REAL Answers Technically Speaking

An industry first, the Bridgestone R250 radial was designed for long tread life, improved retreadability and low cost per mile, especially in urban environments. It features a tough, scrub-resistant tread and a shoulder designed to fight side forces. Bridgestone engineers eliminated the decoupling groove, because these grooves tend to be ineffective on short hauls, and often tear away in high-scrub situations. And, for the R250F model, sidewall protector ribs resist damage from close encounters with curbstones. According to customers we visited in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the R250 is indeed living up to its promise.

Fred Ward of McLaughlin & Moran, Inc., Anheuser-Busch distributors, Cranston, Rhode Island: “Our drivers make upwards of 20 stops a day, using both refrigerated straight trucks and side-load semis. We don’t go very far from the warehouse, about 50 miles or so, but our trucks have to fight their way through downtown Providence and other congested areas. “We used to lose a lot of tires to sidewall damage from curbing, but since we changed to the R250F, that’s stopped.

Because there are protector ribs on both sidewalls, if the ribs get severely scuffed, we can turn the tires over on the wheels to continue getting protection.
“Our semis are nearly 55,000 pounds fully loaded, and tough on tires, but we can count on about three years of service from R250s. The straight trucks, with their long wheelbases, are worse, because they don’t bend like the semis do.
“But even there, an R250 will last a year and a half. Then, we can usually retread them a couple of times, for drive or trailer positions.”

Mike O’Brien of De Blois Oil Company, Providence, Rhode Island: “Winter is our busy season, with each of our trucks making 40 or more home heating oil deliveries each day—throughout Rhode Island and nearby areas in Massachusetts. “We used to have to replace one or two steer tires every winter—as a result of sidewall damage. No matter how careful a driver tried to be, if the ice was bad, a tire could slide right into a curb and tear out the sidewall. With the sidewall protector ribs on the R250F, that’s no longer a problem. “Our trucks don’t run very many miles in a season, but we go out with 34,000 to 45,000 pounds, and return empty, which is hard on tires. In spite of that, we’re getting very even wear with our R250s. About all we do is swap sides every 400 hours or so. “We used to get about two seasons out of the tires we were using. Now, our R250s are lasting three seasons, and we can usually get a couple of retreads from each casing before we sell them off.”

Bob Viscusi of A•M•I Leasing, Franklin, Massachusetts: “Irregular wear has not been a problem since we switched to the R250. We also used to see a lot of splitting at the bottom of grooves from the side forces involved in turning and backing. Again, with the R250, that problem is gone. “We’re running about 400 units, both semis and straight trucks. With the R250, we’ve getting about 50 percent more miles than before. “We find the R250 can usually be retreaded a couple of times, either for drive or trailer positions. And though we exchange used casings for retreads, we try to get all our retreads on Bridgestone casings.”

Don Porthan of Transportation Consultants, Inc., Readville, Massachusetts: “About four years ago, Charlie Arbing (vp of manufacturing and transportation for Stop & Shop, the Northeast’s biggest supermarket chain) retained our firm to oversee everything tire-related. “We run 191 tractors, along with 549 dry freight vans and 332 reefers, making 34 deliveries a week to 190 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York. “All our tractors have setback axles to help with maneuvering in tight spaces, and we had all the usual tire wear problems common to that kind of application. We also had lots of sidewall damage and scuffing,

and when we used tires with decoupling grooves, we experienced a lot of tearing and damage. Plus, we had problems with irregular wear. “We track every maintenance item via computer, and with R250F radials, we get over 100,000 miles on our steers. That’s incredible for a fleet doing this kind of work. Our dairy trucks are usually fully loaded, to nearly 80,000 pounds, and our dry vans typically run 65,000 to 70,000 pounds. “And, with our newer trucks, with their advanced designs, we project that we may see a 10 percent increase over our current tire mileage. “We constantly evaluate all sorts of components, but so far, nothing has beaten the R250 for best cost per mile.”

Peter Quirk of Quirk Tire Sales And Service, Watertown, Massachusetts: “Stop & Shop is a ‘jewel’ of a customer for us. We’re out there delivering tires and picking up casings about three or four times a week, and Don Porthan’s systems are so good at predicting his needs that both of us are able to keep our inventories at a minimum. “We provide wheel refurbishing, retreading and mounted tires, both new and retreads. Stop & Shop retreads over a thousand tires a year, most of them through our shop. “Bridgestone casings are the preferred brand for our retread crew, and Stop & Shop’s Bridgestone casings are their favorites of all. In spite of the rough service they get delivering groceries throughout New England, Don’s casings are usually in great shape when they arrive at our shop. “He knows just when to pull tires to minimize stone drilling, rust, and other damage, and since he’s been using the R250F, he’s seeing a reduction in sidewall damage and cost per mile, along with an increase in retreadability. That’s good for him—and for us.”