Bridgestone updates touring line, unveils all-weather entry

FORT WORTH, Texas — Bridgestone Americas Inc. launched two tires recently under its Bridgestone and Firestone brands that are optimized for different driving experiences.

The Nashville, Tenn.-based tire maker released the Turanza QuietTrack, an all-season touring tire that offers upgraded performance over the Serenity Plus that it is replacing in the Bridgestone line, and the Firestone WeatherGrip, a product new for Firestone in the burgeoning all-weather category.

The tires were part of four new products — the other two were light-truck offerings, the Firestone Destination A/T2 and Destination X/T — that were unveiled at a ride-and-drive event in mid-May at Texas Motor Speedway.

Robert Saul, director of consumer tire product strategy, U.S. and Canada, for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) called the Turanza Bridgestone's ultimate touring tire.

"It's our best in class," Mr. Saul said. "This is for the customer who is willing to spend a little extra to get the best that we have to offer them in the way of a luxury, quiet, comfortable tire, with great traction in all conditions, something all-season tires are faced with, and a good long wear life."

The Turanza QuietTrack is available in 37 sizes in 15- to 20-inch rim diameters, covering 86% plus of vehicles on the road. Sizes start at 195/65HR15 and run through 245/45VR20 and include 10 extra-load SKUs.

"It's got a good size lineup to fit a lot of the modern sedans and coupes and wagons minivans that are there," Mr. Saul said.

Bridgestone said the new tire offers 20% better wet traction and a 44% improvement in snow traction over its predecessor, the Turanza Serenity Plus.

The Turanza QuietTrack tire is engineered with four Bridgestone technology packages:

• QuietTrack Technology, a noise-dampening technology designed to reduce high-frequency noise and ensure a quieter ride;
• ComfortCruise Technology, which leverages a rounded contact patch and optimized tire casing shape to reduce road vibration for a smoother, more comfortable ride;
• HydroTrack Technology, which employs full-depth tread grooves and open shoulder slots to improve water evacuation for reduced hydroplaning risk; and
• EdgePerformance Technology, a full-depth tread designed to maintain performance across its 80,000-mile life span.

The tire, which was conceptualized six years ago, was developed based on consumer feedback, according to Mr. Saul.

"One of the things we learned is — and maybe it's not a surprise — the importance of three Ws: wet, winter and wear. In the case of the Turanza Serenity Plus, there were strong signals that consumers wanted better hydroplaning resistance and better winter traction. Those things became the rallying point of engineers around what we want to improve in the tire without giving up anything else."

Suggested retail pricing starts at $132.99, according to data posted on Bridgestone's website.

While refreshing that lineup, Bridgestone added the WeatherGrip to the Firestone lineup, a Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake-certified product designed for control in wet and snowy conditions.

The WeatherGrip has a 65,000-mile limited warranty and features Firestone's Hydro-Grip technology package, while the directional tread pattern was designed with full-depth grooves and open shoulder slots for enhanced water evacuation, the company said.

Mr. Saul said the WeatherGrip provides "enhanced grip in wet and The product also has TractionTech, a technology package that Bridgestone said leverages a full-depth tread design and interlocking sipes to ensure wet and snow performance and redue the risk of hydroplaning.

The WeatherGrip is available in 33 sizes ranging from 195/65R15 to 235/55R19 covering fitments for over 60% of sedans and CUVs on the road. Mr. Saul said he expects the lineup to grow as the tire gains traction in the all-weather market.

"It has enough snow traction to earn that Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake, which means if you do live in winter climate, you've got a tire that can get you around," Mr. Saul said. "If you're on the fence about whether want to move to winter tire or stick to all-season, you have another choice."

Pricing starts at $108.99.

The WeatherGrip fills a key void in the Firestone lineup, according to Bridgestone officials.

"We've been on a wave of product upgrades, and the Firestone brand has benefited greatly from this because a lot of the tires that we have been selling successfully there for a long time have been on a rather long life cycles," Mr. Saul said.

"So over the last several years, there's been a lot of fresh, new product coming into the Firestone brand, and we've literally turned over almost the whole brand in the last three years, which a big undertaking. It just shows our commitment to how important Firestone is to us."

Both products come with Firestone's 90-day Buy & Try Guarantee: If a customer is not satisfied with the performance of their Firestone tires, he or she may return the purchase within 90 days for a full refund or exchange.