Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions (BBTS), a division of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, is introducing a new long-wearing Bridgestone-brand R287A steer tire designed to deliver superior tread wear and mileage for low cost per mile in regional and long-haul applications, according to the company. The new radial has already been
approved for use on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay-certified equipment, and is California Air Resources Board (CARB) compliant, too.
“The R287A is a refinement of a successful product, the R287 steer,” said Chris Hoffman, manager of TBR & retread product marketing, BBTS. “The new tire offers superior worn appearance and longer tread life. Engineers altered the side groove structure of the new R287A for enhanced appearance as the tires wear.”
According to the tire maker, this refined side groove structure acts similar to a “shock absorber,” helping prevent shoulder edge wear from spreading to the ribs. The inside of the groove is engineered to prevent stress cracking. The “equalizer rib” feature promotes uniform rib wear and higher removal mileage by fighting initiation and spread of rib edge wear.
The R287A steer uses an enhanced cap/base compound and design for improved mileage. The top, or cap, compound is formulated to wear slowly, fight irregular wear and run cooler for superior tread life. The base compound shields the casing from damaging tread heat for enhanced retreadability. A shallow 16/32-in. tread depth for less tread squirm also promotes longer mileage, BBTS said.
The casing incorporates four full steel belts and an all-steel casing ply, and is designed to minimize heat buildup for long life and retreadability, the company added.
