LOUISVILLE, Ky.-More than one in four retreaders listed Bridgestone as the medium truck radial they most prefer retreading in a survey by The Tire Retreading/Repair Journal of the International Tire and Rubber Association. Reporting the results of the annual ``retreadability survey'' in its June issue, the magazine said 25.7 percent of the participants picked Bridgestone, raising the brand to first place from its No. 2 position in last year's rankings.
Michelin, which last year placed third in the ``favorite brand'' category, move to second, with 24.6 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, Goodyear, which was ranked first in 1995, dropped to third place, with 22.1 percent, and Yokohama came in fourth with 4.4 percent.
Participants selected their favorite brand from a total of 21 listed on the survey ballot. A total of 1,375 surveys were mailed out. About 365 retreaders returned completed forms to register their preferences.
In the ``combined points'' ranking (in which participants ranked brands on a five-point scale with five representing ``good'' and one representing ``poor'') retreaders again ranked Bridgestone first with 1,532 points. Michelin was ranked second with 1,463 points and Goodyear third with 1,418 points.
The publication cautioned that the annual balloting is not a scientific study of brand retreadability, but a survey of opinion among its retreader readers.
Source: The Tire Retreading/Repair Journal