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May 12, 2017 02:00 AM

Next-generation Firestone off-road tire debuts (Updated)

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    Tire Business photo by Dave Zielasko
    A ride-and-drive event, coordinated by Overland Experts, gave tire dealers and tire journalists the chance to test the new Firestone Destination M/T 2 in some wet and muddy creek beds.

    ORANGE, Va. — For most tire ride-and-drive events, speeding through autocross and slalom courses is a common way to test a tire's handling and drive characteristics.

    When it comes to assessing the performance of mud terrain and off-road tires, however, slow and steady is often the preferred approach.

    The latter was the case with Bridgestone Americas Inc.'s introduction of the Firestone Destination M/T2 tire — a product the company is counting on to increase the Firestone brand's share of the light truck tire market.

    “This is an extremely important high-performance piece for truck tires in the premium category,” said Justin Reinke, director of brand marketing.

    Bridgestone unveiled the tire — the successor to the 15-year-old Firestone Destination M/T — at a ride-and-drive event coordinated by Overland Experts for tire dealers and tire journalists May 8-11 on an 8,600 acre tract in Orange.

    Attendees put the new tire to the test on trails that included creek beds, deep mud and rocks. They also compared the tire's performance with one of the leading products in the segment, the BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM2.

    The Destination M/T2 features a new tread compound and aggressive tread design for use in demanding off-road conditions, the company said. The target audience is owners of four-wheel-drive vehicles, pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles.

    Bridgestone designed the M/T2 by focusing first on the needs of customers in this product category, Mr. Reinke said during a briefing prior to the ride-and-drive experience.

    The Nashville, Tenn.-based tire maker has segmented tire consumers into eight categories. The Firestone customer slots into the category of “Work Hard/Play Hard,” which is 13 percent of tire consumers, Mr. Reinke said.

    Tire Business photo by Dave Zielasko

    The Firestone Desination M/T 2 is the successor to the 15-year-old Firestone Destination M/T.

    The other categories are: price sensitive and enthusiast, each with 8 percent; social set, 3 percent; hobbiest, 6 percent; comfortable ride, 9 percent; practical minded, 24 percent; and safety focused, 29 percent.

    What's important to know, he said, “is that when we design these tires, when we market these tires, we start with that end consumer and we think about what's important to them.”

    Erik Seidel, president, consumer replacement tire sales, U.S. and Canada, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, described the Destination M/T2 as “the ultimate tire for adventure-seekers looking to get the most performance out of their truck or Jeep.

    “Overlanders and weekend warriors expect their tires to perform across a wide range of intense conditions, and the Destination M/T2 delivers an incredible off-road driving experience. We built a tough tire that attacks the terrain.”

    For strong pulling power, the Destination M/T2 features lugs at 23-degree angles — technology the company developed originally for farm tires, said Justin Hayes, product manager for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations L.L.C., during the briefing. This provides maximum traction in mud conditions, he said.

    The tire also features a three-ply sidewall construction and more aggressive upper sidewall lugs for additional traction in mud and stronger resistance to chips and tears.

    To improve snow traction, Bridgestone added siping to the Destination M/T2, which is also studdable, Mr. Hayes said.

    Tire dealer Keith Gleason, wholesale manager for McMahon's Best One Wholesale in Fort Wayne, Ind., tested the new tire with the dealer group and came away impressed.

    “The tread design, the way they changed that, it offers more biting edges for better traction,” he said.

    Adding siping to the Destination M/T2's tread also is a plus, he said. “There are minimal off-road tires that have that.”

    Discussing the Destination M/T2 and the BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM2 after the subjective driving experience, Mr. Gleason said he thought the Firestone tire offered more traction than the competitive BFGoodrich did, “so it is going up against the leader of the pack.”

    “For us the original Firestone (Destination) M/T is the number one M/T tire I sell,” he said. “So offering this tire, the new M/T with the newer technology and better performance, will be an easy sell.”

    Bridgestone is offering the Destination M/T2 in 29 sizes, for use on 15- to 22-inch rim diameter wheels, with availability starting July 1. The fitments include, for the first time, three 37-inch tires, with most sizes available in Load Range E.

    The Destination M/T2 does not offer a treadlife warranty but is backed by the Gold Pledge Limited Warranty and a 30-day buy-and-try guarantee.

    Bridgestone said it is targeting the Destination M/T2 for use on vehicles such as the Toyota Tacoma TRD, Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Rubicon.

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