the team visit,
that tractor was part of our leased vehicle fleet, and
made regular runs back and forth to the east coast.
It was driven by team drivers, mostly on interstates,
and with frequent backhauls.
"The vehicle had over 900,000 miles on it at
the time, and we've since transferred it to our rental
operations, where it won't rack up miles quite so fast.
But
the tires are still good, so we're leaving them on."
To what do you attribute the long life of these R227s?
Gassner:"While the R227 is a great tire, I believe
that much of Ryder's success is also the result
of the thorough, regular maintenance program that
Art Serna and his team follow."
What kind of maintenance do you perform?
Serna: "We work hard to maintain the right air
pressure at all times. Besides checking inflation pressures
as a part of every PM, we also check inflation at least
every other week, and sometimes as often as twice a
week. We balance tire and wheel assemblies when we need
to, and make sure our vehicles are properly aligned."
How many miles do these R227s have on them now?
Serna: "As of June 17, 1998, the right front
has 132,002 miles, and the left front has 249,149 miles."
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| Art
Serna, Ryder's service team leader at its El Paso, TX
facility |
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| This
R227 has logged over 249,149 miles on the steer axle
of this tractor. Its mate, on the other side of the
truck, has over 132,002 miles on it. |
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Bridgestone
territory manager Ed Walsh shows Cowan Systems maintenance
manager Jack Weischel the results of Cowan's R227
evaluation.
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This
R227 from Cowan Systems, in Baltimore, has 120,403
miles of service, and still has an average of 10/32nds
of tread depth remaining. At that rate of wear, this
tire could last 180,000 miles.
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Evaluating
Is Believing
Cowan
Systems, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland
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They tried it.
They liked it.
Cowan Systems, Inc.,
of Baltimore, hasn't always been a Bridgestone customer.
In fact, they used to run exclusively on another brand.
Bridgestone representative Ed Walsh was confident that
if he could get Norman Mitchell, who's in charge of
purchasing and spec'ing to try the R227, the results would
convince him.
Ed, how did the evaluation turn out?
Ed Walsh, Bridgestone territory manager: "Very
well. After
about two years of trials, the R227 radials averaged
over 133,191 miles, while the tires Cowan Systems
had been using averaged only about 95,514 miles."
Were you impressed with those results?
Norman Mitchell, Cowan Systems, Inc. vice president:
"We certainly were. The R227 radials averaged 39 percent
higher removal mileages than the brand we'd been using.
"In the course of a year, that means we will purchase
about 100 fewer steer tires, for a cost savings of well
over $22,000.
"As a result of this evaluation, we're now specifying
Bridgestone 100 percent on new vehicles, and right now,
about 85 percent of all our tires are Bridgestone."
What sort of hauling do you do?
Mitchell: "We're a local and regional truckload
carrier of things like soft drinks, groceries, appliances
and electronics. Some of our runs are around 600 miles
one way, while others
are local hauls, within about 100 miles of here."
Are you using the R227 on local hauls too?
Mitchell: "Because of high tire scrub with our
day cabs, we're running Bridgestone's R250F on those positions.
And, we're getting about 20 percent better mileage with
the R250F than with the tires we used to use. So both
the R227 and R250F are performing well for us."
Our thanks to everyone at Ryder
and Cowan Systems for sharing
their experience with the
Bridgestone R227.
Editor's Note: The International Tire
& Rubber Association has announced results of its annual
"National Radial Truck Tire Casing Retreadability Survey."
For 11 straight years (1986-1996), Bridgestone radials
were named #1. And in new surveys for 1997 and 1998, American
retreaders ranked Bridgestone #1 for casing durability.
There were "ties" in 1987, 1991
and 1997.
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© 2006-2010 Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC l legal notice |
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